Chapter 8 Intrusion
Adeline was deep asleep when the knock came. It was not loud at first, just a firm sound against the wood of the hotel door, but still, in the quiet of the room, it was just loud enough. She stirred under the sheets, her mind slow and heavy. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it, but then the knock came again, and she groaned.
She opened her eyes with a small frown. The room was still dim, with only a bit of morning light entering through the curtains. Her head felt thick from sleep, and her body was warm and a little too sluggish for her liking.
Another knock came, and she groaned softly and turned on her back. Who could be knocking this early? She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was barely past eight, which meant that it was too early for housekeeping and too early for anything.
She shut her eyes again, hoping whoever it was would leave, but they did not. The knock came once more, firmer this time, so Adeline pushed the blanket off her legs with a quiet sigh. She regretted not telling the front desk the night before that she did not want to be disturbed. She had meant to but had simply forgotten.
She sat up slowly, brushing her hair away from her face. Her neck felt sore when she moved, and the faint sting brought back a memory she did not want. She ignored it.
The knock came again.
“I’m coming,” she muttered under her breath, even though the person outside could not hear her.
She slipped out of bed and walked toward the door, her steps slow and heavy. She did not bother checking the mirror to see if she looked decent or not. She only planned to tell the staff to come back later, and that was all.
When she reached the door, she did not look through the peephole. She simply unlocked it and pulled it open, ready to speak, but the words died in her throat.
Julian stood in the hallway instead of hotel staff, and for a second, she only stared at him. Her mind was still foggy from sleep, and nothing made sense. He looked too real to be a dream but too out of place to be possible.
She blinked once, then again, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
Julian smiled slightly. “You’re not imagining me, Carter,” he said, his voice low and calm. “I’m really here.”
The sound of his voice cleared the last of her sleep, and her heart jumped hard in her chest.
“What…” she started, then stopped.
He stood there like he belonged, dressed neatly as always in a dark coat and clean shirt, with her hair in place. He did not look like a man who had rushed to get here in the slightest.
Her shock turned into panic, and without thinking, she reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him inside the room. She stepped back quickly and shut the door, locking it at once. Then she turned to face him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice low but sharp. “How did you even find me?”
Julian glanced around the room once before looking back at her. His expression did not change, and he looked far too calm for her liking.
He shrugged lightly. “I told you, didn't I?” he said. “I texted you and clearly said I would find you.”
“That was not an invitation to actually show up out of the blue,” she snapped.
He tilted his head slightly. “It wasn’t a joke either. You should know that I don't say things lightly, Adeline.”
Her chest rose and fell faster. “Regardless, you should know that this is a private hotel.”
“Nothing is ever truly private,” he replied.
She stared at him, trying to understand how he had done it. Did he call every hotel in the city? Did he track her car? Did he follow her?
“You had no right,” she said.
Julian stepped closer, not enough to touch her, but enough to close some of the space between them. “We needed to talk,” he said simply. “And you hung up on me.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to track me down,” she fired back, feeling her anger rise even more at his audacity.
“You should know by now not to take my words lightly,” he said. “When I say I’ll do something, I do it.”
Adeline folded her arms over her chest. She suddenly felt very aware that she was still in her sleep clothes. She straightened her posture, forcing herself to look composed.
“You could have waited,” she said.
“I did,” he replied. “For hours.”
She rolled her eyes. “How dramatic.”
“I’m not being dramatic,” he said calmly. “You changed the terms of our conversation.”
She let out a short breath. “I said I needed time.”
“And I said I don’t like uncertainty,” he responded with a shrug.
“That sounds like a personal issue,” she replied.
A faint smile touched his lips at that. They stood in silence for a few seconds, looking at each other.
Julian’s gaze slowly moved to her neck, and her body immediately went still.
She had forgotten for a second, and unfortunately for her, her hair was pushed back from sleep. The mark was faint now, but in the morning light, it was still there.
His expression shifted, not much, but just enough. “What happened?” he asked quietly.
She lifted her chin. “Nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.”
“It’s not your concern.”
His eyes darkened slightly. “It becomes my concern if we are about to stand in front of the world together.”
She felt anger rise in her chest. “Don’t turn this into something it’s not.”
“Then tell me what it is.”
She looked away for a moment. The room felt smaller with him inside it, and she hated that he noticed things so easily.
“It was an argument,” she said finally. “That’s all.”
“With Patrick?”
She did not answer.
Julian’s jaw tightened. “Did he do that to you?”
“That’s not your problem,” she said again, firmer this time.
Julian scoffed lightly. “It is if you’re still legally tied to him.”
Her hands clenched at her sides. “I can handle Patrick.”
“Can you?” he asked softly.
She shot him a look. “Yes.”
He held her gaze, searching her face like he was trying to read something deeper.
“I don’t need you to save me,” she said.
“I’m not trying to save you,” he replied. “I’m trying to understand what position I’m stepping into.”
She almost laughed. “Position?”
“Yes,” he said. “Marriage is not a small move, Adeline. If I’m doing this, I need clarity.”
She stepped closer now, closing the gap between them. “You don’t get clarity,” she said quietly. “Not yet.”
His eyes did not leave hers. “You enjoy keeping me off balance.”
“I enjoy keeping control, Hale. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to you,” she replied.
He smiled faintly. “Well, that makes two of us.”
They stood there, inches apart, and for a while, they didn't say anything until Adeline decided to break the momentary silence.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” she said.
“And yet,” he replied, “you let me in. I would have left if you had sternly asked me to, but you pulled me in like you wanted me to be here.”
Adeline scoffed at his response, hating that he was partly right. “You can’t just appear whenever you want,” she said.
“I can,” he corrected gently. “And I will, especially if you start pulling away.”
“I’m not pulling away.”
“Then don’t act like it.”
She crossed her arms again, needing some distance. “I said I needed time.”
“And I’m giving you time,” he replied. “I’m just not giving you space to disappear.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “You think I would disappear?” she asked.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you don’t like being vulnerable, and when you feel it, you retreat. Very typical of you, if you ask me.”
His words hit too close, but she forced a small, cold smile. “You don’t know me that well.”
“I know enough.”
Silence fell again. Finally, she walked past him and toward the window, pulling the curtain aside slightly. The morning light filled the room more fully.
“What do you want, Julian?” she asked, her voice calmer now.
He turned to face her back. “I want to know if we are still moving forward.”
She did not answer right away.
Behind her, he added quietly, “And I want to know if he has ever touched you like that before.”
Her fingers tightened around the curtain. “That,” she said slowly, “is not a question you get to ask. It’s none of your business.”
He did not argue this time. Instead, he said, “Get dressed. We’re not having this conversation in a hotel room.”
She turned sharply. “Excuse me?”
“We’re going somewhere else,” he said. “Somewhere better.”
She stared at him. “You don’t give me orders, Hale.”
He held her gaze evenly. “Then consider it a suggestion.”