Chapter Six
I lay on my back, spent, heart still pounding. The minutes were ticking down.
At the foot of the bed, Adrian stood—cock still hard, hunger simmering in his eyes.
Waiting.
Watching.
He tilted his head slightly. “You okay? You look a little… disoriented.”
I blinked, forcing my breath to slow. Right. Act like someone who just needs a few minutes to recover.
His brow furrowed, gaze flickering to the clock, back to my face. Then to the clock again.
My stomach twisted.
Shit. He noticed.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “Got somewhere to be?”
A slow, deliberate question.
My heart thumped against my ribs. Think fast.
I forced a casual shrug. “Just kinda hungry. Haven’t eaten dinner yet, you know.”
He paused a beat, studying me.
Then he scoffed, shaking his head.
“I’ll get you a snack.” His voice was firm, unwavering. We’re not done here.”
I let out a mild laugh, masking my relief.
Then—a noise.
Faint. Subtle. A creak from downstairs. The porch.
My head snapped up.
Perfect timing.
“What was that?” I gasped, injecting just the right amount of fear, letting my body tremble slightly.
Adrian barely reacted. “I didn’t hear anything.” His focus never wavered, still locked onto me.
Then—
A loud, heavy bang at the front door.
I sat straight up, startled.
Adrian’s expression darkened, irritation flashing across his face. With a sharp tug, he yanked on his jeans, veins pulsing angrily beneath his skin.
“Don’t move a fucking inch.” His voice was a low growl. “I’ll be right back.”
He stalked out of the room.
The moment he was gone, I exhaled a breath of relief, shaking the tension from my limbs. Then—a slow, devious smile crept across my lips.
I grabbed my phone, thumbs flying over the screen, shooting Emma a quick text. “Thank you!”
I slipped back into bed, settling into the exact position he’d left me.
Minutes later, he returned.
A tray balanced in his hands. On it, a selection of food—grapes, cheese, crackers. Two glasses of wine.
And a note.
Folded, on crisp white paper. Untouched.
He hadn’t read it yet.
His expression was tight as he placed the tray at the foot of the bed.
My pulse quickened.
“What’s going on?” I asked, feigning innocence.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his fingers traced the note, his jaw tight.
“Did someone drop that off?” I gasped, interjecting just the right amount of alarm.
A shadow flickered across his face.
His gaze snapped to mine. Dark. Dangerous.
“Who would drop off a note, Scarlett?” he hissed, voice like steel.
“Got a secret admirer?”
His lip curled into a smirk—terrifying and cruel.
I swallowed hard, letting my shoulders tense.
“I know as much as you do,” I whispered, voice small. “Just read it. Please.”
His head tilted, eyes still locked on me, but he gestured to the tray.
“Eat. Have a drink.” A pause. A smirk. “You’re going to need your energy.”
A chill ran through me.
I obeyed, plucking a grape from the tray, popping it between my lips, its sweetness bursting over my tongue. I took a slow sip of wine, bit into a cracker pretending to focus on the food.
Why is he taking so long?
Finally, he unfolded the note, brows furrowing as his eyes skimmed over the words. His voice was low. Cold and measured.
“Nice car out front. Keep your hands off what’s mine, or it’ll be the first thing I wreck.”
I gasped, hand flying to my mouth in mock horror.
Nice touch, Emma.
“Oh my God,” I stammered, eyes wide. My voice was hushed, shaky. “It must be from Ryan.”
A beat of silence.
Then—Adrian tilted his head. His eyes flickered with suspicion, one brow arching as he studied me.
“Ryan?” he repeated, his voice clipped. Dangerous. “You’re still seeing him?”
My pulse spiked.
Sell it. Sell the lie.
“Well, I… it’s complicated,” I stammered, hugging my knees to my chest. Trying to look small. Afraid.
“I told him I needed a break, but he didn’t take it well.”
I dropped my voice to a shaky whisper.
“You should probably go.” I swallowed, forcing my voice to crack.
“He might actually wreck your car. Or worse. He… he’s not the sweet guy I thought he was. He’s crazy.”
Adrian’s lips curled into a slow, humorless smile. The amusement in his eyes faded—something colder settling in.
“You told him you wanted a break?” He shook his head, incredulous.
I stared at him. Didn’t he care about Ryan’s threat? Why was he making this about me?
His fists clenched.
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear last time,” he murmured, his teeth gritting. “You’re mine now. I don’t want you talking to other men. Period.”
My pulse drummed heavily in my ears.
I whispered the words, soft, careful.
“I was trying to let him down easy,” I said, my voice soothing as I reached out, smoothing a shaky hand over his fist.
His body tensed beneath my touch, but I kept my hand there, searching his face. I needed him to feel it. To believe that Ryan was a real threat. That he was the reason Adrian and I couldn’t be together. Because if Adrian wouldn’t accept me telling him I didn’t want him… then it had to be something else. Something bigger. Something neither of us could control.
I took a breath.
“I think he’s dangerous,” I whispered.
Adrian’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing.
I hesitated—then played my next card.
“He had connections.”
A beat of silence.
I didn’t elaborate. Didn’t need to. Just let the implication hang there.
That maybe, just maybe… Ryan could get Adrian killed.
I gulped hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just want you to be safe.”
Adrian exhaled sharply. “So let me get this straight.”
His voice was measured, clipped.
“You’ve been dodging my messages, telling me to back off, and now this guy won’t leave you alone?
He chuckled softly, shaking his head in disbelief. “I mean, I get it. You’re amazing.”
His fingers rubbed at his forehead, like it was too much to process.
I seized the moment. “I know, it’s crazy.” My voice dropped lower, urgent. “He said that if he can’t have me, no one can.”
The guilt of escalating the lie tightened in my chest. But I needed it to cut deep. To sink into Adrian’s core.
But then—his entire demeanor shifted. The tension bled from his frame as he sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Pulling me firmly against his chest.
“Hey. It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, holding me close. “I’m not worried about my car, or about me. I can handle him.”
His hand moved up and down my back, the rhythm almost soothing. Guilt twisted inside me like a blade.
“But I am worried about you.”
His voice softened, his fingers tracing the curve of my spine.
Gentle. Intimate.
I froze, my breath catching as he leaned closer. The tenderness in his touch was almost too much to bear.
Gently, he lifted my face, tilting it until my eyes met his. His eyes burned with something dangerous. Something certain.
“I can protect you from him.”
His grip tightened—not harsh, but firm. Possessive.
“He won’t dare come near you if I’m around.”
A pause. A smirk.
“Trust me, once he starts digging—finds out who I am—he’ll back off.”
His voice was casual, certain.
“Everyone knows my reputation. He’ll figure it out soon enough… he’ll back off.”
His fingers brushed my jaw, tilting my face toward his.
“In the meantime… it’s a good excuse for me to stick around more.”
Shit.
My pulse raced. Not only did my plan completely backfire, but now—I was worried for Ryan.
“You won’t do anything to him, will you?” My voice came out small, a squeak.
“To Ryan?” he repeated, like the name barely registered. Like he’d already moved on.
I nodded.
He exhaled, shaking his head.
“I won’t need to.”
He casually plucked a grape from the tray. Popped it into his mouth.
His confidence was unshakable. Absolute.
“He’ll know just how bad he fucked up soon. And he’ll leave you alone, too. Both of us.”
I sighed, nodding, playing along while my mind spun.
So he wouldn’t bother Ryan.
Thank God.
But now… Adrian had promised to stick around more.
Protect me.
Didn’t he realize? The only person I needed protection from was him. What did I have to do to make it clear? I’d tried everything—ignoring his texts, running away, telling him to leave me alone. Nothing worked.
He was relentless, forcing his way through every boundary I tried to set.
And yet—
Despite myself, my heart fluttered. I sat there, watching him bring grapes to his lips. The bob of his throat as he swallowed. His sharp jawline cut like stone. His profile—maddeningly gorgeous.
I sighed. Was it really so bad to be with him? Did I have it all wrong?
His unexpected moments of softness chipped away at my resolve. The tenderness. Bringing me food. The feel of his hand at my back. His promise to protect me. Albeit from an imaginary threat. It stirred something inside me. Something raw and primal. Maybe—maybe I just wanted to be taken care of.
My mind kept drifting—back to his mouth, his hands. Those fingers that had traced every inch of me, making it impossible to forget.
The tray clinked softly as he moved it to the nightstand. Then, he came closer. His lips pressed gently to my forehead, his arms wrapping around me, holding me close.
And I melted.
“I’m going to take such good care of you,” he murmured.
A sharp ache swelled in my chest. My eyes burned, threatening to well over. What the hell was happening to me? Not only had something melted inside me—now I was fantasizing about him again. Imagining his thick cock stretching me open, filling me. The way he knew exactly how to touch me. How to make me feel things I didn’t want to feel. I shook my head, trying to banish the thoughts. To end the obsession.
Because he wasn’t good for me.
But maybe… I could have him one last time. One final night. Then I’d tell him it was over. Over for good. I’d go back to Ryan. But Adrian wouldn’t have to know that. Poor Ryan. Guilt twisted inside me—for lying to him, for dragging him into this ridiculous plan.
But tonight…
Tonight I’d be Adrian’s.
One last time.
His grip around me loosened slightly, but his gaze remained fixed, penetrating deep, his eyes dark and hungry. In a sudden motion, he pushed me back onto the mattress, his weight pressing me into the sheets.
His lips parted, voice low. “Now… where were we?”
His hands slid up my stomach, tracing the curve of my waist before reaching for my breasts, still in the racy red bra. He lowered his head, his mouth kissing my nipples, flicking his tongue across them as he groaned.
“Fuck, Scarlett,” he murmured, his voice dripping with need. “You’re so insanely hot.”
His thick fingers trailed lower, sliding between my thighs. A slow, teasing circle over my clit. I gasped, hips arching, chasing the pressure. Slowly, he slid his index finger into my pussy, stretching and stroking, before dragging it out again with a low, satisfied whisper.
“Mmm.. amazing. You’re so wet, baby. You want me, don’t you?”
His eyes locked onto mine, dark and burning. I couldn’t look away. My breathing deepened, my chest rising and falling as he grabbed the base of his cock, positioning it.
So thick. So hard.
The anticipation coiled low in my stomach.
“I want you,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
Relief flooded through me.
Finally,
The truth, spoken out loud.
I watched as he pressed forward, the thick head of his cock stretching me open, forcing my body to take him.
His girth filled me completely, inch by inch, overwhelming.
A deep groan rumbled from his chest, his eyes slipping closed as he sank into me.
“I’ve waited so long to hear that,” he said, his voice thick with desire.
I whimpered as he went deeper, the overwhelming sensation blurring the line between pleasure and pain. His cock pulsed inside me, stretching, filling me. My walls clenched tight around him as he began to thrust.
Slow at first. Then harder.
“Such a tight fucking pussy,” he murmured, his pace quickening, each thrust pushing me closer to the edge. His fingers returned to my clit, stroking it in perfect time with each movement.
My back arched as waves of pleasure rippled through me. I moaned, unable to hold back.
“You love this,” he hissed against my ear. “Pretending you didn’t want it. That you weren’t dreaming about this for years.” His fingers brushed along my cheek, his touch deceptively gentle. But his voice turned sharp. Cutting.
“Little cocktease,” he taunted, his lips curling into a wicked grin.
I gasped as he slammed into me harder, the force of his movements making my body tremble beneath him.
“I own you now,” he growled, his voice low, rough, possessive.
“You better stop running. Stop your threats. Stop ignoring me. Because you’re mine. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
His words landed like a weight, pressing me into the mattress, sinking into my bones.
A part of me wanted to scream.
To tell him I decided who I fuck. Who I let into my life. But I couldn’t. Not when my body ached for him. Not when my pussy throbbed, clenched around his cock, pulling him in deeper. Each thrust pulled a moan from my lips.
“I’m yours,” I gasped, the words tumbling out, carried by a relentless tide of pleasure that drowned rational thought.
A slow, wicked grin stretched across his face.
Menacing. Triumphant.
“Good,” he murmured, his voice low.
“But don’t think for a second I’m letting you off the hook that easy.”