Chapter 19: Kiss him or not?

The loud sound of a grandfather clock ticking in the hallway followed Adrian all the way to the elevator.

Rowan seemed…mad?

Which Adrian found upsetting. If anyone had the right to be angry, it should be him!

Rowan was lucky someone hadn’t taken a photo of him and Rose. It would’ve been bad especially since they just had their first public appearance together as a pair.

He kept quiet as he watched Rowan punch in the number to the penthouse with more force than necessary.

Adrian was startled when the elevator dinged, he’d wished it had gone on longer. For some reason Rowan’s usual blank expression made him nervous.

It made him feel like a little kid that had gotten into trouble.

Whatever.

Rowan was the one that went against the very rule he had made himself. He should be the one feeling guilty.

Adrian pulled off his shirt, dropping it to the floor.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” he asked Rowan. “Or is the marriage null now that you have another fiancee?” he tried to sound casual but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

Everything happened in the split of a second—Adrian was heading to the room and before he could blink he found himself backed up against a wall.

The force of it knocked the breath out of him.

“What the hell man?” Adrian yelled, now annoyed. “Back off before I fucking punch you.”

Rowan heard nothing of what he said. His eyes were dark, brewing with the anger he’d barely been able to hold back the engtire day.

He grabbed Adrian’s chin, his fingers bruising the delicate flesh. “Did you kiss him?”

Adrian tried to push him away but he only tightened his grip. “Let me go, you psycho!”

“Answer while I’m being nice, Cole. Did you kiss Cassian when you went out to smoke?” his voice had dropped to a deep growl, his eyes turning so dark it felt like Adrian was staring into the dark abyss.

Was this what it meant for Rowan fucking Hale to lose his control?

A smirk on appeared on Adrian’s face. “And what if I did? What does it have to you?” he tilted his head slightly so he could stare at Rowan right in the eye.

“Does it anger you that I let him touch me? Do you even have the right to act like a jealous prick?”

Rowan’s voice was cold when he spoke, making all the hair on Adrian’s body stand. “You kissed him.”

“Drop the act. You had Rose on your arm all day, and what’s that shit about being your fiancee—”

Rowan’s lips crashed against Adrian’s before he could get the entire sentence out. He was so stunned he didn’t even realize what was happening until Rowan started to move his lips along his.

What the fuck?

He mustered all the strength he could and hit Rowan’s chest but the man didn’t budge. He was only able to call out his name when he pulled away slightly before pressed kisses against his neckline.

Adrian’s hips bucked when Rowan bit down hard.

“Are you a blood sucking vampire, why the fuck are you biting me?” His heart sank into his stomach when he felt Rowan’s hand go under his chest.

His brain kicked into overdrive.

Instead of the cold penthouse, he was back in his dark damp room back at the orphanage. There was a shadow at the door, he already knew who it was.

A young Adrian grabbed his thread-bare blanket and pressed it against his chest. He already knew what was coming.

He’d also learnt a long time ago that it was useless shouting for help. It was always better to keep quiet and endure it. That way it would be over quickly.

But he was tired—

He didn’t like what the man who was supposed to care for orphans like him was doing.

At first he’d been happy to see a new face among the sister that ran the orphanage. But that beacon of hope he had on that first day had turned into a complete nightmare for him.

People often wondered how he never dated.

This was it.

He’d never been able to get this out of his head.

Adrian didn’t even feel the wetness on his cheeks or notice that Rowan was now frozen ontop of him.

“Adrian?” Rowan called softly, his sense returning back to him. He looked in surprise at the man in front of him that was crying his heart out.

Did he hate the kiss that much?

Still…it was unlike Adrian who usually acted with his fist first.

He caught Adrian as he was about to crumble to the floor.

“Mummy?” Adrian called out in a broken voice that pierced Rowan’s heart. “Mummy…he’s coming…” he kept sobbing.

Rowan kept holding him, wondering what could’ve happened in his past to make him like this.

“I’m here,” Rowan whispered, stroking Adrian’s hair. “Mummy is here,” he said over and over again to calm the man in his arms.

Adrian leaned into him completely, burying his face in his chest. “What took you so long?”

Rowan kept stroking his hair, rubbing his back, doing everything he could to calm Adrian down. It wasn’t long before he heard his soft snores.

With a softness he wasn’t known for, he carried Adrian into his room and put him down on the bed.

Then, he carefully took of his pants, leaving him in Rowan’s underwear that he had stolen that morning. He took of his socks too before pulling the duvet over him.

He was about to leave when Adrian’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

“Please don’t go…” Adrian muttered, his words all muffled with sleep.

Rowan was about to push his hand away when he saw the bruise that was forming on Adrian’s collarbone.

He’d gone and lost the control he’d so carefully built over the years. All because he’d seen the smug smile on Cassian’s face as he practically admitted to kissing Adrian.

Rowan ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. There was just something about Adrian that made him lose his cool.

He looked at the man sleeping.

Right now he looked so small and vulnerable that Rowan wanted to put him inside his pocket and keep him there forever.

He already knew he was being irrational acting the way he did.

With a sigh he slipped into bed beside Adrian who immediately cuddled into his side.

“What am I supposed to do with you?” Rowan asked with a deep sigh.

The incident with Rose hadn’t been intentional. He was going to explain to Adrian when they got home, so why did he go and kiss another man?

A phone dinged inside Adrian’s discarded pants. Rowan picked it up to make sure it wasn’t Cassian texting him.

It was worse.

Two words that had Rowan crashing all over again.

‘Found her’.

He didn’t need to guess who the person in question was. He knew it was Lily.

Rowan immediately deleted the message.