Adam's POV
I traced the curve of her cheek with my eyes, noting how the moonlight turned her skin almost translucent. As she slept, her lips parted slightly, and her cheeks glowed with a rosy tint, exuding an allure that was undeniably captivating.
My gaze instinctively landed on the condom at the bedside. Can I...
After half a second, I forcefully shut my eyes. No, at least I need her to willingly offer herself to me while she’s awake...
I ground my molars, feeling an urge to kick her off the bed.
For the rest of the night, I was almost entirely awake, finally experiencing the sensation of burning desire.
\---
Stella's POV
Consciousness returned slowly, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of warmth and security. I was surrounded by an expensive cologne that wasn't my own, and something solid and warm was pressed against my side.
My eyes flew open as reality crashed in.
This wasn't my room. This wasn't my bed. And that most definitely wasn't my pillow I was cuddling.
"Oh my God!" I jerked upright, heat flooding my face as I realized I'd spent the night practically wrapped around Adam like some kind of octopus. "You... how did I... why am I..."
"Finally awake?" His voice held that dangerous edge that always made my pulse race. "Sleep well, Mrs. Lancaster?"
I scrambled back, nearly falling off the bed in my haste. "I was supposed to be on the couch! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"And miss this charming morning panic?" His smile was pure predator. "Besides, you seemed quite... comfortable."
The memory of how I must have looked, curled up against him like some touch-starved cat, made me want to crawl under the bed and die. "I was asleep! I didn't know what I was doing!"
"Clearly." His eyes tracked over me lazily, and I suddenly remembered I was still wearing that ridiculous excuse for a nightgown. "Though I have to say, your unconscious self seems much more... honest about what you want."
"I don't want anything!" The denial came out too quick, too defensive. "I just... got confused after using the bathroom."
"Did you?" He sat up, and I tried very hard not to notice how the morning light played across his bare chest. "So you regularly crawl into strange men's beds when confused?"
"You're not a strange man," I pointed out, then immediately regretted my words when his eyes darkened. "I mean, you're my husband! I mean... oh God, I'm making this worse, aren't I?"
"Much worse." But there was something almost like amusement in his voice. "Now, how do you plan to make up for this... invasion of my personal space?"
I backed away as he leaned closer, my legs tangling in the silk sheets. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to-"
"Intentions," he caught my wrist before I could retreat further, "are irrelevant, Mrs. Lancaster. Results are what matter."
His hands wandered on my body, sending shivers down my spine. "And the result is that you spent the night in my bed, practically begging to be-"
A knock at the door saved me from hearing the end of that sentence.
"Mr. Lancaster?" A servant’s voice carried through the wood. "The family meeting begins in thirty minutes."
Adam's grip tightened fractionally before releasing me. "We'll continue this matter later."
I fled to the bathroom before he could see my blush, his low chuckle following me all the way.
\---
The Lancaster family hall looked just like I'd expect from wealthy families trying to stay important—full of marble columns and oil paintings, but with a few modern updates to show they weren't entirely old-fashioned.
I pushed Adam's wheelchair down the long gallery of family portraits, noting how the faces grew progressively more severe as we approached the present day.
"Stop." Adam's command came just as we passed an empty space on the wall – a conspicuous gap in the carefully arranged timeline of Lancaster faces.
Before I could ask about it, Brian's voice rang out behind us. "Grandfather, why isn't Grandmother's portrait here? She deserves her place in the family gallery!"
William stepped forward, his face tight with some emotion I couldn't quite read. "Brian, now isn't the time-"
"When is the time?" Brian's voice carried that perfect blend of righteousness and hurt. "Father is your eldest son! Grandmother gave everything to this family! Why isn't she honored like everyone else?"
"Because she was nothing but a home-wrecking mistress." Adam's voice could have frozen hell itself. "Try to hang that woman's portrait, and I'll personally ensure it burns."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. William's face contorted with rage. "You heartless bastard! She was more of a mother to this family than-"
"Than my mother?" Adam's smile was pure venom. "The woman you married for her money and connections? The one you drove to madness?"
"Your mother," William spat, "was nothing but a cold, calculating-"
"Careful." Adam's voice dropped dangerously low. "You might not like what happens if you finish that sentence."
The tension crackled between them like lightning before a storm. I found myself holding my breath, waiting for the explosion.
God, no wonder Adam's so messed up.
"You ungrateful-" William started, but Adam cut him off with a laugh that held no humor.
"Ungrateful?" His eyes glittered with something dangerous. "Should I be grateful that you tried to replace my mother with your mistress? That you paraded that woman around while Mother was still alive?"
"She had taken care of you!" William's composure cracked. "She tried to be a mother to you, but you-"
"Tried to be a mother?" Adam's voice could have cut glass. "By systematically destroying my actual mother's confidence? By whispering poison in your ear about how unstable she was?"
My hand found Adam's shoulder without conscious thought, feeling the tension vibrating through him. He didn't acknowledge the touch, but he didn't shrug it off either.
"That's enough!" William voice cut through the tension. "This is a family meeting, not a circus!"
The rest of the family had arrived, clustering in small groups and pretending they hadn't been eavesdropping on every word. Thomas's smirk suggested he'd particularly enjoyed the show.
I squeezed Adam's shoulder gently, trying to convey... something. Support? Understanding? I wasn't quite sure myself.
As we left the family hall after the meeting, a small boy came tearing around the corner. Before I could shout a warning, he crashed into Adam's wheelchair.