Mine
Adrian kissed her differently after that.
Not hungrier.
Not rougher.
Worse.
Reverent.
Like hearing I'm yours changed something fundamental inside him.
Lia felt it immediately in the way his hands held her.
Carefully.
Possessively.
Like she'd just handed him something too precious to survive losing.
Rain echoed softly against the penthouse windows while Adrian buried his face briefly against her hair.
His breathing still sounded uneven.
The realization hit her slowly—
Adrian Monteverde was genuinely overwhelmed.
By her.
By this.
By the fact she chose him back.
"You have no idea what you just did to me."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her chest.
Lia's fingers tightened lightly against the fabric of his shirt.
"You say that after literally everything."
A faint laugh escaped him softly.
But it sounded wrecked around the edges.
"No," Adrian murmured.
His hands slid slowly upward against her back beneath the oversized shirt.
"This is different."
The honesty settled heavily into the room.
Because it was different.
Before tonight, everything between them still felt uncertain somehow.
Dangerous.
Temporary maybe.
But now—
she'd admitted it.
Out loud.
I'm yours.
And Adrian reacted to those words like they physically altered him.
He pulled back slightly just to look at her again.
Big mistake.
Because the expression on his face nearly destroyed her emotionally.
Soft.
Obsessed.
Completely ruined.
His thumb brushed lightly beneath her cheek.
"You mean it."
Not question.
Realization.
Lia's pulse stumbled instantly.
"You sound surprised."
Adrian stared at her for several long seconds before answering.
"I thought you'd run first."
The confession hurt unexpectedly.
Because underneath all the possessiveness and obsession—
he still expected abandonment.
Lia looked at him quietly.
"You really don't think people stay."
A pause.
Then softly—
"They usually don't."
The honesty nearly cracked her open.
Because Adrian didn't sound bitter.
He sounded used to it.
Like disappointment had become familiar long before she existed in his life.
Her hand lifted instinctively toward his face again.
Fingers brushing lightly along his jaw.
The reaction remained immediate.
Always immediate.
Adrian leaned into the touch slightly before closing his eyes for half a second.
Like affection from her still affected him too deeply to hide.
"You make me feel dangerous things," Lia whispered softly.
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"You already said you were mine. I think we passed dangerous a while ago."
Heat rushed instantly through her chest.
God.
Even now, Adrian sounded quietly stunned by it.
Like he couldn't stop replaying the words in his head.
His eyes opened again slowly.
Dark.
Focused entirely on her.
"You know what I keep thinking?"
Lia swallowed carefully.
"What?"
His fingers tightened slightly against her waist.
"That I finally get to love you openly now."
The confession settled painfully deep inside her ribs.
Because Adrian had been loving her long before she realized it herself.
In every late-night text.
Every observation.
Every moment he watched her like she mattered too much already.
And now—
he no longer had to hold back pretending.
The realization made her chest ache.
Adrian's gaze moved slowly over her face.
Careful.
Almost reverent again.
Then softly—
"You look overwhelmed."
"You are a very overwhelming person."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Low.
Warm.
"You still stayed."
The words wrapped tightly around her heart.
Because somehow—
he still sounded amazed by that.
Lia looked up at him carefully.
"You really thought I'd leave tonight?"
Adrian went silent.
Rain slid softly against the windows behind him while the room filled with heavy quiet.
Then honestly—
"Yes."
The answer nearly hurt.
Because Adrian loved like someone constantly preparing to lose everything.
His thumb brushed slowly beneath her cheek again.
"But you didn't."
The quiet wonder in his voice shattered something inside her chest.
Lia's fingers curled lightly into the front of his shirt again.
The movement affected him instantly.
A sharp breath escaped him softly.
His forehead dropped lightly against hers once more.
"You touch me like you already know how addicted I am to you."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her stomach.
"Maybe I do," she whispered softly before thinking.
Silence.
Then Adrian laughed once quietly under his breath.
Not amused.
Ruined.
"You're getting dangerous now."
Heat spread instantly through her chest.
"You started this."
"No," Adrian murmured.
His nose brushed lightly against hers.
"You just stopped pretending you didn't want it."
The truth of that settled between them immediately.
Because she had wanted this.
Maybe not the obsession.
Maybe not the intensity.
But Adrian himself?
Always.
His hands slid slowly around her waist completely now, pulling her even closer somehow.
Like closeness still wasn't enough.
"You know what the worst part is?" he whispered softly.
Lia's throat felt dry again.
"What?"
The look he gave her after that nearly ruined her completely.
"I don't think I'll ever get enough of you now."
The confession wrapped tightly around her chest.
Not possessive this time.
Almost vulnerable.
Like Adrian already knew loving her would never feel complete no matter how much he got.
Lia stared at him quietly for several long seconds.
Then finally—
before fear could stop her—
she kissed him first.
The reaction in Adrian was immediate.
A rough sound escaped him against her mouth while his arms tightened around her instantly.
Like something inside him snapped completely at the realization that she wanted him enough to reach first now.
And maybe the scariest part?
Lia realized she liked the sound he made when she kissed him back.