12 Sharing You
The door clicked shut with a soft thud, locking them both in a quiet space, and in that instant, Sienna’s heart began to race.
Startled, Sienna looked up, and her shout was smothered in her throat. “What—?”
"Adrian?!" she hissed, her eyes widening. She quickly scanned the washroom, but it was just the two of them. "What are you doing here? If someone—"
Before she could finish, his strong hands gripped her shoulders, pushing her back until she hit the cold wall. He stood in front of her, tall and broad, his chest rising with every breath as he caged her in completely. One hand pinned her wrist, the other tangled in her hair, pulling her close until there was barely space to breathe.
She gasped, her other hand braced against his solid chest, trying to push him away. “Adrian, stop messing around. My whole family is here!” she whispered urgently, squirming in his grip.
But he didn’t budge. His body was firm, unmoving, and his hold only tightened.
“I didn’t do that to insult you, or your family.” His voice was low, hoarse, his eyes wild—filled with a storm of emotion she wasn’t used to seeing in him.
"What?" she asked, confused by the urgency in his tone.
“That day. With Sean,” he said, his jaw tense. His heart pounded hard enough to shake his frame. The thought that she might still believe the worst of him. That she might walk away again, was too much.
“Back then, when you came to me about the project, a friend warned me about Sean. Said he was the kind of man who preyed on young girls and trapped them. I told you to stay away from him.”
His voice deepened, jaw clenched as his breathing grew heavier. The vein in his neck pulsed.
“But you still went. And when I found out you were in his room, I was nearby for a meeting. Someone told me. I didn’t think. I just went. And when I saw you with him, I lost it. That’s why I threw you out.”
Sienna stared up at him, her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen Adrian like this. He wasn’t the type to explain himself—ever. Too proud. Too cold. Too closed-off.
Back then, she had assumed he'd thrown her out of that room because he didn't want Sean to know that she had any sort of relationship with Adrian. That he was ashamed of her, and he didn't want their relationship to be public.
"You should have told me this back then," she whispered, her voice trembling. "It hurt, Adrian. When you threw me out so ruthlessly."
She tried to pull away, but he yanked her back, his chest pressing against hers, pinning her to the wall.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. His back hit the wall, and her body pressed to his chest.
“Stay,” he pleaded, his voice rough. “Please, Sienna. I’m going to lose my damn mind if I don’t talk to you right now.”
Sienna glanced nervously at the washroom door, worried someone might walk in. Then she turned back to him, nodding. "Alright, but make it quick. We don’t have much time. Someone could walk in any second."
Adrian cupped her face, gently turning her head so she had no choice but to look at him. His thumb ran along her cheekbone. His forehead, always smooth and calm, now had a deep line of tension running through it.
"There are so many things in the past you had to face alone because I wasn't there for you. And all the things I did to you—those mistakes—I’ll never forget them. I’m sorry, Sienna. I need you to know that. No matter how you treat me from now on, I will take it all. I’ll take everything. I just want to be around you again.”
Sienna’s heart stopped.
The Adrian she knew never showed emotion, never apologized. His entire world had always revolved around power, control, and business. But now, it felt like his whole life depended on her.
For a moment, his tense expression softened slightly, his worry lines deepening. Overcome, he leaned in, his lips inches from hers, ready to kiss her.
She arched up, her lips meeting his and she kissed him.
He slid his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, and this time his kiss was hungry, pressing harder, deeper, like he meant to make up for every lonely night he’d spent without her.
Sienna’s hands flew into his hair, tugging him as she met him mouth to mouth. Her knees went weak when his tongue slipped past her lips, warm and demanding, exploring every corner of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking her fingers into the nape of his shirt, as he rocked his hips against hers, pressing her body into his with a heat that made her pulse race.
Adrian’s mouth moved to her neck, hot and hungry, his lips dragging along her skin as if he needed to taste every inch of her. His tongue flicked out, slow and wet, tracing the curve of her throat before finding that sensitive spot just below her ear. He sucked on it, harder this time, like he wanted to leave a mark—something to remind her she was his.
Sienna gasped, her fingers fisting in the front of his shirt, nails digging in as her head fell back to give him more. The sound that escaped her was half moan, half breath, her whole body reacting to the heat of his mouth.
He licked a slow, teasing line up the column of her neck, then dragged his mouth up to her ear. His breath was hot, ragged. He caught her earlobe between his teeth and tugged gently, sucking it into his mouth before murmuring her name—low, rough, and possessive—right against it.
The sound of it made her shiver, her knees weak, her chest pressed tight to his. She could feel his heartbeat pounding just as hard as hers, like they were one breath away from falling apart again.
Her body pressed tighter into his, heart racing as his hands roamed down her back, pulling her even closer. Their kiss had turned messy, breathless—nothing gentle left in it. It was all heat and need, the kind of kiss that made her toes curl and thoughts disappear.
They moved together in a rhythm that felt both desperate and perfect, lips and tongues and hands all working in sync. Her breath came in short gasps between kisses, the scrape of his stubble against her skin sending little jolts of electricity down her spine. Every time he pulled back just long enough to look at her, his eyes were dark and intense, like he couldn’t believe she was really there.
Just as Sienna was about to lose herself completely, the sound of Pamela’s voice echoed from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps.
“Sienna?”
They both froze, lips still against each other, breathing still ragged, the world crashing back around them.
“Sienna?”
The sound of Pamela’s voice echoed from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps.
"Shit!" Sienna hissed. In a panic, she grabbed Adrian and quickly shoved him behind the bathroom door to hide. She rushed to open the door, but it was too late, Pamela was already standing at the entrance, eyebrows furrowed.
"What have you been doing? You took so long to come out. Are you alright?" Pamela asked, eyeing her closely.
Sienna quickly composed herself, offering a forced smile. "Yes, I was just touching up my makeup. I'm fine, Mom. Let’s go."
They began to walk, but Pamela grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Sienna," she said, pulling her toward the wall. "It’s been two years since you got married. When are you planning to have a baby?"
Behind the door, Adrian froze. His entire body went rigid, muscles locking, breath catching. His fist lifted to his mouth as his jaw clenched in anxiety.
“Mom, don’t start,” Sienna said sharply, trying to brush past her.
But Pamela held her back.
"I can’t talk to you about these things in front of your in-laws, Sienna. Talk to me. What’s going on? Theo is a good man, and he won’t say anything to you, but you’re his wife. You need to think about these things. Have you two started trying for kids yet?"
"I don’t want to talk about this, Mom. Stop!" Sienna’s voice was shaking with frustration.
Pamela's worry deepened. "Tell me, how often do you two... you know... How many times a week? Is it every day, or less?"
“Jesus Christ, Mom!” Sienna hissed, shrugging Pamela’s hand off her shoulder. Catching her glare, she snapped just to shut her up. “Fine! We do it every day. Happy now?”
Behind the door, Adrian froze.
Every inch of him burned with agony, his chest tightening in pain that seemed unbearable. He was struggling to keep it together. His hand pressed against his chest as the overwhelming pain raked through him. He was fighting to stay composed, but his forehead was slick with sweat, his body filled with anguish.
His forehead tensed, his jaw clenched, and his eyes stared ahead, unfocused. He was standing, but barely. His legs were holding him up out of habit, not strength.
“You both are doing it regularly,” Pamela said, her voice tight with worry. “Then there shouldn’t be any problem getting pregnant. You need to go to the hospital for a full checkup, Sienna. I’ll go with you. We need to make sure your body is healthy.”
“Enough, Mom.” Sienna groaned, grabbing her mother by the arm. “Let’s go. Theo must be waiting for us.”
Their footsteps echoed as they walked away, slowly fading down the hallway.
Adrian leaned back against the cold wall, breathing heavily. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. His fist came up and pressed against his mouth. Then, without warning, he slammed that fist into the wall.
The loud thump rang through the bathroom.
His knuckles split open against the hard tile, blood seeping out instantly, but the sting didn’t even register.
The real pain was in his chest.
Unbearable. Suffocating. Like someone had ripped something vital out of him.
His shoulders shook. His voice cracked as he muttered through clenched teeth, “What the fuck am I even doing?”
He sucked in a shuddering breath, his eyes squeezing shut as memories of their years together flashed through his mind.
He opened his eyes slowly, the whites bloodshot, and whispered, “I should’ve treated you better.”
His voice was hoarse. Broken.
“Then you’d still be mine. I wouldn’t have to share you with anyone else. You wouldn’t be someone else’s wife. You’d only belong to me.”
The words choked out of him, like shards of glass dragging through his throat.
Some time later, Adrian finally stepped out of the room. His face was pale, jaw tight, hair slightly messy as if he’d run his hands through it too many times.
Matthew spotted him and instantly frowned.
‘Something’s off,’ he thought. ‘I’ve never seen Mr. Vaughn like this. He always hides behind that ruthless mask, but today it’s gone.’
“Sir,” Matthew called gently, holding out a phone. “That emerald diamond ring you requested a few months ago…”
Adrian looked up, his gaze heavy. He pushed his hair back with one hand. “Yeah?”
“It’s going to be auctioned soon. By the Emperor Empire. It’s part of their generational estate. Since we’ve been tracking it, I wanted to ask how high should we go for it?”
Adrian’s gaze sharpened. He swiped his hair back with one hand, his eyes narrowing. “No budget,” he said quietly. “I don’t care about the cost.”
He took the phone, his fingers wrapping tightly around it, the veins on his hand popping.
“Pay ten times more than anyone else if you have to. I want that ring, no matter what.”
Matthew nodded, a bit startled by the steel in his voice.