“You keep asking dangerous questions tonight.”
The way Adrian said it made heat slide low through my stomach all over again.
God.
I hated how affected I was by him.
No.
Another lie.
I loved it.
Loved the way his voice changed around me.
Loved the way he looked at me like he was constantly one second away from losing control.
But then he called this a mistake.
That part kept replaying in my head louder than everything else.
Mistake.
Like touching me was something he regretted already.
Like I was embarrassing him.
The thought hurt more than it should have.
Before I could stop myself, I reached for the car door.
Adrian noticed instantly.
“Where are you going?”
His voice sharpened immediately.
I looked away from him before answering. “Home.”
His jaw tightened. “Sienna.”
“You said this was a mistake, remember?”
The words came out colder than I expected.
Because my chest suddenly felt painfully tight.
For a second Adrian just stared at me.
Then I pushed the door open slightly.
Cold rain-scented air slipped inside the car instantly.
And suddenly Adrian grabbed my wrist.
My breath caught.
His hand was firm enough to stop me.
Firm enough to make heat flash through my stomach despite how angry I was trying to stay.
“Sienna,” he said quietly.
I looked down at his hand around my wrist.
Ah.
Even that tiny touch affected me too much.
“Let go of me.”
His grip tightened slightly instead.
It was desperate, and somehow that felt worse.
“Listen to me.”
I laughed softly.
A little bitter.
“No, actually I’m good.”
I tried pulling my hand free.
Adrian’s expression darkened immediately.
“You’re seriously gonna walk home in the middle of the rain because I pissed you off?”
“Yes.”
“Sienna.”
“You called it a mistake.”
The second the words left my mouth, something shifted in his face.
Like he finally realized why I was angry.
Not annoyed.
Hurt.
God.
I hated that he could probably see that.
“I didn’t mean you were a mistake,” Adrian said quietly.
I looked away toward the rain hitting the windshield. “Sure.”
His hand slid slowly from my wrist down into my palm before gripping my hand completely.
Warm. Large.
My pulse fluttered traitorously.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
Then silence.
Adrian leaned back slightly in his seat, dragging one rough hand through his dark hair.
Frustration covered his face now.
Good.
Maybe he deserved it.
“You really wanna do this right now?” he muttered.
“Yes.”
My answer came too fast.
His eyes lifted back to mine immediately.
And God.
That look almost weakened my anger completely.
Almost.
“You don’t get to touch me like that,” I whispered, “then suddenly act like you regret it.”
The tension inside the car became suffocating.
Adrian stared at me so intensely my stomach tightened again.
“I don’t regret touching you.”
The deep roughness in his voice made heat crawl down my spine.
Then why did that single sentence make my chest ache so badly?
“Could’ve fooled me.”
His jaw flexed hard.
“You think this is easy for me?”
I blinked.
“What?”
Adrian laughed once in frustration and disbelief.
“You think pulling away from you back there was easy?”
The anger inside me cracked slightly.
Just enough for heat to slip through again.
Damn him.
“You’re the one acting like this is some horrible thing,” I shot back.
“That’s because Ethan trusts me with you.”
“There it is.”
I pulled my hand from his immediately.
“My brother.”
“Sienna…”
“No, seriously,” I interrupted. “That’s all this is, right? You feel guilty because of Ethan.”
“That’s not all this is.”
The words came out instantly.
And something about how quickly he answered made my heartbeat stumble.
But I was still angry enough to push.
“Then what is it?”
Adrian went quiet again.
I hated that look right now. Hated how calm he suddenly became while my emotions were completely wrecked.
“I should take you home,” he said finally.
That did it.
Something inside me snapped.
“Oh my God.”
I grabbed the door handle again.
“This is exactly what I mean.”
“Sienna.”
“No, let me leave.”
“You’re not walking home.”
“I’ll call someone.”
“Who?”
The question came out sharp instantly.
Possessive.
My pulse jumped traitorously again.
“Maybe Ryan since apparently he wants to fuck me so bad.”
Ah, fuck that was a mistake.
The second those words left my mouth, Adrian’s expression changed completely.
Darkened.
His eyes locked onto mine so intensely it almost stole my breath.
“You really need to stop saying his name.”
The low warning in his voice sent heat flooding between my thighs again.
God.
This man was ruining my life.
I swallowed hard before forcing myself to open the door anyway.
Cold air rushed into the car.
Then suddenly Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him.
Hard enough to make me gasp softly.
The door slammed shut again beside me.
And suddenly,I was too close to him. Way too close.
My heartbeat instantly turned violent.
Adrian’s hand stayed wrapped around my arm while his other hand braced against the seat beside my head.
Trapping me without fully trapping me. His breathing sounded heavier now. It was less controlled.
Well, good for him.
Because mine was completely ruined too.
“You think I’m scared of wanting you?” he asked quietly.
The roughness in his voice wrapped around me instantly.
I tried answering, but I failed completely.
Because Adrian looked furious now.
At himself.
At this situation.
At how badly he wanted me anyway.
“Adrian…”
“No,” he interrupted softly. “You wanna know what the problem is?”
His face moved closer slowly.
Painfully slowly.
Every nerve ending in my body lit up instantly.
“The problem is,” he murmured, “I don’t know how to want you a normal amount.”
My breath caught sharply.
Oh my God.
Heat exploded low in my stomach so hard it almost hurt.
The look in his eyes right now;
Jesus Christ.
He looked obsessed.
Hungry.
Like he was barely holding himself together anymore.
“I tried staying away from you,” he continued quietly. “Tried ignoring this.”
His thumb brushed lightly against my arm.
I shivered instantly.
“Didn’t work.”
The confession hit me directly in the chest.
And suddenly all my anger tangled dangerously with desire again.
Because Adrian sounded wrecked.
Like wanting me was destroying him too.
“You keep looking at me like that,” he muttered roughly.
“Like what?”
“Like you already know I’m fucked.”
My lips parted automatically.
His eyes dropped to them immediately.
The tension inside the car turned unbearable.
I could barely breathe anymore.
Adrian’s gaze stayed locked on my mouth while his grip on my arm tightened slightly.
God.
The heat between my thighs became almost unbearable again.
I hated how wet he made me from words alone.
“You keep pulling away,” I whispered shakily.
His jaw tightened.
“Because if I don’t…”
He stopped talking abruptly.
My pulse exploded.
“If you don't, what?”
Silence.
Then Adrian looked at me like he was finally done fighting himself.
Completely done.
And suddenly his hand slid into my hair again.
My breath caught instantly.
“You really wanna know?”
The deep roughness in his voice nearly ruined me.
I nodded before I could think better of it.
Big mistake.
Because Adrian snapped.
One second he was staring at my mouth.
The next;
His lips crashed into mine.
Hard.
Hungry.
Completely uncontrolled.
A shocked sound escaped me instantly.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Finally.
The kiss was nothing like I imagined.
Worse.
Better.
Dangerous.
God, I can't tell.
Adrian kissed me like he’d been holding himself back for too long and suddenly couldn’t anymore.
His hand tightened in my hair while the other pulled me closer against him.
Heat exploded through my entire body immediately.
I kissed him back without hesitation.
Couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to.
And judging by the rough sound Adrian made against my mouth;
That completely destroyed whatever control he had left.
The kiss deepened instantly.
Messy. Frustrated. Addictive.
My entire body felt overheated now.
Sensitive everywhere.
God.
I had wanted this for so long.
Adrian’s hand slid from my arm down to my waist before gripping tightly enough to pull another breathless sound from me.
His breathing turned rough immediately at the sound.
“Fuck,” he muttered against my mouth.
That single word nearly melted my brain.
Because he sounded affected.
Ruined.
Like kissing me was hitting him just as hard.
My fingers grabbed the front of his shirt desperately while his mouth moved against mine again slower this time.
But somehow even more dangerous.
Like now he was actually tasting me.
Learning me.
And judging by the way his grip tightened again…
Adrian liked what he found.
A lot.
My head spun when his forehead rested briefly against mine afterward.
Both of us were breathing hard but neither was speaking.
Rain poured outside the car loudly now.
But inside?
All I could hear was my own heartbeat.
And Adrian’s rough breathing against my mouth.
Then his thumb brushed softly across my swollen lips.
The look in his eyes nearly destroyed me completely.
Because now he didn’t look guilty anymore.
He looked addicted.
