Dont Look At Me Like That
Lia should've left.
The thought repeated itself over and over inside her head while Adrian's hand rested against her waist like he belonged there.
She should've stepped back.
Said something smart.
Something logical.
Instead—
she stood perfectly still beneath the soft office lighting while rain blurred the city outside thirty floors below.
Adrian noticed everything.
Especially silence.
His eyes stayed fixed on her face, dark and unreadable now.
Waiting.
Not forcing.
Which somehow made this worse.
Because if Adrian pushed—
she could blame him.
But he didn't.
He simply stood there looking at her like she was a decision he'd already made.
"You're thinking too hard again," he murmured softly.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You make that difficult not to do."
A faint flicker crossed his expression.
Something dangerously close to satisfaction.
His thumb moved slightly against her waist.
Tiny movement.
Enough to send warmth straight through her chest.
"You're shaking."
"I'm nervous."
"Of me?"
The question settled between them quietly.
Lia looked up at him slowly.
The answer should've been yes.
It would've been smarter if it was yes.
But fear wasn't exactly what she felt around Adrian anymore.
Not entirely.
"You overwhelm me," she admitted softly.
Something in Adrian's face changed instantly at the honesty.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Eyes darkening further.
Like hearing that affected him more than it should have.
"You say things like that," Lia continued quietly, "and then act calm afterward like you didn't just emotionally ruin someone."
For the first time in several minutes—
Adrian smiled slightly.
Real this time.
Small.
Dangerous.
"You're not ruined."
"You sound very confident."
"I am."
Of course he was.
Lia should've found his arrogance irritating.
Instead—
it only made her more aware of how close he stood.
How warm his hand felt against her body.
How carefully he watched every reaction she had.
The silence stretched again.
Heavy.
Charged.
Then Adrian's gaze dropped briefly toward her mouth.
Lia noticed immediately.
And unfortunately—
so did her heartbeat.
Adrian exhaled softly through his nose.
Almost frustrated.
"You should stop looking at me like that."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Like what?"
"Like you're curious."
The answer caught her off guard.
"Curious?"
"Yes."
"That's the dangerous part to you?"
Adrian's eyes lifted back to hers slowly.
"You haven't realized yet how much I'd let you get away with."
The words wrapped tightly around her spine.
Possessive.
Careful.
Too honest.
Lia's pulse stumbled again.
God.
Everything about this man felt dangerous in the quietest possible way.
She stepped back slightly before she completely lost the ability to think clearly.
The movement made Adrian's hand slide reluctantly from her waist.
And for half a second—
something dark flickered across his expression.
Loss.
The realization startled her.
Because Adrian looked genuinely affected every time she moved away from him.
Like distance physically irritated him.
Lia tried focusing on literally anything else.
The office.
The rain.
The bookshelves.
Anything.
Unfortunately, her eyes landed on a framed photograph near his desk instead.
An older man standing beside a younger Adrian.
Maybe sixteen.
Seventeen.
Even then, Adrian looked serious.
Controlled.
Cold around the edges.
Lia walked toward it slowly.
"You were scary-looking even as a teenager."
Adrian glanced toward the photograph.
"My uncle took that."
"The one from the galas?"
"Yes."
Lia studied the younger version of him carefully.
Same eyes.
Same calmness.
But there was something sharper there too.
Lonelier.
"You look unhappy."
The room went quiet.
Adrian remained near the windows for a moment before answering.
"I was."
Simple.
Flat.
Like unhappiness had become normal enough not to matter anymore.
Lia looked back at the photo.
"What happened?"
A pause.
Then Adrian walked toward the desk slowly.
"My parents died when I was fourteen."
Her chest tightened immediately.
"Oh."
No wonder loneliness looked so familiar on him.
Adrian leaned lightly against the edge of the desk beside her.
"The company became my responsibility eventually."
"You were young."
"I adapted."
The answer sounded automatic.
Like survival.
Lia glanced toward him carefully now.
"And now?"
Adrian looked at her.
The silence between them shifted again.
Softer this time.
More dangerous somehow.
"Now," he said quietly, "you distract me."
Her breath caught instantly.
Because he sounded almost annoyed by it.
Not playful.
Not teasing.
Like she genuinely disrupted something carefully controlled inside him.
Lia looked away first.
Again.
And Adrian noticed.
Again.
"You do that constantly."
"What?"
"Avoid eye contact after emotional conversations."
"I'm trying to survive them."
That earned another small smile.
God.
Those smiles were becoming a problem.
The rain outside intensified suddenly, thunder rolling softly across the skyline.
Lia glanced toward the windows.
"It's getting worse."
"You can stay here tonight."
She turned immediately.
"...What?"
"You hate thunderstorms."
Her heartbeat sped up again.
"You remember that?"
"Yes."
"Adrian."
"You wouldn't have to go home in the rain."
The offer sounded calm.
Reasonable.
Which honestly made it more dangerous.
Because beneath the calmness—
Lia heard the real meaning.
Stay.
Stay here.
Stay with me.
Her pulse turned uneven.
"I can't just stay at your office."
"You can."
"That sounds like the beginning of a true crime documentary."
A faint flicker of amusement crossed his face.
"You repeat that often."
"Because you keep acting concerning."
Silence settled again.
Then Adrian stepped closer once more.
Not touching her this time.
Just close enough to make breathing difficult.
"You should know something," he said quietly.
Lia looked up at him carefully.
"What?"
"When I want something..."
His eyes stayed locked on hers.
"I don't stop wanting it."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too warm.
Because the way Adrian looked at her while saying it made the meaning painfully obvious.
This wasn't temporary for him.
Not attraction.
Not fascination.
Something deeper.
More consuming.
Lia's voice came out quieter than intended.
"And if the thing you want leaves?"
Adrian's expression didn't change.
But something colder moved behind his eyes.
Something dangerous enough to make her stomach tighten instantly.
"She won't."
The certainty in his voice scared her.
Because Adrian Monteverde didn't sound hopeful.
He sounded absolutely convinced.