You Dont Know What Youre Doing To Me
The moment the words left Lia's mouth, Adrian changed.
Not outwardly.
Most people wouldn't have noticed it.
But Lia did.
Because she'd started learning him now.
The subtle tightening of his jaw.
The way his breathing stopped for half a second.
The dangerous stillness that settled into him whenever control became fragile.
Then don't stop.
The permission lingered heavily between them while rain poured against the windows behind him.
Adrian stared at her silently.
Dark eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her pulse stumble violently.
And suddenly—
Lia realized something terrifying.
She'd just given a man who already loved her obsessively exactly what he wanted.
Adrian's hand remained steady against the back of her neck.
Warm fingers tangled lightly in her hair.
Possessive.
Careful.
Like he still couldn't fully believe she was real.
"You shouldn't say things like that so softly," he murmured roughly.
Heat rushed immediately through her chest.
"You literally asked."
A faint, ruined laugh escaped him.
"I know."
His forehead rested against hers again.
"But hearing you say it..." His fingers tightened slightly at the back of her neck. "That's a different kind of problem."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her stomach.
Because Adrian sounded genuinely affected.
Like every bit of encouragement from her shattered another piece of restraint.
The room felt unbearably warm now.
Rain echoed softly through the penthouse while the storm flickered silver light across his face.
And God—
he looked beautiful like this.
Undone.
Consumed by her.
Lia's fingers brushed lightly against the collar of his shirt again.
Another mistake.
Adrian exhaled sharply through his nose.
"There."
Her heartbeat stumbled.
"What?"
"You keep touching me like you don't understand what it does to me."
The honesty settled heavily between them.
Because he always admitted everything around her now.
Every weakness.
Every thought.
Every dangerous feeling he usually kept buried beneath control.
Lia looked up at him carefully.
"And what does it do to you?"
Silence.
Then Adrian's eyes darkened completely.
"It makes me want more."
The confession wrapped tightly around her chest.
Simple answer.
But the way he said it—
quiet.
Raw.
Almost frustrated with himself—
made it feel devastating anyway.
His hand slid slowly downward from the back of her neck along her spine.
Warm palm spreading carefully against her back beneath the oversized shirt.
The touch sent another shiver through her instantly.
Adrian noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
A low sound escaped him softly under his breath.
"You react so beautifully to me."
Heat flooded straight through her body.
"You really enjoy that."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Never hesitation.
His honesty would genuinely ruin her someday.
Adrian leaned closer slowly until his lips brushed lightly against the corner of her mouth.
Not quite kissing her.
Teasing.
Dangerous.
Lia's breathing turned uneven instantly.
The reaction darkened his expression immediately.
"You don't even try hiding it anymore."
The truth of that settled painfully deep inside her chest.
Because somewhere between fear and obsession—
Lia stopped pretending she wasn't affected by him too.
Adrian kissed her again slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was savoring every second she allowed this.
His hand remained firm against her back while the other moved gently along her jaw.
Holding her like something precious.
Something already his.
Lia melted into him immediately.
And the second she did—
Adrian lost another piece of control.
She felt it happen.
The kiss deepened slightly.
His breathing roughened.
The hand against her back pulled her impossibly closer until no space remained between them at all.
The intensity of him nearly stole her breath.
Because Adrian loved like a man starving.
Not for touch.
For closeness.
For reassurance.
For her.
The realization made her chest ache painfully.
His lips moved from hers slowly.
Carefully.
Brushing along her jaw.
Her cheek.
Then lower near her throat.
The touch wasn't explicit.
But the intimacy of it made her knees weaken anyway.
Adrian noticed instantly.
His hands tightened against her waist.
"Careful."
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around her spine.
Lia's fingers curled instinctively into his shirt.
"You say that like I'm the dangerous one."
A quiet laugh escaped against her skin.
"You are."
His forehead rested briefly against her shoulder afterward.
And suddenly—
Adrian sounded exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like loving her this much physically hurt sometimes.
"You don't know what you're doing to me," he murmured softly against her skin.
The confession shattered straight through her chest.
Because he sounded completely serious.
Lia lifted one hand slowly into his hair again.
Gentle.
Affectionate.
The reaction in Adrian was immediate.
His breathing caught sharply.
His arms tightened around her instantly.
Like tenderness from her still overwhelmed him more than anything else.
The storm outside softened into quieter rain while silence wrapped around them.
Heavy.
Intimate.
Alive.
Then Adrian pulled back just enough to look at her again.
Big mistake.
Because the expression on his face nearly ruined her emotionally.
Obsessed.
Soft.
Completely gone for her.
"You look at me differently now," he whispered softly.
Lia's pulse stumbled.
"How?"
His thumb brushed lightly beneath her cheekbone.
"Like you finally understand how much I love you."
The honesty nearly hurt.
Because Adrian didn't say it lightly.
Didn't throw the words around carelessly.
When Adrian loved—
he meant forever.
And maybe the most terrifying part?
Lia was beginning to want forever with him too.