Three bad boys?

Stirring the coffee, I took a sip. Hours had passed and there was no sign of Adrian. He said he had to attend some important meetings via conference calls, but I didn't know it would take so long. Nor was there any sign of Laura.

To kill my time, I had paraded around the mansion, face timed Chloe. I asked her to come over with the others, but she was too busy with her cafe. That girl was a workaholic. Just like her father, Tim.

When I didn't have anything to do, I came to the kitchen to make some cupcakes for Adrian and a cup of coffee for me. Last time he loved my cupcakes. I knew after the punishment he gave me last night, his anger had wavered a little. But not totally. That incident still bothered him, I could tell it no matter what he showed. So I hoped these cupcakes would lift his mood a little.

Blood rushed to my cheeks at the recollection of his punishment. My behind was still sore due to his delicious spanks.

My eyes took a glance around.

Why were his meetings taking so long? He said he had a surprise for me. And since then, I have been counting every minute for that.

Letting out a sigh, I looked at the sitting area.

Dominic worked on his laptop while Liam blabbered non-stop beside him. And when Dominic didn't give him any attention, he leaned closer and peeked to see what was on the screen of the Russian's laptop.

But a sharp glance from Dominic and Liam was straight on his seat again.

I shook my head as he let out a huff and stomped into the kitchen.

Even if there were differences between Adrian and his second cousin, some traits were quite similar in them. Both were cold and indifferent. Not to forget dangerous.

"Damn this man! I thought he has changed over the years, but he is still the same!" Liam grumbled, scowling at Dominic who was busy typing in his laptop.

I raised a brow. "You knew him from before? The way Adrian reacted this noon, it seemed like he also knew Dominic. What's the story?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he knows him, really well to say. They both were in the same boarding school, including me. They were best friends."

My eyes widened. "Best friends?"

Whoa! I didn't see that coming.

"Wait, they were? What happened then?"

A shrug. "Adrian Larsen happened."

Seeing my perplexion, he explained further.

"Adrian didn't know Dominic was his cousin or he shared any kind of relationship with his still unknown father. But when he finally found out about Sinister, he put two and two together and figured everything out. You know, same surnames, same country."

"And then he severed his friendship with Dominic?"

Another nod.

Oh, now it made sense. That's why when Sinister talked about Dominic's connections and ways, Adrian responded in that way.

'Yeah, I know his ways very well. The ways he uses to deceive people and break their trusts.'

He thinks Dominic betrayed him by not telling him his real identity. And this must be the reason he was so uncomfortable to talk about his days in his boarding school the other day.

He wanted to avoid talking about Dominic.

"You know, even if I don't like that man much, he was a true friend of Adrian." He jutted his chin towards Dominic. "These three always had each other's back."

I frowned. "Three?"

"Yes, they were a group of three. Adrian T Larsen, Dominic Petrosyan and Dimitri Rothschild. Three bad boys of our time back in the boarding school," he informed. "No one dared to mess with them. Everyone feared the three. And being related to one of them, I was also respected."

He flashed me a wink which I ignored. I was too busy with taking in all the new information about Adrian's past. It seemed like Mr. Larsen had kept a lot of information about his life from me.

"Okay, it's understandable that Adrian broke his friendship with Dominic because he thought Dominic betrayed him. But what about Dimitri? I don't think he is still a part of Adrian's life," I asked.

"Yes, he is not. You know how your boyfriend is when he is mad. He doesn't see or understand anything around him when his blood climbs up his head." Giving his head a dramatic shake, he took my mug and took a sip. "Dimitri knew about Dominic's truth. Even if they had good intentions behind hiding it from Adrian, your boyfriend didn't pay any heed and cut all ties with them. They tried to reach out to him many times over the years, but he blocked them each time."

I let out a sigh. What do I do with this man?

Though I understood his reaction. His hatred for his father affected his relationship with his best friends. But it's been years after all. They were all kids at that time. They did what they thought was right. Dominic did what Sinister asked him to do. Maybe just like John, Sinister also wanted Dominic to be around Adrian to stay connected with him. But now who would make Adrian understand this?

But no matter what he said or showed, I knew deep down he missed his friends. If he didn't love them, he wouldn't hold grudges against them even after years.

The vibration of my mobile on the kitchen countertop took my attention to it.

My heart skipped when the notification of his message popped up on the screen.

Picking it up, I opened the message.

'Meet me on the rooftop terrace at seven sharp.'

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as anticipation rose in my chest. What surprise was he planning for me?

A date?

I checked the clock.

One hour more to go. It meant I had one hour to get ready.

Perfect!

Not being able to hold back the grin that spread across my face, I ignored Liam's questioning eyes and took out the cupcakes from the over before placing them in the fridge. Then throwing a quick 'bye' to him, I ran upstairs directly to our room.

***

Taking a deep breath, I checked myself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. It was already seven, and my erratic heart beats said I was more than ready to see what the love of my life had planned for me.

The past few days have been really stressful for us. It's been so long since we had spent any quality time together. And even though in between so many occurances I forgot to do something special for us, I was glad that he remembered to do it.

Readjusting my dress for one last time, I picked up my phone and flew out of the room, directly to the rooftop terrace. Where he was waiting for me.

With tingles of excitement buzzing through my veins, when I reached the rooftop, the only thing that greeted me was the silent night outside.

No sign of him.

And then the curved moon hanging up in the sky caught my eyes, that illuminated the ambience around me with its silvery glow. A gazillion of shimmering stars surrounding it winked at me with a grace that stole my breath away.

It was beautiful.

Suddenly I felt a presence behind me. Hot breath fanned my neck as his deep yet seductive voice murmured close to my ear.

"Beautiful..."

Letting out a sigh, I let myself lean back into him. And his strong arms were quick to wrap themselves around me.

"Yes, very."

His hands made their territory over my curves. "I was talking about my tigress, who, at this moment, is looking like a divine goddess. Sometimes, I wonder if God did unfair to the rest of the female population by taking extra time to create you with his undivided attention."

His husky groan, followed by a lingering kiss on my neck with a feel of his rough stubble against my skin sent goosebumps across my entire body.

Heat rushed up my cheeks. "All thanks to the dress you sent for me."

When I reached our room an hour ago, a guard knocked on the door with a box in his hands, where I later found this gorgeous white off-shoulder dress laid inside.

"Trust me, love. This dress has nothing to do with your beauty. In fact this dress is lucky to be worn by you."

A giggle left me.

Turning around in his arms, I took in the sight of him while he watched every inch of my features, as if memorizing them.

As always, in a black Armani suit paired with a white shirt, he made my heart stutter. The dense stubble shadowed over his strong jaw and sleek midnight dark hair, along with that pair of intense electric blue eyes, made me stare.

Just two words. The same two words that came into my mind when my eyes landed on him for the first time.

Achingly beautiful.

How did I get so lucky?

Leaning in, he brushed his lips against mine in a teasing brush. And my eyes went close instinctively.

"Ready for the surprise, my love?" he whispered.

A smile tugged up my lips as I nodded.

Then the sound of his clap made me open my eyes. And the gasp was soon to slip through my lips at the view before me.

The first thing that came into my vision was the gazebo in the middle of the rooftop terrace, decorated with fine orchids and golden fairy lights. The small round table set in the center had a beautiful rose vase, covered trays and a bottle of champagne on it, along with two glasses for us.

Not only the gazebo, the whole area was adorned with flowers and fairy lights. Petals of red roses were scattered around the gazebo.

I let out a breath of awe.

Everything was just… perfect. It was like a date from a movie scene. And he created this scene for me.

"Adrian, this is…" I shook my head, not able to form words. "When did you manage to do all this?"

"You like it?" Cupping my chin gently, he made me look at him.

"I love it," I whispered.

"Then that's all it matters." Placing a kiss on my forehead, he secured my hand in his big one. "Come."

Once he took me to the gazebo, like a gentleman, he took out a chair for me. And then instead of sitting across from me on the other side of the table, he dragged his chair and settled right beside me. His hand was soon to land on my knee.

I rolled my eyes.

Caveman!

A dark thick brow raised. "What?"

"You're supposed to sit across from me, not beside me."

"Who told you Adrian Larsen follows the rules, love? And sitting across from you will mean not touching you, and that," trailing up his hand to my thigh, he gave a squeeze, "won't sit well with me."

A delicious shiver ran through my veins. That big hand of his on my thigh and the fire in his eyes, did something to my nether region.

Licking my lips, I cleared my throat. "W-well that's crazy."

"Get used to it. Because, my love, you'll have to bear this craziness for the rest of your life." Leaning in, he tugged a strand behind my ear.

His words, his sudden close proximity and that exotic cologne of his that tingled my nostrils made my breath hitch in my throat.

For the rest of my life?

While his words still echoed in my head, he took the lids off of the trays and started to fill my plate with food. And when the mouthwatering aroma of those food wafted to me, my mind finally got out of the haze he created just a moment ago.

My stomach growled at the sight before me.

"I'm hungry," I said, eyes set on the honey glazed chicken and grilled mushrooms.

A chuckle. "I know. Eat as much as you want. You skipped lunch today."

At his displeased look, I shrugged.

"We had a late breakfast, remember? All thanks to you. So I wasn't hungry."

How did he know I skipped lunch? Wasn't he busy with his meetings?

Oh course! The guards he appointed after me.

Adding some spaghetti on my plate, he grunted, "Now eat. You've lost a lot of weight."

And I didn't argue with that. I jumped on the food as if I haven't eaten for days. He kept adding on my plate and I kept devouring them. Until there wasn't an inch of space left in my tummy.

Once we were finished with the delicious dinner, he dabbed my lips with his napkin as if I were a child and then glanced down at his wrist. Even though I was busy devouring the food, I didn't miss the growing tension on his shoulders with every passing minute. His frequent checking of the time made me curious.

"So, why this sudden surprise?" I asked, taking a sip on the champagne he poured for both of us.

"I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend. And after all the things happening around us, I thought you needed it as well," he replied.

"I did, more than I realized. Thank you." Leaning in, I kissed his cheek. And the dimpled smile was quick to make my heart flutter.

"But those aren't the only reasons I brought you here."

"What else then?"

A smirk. "You will know soon. Now," getting up, he straightened his coat before offering me his hand, "may I?"

I raised a brow, amused. "Are you asking me for a dance, Mr. Larsen? I thought you only drag women to the dance floor without asking them nicely."

The corner of his mouth twitched. He knew what I was talking about. Because both of us would never forget that masquerade party. We danced together for the first time. Well, he made me dance with him to be exact.

"Well, yes, Ms. McCommer. A very beautiful woman taught me some manners. And this isn't the first time I'm using my manners with you, so you shouldn't taunt."

Rolling my eyes, I put my hand on his and let him pull me flush against his chest. And once he tapped something in his phone, a slow music began to hum in the background.

Under the melodic song, we swayed along with it together. With my head rested on his chest and his arms wrapped around me tightly, a sigh of bliss escaped me.

This is where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Right here, in the warmth of his arms. As cheesy as it sounded, I wanted to freeze time forever and stay hidden in his embrace, as long as I lived.

Glancing at his wrist again, he pulled away. "It's time."

The tension slowly rolled back in his stance.

My brows creased. "Time for what? What are you talking about?"

And when his blue oceans met my green ones, a glint danced across them. "Ready for the second surprise?"

"Second surprise?"

A nod.

"Yes. Now, come." Grabbing my hand, he took me close to the edge. With his eyes set on the star grazed sky, he said, "Any moment now."

Confused, I stared at him. "What?"

After some seconds of silence, he jutted his chin towards the sky. "That."

As soon as I followed his direction, a gasp slipped through my lips. Several shimmering stars glided across the sky at once to an unknown destination, leaving every eye watching them in awe at their unearthly beauty.

"A meteor shower." A breathless whisper left me.

I had seen shooting stars before, and always admired them from down on the earth. But never have I ever seen a meteor shower. It was rare. And rare things were always special.

"Adrian, it's so beautiful…"

As the stars disappeared to some other corner of the earth, my eyes still glued to the sky.

So this was my second surprise?

When I didn't get any response from him, or felt his warmth beside me, frowning, I glanced at my side. Only to be greeted with nothing but passing air.

"Adrian, where are…" My breath caught in my throat as soon as I turned around.

The sight before me made my heart stop.