Youre Going To Ruin Me
Lia should've walked away.
That thought repeated itself over and over inside her head while Adrian's hands remained warm against her hips.
Because every second she stayed here—
every second she let him look at her like this—
things became harder to undo.
And somehow—
neither of them seemed interested in stopping anymore.
The lounge felt wrapped in dim gold light while rain softened the city beyond the windows into silver blur.
Downstairs, the gala continued loudly.
People laughed.
Music played.
Glasses clinked somewhere far away.
But up here—
everything felt dangerously quiet.
Adrian still sat against the velvet couch with Lia standing between his knees, his tie loosened just enough to ruin her concentration completely.
And the way he looked at her now—
God.
It felt consuming.
"You're thinking too much again," he murmured softly.
Lia stared down at him carefully.
"You keep saying emotionally devastating things."
"You keep reacting to them."
The honesty settled warmly beneath her ribs.
Adrian's thumbs moved lightly against her hips again.
Slow circles.
Barely there.
But enough to make her pulse turn uneven.
"You touch me like you're trying to hypnotize me."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"You were distracted long before I touched you."
Heat rushed immediately into her face.
Because unfortunately—
he was right.
Adrian had become distracting in every possible way.
The texts.
The staring.
The possessiveness.
The terrifying sincerity behind every confession.
He occupied too much space inside her head now.
And maybe Adrian already knew that too.
His gaze moved slowly over her expression.
Focused.
Careful.
"You like when I pay attention to you."
Lia opened her mouth to deny it—
then stopped.
Because denying things around Adrian had become pointless.
He noticed everything.
Every hesitation.
Every nervous breath.
Every tiny reaction she failed to hide fast enough.
The silence answered for her.
Something dark and pleased flickered behind his eyes.
"There you are."
Her heartbeat stumbled.
"What does that mean?"
"That look." His voice lowered slightly. "The honest one."
The room suddenly felt too warm.
Adrian leaned forward slowly.
Not enough to close the distance completely.
Enough to make her breathing difficult again.
"You spend so much time pretending you're unaffected by me."
His mouth brushed lightly against the fabric near her waist once more.
Not quite kissing.
Worse somehow.
"You aren't."
Lia's fingers tightened against his shoulders instinctively.
The reaction affected him immediately.
A sharp breath escaped him softly.
Like even small touches from her still hit too hard.
"You keep doing that."
"What?"
"Touching me like you don't understand what it does to me."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her spine.
Because Adrian sounded affected again.
Really affected.
Like control had become exhausting tonight.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You act like this is all my fault."
"It is."
The certainty in his answer nearly destroyed her composure.
Adrian looked up at her slowly now.
Dark eyes steady beneath lowered lashes.
Dangerously focused.
"You wore this dress."
Heat flooded her chest instantly.
"That is not a crime."
"You walked toward me."
His hands tightened slightly against her hips.
"You stood between my legs looking at me like that."
Every word felt heavier than the last.
Possessive.
Hungry in the quietest way possible.
Lia's pulse hammered violently beneath her skin.
"You're impossible."
"No." Adrian's voice softened unexpectedly.
"I'm trying very hard not to scare you."
The confession caught her off guard completely.
Because for the first time all evening—
she heard the restraint underneath everything else.
Not just obsession.
Fear.
Fear of overwhelming her too much.
The realization settled painfully deep inside her chest.
Lia looked down at him quietly.
"You scare everyone."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"But not you."
Silence crashed between them immediately.
Because once again—
he was right.
Lia should've been terrified by how intensely Adrian wanted her.
Instead—
she kept stepping closer.
His gaze darkened at whatever he saw on her face.
Then softly—
almost reverently—
his hand lifted toward her cheek.
Warm fingers brushing lightly against her skin.
"You look at me like you're trying to decide whether I'll ruin your life."
Her breath caught.
"And?"
Adrian's thumb moved slowly beneath her jaw.
"And I think you already know the answer."
The honesty nearly hurt.
Because maybe she did know.
Maybe Adrian Monteverde would ruin her slowly.
Carefully.
Lovingly.
And maybe the worst part?
Part of her would let him.
The silence deepened again.
Heavy enough to breathe.
Then Adrian tilted his head slightly while studying her expression.
"You know what I keep thinking about?"
Lia's throat felt dry.
"What?"
The look he gave her shattered straight through her remaining self-control.
"Taking you home."
Her pulse stumbled violently.
"Adrian."
"I know."
But his eyes didn't soften.
If anything—
they darkened further.
His hand slid slowly from her cheek to the back of her neck.
Possessive enough to make warmth spread straight through her stomach.
"You're going to ruin me," he murmured softly.
The confession hit harder than anything else he'd said tonight.
Because Adrian sounded sincere.
Not dramatic.
Not teasing.
Like wanting her this much genuinely cost him something.
Lia stared at him silently while rain tapped softly against the windows behind them.
And for the first time since meeting Adrian Monteverde—
she realized something terrifying.
He wasn't falling slowly anymore.
He was already gone.