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.”

Sienna's POV

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

The low warning in Adrian’s voice sent heat straight through my stomach.

God. The worst part was that i liked it.

Actually, no.

I loved it.

Because Adrian almost never lost composure.

He was always calm. Controlled.

Unreadable.

But right now?

That jealousy in his voice sounded dangerous.

And somehow that only made me want to push him further.

Probably a terrible idea.

Definitely a terrible idea.

Still;

I looked down at my phone slowly. “You’re jealous?”

Adrian’s jaw flexed immediately.

Oh my God.

He really was jealous.

A tiny thrill moved through me before I could stop it.

I tried not to smile.

Failed horribly.

“You look amused,” Adrian muttered.

“A little.”

His grip tightened around the steering wheel.

Rain streaked across the windshield while the inside of the car somehow kept getting hotter.

Or maybe that was just him.

“What’s funny?” he asked.

I leaned back slightly against the seat. “Nothing.”

“Sienna.”

That deep warning voice again.

Jesus Christ.

My thighs pressed together instinctively.

I could actually feel how wet I was becoming from this conversation alone and honestly that was becoming slightly humiliating.

No man should have this much effect on me.

Especially not Adrian.

Especially not my brother’s best friend.

“Why do you care?” I asked softly.

Then a heavy silence.

Adrian kept his eyes on the road.

He was too focused and controlled.

That alone told me everything.

Because men who didn’t care didn’t grip steering wheels that hard.

“Answer me,” I pushed.

His laugh was quiet.

“You really enjoy testing me.”

“Maybe I enjoy seeing you jealous.”

That did it.

The car suddenly slowed before Adrian turned sharply into an empty parking lot beside a closed building.

My heartbeat instantly spiked.

Oh my God.

The rain outside sounded louder now.

He parked roughly before finally looking at me fully.

And Jesus Christ.

That look nearly ruined me.

Dark. Frustrated. Hungry.

Like he was one wrong word away from snapping completely.

“You should stop talking,” he said quietly.

I swallowed hard.

“You’re the one who pulled into a parking lot.”

His eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before lifting back to my eyes again.

“You have any idea what you’re doing to me right now?”

The roughness in his voice sent heat flooding lower in my stomach immediately.

I tried to act unaffected.

Though I failed completely.

“Probably the same thing you’re doing to me.”

That silence again. But this one felt worse.

The tension inside the car became almost unbearable.

Adrian leaned back slightly in his seat, staring at me like he was trying to decide whether touching me was worth destroying his self-control.

I hoped it was.

God help me, I really hoped it was.

“You should not be talking to guys like Ryan,” Adrian said finally.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“He wants to fuck you.”

The bluntness of it made my stomach flip.

Heat spread across my face instantly.

“You don’t even know him.”

“I know men.”

His voice stayed calm.

“And I know exactly how they look at you.”

Something about the possessiveness in his tone made my pulse flutter dangerously.

I crossed my legs slowly, trying to relieve some of the pressure between my thighs.

Adrian noticed instantly.

His eyes dropped briefly before darkening even more.

The air inside the car suddenly felt too thick to breathe properly.

“Why are you acting like this?” I whispered.

His jaw tightened.

“You really wanna know?”

Yes.

God yes.

But suddenly I wasn’t feeling brave anymore.

Because Adrian looked dangerously close to losing control now.

And somehow that excited me more than it scared me.

“That depends,” I murmured softly.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“On what?”

“On whether you’re finally gonna admit this isn’t one-sided.”

That hit him hard.

I saw it immediately.

Something darker shifted in his expression.

The next few seconds happened slowly.

Painfully slowly.

Adrian reached toward me suddenly.

His fingers wrapped lightly around my jaw before tilting my face toward him.

My breath caught instantly.

Oh my God.

His hand felt warm against my skin.

Too warm.

Every nerve ending in my body came alive at once.

“You think I don’t know this is a problem?” he said quietly.

The deep roughness in his voice made my stomach tighten again.

“You think I haven’t spent years trying to ignore this?”

Years.

The word alone nearly destroyed me.

Years.

Adrian’s thumb brushed lightly against my jaw.

The tiny movement sent heat straight between my thighs.

Damn.

I was so turned on it almost hurt.

“Then stop ignoring it,” I whispered.

A dark look crossed his face instantly.

The kind that made my heartbeat stumble.

“Sienna.”

The warning in his voice barely registered.

Because all I could focus on now was how close he was.

How good his hand felt against my skin.

How badly I wanted him to kiss me already.

“You keep looking at me like that,” Adrian said slowly, “and eventually I’m gonna stop pretending I know how to behave around you.”

The words wrapped around me completely.

Warm. Dangerous. Filthy.

My breathing turned uneven.

“Maybe I don’t want you behaving.”

Jesus Christ.

Did I actually say that out loud?

Apparently yes.

Because Adrian went completely still.

The tension inside the car tightened instantly.

And then suddenly his hand slid from my jaw into my hair.

Enough to control and make heat explode low in my stomach.

A quiet breath escaped me before I could stop it.

His eyes darkened immediately at the sound.

“Fuck,” he muttered softly.

That single word nearly ruined me.

Because it sounded frustrated.

Like he was losing a fight with himself.

My fingers curled against the seat beneath me while his gaze stayed locked on my mouth.

Hungry.

God.

He looked hungry.

“You need to stop doing that,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Looking at me like you want me to ruin your life.”

Heat flooded my face instantly because he was right.

That was exactly how I was looking at him.

And maybe the worst part?

I really did want that.

The realization should’ve terrified me.

Instead it made me wetter.

Adrian’s breathing changed slightly as if he noticed where my thoughts went.

Of course he noticed.

He always noticed everything.

His forehead rested lightly against mine suddenly.

My heart nearly stopped.

Oh my God.

We were so close now.

If either of us moved even slightly;

Our mouths would touch.

I could feel his breath against my lips.

Warm.

Slow.

Dangerously controlled.

“Tell me to stop,” Adrian murmured quietly.

I stared at him helplessly.

Because he sounded like a man hanging by a thread.

Like one wrong word would finally break whatever restraint he had left.

But I didn’t want him to stop.

That was the problem.

I wanted him worse every second.

My fingers slowly grabbed the front of his shirt.

His eyes closed briefly.

Like even that tiny touch affected him too much.

God.

I loved seeing him like this.

Loved knowing calm controlled Adrian Cross was completely losing his mind over me.

“Adrian,” I whispered softly.

His hand tightened slightly in my hair.

It was possessive.

The heat between my thighs became almost unbearable now.

“Jesus Christ, Sienna,” he muttered roughly against my mouth.

My lips parted automatically.

His breathing changed instantly at the sight.

And for one dangerous second;

I genuinely thought he was finally going to kiss me.

Then headlights flashed briefly across the parking lot.

Reality slammed back into the car immediately.

Adrian pulled away fast, dragging one rough hand down his face.

The loss of his body heat hit me instantly.

Hard.

He looked angry now.

Not at me.

At himself.

“That was a mistake,” he said quietly.

My chest tightened painfully.

“A mistake?”

His jaw flexed hard.

“You don’t understand what happens if Ethan finds out.”

The mention of my brother shattered the tension slightly.

But not enough.

Not nearly enough.

Because my body still ached for him.

Still wanted him.

“And what happens if he doesn’t?” I asked softly.

That question made Adrian look at me again.

Really look at me.

And the expression on his face almost stole my breath.

Because suddenly he looked less controlled than I had ever seen him before.

Like the only thing holding him back now was guilt.

Nothing else.

“You keep asking dangerous questions tonight,” he murmured.

Maybe.

But judging by the way he kept staring at my mouth;

He wanted dangerous answers too.

“You keep asking dangerous questions tonight.”

The way Adrian said it made heat slide low through my stomach all over again.

God.

I hated how affected I was by him.

No.

Another lie.

I loved it.

Loved the way his voice changed around me.

Loved the way he looked at me like he was constantly one second away from losing control.

But then he called this a mistake.

That part kept replaying in my head louder than everything else.

Mistake.

Like touching me was something he regretted already.

Like I was embarrassing him.

The thought hurt more than it should have.

Before I could stop myself, I reached for the car door.

Adrian noticed instantly.

“Where are you going?”

His voice sharpened immediately.

I looked away from him before answering. “Home.”

His jaw tightened. “Sienna.”

“You said this was a mistake, remember?”

The words came out colder than I expected.

Because my chest suddenly felt painfully tight.

For a second Adrian just stared at me.

Then I pushed the door open slightly.

Cold rain-scented air slipped inside the car instantly.

And suddenly Adrian grabbed my wrist.

My breath caught.

His hand was firm enough to stop me.

Firm enough to make heat flash through my stomach despite how angry I was trying to stay.

“Sienna,” he said quietly.

I looked down at his hand around my wrist.

Ah.

Even that tiny touch affected me too much.

“Let go of me.”

His grip tightened slightly instead.

It was desperate, and somehow that felt worse.

“Listen to me.”

I laughed softly.

A little bitter.

“No, actually I’m good.”

I tried pulling my hand free.

Adrian’s expression darkened immediately.

“You’re seriously gonna walk home in the middle of the rain because I pissed you off?”

“Yes.”

“Sienna.”

“You called it a mistake.”

The second the words left my mouth, something shifted in his face.

Like he finally realized why I was angry.

Not annoyed.

Hurt.

God.

I hated that he could probably see that.

“I didn’t mean you were a mistake,” Adrian said quietly.

I looked away toward the rain hitting the windshield. “Sure.”

His hand slid slowly from my wrist down into my palm before gripping my hand completely.

Warm. Large.

My pulse fluttered traitorously.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

Then silence.

Adrian leaned back slightly in his seat, dragging one rough hand through his dark hair.

Frustration covered his face now.

Good.

Maybe he deserved it.

“You really wanna do this right now?” he muttered.

“Yes.”

My answer came too fast.

His eyes lifted back to mine immediately.

And God.

That look almost weakened my anger completely.

Almost.

“You don’t get to touch me like that,” I whispered, “then suddenly act like you regret it.”

The tension inside the car became suffocating.

Adrian stared at me so intensely my stomach tightened again.

“I don’t regret touching you.”

The deep roughness in his voice made heat crawl down my spine.

Then why did that single sentence make my chest ache so badly?

“Could’ve fooled me.”

His jaw flexed hard.

“You think this is easy for me?”

I blinked.

“What?”

Adrian laughed once in frustration and disbelief.

“You think pulling away from you back there was easy?”

The anger inside me cracked slightly.

Just enough for heat to slip through again.

Damn him.

“You’re the one acting like this is some horrible thing,” I shot back.

“That’s because Ethan trusts me with you.”

“There it is.”

I pulled my hand from his immediately.

“My brother.”

“Sienna…”

“No, seriously,” I interrupted. “That’s all this is, right? You feel guilty because of Ethan.”

“That’s not all this is.”

The words came out instantly.

And something about how quickly he answered made my heartbeat stumble.

But I was still angry enough to push.

“Then what is it?”

Adrian went quiet again.

I hated that look right now. Hated how calm he suddenly became while my emotions were completely wrecked.

“I should take you home,” he said finally.

That did it.

Something inside me snapped.

“Oh my God.”

I grabbed the door handle again.

“This is exactly what I mean.”

“Sienna.”

“No, let me leave.”

“You’re not walking home.”

“I’ll call someone.”

“Who?”

The question came out sharp instantly.

Possessive.

My pulse jumped traitorously again.

“Maybe Ryan since apparently he wants to fuck me so bad.”

Ah, fuck that was a mistake.

The second those words left my mouth, Adrian’s expression changed completely.

Darkened.

His eyes locked onto mine so intensely it almost stole my breath.

“You really need to stop saying his name.”

The low warning in his voice sent heat flooding between my thighs again.

God.

This man was ruining my life.

I swallowed hard before forcing myself to open the door anyway.

Cold air rushed into the car.

Then suddenly Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him.

Hard enough to make me gasp softly.

The door slammed shut again beside me.

And suddenly,I was too close to him. Way too close.

My heartbeat instantly turned violent.

Adrian’s hand stayed wrapped around my arm while his other hand braced against the seat beside my head.

Trapping me without fully trapping me. His breathing sounded heavier now. It was less controlled.

Well, good for him.

Because mine was completely ruined too.

“You think I’m scared of wanting you?” he asked quietly.

The roughness in his voice wrapped around me instantly.

I tried answering, but I failed completely.

Because Adrian looked furious now.

At himself.

At this situation.

At how badly he wanted me anyway.

“Adrian…”

“No,” he interrupted softly. “You wanna know what the problem is?”

His face moved closer slowly.

Painfully slowly.

Every nerve ending in my body lit up instantly.

“The problem is,” he murmured, “I don’t know how to want you a normal amount.”

My breath caught sharply.

Oh my God.

Heat exploded low in my stomach so hard it almost hurt.

The look in his eyes right now;

Jesus Christ.

He looked obsessed.

Hungry.

Like he was barely holding himself together anymore.

“I tried staying away from you,” he continued quietly. “Tried ignoring this.”

His thumb brushed lightly against my arm.

I shivered instantly.

“Didn’t work.”

The confession hit me directly in the chest.

And suddenly all my anger tangled dangerously with desire again.

Because Adrian sounded wrecked.

Like wanting me was destroying him too.

“You keep looking at me like that,” he muttered roughly.

“Like what?”

“Like you already know I’m fucked.”

My lips parted automatically.

His eyes dropped to them immediately.

The tension inside the car turned unbearable.

I could barely breathe anymore.

Adrian’s gaze stayed locked on my mouth while his grip on my arm tightened slightly.

God.

The heat between my thighs became almost unbearable again.

I hated how wet he made me from words alone.

“You keep pulling away,” I whispered shakily.

His jaw tightened.

“Because if I don’t…”

He stopped talking abruptly.

My pulse exploded.

“If you don't, what?”

Silence.

Then Adrian looked at me like he was finally done fighting himself.

Completely done.

And suddenly his hand slid into my hair again.

My breath caught instantly.

“You really wanna know?”

The deep roughness in his voice nearly ruined me.

I nodded before I could think better of it.

Big mistake.

Because Adrian snapped.

One second he was staring at my mouth.

The next;

His lips crashed into mine.

Hard.

Hungry.

Completely uncontrolled.

A shocked sound escaped me instantly.

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

Finally.

The kiss was nothing like I imagined.

Worse.

Better.

Dangerous.

God, I can't tell.

Adrian kissed me like he’d been holding himself back for too long and suddenly couldn’t anymore.

His hand tightened in my hair while the other pulled me closer against him.

Heat exploded through my entire body immediately.

I kissed him back without hesitation.

Couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to.

And judging by the rough sound Adrian made against my mouth;

That completely destroyed whatever control he had left.

The kiss deepened instantly.

Messy. Frustrated. Addictive.

My entire body felt overheated now.

Sensitive everywhere.

God.

I had wanted this for so long.

Adrian’s hand slid from my arm down to my waist before gripping tightly enough to pull another breathless sound from me.

His breathing turned rough immediately at the sound.

“Fuck,” he muttered against my mouth.

That single word nearly melted my brain.

Because he sounded affected.

Ruined.

Like kissing me was hitting him just as hard.

My fingers grabbed the front of his shirt desperately while his mouth moved against mine again slower this time.

But somehow even more dangerous.

Like now he was actually tasting me.

Learning me.

And judging by the way his grip tightened again…

Adrian liked what he found.

A lot.

My head spun when his forehead rested briefly against mine afterward.

Both of us were breathing hard but neither was speaking.

Rain poured outside the car loudly now.

But inside?

All I could hear was my own heartbeat.

And Adrian’s rough breathing against my mouth.

Then his thumb brushed softly across my swollen lips.

The look in his eyes nearly destroyed me completely.

Because now he didn’t look guilty anymore.

He looked addicted.