“I want to sleep in my own bed,” I quickly brought up. Adrian smirked and ignored my request as he turned off the lights in the living room while still managing to keep me in his hold. A bright light flashed from outside as the house became increasingly quiet, and that’s when I realised it was raining – and there was lightning – outside.
My breath hitched in my throat as I envisioned myself sleeping alone in a room during a storm, without Amy to comfort me like the child I sometimes still was.
“Or… um, maybe I should get home. I- I think I heard my alarm go off and I- I need to feed my pet hamster.” I lied, gulping in fear as another bright light flashed in my side vision.
In the dim lighting of the penthouse suite, I saw Adrian look down at me with a frown. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern lacing his tone.
“Okay? Me? Of course I’m okay! Peachy, even! Why would you think otherwise?” I let out a forced laugh, earning another confused frown from Adrian. “I think I should just sleep in a separate room if you can’t get me home at this time…” I trailed off. I would get no sleep at this point, but having no sleep is better than going in blindly and not knowing how I’d react in the same bed as Adrian when there was my worst fear going on outside.
“No,” he stated bluntly. I felt gravity do its thing as I was thrown onto the familiar smelling and way too comfortable four poster bed that Adrian owned.
“No, you don’t understand…” I trailed off, biting my lip and I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn’t want to tell Adrian that I feared lightning. He’d probably just laugh in my face and call me immature.
“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to, Emily,” he said with a frown as he unbuttoned the white shirt he had been wearing for the night. “I’m not like that.” He looked angry as he threw the shirt carelessly to the floor.
My throat went dry at the sight of his body, and I looked away as soon as it registered in my mind that I was checking my boss out. I tried to hide my burning cheeks by clearing my throat. “I know you’re not. It’s not that-”
“You don’t even own a pet hamster,” he pointed out with the same bluntness as before. He pulled his pants down right in front of me, so that he was standing in nothing but navy coloured boxers.
My eyes went wide as they travelled up his entire body, before they stopped at the trademark smirk that was occupying his lips. “But I’ll act like one if that’s what gets you off,” he suggested, making his smirk grow as he got into the bed beside me.
I choked on my own saliva as my eyes grew even wider in shock, and I felt my whole face burn in embarrassment. “What? I- no, that’s not even – I don’t- what-” I stuttered, suddenly aware of everything that surrounded his almost-naked body and my heated one.
He chuckled before pulling me into his solid torso, his skin feeling warm against my bare arms. “I was joking. I know there’s only one thing that gets you off – and that’s me.” The smirk returned to his dark lips and my embarrassment faded as I rolled my eyes at his comment.
“No,” I replied smugly, “it’s Dave Franco.”
Adrian’s arrogant look instantly dropped as he looked at me in disbelief. “Are you serious? I’m way more hotter than he is!”
I tapped my index finger on my chin and closed one eye, putting a false expression of thought before replying. “Hmm. No, I don’t see it,” I teased, breaking out into a grin.
“Let me show you then,” Adrian declared, before I felt him pin me down to the bed as he climbed on top of me. I squeaked in surprise and instantly began blushing as he looked down at me and restrained my body by my wrists.
“A- Adrian,” I stuttered, attempting to sound firm.
“Yes, Shortcake?” He gave me an innocent look while still managing to keep the smirk plastered onto his features. Another bright flash of lighting followed by a loud eruption of thunder, came from outside the window, temporarily making me forget the fact that Adrian was almost naked and on top of my flushed body. I looked over to the window in mortification.
“Please let me go home,” I whispered, fear instantly taking control of my nerves as another bright light flashed from outside. The sound of the pouring rain increased in volume and I forced myself to drag my gaze back to Adrian’s face, which was looking down at me with both concern and curiosity.
My eyes met his and I witnessed the realisation slowly sink in. “You’re afraid of the rain?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he waited for my reply.
“No,” I answered boldly, trying to mask my fear as I witnessed another bright flash occur from the side of my eye. He frowned as his gaze travelled over to the large window that occupied one of the walls in his room. More of the realisation seemed to settle into his expression. I gulped and avoided his gaze before his eyes could lock me in as shame and embarrassment flooded my veins.
“You’re afraid of the lightning?” he questioned, as I felt his head turn back to face me. I didn’t reply – too ashamed at the fact that he had figured out my phobia, and not trusting my voice to be strong enough to lie.
One of his hands uncurled themselves from my wrist and I felt his warm fingers slip under my chin as they guided my face back to meet his concerned expression.
“You can tell me,” he said, voice dropping down to a deep murmur. “I’m not going to judge you.”
More thunder rumbled outside. I gulped and looked straight into his hazel eyes before I felt my head nod a fraction as my reply. Surprise flashed in his features as he stared down at me for a few moments. I could practically feel the laughter that was about to erupt from his system, and I waited for the shame to sink into my skin even deeper than it already had.
Except, no laughter came.
Adrian bent down and kissed my forehead, before I felt the entire warmth of his body leave mine in a fraction of a second. Disappointment and longing flooded through my veins – and the fear and shame I was feeling was temporarily forgotten. I looked down at his shirt in embarrassment, not wanting to see his reaction to the newly discovered information he found about me – and was surprised once again when I heard the zip of curtains echo throughout the large room, as it suddenly turned pitch black. I heard shuffling before a small bedside lamp flickered on, illuminating Adrian’s handsome face in the darkness of the room.
“Is this good for you?” he asked, the concerned expression never leaving his features.
I stared back at him in surprise for a few moments, blinking as my mind temporarily blanked from answering his question. Why wasn’t he laughing at me or making fun of me?
Realising that he was still waiting for a reply, I nodded meekly, flushing again from his concern and my lack of response. “I… Thank you,” I mumbled as he re-entered the bed. He instantly pulled me into his torso once again, wrapping his arms around my body in a protective manner.
“You should have told me,” he murmured into my hair as he stroked my back in a soothing motion. My body began to heat up in embarrassment again as I suddenly felt conscious of every inch of my body pressed against his.
We stayed silent for a while in the same position – he continued to stroke my back as the sound of the pouring rain and rumbling thunder became muffled from my face being pressed into the crook of his neck – blocking out any lightning that I would’ve been able to witness.
After a while, he pulled away slightly and looked down at me with a small smirk.
“I know you’re uncomfortable,” he stated as his gaze travelled down to the royal blue boxers I was wearing, before he looked back up to my chest area, where I was still wearing the strapless bra.
I felt every pore on my face pulse as the heat spread through them, and I looked away from his knowing gaze. He pulled away from me completely, and the same longing feeling returned to my body as it instantly turned cold due to his withdrawal.
“Take them off,” he commanded in a firm tone, leaving no room for argument.
I looked at him cautiously for a while, before sighing and nodding. There was no point trying to argue with him. “Turn around,” I mumbled, still blushing in embarrassment and self-consciousness.
“Why? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” he pointed out, “Plus, we’re sleeping in the same bed.”
I glared in his direction and crossed my arms over my chest, making him chuckle. “Okay, okay. I’ll turn around.” His grudging tone made me smile a little as he turned away from my body.
I quickly shrugged off the boxers and pulled off the bra while watching Adrian’s back with caution, afraid he was going to turn around any minute. I dropped the pieces of clothing on the floor and got back into bed. Adrian instantly turned around and pulled me into him once he felt the mattress dip from my presence, and smirked down at me.
“Better?” he asked, as I watched the green in his hazel eyes begin to take over the brown.
I scowled up at him playfully. “Stop enjoying this so much.” His fingers brushed along the side of my thigh.
He chuckled before he pressed me closer into his body, and my eyes widened in shock as I felt a familiar, hard thing press at my lower stomach. “Too late.” He smirked, making my expression turn to one of horror.
“Adrian! It’s been, like, 30 seconds!” I hissed, mortified.
He chuckled again before kissing the tip of my nose. “That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it previously.”
I gasped in shock before groaning at his dreamy expression. “You’re impossible,” I declared, shaking my head in disbelief.
“I’m
incredible,
” he corrected, smirking.
“Let’s just get some sleep,” I said, trying to hide my smile.
“Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?” he asked as a hopeful glint appeared in his eyes.
I studied his expression for a moment, letting the gush of the rain outside fill the room, before my fingers unconsciously tangled themselves into his hair, pulling his head closer towards me. I reached over and kissed his cheek softly.
“Thank you,” I murmured, “for everything you’ve done tonight.” I gazed into his eyes once I pulled away from his cheek.
Surprise, along with an unreadable emotion, crossed his features as he stared down at my blushing face. He nodded in acknowledgement before turning around to switch off the small lamp. My eyes adjusted to the darkness moments after the light was off, and Adrian took his original position of pressing me into his body in a protective manner, shielding me away from the lightning outside.
I fell asleep smiling.
Chapter Ten
“What the hell? How is that even possible? You don’t even sleep with
me
when there’s lightning!” Amy’s disbelieving tone screeched from the speaker of my phone, the volume making me cringe slightly so early in the morning. Adrian was still in his bed, asleep, so I used the time to call Amy and talk to her about last night – due to the violent messages she had left me, both on my answering machine and in writing form, in regards to explaining to her what happened.
“I know… it was weird.” I hesitated and quickly felt a blush coming on. “This is going to sound really cheesy, and don’t make any conclusions with what I’m about to say – but I felt as if… I don’t know… like I was safe in his arms.”
The line was silent for a moment before I heard Amy squeal then sigh, making me groan.
“Ames!” I exclaimed in a hushed tone, rolling my eyes at the hopeless romantic side of my best friend, “Didn’t I just say no conclusions?!”
“Come
on
,
Emily, even
you
know that it’s sweet enough to create a cavity.” Amy sighed again. I smiled, liking the fact that she couldn’t see my face for this conversation. Of course, she was my best friend – and knew me better than I knew myself. “I knew it! I can feel it in my
skin
! You’re so enjoying this!” Amy squealed excitedly.
The smile instantly disappeared from my lips as that blush I felt earlier crawled up my cheeks. “Shut up,” I mumbled, embarrassed.
Amy snickered before uttering a swear word. “My mom’s calling me. Shoot, what have I done?” Her panicked tone was cut off by the phone indicating another call.
I laughed at her misery. “Uh-oh. Someone’s in troubleeee!” I sang cheerfully, liking the fact that our roles reversed.
“Shut up and go back to your lover boy.” I could hear her scowl over the phone, before hanging up on me. I laughed softly at the now blank screen of my iPhone and quietly made my way back to Adrian’s room. I entered as quietly as I could, and shut the door behind me before climbing back into the comfortable bed. It was still early – about 7AM – but Adrian was awake.
“Where did you go?” he asked in a groggy morning voice, pulling me back into his covered body and moaning softly into my hair. I blushed, remembering my conversation with Amy as he wrapped his arms around my waist, slightly brushing against my bare stomach as the shirt rolled up a little from the movement.
“I- I just had to make a phone call and text my parents,” I mumbled, still nervous about being so close to him.
“Mmmm… that’s okay,” he murmured, placing a light kiss on the tumbleweed-like morning hair that I was currently sporting. “Let’s go back to sleep.”
I matted at my hair self-consciously, mentally cursing myself for not fixing up in front of a reflective surface of some kind before coming back in here, then cursing myself again for wanting to fix myself up in the first place. He was just my boss.
“M’kay,” I agreed, snuggling into him before becoming stiff in his hold and scolding myself again for getting too comfortable with him.
“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked, noticing my sudden stiffness and looking down at me with a sleepy, concerned frown. He had pulled back slightly to get a full look at my face. I groaned inside, wondering how I was going to be able to hide my expression now.
“Nothing, sorry,” I replied, smiling slightly and forcing myself to relax in his hold. He pulled me back into him and tucked me into the crook of his neck, and we both dozed off.
***
An annoying, shrill sound pulled me out of my sleeping state, and I frowned before snapping my eyes open to find the source of the irritating thing to put an end to it. I turned around slightly – still being restrained by Adrian’s surprisingly firm hold in his sleep – and found his phone vibrating on the bedside table that was occupying his side of the bed.
“Adrian,” I moaned as the annoying repetitive tone continued to ring out, “Answer your phone.” I pushed him slightly to wake him up.
He groaned and stirred in his position, tangling our legs together and pulling me – if possible – into his body even more. The ringing stopped, and I sighed in relief, starting to get comfortable in the new position I was in due to Adrian’s sleeping state.
But then the phone began to screech out again. I squeezed my eyes shut, as I felt my temper flare. “Adrian!” I snapped.
“Shortcake, you’re getting me excited,” Adrian mumbled into my hair, and I felt his lips spread into a smirk.
“What? I- Oh. Adrian.” I groaned, trying to push myself away from his crotch area while blushing furiously. He chuckled and kept me in place and I frowned, still blushing. “I didn’t even do anything!” I exclaimed, going even redder in the cheeks.
“You don’t have to,” he said, before the phone started ringing again.
“Just answer your damn phone,” I snapped, trying to mask my embarrassment with attitude. He sighed and reached over to grab his phone, then pressed the answer button and placed it against
my
ear. I looked up at him with wide eyes as my voice box buckled, making him chuckle.
“
Adrian?”
His mother’s voice came out from the speaker, making me freeze in shock.
It’s your mom!
I mouthed at him in panic, making him shrug in reply.
“Uh… No, this is his assistant, Emily Johnson. H- How can I help you?” I stuttered nervously, earning another smirk from Adrian as he pulled me back into his torso.
“Where is my son?” she asked in a snippy tone, getting straight to the point. Not that I wanted to converse with her any more than she did with me.
I looked over to him, well aware of the fact that he could hear every word she was saying due to our close proximity. His hands momentarily left my waist as he pressed his palms together and put them on the side of his face to pretend he was asleep. I nodded in understanding and he placed his arms in their original position.
“He’s asleep at the moment,” I informed her as politely as I possibly could. “Would you like me to take down a message?”
The line was silent for a few moments. I frowned in confusion, thinking she had hung up on me, until I heard a sigh. The line stayed silent after that, and I looked up at Adrian, giving him a questioning look.
He just shrugged, smirked again, and then bent down to kiss the crook of my neck. My breath hitched in my throat as he continued trailing kisses down my neck, and I struggled to keep my breathing level in case his mother heard anything over the phone.
I tried pushing him away before he stopped kissing my neck and smirked at me again, and I gave him the fiercest glare I could muster while still feeling flustered from his kisses.
“Yes.” Adrian’s mom finally spoke up, breaking my glare. “Tell him to call me as soon as he wakes up. I need to speak with him.”
I looked over at Adrian to see if he had heard the message, and he scoffed a little in response before I felt his hand travel up the length of my leg and stop on my ass, squeezing it softly. My eyes could have popped out of their sockets from shock. I bit down on my lip.
“O- Okay. Anything else?” I stuttered as he began to kiss my neck again, making my breathing almost uncontrollable.
“Are you sleeping with my son, Ms. Johnson?” she asked flatly, making me go rigid in Adrian’s hold. He stopped kissing my neck to glare at the phone that was currently glued to my ears, before his eyes met mine.
Say yes, h
e mouthed, taking me by surprise.
What?! No way!
I mouthed back, giving him a skeptical look. He pulled the phone away from my ear, and replaced it with his lips.
“Say yes,” he whispered in a husky voice. “Say yes or I’ll fire you.”
“That’s not fair and you know it,” I snapped back quietly, pulling away.
“Please!” He shook his head and gave me a pleading look, almost making me crack. He pouted for good measure too, capturing my gaze and keeping it glued to his.
I glared before sighing. “Fine,” I hissed.
He mouthed “Thank you” and brought the phone back to my ear.
I nodded and cleared my throat as I turned my attention back to the call. “Yes, Mrs. Kingston,” I said as confidently as I could, trying to cover the waver in my voice. “Your son and I are sleeping together.” Technically, I wasn’t lying. We were sleeping together… just not
sleeping
together.
“Well, I’d like it to stop this instant,” she snapped, taking both Adrian and me by surprise. His eyes met mine, and I gave him a panicked look.
What do you want me to say?
I mouthed.
He frowned and rubbed his jaw in thought as a small frown etched onto his features. Soundlessly, his mouths formed the words,
Say no and hang up.
My eyes widened at his command, and I bit my lip nervously. If there was one thing I hated doing, it was hanging up on people. Unless they pissed me off beyond belief – I found it disrespectful beyond explanation.
Nevertheless, I listened to him, trying to sound as confident as I could before answering. “With all due respect, Mrs. Kingston, that won’t be happening.” Statement made, I then threw the phone at Adrian with a squeak. He caught it and immediately pressed the ‘end’ button before bursting into a loud laugh and pulling me into a hug.
“What was that?” he asked after his laughter died down, and I blushed as he looked down at me with his signature, amused smirk.
“Shut up,” I mumbled. “I was scared.”
He chuckled and reached over to kiss my cheek, and I suddenly remembered the kisses he left on my neck.
“Hey!” I protested, “What’s with all the kissing, Romeo?” I let sarcasm drip from the nickname.
He sneaked another kiss on my neck, getting my soft spot and making me bite my lip to stop any form of reaction from escaping my lips. “I was trying to get you to moan or at least gasp so my mother would hear and get
really
pissed off,” he explained with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes. “Why? And why did you make me tell her that we’re sleeping together? We’ve only known each other for a month, Adrian. She probably thinks I’m a gold-digging whore.” I whined, pouting as I ran my fingers through my hair.
“No, she won’t.” He gave me a long, serious look before continuing. “You don’t know much about me, Emily, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You’re the first girl I’ve ever let into my home, into my car, into my
bedroom
to wear my clothes, and also, the only
person
that I have ever allowed to even touch my phone. If my mother sees you as anything, it’ll be as the girl that’s going to steal her little boy away from her – nothing else.”
He broke off the look, sat up and began stretching.
I stared up at his form in shock – partly because I was watching his muscles flex in a way that made me drool a little in my mouth – and partly because I was still processing the fact that I’m the only girl that has been in his house. I frowned and bit my lip. He had to be lying. This was Adrian Kingston; he’s slept with more women than Tiger Woods probably has – and that was saying something.
Adrian stopped stretching and turned toward me, the ready smile on his lips hardening into a frown when he saw my expression. “What?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
I sat up before answering. “Are you lying to me? I can’t be the only girl that has come to your apartment. You’re Adrian Kingston. You’re known for sleeping around-”
He cut me off. “Sleeping around doesn’t mean that I invite them over to my apartment. They invite me over, and I accept their offer, then leave. No strings attached.” He finished his explanation with a pointed look, letting the realisation settle in my mind.