My Brother’s Best Friend Wants Me

I knew I was in trouble the second Adrian closed the penthouse door behind him and looked at me too long.

That kind of slow, heavy stare that started at my mouth before dragging lower like he already knew what I looked like underneath these tiny sleep shorts and an oversized shirt slipping off one shoulder.

The air changed instantly.

My stomach tightened.

God.

I should have gone upstairs the moment Ethan left to take his call.

Instead I stayed in the kitchen pretending I wanted water while Adrian stood across from me in black dress pants and a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up just enough to expose veins and tattoos and expensive watches and hands that looked dangerous enough to ruin lives.

Mine specifically.

All I could really focus on was the way his eyes stayed on me like he was trying not to touch me.

But failing.

My thighs pressed together instinctively.

His jaw flexed.

Fuck.

He noticed.

Of course he noticed.

Adrian noticed everything.

“You’re staring again,” I said quietly, trying to sound unaffected.

I didn’t.

My voice came out softer than I wanted.

Breathier.

His gaze stayed on my legs for another second before finally lifting back to my face.

“And you’re nervous again.”

I hated how calm he sounded.

Like he wasn’t standing there making every nerve ending in my body lose its mind.

“I’m not nervous.”

Of course that was a lie.

A terrible one.

Because Adrian Cross had been making me nervous for months now.

Well, not because he was attractive.

Although God knew he was.

No.

It was worse than that.

It was the way he looked at me sometimes when Ethan wasn’t paying attention.

The way his hand lingered too long on my waist.

The way his eyes darkened whenever another guy touched me.

At first I told myself I imagined it.

Then one night at a party, some drunk idiot grabbed my hips while dancing with me.

Adrian saw it.

And the look on his face nearly stopped my heart.

It was possessive.

That was the first night I realized my brother’s best friend might actually want me.

That realization ruined my life a little.

Because once I noticed the tension between us…

I couldn’t stop noticing it.

Like now.

Right now.

Standing alone with him in Ethan’s penthouse at midnight while rain poured outside and his eyes slowly dragged over my body again.

My skin felt too tight.

Too hot.

I crossed my arms over my chest automatically.

His gaze flickered downward.

Heat exploded across my face.

Oh my God.

The shirt was thin enough that he could probably see exactly what he was doing to me.

“You should go put something else on,” he said quietly.

The words should have embarrassed me.

Instead they made heat curl low in my stomach.

I tilted my head slightly. “Why?”

His eyes locked onto mine.

Jesus Christ.

And Adrian doesn't look away when tension gets uncomfortable.

He always leaned into it.

“You know why.”

The deep roughness in his voice sent a pulse straight between my thighs.

I hated this.

No.

Mhm, another lie.

I loved this.

I loved the way his control slipped around me.

I loved the way he looked at me like he was fighting himself every second.

And maybe the sickest part?

I wanted him to lose.

Completely.

Then Adrian started walking toward me slowly.

My heartbeat instantly turned violent.

One step.

Two.

Three.

I stopped breathing somewhere around step four.

He moved like danger. Calm.

Controlled. Certain.

By the time he stopped in front of me, my body was already reacting embarrassingly hard.

The scent of his cologne wrapped around me immediately.

I could feel heat radiating from his chest.

Could feel how close he was without him even touching me.

My pulse fluttered lower in my stomach again.

Fuck.

I was actually getting wet from this.

From eye contact and him standing too close while looking at me like he wanted to drag sounds out of my throat.

His gaze dropped to my mouth.

I swallowed hard.

His eyes followed the movement.

“Jesus Christ, Sienna.”

The way he said my name made my thighs tighten painfully.

“What?” I whispered.

“You need to stop looking at me like that.”

I stared up at him slowly. “Like what?”

“Like you want me to do something stupid.”

Heat rushed through me instantly.

Because he was right.

I did want that.

I wanted him to grab my face.

Push me against the counter.

Fuck me until I forgot my own name.

And judging by the look in his eyes….

Adrian was imagining it too.

The realization nearly made my knees weak.

His hand lifted slightly, now hovering near my waist.

I couldn’t stop staring at it.

Those fingers.

That hand.

Ah.

I imagined those hands on me more than I should.

A lot more.

His breathing changed slightly.

Like he noticed exactly where my thoughts went.

“You make it obvious,” he murmured.

I looked back up sharply. “What does that mean?”

His mouth tilted faintly.

“You blush every time your mind goes somewhere dangerous.”

Oh my God.

I wanted the floor to swallow me alive.

Instead I forced myself to hold his gaze.

“You act like yours doesn’t.”

I saw the reaction of what I said immediately.

Something darkened behind his eyes.

Then suddenly his hand landed beside my hip against the counter.

Hard.

The sound echoed through the kitchen.

I jumped softly.

And just like that; I was trapped.

But Adrian still wasn’t touching me.

He was just there.

Close enough to ruin my ability to think.

Close enough that if I leaned forward even slightly….

Our mouths would touch.

My breathing turned uneven.

His eyes dropped to my lips again.

Slowly.

Hungrily.

My entire body reacted instantly.

I hated how much power he had over me without even trying.

Or maybe he was trying.

“You should go upstairs,” he said quietly.

The words contradicted his entire body.

I stared at him breathlessly. “You don’t sound like you want me to.”

His jaw tightened.

God.

That tiny reaction alone nearly destroyed me.

“You’re Ethan’s sister.”

His voice sounded rough now.

Less controlled.

I tilted my head slightly. “And?”

A dark look crossed his face.

The kind that made heat flood straight between my thighs.

It was humiliating how turned on I was.

“You really wanna play with this tonight?”

My pulse exploded.

The question sounded filthy coming from him.

I tried to answer casually, but I failed horribly.

“Maybe.”

The word barely left my mouth before Adrian moved closer.

My breath caught instantly.

Now his thigh brushed mine.

Warm.

Hard.

I sucked in a shaky breath.

His eyes sharpened immediately at the sound.

That dangerous look returned.

Damn.

I was losing my mind.

The second his hand touched my waist, a quiet breath of relief escaped me before I could stop it.

Like my body had been waiting for him to touch me all night.

My body reacted so hard my lips parted automatically.

Adrian looked down at my mouth so fast it made my stomach flip.

“Fuck,” he muttered softly.

That single word nearly ruined me.

Because it sounded frustrated.

Hungry.

Like touching me was costing him self-control.

My fingers curled against the marble counter behind me.

Every inch of my skin felt alive.

Sensitive.

He slid his hand slightly around my waist, slow enough to make me feel every tiny movement.

I shivered.

His eyes closed briefly.

It was like that reaction affected him too much.

When he opened them again, they looked darker than before.

“Sienna,” he said quietly, “you need to stop this.”

I stared at him helplessly. “You’re the one touching me.”

His grip tightened slightly.

The heat between my thighs became almost unbearable.

My nipples tightened painfully beneath the thin fabric of my shirt the second his eyes dropped to my chest.

Damn, he noticed.

I could tell by the way his breathing changed.

Maybe he should stop pretending he didn’t want this too.

I could barely think anymore.

Could barely breathe.

Adrian leaned down slowly.

My heart stopped.

Oh my God.

This was finally happening.

I felt his breath against my mouth.

Warm.

Slow.

I closed my eyes halfway instinctively.

And then;

“SIENNA?”

Ethan’s voice exploded through the penthouse.

Adrian jerked back immediately.

Like reality slammed into him all at once.

Cold air rushed between us.

I stared at him breathlessly, my body still burning from where he touched me.

His chest rose once.

Hard.

Then he dragged one hand through his dark hair roughly before stepping away completely.

The loss of his body heat hit me instantly.

Ethan walked into the kitchen seconds later and stopped cold.

His eyes moved between us slowly.

Me flushed against the counter.

Adrian tense beside the island.

A horrible silence followed.

Then Ethan frowned.

“What the fuck is going on?”

Adrian answered instantly.

“Nothing.”

But his voice came out rough enough that even I heard it.

And judging by the suspicious look slowly forming on my brother’s face;

So did he.