15: The Unspoken Claim
15: The Unspoken Claim
Ellie’s POV
The room felt colder, despite the heat rolling off Adrien as he stood in the doorway.
His presence alone was enough to shift the atmosphere, crackling with something dark and unreadable.
I swallowed, my pulse hammering.
His eyes were on me, sharp and demanding, like he was daring me to disobey.
“Ellie, come here.”
Liam’s grip on my wrist tightened, just slightly.
A silent warning.
A plea.
I hesitated.
Adrien tilted his head, watching us, his expression unreadable.
But I wasn’t stupid.
I knew the moment I didn’t move fast enough, I’d crossed an invisible line.
With a slow breath, I pulled my wrist free from Liam’s grasp and stepped toward Adrien.
His lips curled, satisfied.
Liam exhaled sharply, his jaw clenching.
“Good girl,” Adrien murmured as I stopped beside him.
His fingers brushed against my lower back, just enough to remind me of who held the power in the room.
Liam’s green eyes burned. “She’s not a pet.”
Adrien smirked. “No. She’s something far more valuable.”
I tensed at the way he said it.
Possessive.
Unshakable.
Liam pushed off the wall, his hands curling into fists. “She’s not yours, Adrien.”
Adrien let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head like Liam had said something amusing.
Then, without warning, his hand slid to the back of my neck, fingers pressing lightly against my skin.
Not hurting.
Not forcing.
Just claiming.
“Tell him, Ellie.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Liam’s jaw ticked, waiting.
Adrien’s thumb brushed over my pulse.
I hated how easy it was for him to control my body’s reaction.
My voice came out softer than I wanted. “I signed a contract, Liam.”
Liam’s expression darkened. “That contract doesn’t give him the right to own you.”
Adrien smirked. “Doesn’t it?”
His fingers traced slow patterns down my spine, and I knew exactly what he was doing.
Marking his territory.
Pushing Liam to the edge.
It was working.
Liam let out a harsh breath, stepping closer. “You don’t need him, Ellie. I can help you. You don’t have to sell yourself to a man like this.”
Adrien’s grip on me tightened just slightly, his amusement flickering into something darker.
“I think you’re forgetting something, Liam,” Adrien murmured, his voice smooth, dangerous. “She didn’t sell herself. She made a choice. And she keeps making that choice, every single time she stays.”
Liam’s eyes flicked to mine, desperate. “Ellie—”
Adrien turned me slightly, forcing me to face him.
His hand traced down my arm, slow and deliberate, before catching my fingers in his.
He lifted my wrist, pressing my palm flat against his chest.
His heartbeat was steady.
Unbothered.
I wished mine was the same.
“I don’t force you, do I?” His voice was a whisper, just for me.
I shook my head. “No.”
Liam let out a frustrated sound.
Adrien smiled, satisfied. “Then I suggest you stop wasting your breath, Liam.”
Liam’s muscles tensed, but he knew there was nothing more he could say. Not without making things worse.
Adrien turned, leading me away. I let him.
And the moment we stepped out of sight, he pulled me against him, his lips brushing over my ear.
“You made the right choice, sweetheart.”
I wasn’t sure if that was true.
But I didn’t fight him.
\---
Adrien’s POV
She still wasn’t fully mine.
Not yet.
But tonight, I would remind her why she couldn’t leave.
After the event, I took her back to my penthouse. She was quiet in the car, her fingers fidgeting slightly in her lap. Thinking too much.
I hated that.
As soon as we stepped inside, I turned her toward me, fingers tilting her chin up.
“What’s on your mind?”
She hesitated. “Liam.”
I let out a slow breath, forcing back the irritation curling in my chest.
“What about him?”
Her lips parted, and for a second, I thought she might challenge me. But then she sighed, looking away. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
I smiled. “Good girl.”
Her shoulders tensed.
She hated when I called her that.
And that only made me want to say it more.
I stepped closer, backing her toward the couch. “Tell me, Ellie. Do you still think you can walk away from me?”
She swallowed. “I—”
I grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against me. She gasped, her hands landing on my chest.
“You hesitate too much,” I murmured, my fingers skimming along her hip. “You think too much.”
Her breathing was uneven. “And you don’t think at all.”
I smirked. “Not when it comes to you.”
Her lips parted just slightly, her body betraying her. She wanted to resist, but I felt the way she melted against me.
I leaned down, lips brushing over her neck. “You don’t want to walk away, sweetheart.”
She shuddered. “You think you know what I want?”
I chuckled. “I don’t think. I know.”
And then I kissed her.
Her resistance crumbled instantly.
She clung to me, her fingers twisting into my shirt as I deepened the kiss, swallowing every little sound she made.
I could taste her surrender.
It was intoxicating.
But I wouldn’t rush this.
Not yet.
I pulled away, my lips hovering over hers, my hands still gripping her waist.
“You belong to me, Ellie.”
Her eyes flickered, still hazy from the kiss.
And then, just to push her a little further, I added—
“And I don’t share.”
Ellie’s breath caught.
my smirk deepened.
And just when she thought she could catch her breath, i whispered—
“Now, be a good girl and undress for me.”