8 Let’s Finish What We Couldn’t
If it had been Theo instead of that wall, he would’ve been dead.
His knuckles split open, blood dripping down his hand in thick rivulets, staining the floor beneath him. His chest heaved with fury, eyes burning, jaw clenched tight, muscles rigid beneath his tailored black shirt. His face twisted in a mix of jealousy and heartbreak.
On the ground floor of the hotel, Theo and Sienna stepped out of the elevator and made their way into the wide lobby.
Theo turned to her. “Thanks for staying up all night to help with that project. Seriously. I mean it.”
Sienna rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. “Stop it already. It wasn’t that big a deal. Just give me a few thousand dollars as a bonus and I’ll be satisfied.”
Theo grinned. “You got it. I’ve got a meeting now though. Want me to drop you home first?”
“Don’t worry about it.” She patted his arm, smiling. “You go ahead. I’ll manage.”
“Alright.” He gave her a lazy wave before heading toward the parking lot.
She watched him disappear, then stepped outside. Pulling out her phone, she stood by the curb to book a cab. She was still scrolling when a strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm.
She looked up in surprise—ready to shout—but the moment her eyes met his, the words caught in her throat.
Adrian.
And he looked furious.
His jaw was tight, eyes dark and storming. Without a word, he pulled her sharply toward his parked black Maserati, opening the passenger door and pushing her inside with more force than necessary.
“Adrian! What the hell are you doing?!”
He didn’t answer. He stormed to the driver’s side, yanked open the door, and slid in. The engine roared to life, and a second later, the car tore off into traffic at a dangerously high speed.
“Adrian!” she gasped, bracing herself as the car swerved violently, her body jolting with every sudden turn. “Slow down! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
The air between them was heavy. His face was stone cold, focused on the road, eyes flashing with an emotion that was raw and wild.
Finally, a car suddenly cut across in front of them. Adrian slammed the brakes hard. The car screeched to a stop with a sharp jerk, the tires screaming against the asphalt.
Sienna twisted toward him. “Have you lost your mind?!” she shouted, her breath coming fast. “Are you mad?!”
“I wish I had gone mad,” he growled, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his veins bulged against his skin. He turned to her, voice rough and guttural. “I really fucking wish I had.”
Sienna froze at the crazed look in his eyes. But then, she caught sight of his bloodied knuckles clenched around the wheel.
“Your hand—” she reached out, her voice softening with concern. “What happened to you? Did something happen last night?”
He didn’t respond. He just stared at her, like she was the only thing tethering him to sanity.
After a moment of silence, she reached over and gently took his injured hand in hers. Her fingers were soft and warm against his bruised, bloodied skin.
“Did you get into a fight? This… this looks bad.”
Something in him cracked.
His rage started to falter. Her fingers were soft, gentle. Her face was twisted with worry, and the concern in her eyes made him soften.
“Do you have—”
She didn’t get to finish.
He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to him.
And then he kissed her.
Not gently. Not sweetly.
He yanked her closer, hand fisted in her hair, and crashed his mouth onto hers.
Hot. Deep. Unapologetic. His lips moved over hers with a hunger that sent a jolt straight through her chest. It wasn’t careful or planned, just pure need poured into every movement. His mouth claimed hers, tongue pushing past her lips like he couldn’t get enough of her taste.
His grip was possessive, like letting her go wasn’t an option. His hand slid down her back, pressing her into him, his body hard and trembling against hers. Her fingers clawed at his shoulders, holding on as his kiss grew rougher, wetter, deeper.
He groaned low into her mouth, like the sound had been buried in his chest for too long. His tongue tangled with hers, desperate and reckless, tasting, teasing, devouring. His lips dragged across hers again and again, not slowing down, not softening—just taking.
His lips moved over hers with a madness that couldn’t be tamed.
His heart thundered in his chest. The emotions he’d been burying came rushing to the surface.
‘I miss you so much, Sienna,’ he wanted to say. ‘I wish you’d always care for me like this. Stay by my side. Be mine. Only mine.’
But he couldn’t say the words. He could only show them.
She gasped beneath his kiss, trying to breathe, her hands pushing against his chest. He didn’t want to let go. He couldn’t.
She struggled for air, her hands pushing against his chest. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to hold her forever. But she pushed harder, and finally—reluctantly—he pulled back. He loosened his grip, pulling back—just barely—his breath coming in ragged pulls. Their lips parted, red and hungry.
Breathless, Sienna dropped her gaze to his injured hand, gently touching it again.
“Let me bandage this properly. There’s too much blood. You’ll ruin your clothes.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Then she met his gaze again, whispering, “This must be really painful.”
Adrian’s hand tightened around hers, his voice hoarse. “It’s not as painful as the hole burning in my chest right now.”
She stared at him, confused. He looked wrecked, twisted with emotions she couldn’t understand.
“What happened to you?” she asked quietly.
His voice came out like a growl. “Where were you last night?”
Her brows furrowed. “Why are you asking that?”
And then she remembered. The Ritzwood hotel card. The invitation to meet at night. Her eyes widened as realization sank in.
“Wait… did you wait for me last night?”
He didn’t reply. His expression gave nothing away.
But his silence screamed the truth.
Her lips parted in disbelief. “You really… waited all night?”
Adrian’s face twisted from quiet sadness into something sharper, darker. His jaw clenched, and his fingers tightened possessively around hers. Then, in one swift move, he reached out and cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer, his eyes smoldering with something that burned beneath the surface.
His deep voice, rough with emotion, vibrated in her chest as he spoke.
“Now I know how you felt. When all those times I didn’t show up for you when we were together.”
Sienna's eyes flickered, pain flashing through them like lightning. A raw wound reopening at the memory—being left waiting, feeling forgotten—crushed her chest all over again. Her lips parted, trembling.
“I didn’t—” she began, but then exhaled shakily and steadied herself. “I know it looked like that, but I wasn’t trying to get revenge, Adrian. I had something important to handle last night. That’s why I couldn’t come.”
The truth was, she hadn’t fully made up her mind about seeing him. She’d still been debating whether to go when Theo whisked her away. So it wasn’t entirely a lie. Her absence hadn’t been out of spite.
But Adrian wasn’t listening to the details.
He pulled her face closer to his, their foreheads almost touching, his intense, dark gaze locked on hers. His voice dropped lower, more dangerous.
“What about right now?” he asked.
“What?” she whispered, her breath catching.
“Let’s finish what we couldn’t last night. Right now.”
***
Sienna stepped into the Vaughn estate, her heels clicking against the marble floor. The place was frozen in time, the same beauty, the same air of power. But she barely had a moment to absorb it.
Adrian didn’t let her linger.
His large hand wrapped tightly around hers, dragging her along with him like a man on a mission. His grip was firm, almost desperate. They ascended the grand staircase, his broad shoulders tense, back straight, his movements fierce and sure. He pushed open the bedroom door.
The moment they entered the bedroom, she froze. It was untouched. Exactly the same.
The same bedding. The same sleek furniture. Even the scent—it smelled like him. Strong, masculine, intoxicating. Her gaze flicked across the room in disbelief.
‘How am I back here?’ she thought, heart pounding. ‘This room… I swore I’d never step foot in it again.’
Two years ago, she had walked out of this room, out of Adrian’s life, telling herself she’d never return. It had taken everything in her to let go after spending five years with him. But here she was—back in the same place, like nothing had changed.
And that was the biggest shock. Adrian used to redecorate every six months. He hated being in the same environment for too long. But this room was still the same.
Her heart ached.
Then she turned, and froze.
Adrian had already unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a broad, chiseled chest. His tanned skin stretched over hard muscle, carved like stone. Each ridge of his abs flexed as he let the shirt fall to the floor. Her breath caught.
In one swift, effortless move, he stepped forward, his hand wrapping around her throat—not with force, but just enough pressure to tilt her chin up. The next second, she was falling backward onto the bed, her back hitting the mattress as Adrian climbed over her, his tall frame caging her in completely.
His face hovered just inches above hers, his lips curled in a shadow of a smirk. But his eyes were softer now, brimming with raw affection.
“Even my bedroom’s brighter now that you’ve come back,” he muttered, his lips curling into a slow, rare smile.
Sienna’s hands rose, fingers trembling slightly as they brushed across the heat of his chest, tracing over the sharp ridges of his abs. Then, without thinking, she arched up and pressed her lips to his.
That was all he needed.
Adrian crushed his mouth against hers, unleashing years of buried longing in a kiss so fierce it stole her breath. His lips moved over hers hungrily, urgent, consuming, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, tangling with hers in deep, heated strokes. He tilted her head just enough to angle her perfectly beneath him, deepening the kiss as if he wanted to taste the very soul of her.
One hand curled tightly around her waist, fingers digging in with desperate need, while the other slid up to cradle the back of her head, keeping her close, anchored to him.
Then his mouth began its descent. Slow. Intimate.
He trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, his tongue darting out to taste her skin as he moved down her neck. When he reached the tender hollow just below her ear, he lingered. His tongue flicked slowly across her pulse point, circling it, then flattened and dragged downward in a heated stroke that made her shiver.
He sucked gently at first, then harder, just enough to leave a mark, while his tongue swirled, licked, tasted every inch of that spot until a moan escaped her lips. “Mmmhhh…”
She barely had time to breathe before she felt a soft cloth brush against her face. He slid it over her eyes, tying it carefully behind her head. Darkness claimed her vision, but pleasure surged.
Her body arched instinctively toward his heat as his tongue returned to her neck, licking along the curve with languid, teasing strokes while his hands worked the blindfold in place. She didn’t protest. She couldn’t. The loss of sight only heightened every touch.
His lips moved lower, trailing down the slope of her shoulder, then further, to her collarbone. He kissed across it slowly, alternating between light flicks of his tongue and firmer, wetter licks that left her skin glistening.
Then, lower still.
His mouth hovered over her chest, his breath hot through the thin fabric of her top. He sucked her nipple through the cloth, letting his tongue circle lazily before flicking it back and forth, making her gasp. Then he pulled the fabric aside, baring her skin.
Without hesitation, he dipped his head and closed his mouth around her bare nipple, tongue swirling, licking in soft, rhythmic strokes before suckling deeply. He tugged gently with his lips, then let his tongue flick the hardened peak in rapid, teasing movements, coaxing breathy moans from her parted lips.
“Adrian,” she gasped, her back arching, pressing her breast further into his mouth.
He groaned low in his throat, a sound vibrating against her sensitive skin. His hands roamed her sides, slow, reverent, sliding over the swell of her waist and the dip of her lower back. Every touch was heated, like he was learning her all over again, mapping her body with his palms and tongue.
Then he sighed, deep and hungry, and his hand slid to her wrist. He gripped it firmly, drawing her forward until their bodies met, flesh to flesh, heat to heat.
Sienna froze.
She felt him. Thick, hard, and pressing against her navel through the fabric between them.
Her breath caught, her body thrumming with anticipation.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear before flicking the lobe with his tongue.