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.

The silence in the kitchen turned deadly.

Ethan’s eyes moved between us again slowly, suspiciously, while Adrian stood beside the island looking far too calm for a man who had almost kissed his best friend’s little sister thirty seconds ago.

Meanwhile I could still feel Adrian’s hand on my waist.

Still feel the warmth of his body against mine.

Still feel how wet I was from absolutely nothing except tension and frustration and the way he looked at me like he wanted to ruin me quietly.

God.

I needed to get out of this kitchen.

“What?” I asked finally, trying to sound normal.

Ethan frowned harder. “Why do both of you look weird?”

Adrian answered before I could.

“She almost dropped a glass.”

His voice was smooth again now.

Controlled.

Like he hadn’t just been breathing against my mouth.

Liar.

Ethan looked at me. “Seriously?”

I forced out a laugh. “Yeah.”

Another lie.

But Ethan seemed distracted already, muttering something under his breath while patting his pockets.

“Where the hell is my charger?”

Adrian reached into the pocket of his jacket hanging over one of the stools and pulled it out casually.

“This?”

Ethan groaned dramatically. “Bro, I’ve been looking for that for ten minutes.”

“You could have asked earlier,” Adrian said.

I hated how normal they suddenly sounded.

Like the last few minutes hadn’t happened.

Like my entire body wasn’t still overheating.

Ethan grabbed the charger before walking toward the living room again. “Are you staying or leaving?”

Adrian’s eyes flickered toward me briefly.

Too briefly for Ethan to notice.

Long enough for my stomach to tighten anyway.

“I’m leaving,” Adrian said.

My chest did something stupid at those words.

Disappointment.

Which was ridiculous.

He should leave.

Actually, he needed to leave before Ethan noticed something was seriously wrong.

But my body clearly disagreed.

Because the second Adrian started walking toward the door, heat spread through me again.

Like my body already missed him.

Ah, pathetic.

Ethan disappeared into the hallway again while unlocking his phone, completely unaware that his best friend had almost pinned me against the kitchen counter five seconds ago.

The second he vanished, Adrian looked at me again.

And just like that;

The air changed all over again.

God.

It was unfair how quickly this man could affect me.

“You need to stop looking at me like that,” Adrian said quietly.

I folded my arms over my chest. “You keep saying that while staring at me like you want to ruin my life.”

His jaw tightened instantly.

That reaction alone sent another pulse between my thighs.

Jesus Christ.

He took one slow step toward me again.

“Careful, Sienna.”

That low warning voice nearly destroyed me.

“Or what?” I asked softly.

Another mistake.

His eyes darkened immediately.

“You really wanna find out?”

The words hit low in my stomach.

Filthy.

Dangerous.

Exactly the kind of thing that made me incapable of thinking around him.

I tried to act unaffected.

Failed.

Completely.

Adrian noticed too.

Of course he did.

His gaze dragged slowly over my face before dropping lower again.

My nipples tightened painfully beneath the thin shirt instantly.

God.

I hated how obvious my body was around him.

“You should go to bed,” Adrian said.

“But you don’t want me to.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

A heavy silence followed.

Then Adrian laughed softly.

More like frustrated.

“You’re playing a dangerous game tonight.”

“Maybe I’m actually tired of pretending.”

That hit him.

Hard.

I saw it immediately in the way his expression changed.

Less controlled.

More hungry.

For one terrifying second I genuinely thought he was going to kiss me anyway.

Instead he stepped closer until my back touched the counter again.

My pulse exploded instantly.

“Your brother trusts me,” Adrian said quietly.

The words surprised me.

I blinked. “What?”

“He trusts me around you.”

His voice sounded rough again now.

Like he hated talking about this.

“Then maybe you should stop cornering me in kitchens,” I whispered.

That almost made him smile.

Almost.

But it disappeared quickly.

“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been trying not to touch you?”

Heat rushed through me so fast it made me dizzy.

No.

No no no.

He could not say things like that while standing this close to me.

Especially not while my body still ached from the almost-kiss earlier.

“You act like I’m making this difficult alone,” I murmured.

Adrian stared at me for a long second.

Then his hand suddenly grabbed the edge of the counter beside me again.

Hard.

“You are.”

The deep roughness in his voice nearly made my knees weaken.

God.

Every conversation with him felt like foreplay.

I swallowed hard. “Then stop wanting me.”

Silence.

Then Adrian leaned closer slowly until I felt his breath near my ear.

“That’s the problem, sweetheart.”

My breath caught instantly.

He had never called me that before.

Never.

“And what problem is that?” I whispered.

His eyes dragged slowly down my body again.

“Can’t.”

Fuck.

Actually fuck.

The word settled directly between my thighs.

I shifted slightly without meaning to.

Big mistake.

Adrian noticed immediately.

His eyes sharpened dangerously.

“You have no idea what you do to me.”

I stared up at him breathlessly.

“And you have no idea what you do to me either.”

That seemed to snap the last thread of his control.

Because suddenly Adrian’s hand landed lightly on my hip.

Not enough.

Nowhere near enough.

But my body reacted instantly anyway.

A soft breath escaped me before I could stop it.

His jaw flexed hard at the sound.

“Sienna.”

The warning in his voice only made me want him more.

I hated this.

No.

Another lie.

I loved this.

Loved how tense he became around me.

Loved how his breathing changed whenever I got too close.

Loved knowing Adrian Cross; calm, controlled Adrian, was losing his mind over me too.

My fingers curled lightly against the front of his shirt before I could think better of it.

His entire body went still.

Oh my God.

I should stop.

Immediately.

Instead my fingers tightened slightly.

Adrian looked down at my hand slowly.

Then back at me.

Dangerous mistake.

Because the look in his eyes almost melted my brain.

“You keep touching me like that,” he said quietly, “and I’m eventually gonna forget how to behave around you.”

Heat flooded my stomach instantly.

Maybe I wanted that.

Actually no.

Definitely.

The realization terrified me a little.

Then footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway again.

Adrian stepped back instantly.

The loss of him hit me embarrassingly hard.

Ethan walked back into the kitchen holding his phone. “You still here?”

Adrian grabbed his jacket calmly. “Was literally leaving.”

“Mhm,” Ethan muttered distractedly. “Let’s have a drink.”

I looked away quickly before

Ethan noticed my face was still burning.

Adrian slid his jacket on before looking at me one final time.

And God.

That look.

That look should honestly be illegal.

Slow.

Dark.

Hungry.

Like he was already thinking about the next time we’d be alone.

Then he opened the penthouse door.

“Night, Sienna.”

The deep roughness in his voice wrapped around me instantly.

“Goodnight,” I answered softly.

He held my gaze for one dangerous second longer before finally leaving.

The door shut quietly behind him.

And somehow the entire penthouse immediately felt colder.

Ethan stretched lazily beside me. “You okay?”

No.

Absolutely not.

I could still feel Adrian everywhere.

On my waist. In my head.

Between my thighs.

“Yeah,” I lied.

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. “You look flushed.”

Panic flashed through me instantly.

“I’m tired.”

Thankfully Ethan just shrugged.

“Go sleep then.”

If only it were that easy.

Because later that night, alone in bed beneath tangled sheets, all I could think about was Adrian’s voice against my ear.

Can’t.

And somehow that single word kept me awake for hours.

Adrian's POV

I almost kissed my best friend’s little sister tonight.

The thought repeated in my head the entire drive home.

Over and over again.

Like punishment.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel as rain slammed against the windshield harder, city lights blurring past while all I could still fucking see was Sienna standing against that kitchen counter looking up at me with flushed cheeks and parted lips.

Jesus Christ.

I should’ve left earlier.

The second Ethan walked away, I should’ve grabbed my jacket and gone home.

Instead I stayed.

Stared too long.

Touched her.

And worst of all?

I knew exactly what I was doing.

A rough breath left me as I stopped at a red light.

I could still feel her waist beneath my hand.

Still hear the small breath she made when I touched her.

Not fear.

Fuck no.

That was the problem.

She wanted it too.

That realization had completely destroyed whatever control I still had left.

I leaned my head back briefly against the seat.

This had to stop.

Now.

Before I fucked everything up.

Before Ethan realized the way I looked at his sister wasn’t normal anymore.

Because Ethan trusted me.

That was the part making this feel worse.

We’d been friends for years.

Built businesses together.

Bled together.

Gotten arrested together once in college after a fight outside some club none of us even remembered the name of anymore.

Ethan trusted me with everything.

Including her.

And I was standing in his kitchen imagining what Sienna would sound like if I finally kissed her properly.

I laughed once under my breath.

Yeah.

I was fucked.

My phone suddenly rang through the car speakers.

ETHAN.

Of course.

I answered immediately. “What?”

“You sound irritated already,” Ethan said.

“That’s because you’re calling me at one in the morning.”

“Cry about it.”

I shook my head slightly while turning onto the next street.

“What do you want?”

“You busy tomorrow?”

My jaw tightened automatically.

“Why?”

“I need someone to pick Sienna up tomorrow evening.”

Fuck.

“No.”

Ethan laughed. “You didn’t even hear the full sentence.”

“I heard enough.”

“You’re literally free.”

“How do you know?”

“Because all you do after work is go home and ignore women.”

I stayed quiet.

Mostly because if Ethan knew the actual woman currently ruining my life, he’d probably try to kill me.

“You there?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“So?”

I exhaled slowly. “Why can’t she drive herself?”

“She’s dropping her car off tomorrow.”

Of course she was.

I rubbed my jaw roughly.

This was a bad idea.

A really bad fucking idea.

“Ask someone else.”

“Bro, stop acting dramatic and just pick her up.”

“No.”

A pause.

Then Ethan laughed slowly.

“Wait.”

Fuck.

“What?”

“You’re not uncomfortable around Sienna now because she caught you bringing that blonde home last month, right?”

I frowned immediately. “What?”

“She’s been acting weird around you too.”

My grip tightened around the steering wheel.

“She has?”

“Mhm.”

Jesus Christ.

Ethan continued talking casually, completely unaware he was actively making my life worse.

“She probably thinks you’re corrupting the apartment atmosphere or some shit.”

If only he knew.

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. Probably.”

Another pause.

Then Ethan sighed dramatically. “So are you picking her up or not?”

Every logical part of my brain screamed no.

Absolutely fucking not.

But then Sienna’s face flashed through my head again.

Those lips.

That tiny breath when I touched her waist.

The way she looked at me like she wanted me to lose control.

I closed my eyes briefly.

“Send me the address.”

Ethan laughed immediately. “Knew you’d stop acting like a son a bitch eventually.”

“Go to sleep.”

“Night.”

The call ended.

I dropped my head back against the seat again for a second.

This was a mistake.

A massive one.

And somehow I was still going to do it anyway.

…..

The next evening was somehow worse.

Because now I knew exactly how she reacted beneath my touch.

I knew what her breathing sounded like when she got nervous around me.

I knew she looked at my mouth too.

That knowledge ruined me the entire fucking day.

Work became impossible.

Every meeting irritated me.

Every woman who flirted with me annoyed me.

Every text notification pissed me off because none of them were from her.

By the time evening came around, my patience was already hanging by a thread.

I parked outside the café Ethan texted me and checked the time again.

Seven minutes late.

Good.

Maybe she changed her mind.

Maybe she got another ride.

Maybe God finally decided to help me out for once.

Then the café doors opened.

And every coherent thought immediately disappeared from my brain.

Fuck.

Sienna stepped outside wearing tight black jeans and one of those soft oversized sweaters that somehow looked more dangerous on her than tiny dresses did.

Her hair fell around her shoulders loosely while she looked down at her phone, completely unaware that my entire body had just gone tense at the sight of her.

Jesus Christ.

How was one woman this distracting?

Then she looked up.

Saw my car.

And smiled slightly.

That tiny smile hit me harder than it should have.

I unlocked the passenger door immediately before I could think too much about it.

She got inside quietly.

And instantly the car smelled like her.

Vanilla.

Perfume.

Something soft underneath it.

“Hi,” she said softly.

I kept my eyes on the road. “Hey.”

Then a heavy silence.

I could feel her looking at me.

That somehow made everything worse.

“How was work?” she asked eventually.

“Fine.”

“You look kind off tired.”

I glanced at her briefly.

Big mistake.

Because now I noticed her lips again.

Fuck.

“Don’t start,” I muttered.

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Start what?”

“You know exactly what.”

A small smile pulled at her mouth.

And just like that, irritation mixed dangerously with attraction inside my chest.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

“For good reason.”

“Because of last night?”

My jaw flexed instantly.

“Sienna.”

“What?” she asked innocently.

That fake innocence almost made me lose my mind.

“You really wanna talk about last night while sitting alone in my car?”

She shifted slightly in her seat.

I noticed that too.

I noticed everything about her.

That was the fucking problem.

“I just think it’s funny,” she murmured.

“What is?”

“You keep acting like you were the only one affected.”

Those words settled low in my stomach immediately.

I looked at her sharply.

Her cheeks were slightly pink now, but she held my gaze anyway.

Brave.

Reckless.

Dangerous.

Exactly the kind of girl a man like me should stay away from.

Instead I wanted to pull over and kiss her until neither of us remembered why this was a bad idea anymore.

A notification suddenly lit up her phone screen.

Some guy’s name appeared across it.

RYAN.

You looked good today btw.

Something ugly moved through my chest instantly.

Sienna scrolled through the phone casually.

“Who’s Ryan?”

The question came out rougher than I intended.

She glanced at me briefly. “Why?”

“Answer the question.”

That soft little smile appeared again.

Like she enjoyed this.

“Are you jealous?”

I laughed once.

Cold.

Dangerous.

“You really don’t wanna play that game with me.”