One Step Closer

CHAPTER FOUR

Adrian Blake had made a mistake.

He had agreed to dinner with Alexander Sterling for the second time in two days, and now he was standing in front of his bedroom mirror, wondering why choosing a shirt had suddenly become such a difficult task.

It wasn't a date. Alexander had asked him to dinner, and Adrian had accepted. That was all.

Yet he'd changed his shirt twice.

"Get a grip," he muttered at his reflection.

He finally settled on a black shirt and dark trousers. The outfit was simple enough for dinner but fitted him well, and he knew he looked good. He wasn't dressing to impress Alexander.

At least, that was what he told himself as he checked his hair one last time.

Downstairs, Alexander was waiting near the dining room entrance. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves casually folded to his forearms, and the sight of him made Adrian reconsider every sensible thought he'd had that evening.

Alexander looked up.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Adrian stopped a few feet away. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"I'm aware."

"And?"

Alexander's gaze met his. "You look beautiful."

The compliment was so direct that Adrian briefly forgot the clever response he'd been preparing.

Then he recovered. "You say that as though you weren't expecting me to look good."

"I was expecting you to look good. I wasn't prepared for how much I'd enjoy seeing it."

Adrian shook his head, fighting a smile. "You really do say whatever comes into your head."

"Only when it's true."

"That sounds dangerous."

"For me, certainly."

Alexander offered him his arm with exaggerated formality. Adrian looked at it, then at him.

"Are you escorting me to dinner, Mr. Sterling?"

"I would be honoured, Mr. Blake."

Adrian slipped his arm through Alexander's, laughing as they entered the dining room.

The table had been arranged beside the tall windows overlooking the snow-covered garden. Unlike the previous evening, there were no formal place settings for a dozen guests and no staff waiting nearby to anticipate every request. Dinner had been prepared for two, with candles on the table and a small Christmas arrangement in the centre.

Adrian took in the room.

"You did this?"

"I asked the staff to make dinner a little less formal."

"And here I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas."

"I don't celebrate it in any meaningful way."

"Then why organize a huge Christmas party every year?"

"Business tradition. My company hosts investors and business partners, and everyone expects an event. I make sure it happens."

Adrian pulled out his chair. "That sounds lonely."

Alexander paused.

Most people would have called him efficient, disciplined, or practical. Adrian had looked at the same arrangement and found something missing.

"Sometimes," Alexander admitted.

Adrian sat down, his teasing expression giving way to genuine curiosity. "You don't have family who celebrate with you?"

"I have family. We simply don't gather for Christmas the way other people do."

"Why not?"

Alexander considered the question. "Everyone has their own life. My work takes up most of my time, and my family has never been particularly sentimental about holidays."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It can be."

Adrian watched him for a moment. "You know, you don't have to turn everything into an obligation. Sometimes you can do something simply because it makes you happy."

Alexander looked at him. "And what makes you happy?"

The question seemed to catch Adrian off guard.

"Good food. Music. A successful event. Getting paid on time." He smiled. "A client who approves my ideas without making me defend every decoration as though I'm negotiating a business merger."

"I'll try to be that client."

"You'd make my Christmas."

Alexander laughed, and Adrian felt a small, ridiculous thrill at having caused it.

They began eating, and the conversation moved to less serious subjects. Adrian told him about an outdoor wedding he'd organized during a sudden rainstorm, explaining how he'd managed to move two hundred guests under cover without ruining the ceremony. Alexander shared a story about a business trip where a hotel had misplaced his luggage and he'd ended up attending a major meeting in clothes borrowed from his assistant.

"You borrowed your assistant's clothes?" Adrian asked, laughing.

"He had a spare suit."

"Was it your size?"

"Approximately."

"That means no."

"It means the meeting was more successful than the outfit."

Adrian laughed so hard he had to put down his fork.

Alexander watched him, unable to hide his satisfaction.

"What?" Adrian asked when he noticed.

"Nothing."

"That's twice you've said that tonight."

"I like hearing you laugh."

Adrian's amusement softened. "You don't have to keep trying to charm me."

"I'm not trying."

"Alexander."

"All right. I'm trying a little."

"A little?"

"Quite a lot, actually."

Adrian smiled down at his plate.

It was difficult to remain cautious around a man who could be so disarmingly honest. Alexander wasn't pretending that his attraction was casual, nor was he demanding that Adrian respond to it. He simply seemed determined to let Adrian know exactly where he stood.

That was both appealing and dangerous.

"So," Alexander said, "what about you? Do you have family nearby?"

"My parents live in another state. We speak regularly, but my work keeps me busy. I have a younger sister who thinks I need to stop working so much and find someone to spoil me."

"She sounds sensible."

"She's twenty-one and believes every problem can be solved with a romantic comedy and a large bowl of ice cream."

"Perhaps she's onto something."

"Are you volunteering to provide the ice cream?"

Alexander leaned forward slightly. "If that's what it takes to earn another dinner with you, I'll arrange an entire freezer."

Adrian laughed again. "You cannot buy your way into my heart with ice cream."

"I was hoping to start with dessert."

The look Alexander gave him made the words feel less innocent than they sounded.

Adrian held his gaze, feeling the warmth rise into his face. "You are trouble."

"So I've been told."

"By everyone you date?"

"By no one I date. Most people seem reluctant to criticize me."

"That must be terribly convenient."

"It is. Until someone comes along who has no trouble telling me when I'm being ridiculous."

Adrian lifted his glass. "Happy to be of service."

Alexander clinked his glass against Adrian's.

For the first time in a long while, dinner felt less like an obligation and more like something Alexander had genuinely been looking forward to.

---

After dinner, they moved to the sitting room, where a fire burned in the stone fireplace. Snow fell beyond the windows, and the Christmas tree in the corner cast soft reflections across the polished floor.

Adrian settled into one of the armchairs, but Alexander remained standing near the mantel.

"You're not going to stand there all night, are you?" Adrian asked.

"I was deciding whether to sit beside you."

"There's a perfectly good sofa."

"I noticed."

"Then use it."

Alexander sat at the opposite end of the sofa, leaving a respectable distance between them.

Adrian looked at the space separating them, then back at Alexander. "You look as though you're afraid I'll accuse you of something."

"I'm trying to respect your boundaries."

"That's thoughtful of you."

"I thought so."

Adrian laughed. "But you can relax. I'm not going to bite you for sitting on a sofa."

Alexander turned toward him. "That's reassuring."

"Unless you give me a reason to."

The words escaped before Adrian had fully considered them.

Silence fell.

Alexander's expression changed, his amusement giving way to something warmer and more intense. His gaze dropped briefly to Adrian's mouth.

Adrian felt his own pulse quicken.

He could make a joke and move the conversation along. He could pretend he hadn't noticed the way Alexander looked at him, even though he was painfully aware of it.

Instead, he held Alexander's gaze.

"You're doing it again," Adrian murmured.

"Doing what?"

"Looking at my mouth."

Alexander didn't deny it. "I've been trying not to."

"Why?"

"Because I want to kiss you, and I don't want you to feel pressured into letting me."

Adrian's heart gave an inconvenient little jump.

"And if I told you I wanted you to kiss me?"

Alexander went completely still.

The change was so immediate that Adrian almost laughed. This was the same man who managed a billion-dollar company, yet a simple question from Adrian seemed capable of leaving him speechless.

"Are you telling me that?" Alexander asked carefully.

"I'm asking what you'd do if I did."

"I'd ask you whether you were sure."

Adrian's expression softened.

"You're allowed to want me, Alexander."

"I know."

"Then stop looking as though you're apologizing for it."

Alexander let out a slow breath. "You have no idea how much I want you."

Adrian's smile faded into something more serious. "Then perhaps you should show me that you can want me without trying to rush me."

"I can do that."

"Good."

Neither man moved for several seconds.

Then Adrian stood, picked up his empty glass, and walked toward the small drinks table.

Alexander watched him go, his mind still caught on the possibility that Adrian might have wanted the kiss as much as he did.

He was beginning to understand that pursuing Adrian wouldn't be about grand gestures or expensive gifts. Adrian wanted attention, honesty, and the freedom to make his own decisions. If Alexander wanted him, he would have to demonstrate that he understood the difference between desire and entitlement.

It was a lesson he had never needed to learn before.

And, strangely, he wanted to learn it.

Adrian returned with a glass of water and stopped in front of him.

"One more thing," he said.

Alexander looked up. "What is it?"

"Tomorrow, I need to visit the village to confirm the final deliveries for the Christmas event. I was planning to go alone, but there's a lot to organize, and I could use an extra pair of hands."

"Would you like me to arrange someone to help?"

"No." Adrian smiled. "I was asking if you wanted to come with me."

Alexander stared at him.

"You're inviting me?"

"I'm offering you the opportunity to do something that doesn't involve sitting behind a desk or telling people how to run their lives."

"I see."

"Can you manage it?"

Alexander stood, a smile spreading across his face. "For you, I believe I can manage almost anything."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'll be ready at ten."

"Ten thirty. I need time to work before we leave."

"Ten thirty, then."

Adrian headed for the door, pleased with himself. He had wanted to spend more time with Alexander, but he wasn't ready to admit just how much.

At the doorway, he turned back.

"Good night, Alexander."

"Good night, Adrian."

Adrian disappeared into the corridor.

Alexander remained by the sofa, smiling at the empty doorway.

Tomorrow, he would spend the morning with Adrian outside the estate, away from the staff, the business meetings, and the pressure of the Christmas celebration.

It wasn't a date.

Not officially.

But it was the first time Adrian had invited him into a part of his life without Alexander having to ask.

And Alexander intended to make the most of it.

---

Upstairs, Adrian closed his bedroom door and leaned against it.

He had enjoyed dinner far more than he'd expected. Alexander was attractive, certainly, but there was something else about him that Adrian hadn't anticipated. Beneath the polished exterior and the confidence of a man accustomed to getting his way, Alexander seemed genuinely interested in understanding him.

That mattered.

Adrian had no intention of falling for a man simply because he was handsome, rich, and determined. But he was willing to see where this went.

Tomorrow would be a chance to discover whether Alexander was just as interesting outside his luxurious estate.

Adrian changed into comfortable clothes, checked the next day's schedule, and set an alarm.

His phone buzzed before he could put it down.

A message from Alexander appeared on the screen.

Alexander: I should warn you that I'm terrible at shopping for Christmas gifts.

Adrian smiled.

Adrian: Good thing we're going to buy decorations and supplies, not gifts.

Alexander: I was hoping you might teach me.

Adrian: I'll consider it. Good night, Mr. Sterling.

Alexander: Good night, Adrian. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Adrian read the message twice before setting his phone aside.

He was looking forward to tomorrow, too.

That was the problem.

He was beginning to want Alexander Sterling in ways that had very little to do with the Christmas contract.

And if Alexander continued looking at him the way he had tonight, Adrian wasn't sure how long he could pretend otherwise.