16

Chapter 16

Adrian's Pov

His gentle touch on my scalp sent a shiver down my spine and it had nothing to do with the injury.

Darcy was my boss, Pink's father whom I never imagined would sit so close to me, treating my wounds.

He carefully did everything, his light touch was incredible as he tended to the cut I got from my own clumsy reaction to his presence.

I was startled when he cleared his throat. He was the last person I expected there.

One moment, I was reaching for Pink's toy rabbit that had rolled under the chest, and the next, I hit my head on solid wood like an idiot and slipped which was caused by a lot of toys on the floor.

The embarrassment hurts more than the head injury.

“There you go,” Darcy said softly, his voice close to my ear. “All clean. It’s not as bad as it looked.”

After that, I should have stood up and thanked him, then left the bathroom. But my stubborn body never hears what my brain says. my body refused to follow my brain's frantic commands to move.

Mr Darcy was too cute to ignore or not to stare foolishly on.

When he turned to face me, the bathroom suddenly felt closed in. He was so close that I could see the golden sparks in his dark eyes and smell his cologne was crazy. I was attracted to Darcy even when I don't want to admit it.

Looking into his eyes made my head spin more than the bump on my head.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, he touched my shoulder with his finger tips.

“Fine,” I replied, my voice softer than expected. “Thank you for… for looking after it.”

Our eyes met, and the air felt charged full of energy. It felt exciting yet I felt unease of what was unstable.

He might fire me if I do something foolish.

He was my boss. The man who controlled my future, he paid me and could send me back to the streets in one second with a single phone call to my parole officer.

I should have focused on setting boundaries, keeping my job, paying off my bills, and getting a new apartment. And also taking care of Pink which is my job in this house.

All I was thinking was how close we were sitting. The rise and fall of his chest, and the way his eyes met mine.

My heart beat increased and I was sure he could hear it.

Time paused and we stared at each other.

I watched, powerless, as his eyes focused on my lips.

The expression in his eyes ignited something deep within me, causing my skin to flush. I had experienced men looking at me before—plenty during my time at the club—but this was different. This wasn’t about objectification; his gaze and desire feel real and personal, like he truly values me.

He came closer slowly, giving me the chance to pull away before crossing a line. Yet I couldn't move or think. My body leaned closer to him by a strong pull.

Just a bit closer, to feel his lips on mine.

Mistakenly, my hand went down to adjust my clothes then I fell on him. That’s when I felt it: his arousal in his pants and his hardness under his shirt, I heard the rapid beat of his heart.

Reality hit me like a cold wave.

What was I doing?

Panic coursed through me. I jerked my eyes from his face, breaking the spell. Then I pulled out my hand from his chest as if it was burning.

“I should go,” I said, with my shaky voice. “I’m fine. Really. Thank you for checking, but I need to…”

I couldn’t complete my thought. I stood, walked away. I don't want any regrets .

My shaky hands held the door handle, my breath was quick as I panicked.

What just happened? What had I been thinking? What had almost transpired?

Nothing. That was what had to happen between Darcy and me—absolutely nothing.

I had made that mistake before, letting my heart lead, trusting someone, believing love could save me or improve my situation. And where had it led me? To prison. Three years of my life, lost. My baby,taken from me. Everything I once held dear was torn apart due to my naiveté in trusting a man who professed to love me.

Love extracted too much. It required everything and returned only pain, betrayal, and losses so profound they nearly destroyed me.

I wouldn't repeat that mistake. I couldn’t afford to, especially when I was barely keeping myself together. Not when I finally had something good in my life—Pink, this job, a chance to rebuild from the ruins of my past.

Darcy Rodrigo was a risk. Not because he was cruel or violent, but because he opened up my heart to the feelings I have sworn to avoid.

He made me desire things I had no right to want. He looked at me before as an ex-convict, the next moment he looked at me like he wanted something intimate. I can't indulge in this with my kind of past.

And that frightened me more than anything.

My sole responsibility was to care for Pink. She needs me more and I need her because of the purpose she gave me, the joy from her laughter, the sense of rightness whenever I held her. That was enough. It had to be sufficient.

Whatever had nearly happened in that bathroom was just a moment of weakness—a lapse in judgment spurred by our close interaction and his kindness. Nothing more.

I said those words to myself as I walked down to the hallway on bare foot.

The way he looked at me in the bathroom doesn't mean anything. The way he touched my face doesn’t mean anything. I would make sure it doesn't.

But as I tried to assure myself that all that happened meant nothing, I could still feel his touch. The sensation.

I could still envision the hunger in his eyes when he looked at my lips. I could still feel his boner when I mistakenly touched it.

He wanted me. Darcy Rodrigo, billionaire CEO, wanted me—Adrian Martinez, an ex-convict and stripper with little to offer but a past filled with errors and a precarious future.

The thought should have seemed absurd. Impossible. But the fire in his eyes was real. The tension between us was very strong. And the way my body had responded to him, how close we were to kissing each other was real, I crave for it.

“Stupid,” I muttered to myself as I quickened my pace toward my room. “So stupid.”

I had endured three years in prison by keeping my head down and my heart guarded. I have survived a few months outside prison and I will focus on what's necessary to be free. I won't give in to these desires,not when everything is starting to come together at last.

My heart skipped when I heard the sound of footsteps. He actually followed me.

Firm, deliberate footsteps that could belong to only one person.

Darcy.

“Adrian.” His voice was heard down the hallway, low and rough.

I didn’t stop or look back.

“Adrian, wait.”

His footsteps got closer now. I could feel his presence behind me, the heat of him, even without physical contact.

I walked down closer to a door as I stepped in, ready to close it and stop whatever this was before it could begin. Before I allowed myself to make another mistake that could cost me everything.

"Stop," he commanded,his voice was raw and urgent and it made me hesitate for a brief moment.

As I stopped at his commands, he was already behind me.

His hands held my waist, dragged me closer to him gently. His touch was light,effortless. It stopped me in my tracks.

“Please,” he said, “Don’t run from me Adrian.”

I didn’t understand those words he said and it made my heart skip as his hands were circled on my wrist. And his lips whispered in my ears.

I looked at the open doorway—safety, the choices that would make me set boundaries but I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t free myself from his soft hold.

Even though I knew it was dangerous and I should lock the door, a small, hopeful part of me wanted to turn back.”

I knew I shouldn’t, but a fragile part of me wanted to face him anyway. That part wanted to touch him. Kiss those lips and explore intimacy with him.

Yearned to see his face. To hear what he was going to say. To know if the way he looked at me in the bathroom meant something to him.

I struggled internally, a part of me is scared, another part is hopeful to try. While a part of me wants to protect myself but I was drawn to him anyway. My past warns me of the present risk I'm about to take.

He was standing behind me, his breath warm on my neck, as if he was swindled by his thoughts.

His hand gave me a soft caress that sent shivers up my back.

“Adrian,” he repeated

The way he called me names...

I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to decide to take off his hands and walk into the safety of my room or accept the uncertainty in the hallway.

And I had no idea which way I would fall.