13. Ella
13
ELLA
“I’ve never seen Adrian dance like that before,” Sariah says as we leave the warm, humid air and blaring music behind us.
That was a blast, but my feet are killing me. I’ve been on them all day, and after that marathon dance session, I’m going to need that foot rub I declined from Adrian yesterday.
“The man can bust a move. Who’d have thought he could be so nimble in a tailored suit?”
Sariah laughs as we finally make it outside. The fresh, cool air feels soothing on my skin, but I’m still burning up. And even more when I think about our last dance. Slow and sensual. His hands on me. Whew.
“Now that I think about it,” Sariah says slowly, “I don’t think I’ve seen him dance before.”
“Really?” I ask, unsure how I feel about that. Sariah was the one in a real relationship with Adrian.
We find two chairs that overlook the water. The water’s a deep slate, stippled white from the moonlight.
Sariah lets out a satisfied moan as she slips out of her shoes. “Seriously.”
“He’s full of surprises.”
She laughs, turning to me. “Adrian? Full of surprises? Are we talking about the same man?”
I have no idea if we’re talking about the same man because I don’t know Adrian. Not really. Not in the same way Sariah does. I can fake it with everyone else, but Sariah can cut through my bullshit. She lived with him. I think? I don’t even know if they moved in together. Hell, I hardly know anything about their relationship besides what Adrian told me.
After a few moments, Sariah breaks the silence. “Maybe you’re right. I have to admit, there’s something different about him. A different energy or something.” She leans back in the chair, sighing as she stares at the water.
I think I understand it. I had a completely different read of him when I first met him. Was that the side of him he was with Sariah? Cold. Intimidating. Aloof. Now that I’ve met Sariah, it’s hard for me to imagine her with him. Me too, if he remained the same after our first meeting.
She leans into me, bumping my shoulder. “He never looked at me the way he looks at you, that’s for sure.”
“Nooooo.” It comes out in one long, strained breath. But I can’t help the fluttering feeling in my chest, or the tingles radiating across my skin. “I don’t believe that. I don’t see Adrian getting into a relationship unless he’s all in.”
Sariah shakes her head and then turns to me. Her eyes are bright and clear, and I can feel her sincerity. “I never felt like he saw me. Like he was looking through me, looking at something else. Always distracted. Always thinking about something else. Always…” She pauses and then shakes her head, glancing back at the water.
I feel bad for Sariah. No one should have to feel that way. And it feels even more awful because I haven’t experienced that with Adrian. He’s so singularly focused on me that it’s almost suffocating. In the nicest way possible, of course. I like his attention. And I do feel seen by him. Understood.
She places her hand on mine. “There’s no question in my mind that he loves you, Gabriella. You captivate him. He’s been staring at you more than his phone, and that’s saying something. Work captivated him when he was with me. I always wanted to chuck that phone out the window. Smash it with a hammer. Burn it to—” She laughs. “Okay, I might have a little residual anger.”
I’m at a loss for words. I want to tell myself that she’s only saying this because she thinks we’re in a relationship. It’s a nice thing to say. It would be easier if that were the case because then I don’t have to deal with the reality of what seems to be happening between Adrian and me. Real feelings with real-world consequences.
“It’s true,” she says after a few moments. “And I’m happy for you. It took me a while to realize that Adrian and I just weren’t compatible, and I was trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Not everything is easy in relationships, but the difficult part shouldn’t be getting the other person to spend time with you.” She sighs. “His priority was work, not our relationship, and I ignored that for too long.”
“I’m sorry.” I can’t think of anything else to say.
“Don’t be. I learned my lesson, and I found the love of my life.”
She’s thinking about Max. It’s painted all over her face, and I can’t help but smile at how much she loves him. And a few minutes later, he joins us.
“I was wondering where you were hiding,” Max says, placing a hand on Sariah’s shoulder.
“My voice needed a break,” she says, nuzzling against his hand.
Max smiles at me. “You and Adrian had some moves on the dance floor.”
I laugh. “Thanks.”
“They’re about to play our song again, and I thought you might want another dance.”
Sariah slips on her shoes and grabs Max’s hand. “I do,” she says, leaning in to kiss him.
“It was lovely chatting with you,” Sariah says before heading back inside. “And I’m sure we’ll spend more time together after the wedding.”
Maybe.
I pull out my phone and text Olivia for the first time. This is the first chance I’ve had, really. I’ve been caught up in this wedding madness from the moment we landed.
Ella: I think I like him.
Surprisingly, Olivia responds almost immediately.
Olivia: About time. I’ve been DYING to know how it’s been going.
Olivia: And now I know.
Olivia: Congrats on getting laid… WOOOOO WOOOO!
Ella: What? No.
Ella: Why…
Ella: Nevermind. Back to my first point. I. Like. Him. I’m not supposed to. What do I do?
Olivia: Well, I only see one option: You sleep with him.
Ella: …thanks
I’m not sure what I expected from Olivia. I’d like to say she’s usually more helpful, but I’d be lying. Looks like I’m going to have to navigate this on my own.
…or not.
Hello, Adrian.
“Max said you were out here. Hiding from Lillian?”
“Why would I want to hide from the lovely woman who supplied me with drinks all night?”
Adrian’s face pales. “You accepted them?”
I snort. “Of course not. Not that I think she’d poison them. Wait. She wouldn’t poison them, right?”
“Yeah,” Adrian mutters. “Yeah, I’m sure of it.” Although his tone and blank expression say otherwise.
A half-dozen or so people stumble down the lawn towards us. I thought we’d have at least a few minutes alone together, but I guess not.
Adrian offers his hand to me. “Come. Let’s get out of here.”
I take it, and immediately it envelops mine as he pulls me to my feet.”Seems like you’ve read my mind.”
“And it won’t be the last time.” He bends down, grabbing my heels off the ground before sliding his hands beneath me and scooping me off my feet.
My stomach flutters as he carries me back to the venue.
“What am I thinking about right now?”
Adrian glances at me, a knowing smile on his lips.
“You’ll never guess.”
“Never?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re thinking about those bacon-wrapped scallops I swiped for you earlier.”
I swallow. Tilt my head. “Lucky guess.”
“There’s nothing lucky about it. I know you, Ella. Whether you like it or not. And now you’re wondering if I have more.”
He sets me down as I sigh, handing over my heels. “…And?”
Adrian leans in, his cheek brushing mine as he whispers. “No, but meet me on the balcony in five minutes.”
Be still my heart.
* * *
“Oh my god,” I moan, relishing the cool breeze on my skin again. We’d only been back inside for a few minutes, but the venue is a little swampy from all the dancing. “This feels heavenly.”
“So does this,” Adrian rasps, wrapping his arms around me. He kisses me on the nape of my neck, my entire body erupting in tingles as my head dips and I glance at him over my shoulder.
“Do you have the goods?”
“Of course.” Adrian sighs as he reaches into his pocket.
I’d have preferred another kiss, but this is almost as good.
“Thought you might like a slider as well.”
Okay, even better. I set our champagne down on the ledge as I spin around. “Say that again.”
“I thought you might like a slider as well.”
“You have no idea how sexy that sounds.”
“I’d have snatched that tray if I knew burgers were your love language.”
I swallow. “They are when the only thing I’ve eaten all day is that breakfast sandwich and chocolate croissant.”
“Crazy, when you had a perfectly good salad for— kidding .” Adrian raises his arms in defense as I glare at him with the heat of a million suns. “I’m. Kidding.”
“You might be, but trying to eat that salad was no joke. Would it kill anyone to put more than a teaspoon of salad dressing on the plate?”
I shiver. But then I remember the food stashed away for me, and my mood shifts. Adrian is proving to be quite thoughtful.
He holds out the slider and a small plate with bacon-wrapped scallops. “My peace offering. Do you accept?”
“I do,” I say, sighing as I take the goods in my hand, popping one of the scallops in my mouth and then immediately turning around to chew.
Adrian laughs. “Good?”
My response contained approximately zero discernible words, but I’m certain it expressed my feelings perfectly. Nothing has tasted so good…
Well, except for Adrian’s lips. And he was right earlier. I’ve been thinking about that kiss for a while. About our next one. And more importantly, about what he wanted to tell me before Max interrupted us.
I swallow, nearly choking on the food, but recovering with a sip from my champagne.
“Remember to chew.”
“Mhm,” I mutter, finally finishing off the first scallop. “And thanks. I needed this, especially after our dancing. You continuously surprise me, Adrian Thorne.”
Adrian slides closer to me. “How so?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. When we first met,” I begin slowly, “I thought you were...” I trail off, trying to choose my words carefully. But do I have to? I’m sure Adrian would agree with what I’m about to say. Hell, I’ve said it to his face before, and it didn’t faze him. But it feels weird to say it, now that I know about the real Adrian.
“Intimidating? Aloof? An out-of-touch, asshole billionaire?” he supplies helpfully.
I smile. “Mmm… close enough.”
Adrian laughs. “Well, I’ve built a certain reputation in my business. I know how I can come across. And sometimes it’s hard to dial that side of me down.”
“But it’s not the real you.”
He looks out at the horizon, considering it. “Parts of it are.”
“You’re kind. Caring. And definitely not aloof. You understand what I need without me telling you.”
“That’s easy.” He nudges a slice of tiramisu toward me.
“Okay, what the hell?” I glance at the small plate and then back at Adrian. I grab his jacket, flipping it up. “What else do you have in there, Mary Poppins?”
He retrieves a plastic fork and spears the tiramisu. “Tapped out, I’m afraid. I’ll be sure to restock later if you’re still hungry.”
“See? Full of surprises.”
I sigh as I let go of his jacket and dive into the tiramisu.
This is the first time all evening I’ve felt relaxed. I’ve been on my feet the whole time, socializing with Adrian’s family. Avoiding Lillian. I’ve been to my fair share of weddings, but this one has been exhausting.
This tiramisu is making it better, though. So is the way Adrian’s looking at me as I eat it. Smolder, smolder, smolder.
“Good?”
Not as good as that gruff voice of his, even raspier after a day filled with talking.
I swallow another bite. “Very.”
He reaches for me, brushing the corner of my mouth with his thumb.
“Oops,” I mutter, cheeks flushing.
He peers at the cream on his thumb and then sucks it off his finger, eyes locked on mine. “Thanks for leaving me some.”
I gape at him for a brief moment, as an electric current flutters through me. And then a crazy, intrusive thought pushes all rational thought out of my head and takes center stage.
“I-I think I left some more.”
“Oh?”
I fork another piece of tiramisu and then rub it across my lips like a crazy person as Adrian gapes at me.
Oh my god.
Oh my. GOD.
It feels like a million little needles are poking me all over my body as I inwardly cringe, completely astounded that I listened to that insane idea.
But Adrian takes it in stride.
“Wow,” Adrian rasps. “I can’t believe I overlooked that.”
He reaches for me, cupping the base of my head with one hand as the other finds my waist, pulling me into him. He leans in, lips inches from mine as every ounce of air inside my lungs is squeezed out.
“My favorite dessert,” he rasps, moments before his lips find mine.
I whimper against his lips, my hands slipping beneath his jacket and around his back. Firm. Stong. Mine.
If I weren’t thoroughly distracted by Adrian’s mouth, I might give that last word a second thought. But right now, I don’t care. His tongue is obliterating all rational thought, and as his hand slips down my back and grips my ass. I’m all in.
“Waited for this all night,” he rasps, breaking the seal briefly before his lips find mine again.
I squeak. Mumble. Moan and groan. I can’t make a single coherent word, but it doesn’t matter. I think he understands how much I’m enjoying every second of?—
“There you are!”
I pull away from Adrian reluctantly as I absently swipe at my hair, glancing at Lillian standing in the doorway. Her annoyed look fades quickly, recovering as she steps onto the balcony and into the moonlight.
“I thought you’d want to know it’s time for the bouquet toss. Sariah’s waiting.”
Adrian’s jaw flexes, his eyes on me, fiery and intense. I try to communicate I. Know. with a look. He seems to understand, jerking his suit jacket down with two hands before turning around.
“Right,” I say, my voice breathless. “Thanks.” I’m still flustered, feeling like I’d just been caught making out with my boyfriend by my parents. “Wouldn’t want to miss that.”
Lillian hums, turning around, and I follow.
Adrian grabs my wrist as I pass by, pulling me into him.
“This isn’t over,” he rasps, brushing a stray tendril of hair behind my ear.
I swallow hard.
“I’d hope not.”