17. Adrian
17
ADRIAN
“It’s too bad we missed breakfast with your family.”
Ella glances at me, her bright sundress billowing as we stroll hand in hand through the bustling lobby, toward the hotel’s restaurant. She’s radiant. Stunning. Even more than usual as the sun streams in through the sprawling atrium.
“I disagree.” I bring her hand to my mouth, kissing it. “I enjoyed my breakfast very much this morning.”
“We didn’t have— ohhhh. ” Ella blushes, shaking her head as she looks forward. “You’re bad.”
“That’s not what you were telling me last night. Or this morning. I think we were both very good.”
She clicks her tongue, but I can see her losing the battle of holding back her smile. And when we pass by an enclave leading to a small indoor and sitting area, I pull her aside, pinning her against a stone column, and capture her lips.
I can’t help myself. It’s been twenty minutes since I last tasted her, and I can’t go on any longer. The sound of rushing water is deafening in this enclosed space, but all I focus on are her soft whimpers and moans as our tongues clash.
Ella jerks away after a few moments, batting my arm. “Adrian!”
“Ella,” I rasp, nuzzling against her neck, breathing her in. I cup her breast, massaging her as I nip at her neck.
She moans, nails digging into my back before pushing me away again.
“We. Just. Had. Sex!”
I swallow hard, staring at my girl, cheeks flushed as she pants. “Can’t help myself when I’m around you.”
She stares at me, long and hard, and then glances at another couple passing behind us a few yards away.
“Well, you’re going to practice some self-control while we’re in public. I’m not about to get arrested.”
I close the gap, sliding my hand across her jaw, gripping her as I thumb her cheek. “I’ll buy our freedom.”
She snorts. “Typical.”
“Anything to keep you close to me.”
I kiss her again, taking her face in my hands. She doesn’t resist. She’s gripping my sides, hands sliding over my abs before gripping me between the legs, tearing a groan from my chest.
“Fuck,” I rasp against her lips as she keeps rubbing. “Keep that up and?—”
“Uh-uh.” Ella slips away. “We’re going to eat. You might’ve had your own version of breakfast, but I’m starving . I’m literally going to die.”
I sigh. “Fine. But we’re not done. I want seconds when we get back to our room.”
“You mean thirds?”
“And fourths.”
We’re not leaving bed again until my face is numb and I can’t move my damn jaw.
* * *
My girl’s going to town on that burger. Absolutely demolishing it. And I can’t stop watching her. I swear there’s not a damn thing about her that I don’t find sexy.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” She sets her burger down, wiping her face with her napkin. “I’m acting like a rabid animal. I swear I don’t always eat like this.”
I can’t help but smile, neglecting my own food in front of me.
“Understandable. I’d probably do the same after eating nothing but vegetables and carbs.”
She smiles and then glances around the dining room. “Are you sure it’s okay? We haven’t decided when we’re going to tell your family the truth.”
She’s so nervous. She spent ten minutes wondering if she should keep up the act and order something “Gabriella” would order. I’ve tried to make it clear to her that I’m done with the sham. It doesn’t matter if my parents find out now or months down the line. The only thing that matters to me is Ella.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” I reach over, grabbing her hand. “I promise.”
I run my thumb over her fingers, and eventually, her tension fades. “Good. Because this burger is delicious. And the bacon?” She fans herself. “Definitely my favorite meat right now.”
“I’d beg to differ. I think?—”
“Adrian…” If looks could kill…
I sigh, leaning back. “Point taken. How about a change in subject?”
Ella pauses mid-bite. “I’d love that.”
“When we get back, I want to take you out on a proper date.”
Ella almost chokes, but she recovers, swallowing her bite and then taking a big sip of her water.
“A date?”
“Yeah, they tend to precede what happened last night. This morning…” Another look. I pause, smiling. “Okay. But how about it? I know the best spot in the city. Know the chef. You can have a front-row seat in the kitchen, too.”
“Just throwing your money around again?”
I snort. “Actually, the price is a steal. Just the cost of the ingredients.”
“Okay, this is sounding a little suspicious.”
“You’ll be put to work too. Can’t make a great meal without a great sous chef by my side.”
“Oooookay. You’re going to cook for me?”
I take a sip of my water. “I’m looking at it as a little collaboration. A team effort. Because that’s how I view us. A team. A united front. Partners in crime. What do you think?”
Ella mulls it over for a few moments. “ Can you cook?”
I laugh. “I make a mean spaghetti and meatballs. And my salad tossing skills are…” Her eyes flare… don’t, they say. “Well, I’ll let you be the judge.”
“So long as the wine keeps flowing. I think it might work.”
“Good to hear it. And then we could jet off back here again for a week to compare. Only this time we’ll stay at Splendido Mare. ”
She snorts. “You’re too much. This is too much.” She sighs. “Dating a billionaire. I’m not sure I’ll get used to this.”
I slide my hand over to her, twining our fingers together. “This is only the beginning. And now that you caught that bouquet, I think I might have to?—”
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” Lillian’s voice cuts through our bubble, cold and sharp. “Bacon cheeseburger? You’re flaunting it now, aren’t you?”
“Lillian,” I growl. I tried to keep my voice neutral, but I’m finding it difficult. Lillian needs to disappear. I have no idea why she’s latched onto me, but it’s embarrassing at this point. “Was there something you needed?”
“Oh, I think I have something you need.”
She pulls a folded piece of paper from her purse, her smile thin and vicious, the first time her mask has fallen in front of me. She slides the paper toward me, and I read the headline: BlackeThorne Entertainment Entertains Scandal.
Beneath it is a candid photo of Ella and me on the street the night of the rehearsal dinner, my hand on the small of her back as we share a bite of gelato. I skim the article:
Sources close to BlackThorne Entertainment confirm that the mysterious woman was interviewing for an entry-level position just days before appearing on the CFO’s arm. Former executive Eugene Verner states, “This kind of behavior is why I left the company. The CFO is out of control. He’s using his employees as his personal dating pool. A new woman every week. It’s sickening, if you ask me. All that power…”
“Care to explain?” Lillian asks, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Or should I show this to everyone else? I’m sure they’d be fascinated to learn that your relationship is nothing but a sham. A… A… Charade! ”
Charade? Who says that? I’d laugh if I wasn’t so pissed off. It’s taking everything in my power not to lose it as I grip the edge of the wooden table. Give me a little more time, and it will be splintering.
I stand up, my chair screeching against the floor. “That’s enough.”
“I’m just getting started,” she hisses. “Did you think no one would find out? That you could parade your little actress around and everyone would believe?—”
“Is everything okay over here?” My mom’s voice makes us turn. She’s approaching our table with Max and Sariah in tow, concern etched on her face.
“Perfect timing,” Lillian says, triumphant. “I was just sharing some interesting reading material. And we were about to delve into?—”
“Actually, I have something to say.” I’m done with this, Lillian, specifically. She thinks she has leverage here? What outcome could she possibly think would come from this? I’d somehow come around to seeing her as some wonderful human being?
I look at Ella, trying my best to ease her tension, but it doesn’t seem to work. She won’t even lift her eyes to meet mine. “Ella, I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted to do this.”
I’d planned on telling my family alone, but Lillian forced my hand. Maybe it’s for the best—two birds, one stone. Lillian’s been revealed as a horrific person, and Ella, the real Ella, makes her debut.
Win fucking win.
“Ella and I haven’t been dating as long as you think. We only had our first real date the other night.”
Lillian’s absolutely thrilled with herself as my mother gapes, Sariah’s eyes widen, and Max looks utterly confused but also happy to be here.
“I hired her to pretend to be my girlfriend for the wedding.” Yep, feels about as embarrassing as I imagined, but I don’t care. Ella looks up at me, a hint of a smile on her lips. She’s coming to the same realization. All of this is coming to an end, so we can start our journey together. “I didn’t want to spend the wedding entertaining awkward conversations about Max marrying Sariah. Having other people tell me how I should feel about it all.”
Lillian snorts, arms folded across her chest.
“I thought it would be easy. Hire someone to play the role and then break up. But it wasn’t. Everything has been complicated from the moment you crashed into my life. Literally. My ribs still hurt from that elbow.”
I rub my side, smiling as Ella laughs, remembering that moment. The first time I touched her. The first time I smelled her sweet scent. The first time I knew she’d be mine.
“I’ve spent my entire life focusing on the wrong things. Work. Success. Building an empire. I thought that was all that mattered. But you’ve flipped it. Crushed it. You’re the only thing that matters.”
My mother clears her throat.
“My lovely family, too,” I add before turning back to a chuckling Ella, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Don’t cry, sweet girl…
“You’ve made me laugh more than I have in years. You’ve challenged me. Surprised me. Made me see the world differently. From the moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. Something I couldn’t ignore. And every moment I’ve spent with you has proved that. There’s no question in my mind that I’ve fallen hard for you. I love you, Ella Bridges.”
I turn my attention back to Lillian, and immediately, I feel heat flare across my face and neck.
“So yes, our relationship started as a… charade?” Ella snorts as I throw Lillian’s favorite word back at her. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I move toward Ella, kneel, and collect her hands in mine as I kiss away her tears, salt on my tongue.
“Well,” my mother says, clearing her throat. “That was certainly unexpected, but not entirely surprising. You’ve never been a good liar,” she adds, winking. “And after hearing mixed information about your girlfriend, I had my suspicions.”
“I’m so sorry, Trudy,” Ella blurts. “It was eating me up lying to you all. You’ve all been so nice to me.”
Lillian scoffs, but my mother ignores her. As does everyone else. Her revelation is unraveling into absolutely nothing.
“I understand, Ella. It is Ella, right?”
She nods. “Yes. Lucky that he found someone with a similar name.”
“No,” I rasp in her ear. “I’m lucky that I found you.”
She squeezes my hand, and I kiss hers again. But I can’t help but think that ring finger is looking a little too bare.
“Well, don’t worry about it. You had all of us fooled. My boy is smitten. Never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. Sorry, Sariah.”
She snorts. “It’s fine. I’d be the first one to agree. Right, Ella?”
She smiles sheepishly.
“This is ridiculous,” Lillian sputters. “She’s nobody. She’s after his money. She?—”
“Lillian.” My voice booms. It comes out like a damn missile, landing squarely on Lillian so hard that she takes a step back. “That’s enough.”
And for a moment, I think that’s the end of it. But then she barrels on. “You’re really choosing her? This—this fake?—”
“ Enough.”
Lillian closes her mouth, eyes flaring as the rest of the restaurant becomes silent for a brief moment. The hum of conversation continues, and so do I.
“The only thing that’s fake is your concern. You don’t care about me or my family. You’re jealous and vindictive, and you’ve spent this entire weekend trying to undermine Ella at every turn. I don’t know what you think is between us, but it’s completely one-sided. Get. Over it.”
Lillian’s face pales, then flushes with humiliation. Without another word, she turns and stalks out of the restaurant.
There’s a beat of awkward silence, but then Sariah speaks up. “I’m so sorry. I thought it was a funny little crush. I had no idea she…”
“You had a wedding to think about,” Ella says soothingly. “No apology necessary.”
We spend a few moments catching up before my family disperses, leaving me alone with Ella.
I slide my chair next to her. “I’m sorry about that. Not exactly how I planned it.”
“I don’t know,” she says, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I kinda like that it’s all out of the way. No more walking on eggshells, wondering if I need to be in character or not. I can be myself.”
I sigh, breathing in her sweet scent as everything feels right in the world.
“But what are we going to do about that article?”
“I’ll handle it. Or more specifically, my lawyers will. Eugene is about to learn what happens when you lie to the press about BlackeThorne Entertainment. And about the woman I love.”
Ella sinks deeper into me as I wrap my arm around her.
I kiss the top of her head. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. The only one I ever will.”
She glances at me. “Promise?”
“Promise.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, relishing the way she feels in my arms. I’ll never get enough of it, holding her. Breathing her in. Loving her. Even now, I’m thinking about ways to spend more time with her. Taking a step back at BlackeThorne. Taking a long vacation with her. Taking her.
My cock lurches at the thought, as I close my eyes, conjuring up Ella in my mind’s eye, tracing every delicate curve, every… fuuuuck.
“Still hungry?” I ask, nodding to the half-eaten burger she’d abandoned a while ago.
“Lost my appetite.”
“I haven’t,” I rasp, tilting her chin toward me and kissing her softly. Sensually. Slow but intense. I break the seal, lips still brushing as I say, “I’m hungry for my thirds.”
Ella smiles against my lips.
“I’m hungry for you.”
She holds my gaze for a few beats before speaking, “Looks like I just found my appetite.”
“So you’re ready to get out of here?”
“I’m ready to get out of these clothes again.”
Say no fucking more.
Ella gasps as I scoop her off the ground and whisk her away. “If you’re going to carry me over the threshold like this, I think I need a ring on my finger.”
“Consider it done.”
She laughs, thinking I’m joking, but I’m not. She may not know it yet, but she’s going to be my wife.
My life.
My one and only.
And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to her.