Page 75 of Claimed By my Father's Enemies
ADRIAN
My hand is extended. And Sienna is still standing on the pavement.
I ran several scenarios on the drive over. What she might say. What I'd say back. I’m good at it. Occupational hazard I guess.
But no scenario prepared me to see her like this. Beautiful. Frozen on the spot.
The city moves behind her. A car passes. The streetlight catches her face and she's looking at me, but I can’t read her expression. I am very aware that my hand is out and she hasn't taken it.
She bites her lower lip.
I don't move. I hardly dare to breathe. I keep my hand extended. I keep my face neutral like I have been trained through depositions. Like when I was receiving bad news at the hospital. Those times it came effortlessly.
Right now it is costing me.
Then she steps forward.
Her fingers close around mine, I pull her in and the door swings shut behind her cocooning us inside the dim light and the quiet around us. I don't let go of her hand.
Sienna sits beside me. I can sense her nervous energy. Her eyes look everywhere but me. Small, quick movements. Registering the partition. Registering that we are alone.
"Carter apologizes for not being able to come," I force a confident version of a smile. "He's babysitting some VIPs. I hope you don't mind."
She finally looks at me and I can’t decipher what is behind her brown eyes. She hasn’t made a motion to free her hand and that has to count for something.
She looks at me steadily. "I don't mind." A pause. "But do you? Or is this you babysitting me too?"
I can feel her distance and hurt in that question.
I answer by pulling her onto my lap.
She comes without hesitating, velvet warm under my hands, settles against me with a naturalness I didn’t dare to hope.
I take one slow breath and let it go.
"I'm sorry." I exhale.
I take her face in my hands and tilt it up. "I’m so sorry. I was an asshole to you." She meets my gaze and I don't look away. "I was a coward. I saw what I wanted and felt scared that I might not get it." I can see questions in her expression so I try to explain better. "I think, for a while there, I forgot how to live."
Her brows come in slightly and I can see her working it over, trying to make sense. Then the small line between her brows eases. Her expression shifts. Not forgiveness exactly. Understanding. The kind that doesn't need anything more said around it.
I palm her face and bring her mouth to mine.
The kiss starts slow. She eases into it carefully, her hands finding my chest, mine her waist and I pull her in flush againstme. She moans against my mouth and I feel it across my whole chest.
Then I feel her hands on my chest, pulling back. I reluctantly let her go.
I can still feel her hands gripping my chest. Her lips are swollen and parted, eyes darker with desire. I can feel each exhale against my face.
"You said you didn't want something serious..." She whispers against my lips. "I… Carter…"
I can’t resist and give her a brief reassuring kiss. "I know you and Carter have something," I say.
“We… It’s not—” I can see her struggle to find the right words so I take the lead.
I can see the confusion in her face so I try to explain. "We both want you. We want to see where this goes." I close my eyes for a second, trying not to fuck this up. " We both come with our baggage. Flawed. But maybe you can see the best in each of us." I open my eyes and look at her. "In both of us."
I wait.
