Chapter 13: So Close, Yet So Far.

Adrian

I roll over, reaching instinctively for the warm, soft presence that has been curled against me all night and weekend . My hand meets cool sheets. I blink slowly, heart sinking. She’s gone.

I strain my ears, hoping—maybe she’s just in the shower or that maybe I’ll hear the soft patter of her feet on the floor or the telltale hum of her humming to herself. But there’s nothing. Just the ticking of the wall clock and the distant buzz of traffic outside my window.

Damn it. I’d told her to wake me up. I wanted to drive her home, to at least steal a few more minutes of time alone with her. Instead, she slipped away like a dream I wasn’t ready to wake from.

Just then, my phone buzzes on the nightstand. I grab it, not even glancing at the screen before answering.

“Selene?” I ask, voice still rough from sleep.

“It’s your brother Jonathan, not Selene,” comes the dry response.

I wince. “Oh.”

Jonathan chuckles, never one to miss a beat. “Wow, little brother. Are you already that smitten?”

“I’m not in the mood for this. What do you want, Jon?” I snap.

“I’m almost at the office,” he says, ignoring my tone. “Just checking to see what time you plan on gracing us with your presence? Don't forget we have that big meeting today."

“I’ll be there,” I mutter, already crafting a plan in my head. “And I’ll bring coffee.”

“Good. Make it strong,” he says, and hangs up.

But I’m not thinking about him anymore.

I’m thinking about her. Her scent still lingers faintly on my pillow—vanilla and something darker, muskier, that makes my pulse jump. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and scrub a hand over my face. My hand stroking my hard cock. Last night, no scrap that this weekend was… something else. Something more than sex. The way she took control, the way I gave it so freely—God, it wrecked me, and I want her. I'm not sure I can let her go.

I get ready, moving slower than usual, dragging out the morning in a lazy attempt to hang onto the memory of her a little longer. I stare into the bathroom mirror as I fix my collar, wondering how the hell I never noticed her before or met her for that matter . How she’d been in my orbit this whole time, and I’d been blind.

I remember her coffee order clearly. Of course I do. Hazelnut oat milk espresso. A drink as bold and smooth as she is, I order her a coffee and execute my plan.

Less then an hour later, I walk into the office, late and very aware of it. My hand grips the coffee tray, but my nerves tighten with each step. I try to arrange my face into something that doesn’t scream infatuated fool—just a coworker dropping off a drink, nothing to see here.

Right.

Her door is open. She’s sitting at her desk, head bent low, her attention locked on the screen. She’s biting her lip as she concentrates, and something about the sight twists something in my chest. She’s in control again, composed and stunning and completely out of reach.

I knock lightly on the open doorframe.

She looks up—and I watch holding my breath as her entire face transforms into a sultry smile. That smile. Fuck. My stomach flip-flops like a schoolboy with a crush.

“One venti hazelnut oat milk espresso for the Mistress,” I say, trying to keep it light and teasing. My voice is steady, but inside I’m mush.

Her eyebrow arches in amusement. “For the Mistress, huh?” She lets out a laugh that curls around my gut and tugs me closer to the edge.

I’m putty. One look and I’m back to last night, and the weekend as a whole, on my knees for her, begging for more.

“You left without waking me,” I blurt out , handing her the coffee. My fingers brush hers and I swear I feel the spark all over again.

She raises her cup slightly in thanks and shrugs. “You were still asleep. And you said you don’t sleep well—I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Thoughtful. Kind. Sexy. Intelligent . Damn her.

“And… thanks for the coffee,” she adds, taking a long sip.

“Are we good ?”, I ask, softer this time. I want to hear her say yes. I want to know last night and the weekend wasn’t just a one-time thing.

She leans back in her chair, tilting her head, eyeing me like she’s reading every thought I’ve tried to hide.

“We’ll see,” she replies, that singnature smirk playing on her lips.

I laugh, scratching the back of my neck. “Fair enough."

The silence stretches between us, thick with something unsaid. I want to walk around her desk, grab her in my arms and kiss he and spread her on her desk and eat her till she cums in my mouth. I want to ask her when I can see her again. But instead, I glance at the time.

“I… might need to head back home tonight,” I say finally, the words sticking in my throat.

Her smile falters for just a second. “Oh?”

“Just for a couple days,” I add quickly. “Work issues . Obligations. I’ll be back by the weekend though.”

She nods slowly, but something in her eyes dims, just a little. Or maybe I’m imagining it.

“Well, safe travels, and thanks for fun weekend,” she says, lifting her cup again as she leans back and watches me with guarded eyes .

I nod, backing away, but I linger in the doorway for a moment longer than necessary.

“Selene?”

She looks up.

“I meant what I said last night,” I tell her. “You’re… different. In the best way.”

She doesn’t answer right away, just stares at me with that unreadable expression.

“I know,” she says at last, her voice low and full of something I can’t quite name.

And just like that, the moment passes.

I turn and walk away, Jonathan and I’s coffee in hand, heart still in her office.

So close.

Yet so far.

I feel as though I should go back and make sure she knows how much this weekend meant and how much I want to see her again . Heck maybe even ask her to come with me for a short break to California? . I sigh and make my way to the boardroom for the meetings my brother has lined up.