Sleep Beside Me
Lia should've said no.
The thought stayed lodged inside her chest while Adrian stood impossibly close in the middle of his penthouse, rain painting silver streaks across the windows behind him.
I don't want to sleep without you anymore.
The words still echoed through her head.
And somehow—
that confession felt more intimate than every possessive thing he'd admitted before.
Because Adrian didn't sound lustful.
He sounded attached.
Deeply.
Dangerously attached.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You say things that make people panic."
Adrian's gaze stayed fixed on her face.
"You're not panicking."
That was the problem.
She should have been.
Instead—
warmth spread slowly through her chest every time Adrian looked at her like she mattered too much.
Thunder rolled softly outside.
The penthouse remained quiet except for rain and the steady sound of her own heartbeat betraying her.
Adrian's hand still rested against her waist.
Heavy enough to feel possessive.
Gentle enough to feel safe.
And maybe that combination was exactly what kept ruining her.
His thumb brushed lightly against the satin fabric of her dress.
"You're thinking again."
"You make thinking stressful."
A faint flicker crossed his face.
Then softly—
"You still haven't answered me."
Her pulse stumbled instantly.
Because Adrian waited patiently for many things.
But not this.
Not her.
Lia looked away briefly toward the windows.
The city glittered beneath the storm, distant lights blurred through rainfall.
Everything about tonight felt unreal somehow.
Like stepping too far into something impossible to leave afterward.
Finally, she whispered:
"If I stay... you have to behave."
The silence afterward nearly destroyed her.
Because Adrian looked at her like she'd just handed him something precious.
Not victory.
Worse.
Trust.
Something inside his expression softened in a way she rarely saw.
"You think I can't?"
"That depends," Lia muttered softly. "Can you?"
A quiet breath escaped him.
Almost a laugh.
Almost frustration.
"Not easily."
God.
The honesty again.
It would genuinely kill her someday.
Adrian stepped slightly closer.
Close enough now that warmth completely surrounded her.
"You make restraint difficult."
The words wrapped tightly around her spine.
Because Adrian sounded sincere.
Not dramatic.
Like wanting her had become exhausting to survive quietly.
Lia's voice came softer now too.
"You've gotten worse lately."
"Yes."
No denial.
Never denial.
Adrian's fingers slid slowly upward against her back.
Careful.
Possessive.
"You kissed me," he repeated quietly, like explanation. "Now I think about touching you constantly."
Heat rushed violently through her chest.
"Adrian."
His eyes darkened immediately at the way she said his name.
Like even that affected him too much.
"You say my name differently now."
Her breath caught softly.
"You notice impossible things."
"I notice everything involving you."
The confession settled painfully deep inside her ribs.
Because lately—
she believed him completely.
Adrian guided her slowly toward the massive windows overlooking the city skyline.
Rainwater streaked softly against the glass while thunder echoed somewhere far below.
The lights of the city stretched endlessly beneath them.
Beautiful.
Lonely somehow.
Lia stood beside him quietly.
Then softly—
"You really stay up here alone every night?"
Adrian looked at her for several long seconds before answering.
"Yes."
Something about that answer hurt unexpectedly.
Because suddenly she imagined Adrian inside this enormous penthouse by himself.
Working late.
Sleeping alone.
Thinking about her constantly in rooms too big and too quiet.
And maybe Adrian saw the sympathy crossing her face—
because his expression changed immediately afterward.
"Don't look at me like that."
Lia frowned slightly.
"Like what?"
"Like you pity me."
"I don't pity you."
The truth came easier than expected.
Adrian studied her carefully.
"Then what?"
Lia hesitated.
Because the answer felt dangerous too.
Finally—
"You make loneliness look sad."
The silence afterward stretched too long.
Adrian turned toward her fully now.
Something vulnerable flickering briefly beneath all that control.
"You're the first person who's ever said that to me."
Her chest tightened immediately.
Because Adrian always seemed untouchable.
Powerful.
Controlled.
But moments like this reminded her there was still loneliness buried beneath everything else.
Loneliness sharp enough to turn into obsession once he finally found someone he couldn't bear losing.
His hand lifted slowly toward her face.
Warm fingers brushing lightly against her cheek.
"You shouldn't say things that make me want you more."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her spine.
Lia's pulse turned uneven again.
"You act like that's possible."
"It is."
His forehead rested lightly against hers afterward.
Close enough now that breathing felt difficult again.
"I was already obsessed with you," Adrian murmured softly.
The confession sent warmth flooding through her chest.
Then quieter—
almost like truth dragged unwillingly from somewhere deeper—
"But now you feel like home."
Her heart physically hurt.
Because Adrian didn't sound manipulative.
He sounded ruined by the realization himself.
The storm outside intensified while silence wrapped around them again.
Not empty silence.
Intimate.
Alive.
Adrian's thumb moved gently beneath her cheekbone.
Then softly—
dangerously softly—
"Stay tonight."
Not command.
Not pressure.
Something worse.
Need.
And maybe the most terrifying part?
Lia realized she wanted to stay too.