33. Adrian
If Ivory was getting dressed, he’d be more than happy to lend a hand. It was the least he could do as her chivalrous knight.
They’d agreed to meet at ten, and he didn’t want to be late by a millisecond. Fidgeting on his porch and fighting the urge to smoke hadn’t done him any good. Time with Ivory was too precious to waste. The rest of the day didn’t feel like nearly enough, and he secretly hoped she’d agree to stay the night again.
Hanging his helmet on the seat, he set up the first part of her surprise with meticulous care. Presentation would be essential—hopefully she liked it. Once satisfied, he tied his hair in a bun and let out a deep breath.
Only after he heard her final decision would he be able to relax again. She hadn’t hinted at any doubts in their conversation last night, but he wanted to give her a proper chance to voice her thoughts. It’d be nearly impossible for her to require something he wasn’t willing to give, but regardless, she had to know she’d be equally capable of asking for her desires as he was his. And he did have a few.
He hadn’t done this before—started a real relationship. With all his previous arrangements, he’d known they would be temporary and made that abundantly clear. But with Ivory, he couldn’t see an end. Moreover, he didn’t want to. All he wished for was to keep that sweet smile on her face and be by her side to witness it.
Navigating the sleepy dormitory halls, he found her room number and softly rapped on the door. It opened by a crack, barely enough to see the side of her desk and an open wardrobe. Her voice came from the other side. “Adrian? Is that you?”
“Expecting someone else?”
She laughed. Hell, he’d never get over that sound. “No, but I did say the room was a mess, right? You can come in.”
He pushed the door open and stepped into what looked like a page from an object-search puzzle. Almost everything was some shade of purple, clothes and notebooks and pillows scattered around the tiny room. But his witch remained out of sight.
Closing the door, he pivoted until he saw her hidden in the corner…then nearly crumbled on the spot. Sweet and bashful and tempting as ever, she stood practically naked.
When she said she was getting dressed, he hadn’t expected this. Her porcelain skin contrasted perfectly with her dark purple hair and plain undergarments—and fuck those legs—one covered up to the knee by one of the sexiest boots he’d ever seen, the other in a simple black stocking. Her hands fidgeted at her side like she remembered too late to be embarrassed. A balance of innocence and seduction only she could pull off.
He swept his gaze back up her body and zeroed in on the ribbon tied around her neck. Like a collar. Like she wanted the world to know she belonged to someone—to him.
“Damn,” he whispered, reaching out to brush trembling fingers along the curve of her shoulder. Her skin felt hot and smooth. This wasn’t helping him focus.
“Hi,” she whispered, smiling sweetly and biting down on her plump bottom lip.
Fuck it. He tangled his fist in her hair and pulled her to his lips. “You don’t know the kind of things I want to do to you right now, sweetheart.” A little moan left her lips that went straight to his dick, and he swallowed it with a possessive kiss. “Wicked, filthy things.”
She opened her mouth with a whimper, almost fragile in the way it melted on his tongue. But she didn’t cave, instead wrapping her arms around his neck and grinding so he could feel the heat of her pussy through their clothes. His hand smoothed down her side, over the flare of her hip, and grabbed her ass.
But now wasn’t the time. Not before he was absolutely sure. He broke the kiss, lingering as they caught their breath.
She looked at him through her lashes, and a blush spread over her cheeks. “I, uh, meant to say, how has your morning been?”
“Just got a hell of a lot better.” He guided her back to his mouth, unable to resist another kiss. He nipped at her swollen lips, tasting them before leaving a trail of soft and slow kisses along her jaw. “You’re turning me into a fucking addict, Iv.” He scraped his teeth against her skin and breathed her in. “Can’t get enough.”
Her lips curved under his into a delicate smile. “Then take me. Take everything.”
She delivered the words so earnestly, with a reverent whisper, yet they were powerful enough to crack his heart in two.
He spun and pinned her against the door. Her chest heaved, nipples puckering through her bra. “Please tell me you’ve thought this through,” he panted. “I need to hear what you want, if it’s the sex or something more. I need to know that either way, you accept what comes with it.”
He knew he sounded desperate, and the bulge in his pants spoke for itself. This time he was the one begging instead of her. He didn’t care. All he needed was her answer—would she accept him, as broken as he was?
“I want all of it.” She leaned back against the door, letting him take in her flushed cheeks and glittering eyes, the mess he’d made of her carefully brushed hair, and the goosebumps running along her skin. The flicker of her pulse under the ribbon around her neck. “I want you.”
Shit. Dammit all to hell.
His eyes flashed, and he grabbed her wrists to raise them above her head. “Do you know what you’re saying?” He nudged his knee between her legs. Fuck, she smelled so good. “Do you know what I’ll do to you?”
She shook her head. He’d given her every right to be scared, every opportunity to say no, but she looked at him like a mouse who wanted to be caught.
He licked his lips. “I'll devour you, Iv. I'll break you a million times over and piece you back together as I please. I’ll mark every sigh, take every ounce of your pleasure, covet every drop of your pain.” He leaned in and inhaled her breath. “I’ll make you mine.”
She bit her lip and searched his eyes, then vulnerability overshadowed her arousal. “I’m going to want more than the other girls, Adrian. I want every part of you. Everything they couldn’t have.”
He groaned. “Sweetheart—”
She cut him off with a kiss.
Fuck waiting.
He needed her. Now.
Not breaking the kiss, he picked her up by the waist. Her legs wrapped around him, and he stumbled across the rug to her bed, laying her down in the mess of pillows and clothes, then crawling over the top. “I can be demanding. Over-protective. Selfish and possessive when it comes to the things I love. I won’t care about fitting in or being normal and I won’t compromise on giving you anything but the best.”
“What’s all that mean?” she asked, silky breasts slipping out of her bra. He traced his fingers over her skin, outlining the hem of her panties and the hollow of her stomach. God, she was more than angelic—she was perfect.
“That’s what you’ll have to deal with.” He looked back up at her face. “That’s me.”
“Well, I’m stubborn,” she started, breathless as his hand inched up to her chest. “I care too much, and I try too hard. I’ll do anything for the people I love, and I won’t ever give up on what I want. I don’t need normal or nice or pretty.” She gasped as he tugged at the little bow of the ribbon above her collarbone, making sure it fit snug and tight. “And I want you to ruin me more than I’ve wanted anything else in my entire life.”
Her simple admission tore through the fabric of his being. He dipped down and sucked one of her pink nipples into his mouth, rolling the bud before dragging it through his teeth. “That I will,” he promised. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever fucking seen. But I see so much more when I look at you.”
True, he saw a woman who could win over any man, who could model in the world’s most expensive outfit or nothing at all, but he also saw things that were invisible to the eyes. He felt so many things he couldn’t touch, and it made him want her all the more. His desire wasn’t just for someone sexy, talented, and kind—she was a person he couldn’t live without.
“I see so much more when I look at you, too,” she whispered.
He pulled back and ran a hand down the side of her bootless leg, making her squirm. “Tell me, what do you see when you look at me?”
A man who’d lived a broken life? A sinner who refused to alter his course to hell? The cursed soul that would lead to her downfall?
“I see someone who cares just as much as I do. Even though he pretends to be mean and unlovable.” Her face broke into a radiant smile. “I see a man who earned my admiration. One who deserves happiness.”