“Is that a return address label, holding his diaper together?” he asked. Adam and I glanced at each other. The mohel said the blessings and talked about the ancient significance of the ritual. I held Adam’s hand tightly. At the moment of truth, I pulled him down and whispered frantically in his ear.

“Yours came out very nicely. You have the most attractive purple-headed warrior I’ve ever seen.”

“Purple-headed warrior?” he whispered back with a laugh.

The baby gave a little cry, but that was all. It was over. They handed the baby back to Rebekah, who took him off to nurse him. Her tap was full. There were plenty of ‘mazel tovs’ and hugs to go around, including the very long, tight hug that Adam and I gave each other. We had survived.

“So, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Adam said when we were in the car headed home. “I almost regret all the effort I’ve put into avoiding these things over the years. Although I would still rather go to a wedding or even a bar mitzvah.”

“Well, now I know I just have to distract you with my romance novel speak.”

“Purple-headed warrior? That’s really bad.” He laughed.

“Maybe later I’ll let you put it in my love grotto.”

“Oh stop! You’re getting me hot, baby.”

“Uh oh. Is your impressive member throbbing?” I teased and reached over to give his crotch a light squeeze.

“I think somebody’s going to get some fominal sexing tonight.”

“Hey, I just remembered. We never checked the purse I had the night of the book signing. I guess I had better do that before I have Gab pounding on the door. In fact, she probably left me a message.”

I took out my cell phone to check and noticed another missed call. Punching in my code, I listened to my messages. When I was done, I put my phone away and turned to Adam with a nervous look.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, glancing over at me.

“The landlord called. There were no maintenance visits to my apartment.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

As soon as we got back to my place, Adam started looking for a locksmith open on Sundays, and I went to find the black bag I had taken to Inferno with me. I had just dug it out of my closet when he came into the bedroom with me.

“Okay, here it is. Let’s see if Gab was right.” He walked over beside me and looked down as I opened it up and found … absolutely nothing. I turned it upside down for good measure. Nothing but a little lint fell out. “I guess she was wrong.”

“Did you say your wallet was in there?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t think a flash drive would have fit in that.”

“You might as well check.”

I went to over to my regular purse and pulled out my wallet. I started going through it, and in one of the side panels, something caught my eye. It wasn’t a flash drive, but a slip of paper. I pulled it out and looked at it curiously.

“It’s a note. It says, ‘Go to your fan to get the drive, and give it to the U.S. Attorney’.”

“Which fan? You met, like, thirty of them that night,” Adam pointed out, coming over to look at the note.

“It would have to be someone who might have something to do with Moretti. Like Roxanne! Tony Amato is Moretti’s cousin, and she’s Amato’s girlfriend. She said she was a big fan.”

“It could be, I guess,” he conceded. “Maybe Dan McGuire was there to get it from her, but someone got to him first, or maybe he gave it to her to hold.”

“So, what are we going to do?” I asked, walking out to the living room with Adam following close behind.

“What do you mean, what are we going to do? We’re going to give this note to Sachs and let him worry about it. We’re doing more than our share by throwing a party for his hit man.”

“About that party, I think we should make up some invitations and give them out to the neighbors,” I said, going over to my desk and shoving some paper into my printer.

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yeah, we’ll go deliver them and see if we observe anything.”

“And when did this become a ‘we’ venture?”

“We’re throwing the party together.” I stopped shoving and looked up.

“Lily, don’t you start going all Gabrielle on me. I’m supposed to be protecting you. I’m not even sure this party thing is a good idea. I don’t want you getting any more involved than you have to be.”

“I can help you. We chased a burglar together in Bucks County.”

“I chased a burglar. You ran out after me in your night gown. I stopped chasing the burglar because I was worried about you getting hurt.”

“Well, I ran out after you because I was worried about you getting hurt,” My voice was starting to rise with emotion. He and I were looking at each other like we both knew something was about to go down. If it were a movie, orchestra music would be getting louder right about now.

“If that burglar hadn’t interrupted us that night, what would have happened?” he asked. He was looking at me so intently, that I felt pinned in place by his gaze.

“I guess you would have kissed me,” I answered throatily, feeling my pulse start to climb.

“And then what?” he asked in a husky voice, taking a step in my direction. My muscles tensed in preparation, and my heart slammed against my ribs, just like it had that night.

“Well, I wouldn’t have slapped you,” I answered, hesitantly.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said with an amused look, taking another step toward me. “Do you have any idea at all how much I wanted you that night? I would have given anything …”

“I wanted you too. It’s better that it took longer, though. You said you weren’t ready and I don’t think I was either.”

“I am now,” he said quietly, taking another step and stopping about five feet away. We stood there and stared at each other silently for a moment. Finally, I worked up my courage, took a deep breath, and steadied my nerves as best I could, forcing the words out before I could change my mind.

“If I say it, will you say it too?” I asked, swallowing hard, even though my mouth was dry. I willed him silently not to joke around or say anything that could hurt me.

“Yes, but I need to hear you say it first,” he answered in a voice filled with tension.

“What are you, four? Why can’t we just say it at the same time?” I asked, panicking.

“Because that’s stupid. And when I was four, I said it by licking your Fruit Roll-Up. Why can’t you just say it? Don’t you trust me?”

“Why do you always get to decide who does what? I let you lift, and I wiped!”

“You’re comparing us declaring our love for each other to wiping a baby’s ass?!”

“Ah ha! You said it!” I announced victoriously.

“I did not! I was saying it generally. That’s different than saying it!”

“You said ‘declaring our love’!”

“That’s different than saying ‘I love you’!”

“Ah ha!” I cried again.

“Oh Jesus H. Christ! Who’s the one who’s four? Will you just say it, woman?!”

“Fine! I love you, you asshole!”

“I love you too, you nutty broad!” In two strides he was in front of me and picking me up. He slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried me into the bedroom. It was much more caveman than Rhett Butler.

“Why don’t you just beat me over the head with a club?” I called out.

“Don’t tempt me,” he replied and tossed me down on the bed. “Time to get na**d, Lilith. I’m about to plow your love grotto,” he said, peeling off his shirt and tossing it on a chair. As much as I hated to admit it, I was really turned on, but I wasn’t going to make it too easy for him. After all, what fun would that be?

“Look Conan, you want to thrust your angry dagger into my honeyed chalice, that’s fine by me, but this is how it’s going to go down. I’ll tell you what I want you to do and you’ll do it. Then you can tell me and I’ll do it. But it’s equal. You understand me?”

“Fine,” he said kicking off his shoes and pulling off his socks. “Your wish is my command, oh demon queen.” He stood up straight again and gave me a hot look.

“Take off your pants, smartass,” I demanded. He gave me a wicked smile, opened his belt, and undid his trousers, letting them drop to the floor. Then he stepped out of them and kicked them aside. I could see clearly, that he found this little back and forth as arousing as I did. I felt my skin starting to become flushed with desire.

“My turn,” he said in a low, thick voice. “Unbutton your blouse. Slowly. But first, I want to hear you say it again.” Not to get all flowery, but he gave me a smoldering look and his eyes really did look like burning coals. I swear!

“I love you, you schmuck,” I said, getting up and holding his gaze, as I slowly opened my blouse one button at a time. His eyes dropped to my br**sts and I saw his breathing quicken. I slid it down over my shoulders and let it drop to the floor and he swallowed hard and licked his lips. I felt that one right between the legs. “Looks like you’ve only got one thing left to take off, cowboy, but I want to hear you say it again too.”

“I love you, you mouthy wench,” he said and slid his briefs off. My eyes dropped to his gloriously attentive naughty bits. That’s a romance novelist’s way saying he had one hell of a hard-on. That was one nice purple-headed warrior. I looked back up to find him smirking at me. “Now, take off the rest of it, but don’t forget to tell me what I want to hear.”

“I love you, you arrogant bastard,” I said and then unhooked my bra and tossed it aside. I kicked off my shoes, pulled off my trouser socks, opened up my pants and let them hit the floor. Then I bit my lower lip seductively and pushed my panties down over my h*ps with a wiggle. When they joined my pants, I kicked it all to the side. “Tell me again,” I said, breathing hard.

“I love you, you nasty shrew,” he said, his eyes traveling up and down my body. When he met my gaze again, I saw that they were fogged with desire and filled with emotion. “Now, come here, and tell me.”

I walked slowly over to stand in front of him. Even without touching him, I could feel his heat like a furnace. I reached up to brush my fingers along his jaw while staring deeply into his eyes. A lot of women don’t like it when their men aren’t clean shaven, but I loved the burning feeling of his beard abrading my skin.

“I love you, Adam,” I said quietly. Before I could say anything else, he gently placed his fingers on my lips to silence me.

“I love you too, Lily.” Then he kissed me and it was nothing short of transcendent. His tongue swept into my mouth and I surrendered myself to a wave of sensation that made my skin tingle and my ni**les harden. He pressed harder, probing deeply, and then pulling back and spreading light feathery kisses around my lips, and mumbling, “I love you” over and over.

My heart was so filled with emotion that my chest ached. When he reached down, picked me up and carried me to bed this time, it was much more romantic. He put me down gently and laid down next to me, leaning over to blanket me with his heat, nuzzling and kissing my neck in the way that he knew drove me wild.

“Adam.” I clutched onto him almost desperately. “Please, don’t leave.” It was my deepest fear, that I would let myself love someone, and they would reject me if I displeased them, that I would always be alone.

“I’m not going anywhere, Lily. I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you say that you wanted to be with me.”

His mouth found mine again and we never broke our kiss, even as he positioned himself over me and slowly filled me up inside. Adam had always been the only one who could really do that. Apart from a couple of good friendships, every other relationship had left me empty. He was the only one who broke through my defenses and made me feel. When he was fully seated, he moved to kiss my neck, giving me chills as a moan escaped my throat. We just laid there together, still for a moment, enjoying the feeling of him buried deeply inside me.

Then his h*ps moved against me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I felt so many things, the physical pleasure and relief as my inner muscles accepted and hugged him, the overwhelming emotion of finally, after so long, being able to tell him what I was feeling and not be afraid anymore. At last, I was able to really open up and let him in, and I think maybe for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone. Now that I felt able, I couldn’t stop telling him, and I mumbled, “I love you” over and over like he had moments ago. He pulled back to look into my eyes as he adjusted his angle to push into me even deeper.

“You’re so beautiful, Lily,” he replied thickly, “I can’t get enough of you. I would do anything for you.” I felt the tension building, as my muscles gripped him, and the smell of our sweat and sex was like a drug, making me feel drunk on pleasure.

“Tell me again,” I pleaded, gasping and searching his eyes deeply for more reassurance. “Tell me you won’t leave me. I want to be with you. I’ve always wanted …I’ve always wanted to be with you.”

“I won’t leave,” he answered hoarsely. “I’ve loved you since you put glitter in my hair. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.”

He returned my gaze just as intently and then he leaned down and kissed me, without even breaking his rhythm. Our tongues had perfected an intimate mutual exploration, and we knew just how to please each other. It really was like we had been waiting our whole lives for each other, like this was what was meant to be. Bashert, as our grandparents had called it, fate.