Chapter 16 ADRIAN'S CONFESSION
Ava's POV
We didn't quite do much that night before Adrian drove me back home. I slept over at my place as he said I'd move over to his side the next day.
I was supposed to meet Dominic at eightPM that day, but he texted at seven saying he'd be late.
Something came up at the office and that Adrian will let you into the penthouse.
I almost canceled, feeling weird about being in his space without him there, but Adrian was already pulling up outside my building.
"Miss Scott," he said, opening the door like he always did.
"You can really just call me Ava, you know."
"I know."
The drive was quiet but different somehow, with tension.
When we got to the penthouse, Adrian walked me up instead of just dropping me off.
"Mr. Hayes asked me to make sure you have everything you need," he explained, unlocking the door and gesturing for me to go in first.
The place was empty and dark except for the city lights coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Would you like something to drink while you wait?" Adrian asked, heading to the kitchen without waiting for my answer.
"Sure. Whatever's easy."
He poured two glasses of wine and handed me one, and I noticed his fingers lingered just a second too long when they brushed against mine.
"Thank you."
We stood there awkwardly for a moment, with him by the kitchen counter and me near the couch, both of us sipping wine and not saying anything.
"Can I ask you something?" I finally said, needing to break the silence. I always had something to ask him anyway.
"Of course." He replied.
"That first night when you drove me home after I was with Dominic, you said I should be careful. That he's complicated. What did you mean?"
Adrian set his glass down and walked closer, stopping a few feet away from me.
"I meant exactly what I said. Dominic is my oldest friend, practically my brother, but he's also possessive and intense in ways that most people can't handle."
"I can handle it."
"Can you?" He took another step closer looked at me in the eyes.
"Because you're different from what he usually goes for, Ava. You're real and genuine and you have no idea how rare that is in his world."
"What does he usually go for?"
"Women who want something from him. Money, status, connections. Women who understand it's all a game." Another step and now he was close enough that I could smell his cologne,
"But you're not playing a game, are you?"
"I don't know what I'm doing," I admitted, taking a sip of wine to have something to do with my hands.
"That's what makes you dangerous." His voice had dropped lower.
"To him and to yourself." He added
"Dangerous how?" I asked, confused.
"Because you're going to fall in love with him and he's going to break your heart, and there's nothing I can do to stop either of those things from happening."
The way he said it, the sadness in his voice, made something twist in my chest.
"You care about him a lot." I said not looking up to face him since he already was so close.
"I do. And I'm starting to care about you too, which is a problem."
The air between us shifted and suddenly I was very aware of how close he was standing, how we were completely alone, and how his eyes had dropped to my mouth.
"Adrian..."
"I know. I shouldn't." But he didn't move away. "You're his. You signed a contract. You're off limits."
"Then why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you want to kiss me."
His jaw tightened.
"Because I do. I have since the first night I drove you home and you looked so lost and scared and brave all at once."
My heart was pounding and I knew I should step back, distance between us, and should do anything except stand here letting this moment stretch out.
But I didn't move.
"This is insane," I whispered.
"I know."
"He'd kill you if he found out."
"Probably."
"So why..."
"Because you deserve to know you have options, Ava. You deserve to know that someone sees you as more than just an arrangement or a possession."
He reached up slowly, giving me time to pull away, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear the same way Dominic always did.
Except when Adrian did it, it felt different. More gentler.
"I should go," he said, but his hand was still hovering near my face.
"Yeah. You should." I said but neither of us moved and the door opened.
We jumped apart, and Dominic stood in the doorway with his jacket slung over his shoulder.
"Adrian." His voice was flat and cold.
"I didn't expect you to still be here."
"I was just making sure Miss Scott had everything she needed." Adrian's voice said like nothing has happened
"I'll leave you both to your evening."
He walked past Dominic without another word, and I heard the door close behind him.
Dominic stared at me for a long moment.
"How long was he here?" he finally asked.
"Maybe ten minutes? He was just getting me wine while I waited for you."
"And?"
"And nothing. We talked. That's all."
He walked toward me slowly, deliberately, and set his jacket down on the couch without taking his eyes off me.
"You're lying."
"I'm not..."
"I can feel it through the bond, Ava. Your pulse is racing and you're nervous." He said.
Oh, i'd forgotten about that, about whatever supernatural connection he claimed we had.
"He was standing close to me. We had a moment, but nothing happened." I said and he only looked at me, gesturing me to go on.
"He said he cares about me. That I deserve better than being someone's arrangement." I finally said
and Dominic's expression went absolutely still.
"Did he touch you?"
"Just my hair. Like you do. That's it, I swear."
"And did you want him to do more?"
The question caught me off guard because I hadn't let myself think about the answer.
"I don't know," I whispered honestly.
"Maybe for a second. But then you came home." I said trying to avoid his gaze.
He looked at me for a while and finally said.
"Take off your clothes." He said more or less in a commanding way.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"You heard me." His voice was low.
"Take off your clothes. Right now." He emphasized
"Dominic..."
"You need to remember who you belong to." He stepped even closer, backing me up against the wall.
"And I need to remind you."
My hands were shaking as I pulled my sweater over my head, then reached for the button on my jeans.
"Slower," he commanded, his eyes tracking every movement.
"I want to watch."
I slowed down, feeling heat flood through my body despite the situation, despite knowing he was doing this because he was jealous and possessive and maybe a little bit hurt.
When I was finally standing there in just my underwear, he circled me slowly.
"Did you think about him touching you here?" His hand ghosted over my shoulder.
"Or here?" Down my arm.
"What about here?"
His fingers traced along the edge of my bra and I shivered.
"No."
"Liar." But there was less anger in his voice now and more heat.
"Get on the couch, and on your back."
I did what he said and watched as he stripped off his tie, then his shirt, revealing the muscles I'd traced with my hands so many times already.
He knelt between my legs and hooked his fingers in my panties, pulling them down slowly while maintaining eye contact.
"I'm going to make you forget he exists," he said, spreading my thighs wider.
"I'm going to make you scream my name so loud that every neighbor in this building knows exactly who you belong to."
Then his mouth was on mine and I forgot how to breathe.