Chapter 10

The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them. "What is it?" The question was instinctive, a reflex born out of something I couldn't even name, a desperate hope that something would break the tension in the air, something that would give me clarity. Or maybe I was just expecting a simple greeting—a "hello" would have sufficed.

His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my heart thrum erratically, but he didn’t respond right away. His gaze lingered on me, as if he was calculating something beneath the surface. For a moment, I thought maybe he would say something, anything, that might make sense of the strange discomfort gnawing at me. But he only took a step back, his voice barely whispering, "Nothing."

Nothing? That’s it?

A fire ignited inside me. I couldn't help it. I was furious. Was he seriously pulling this kind of joke on me? Did he think I was here to entertain his games? Did he think I would just accept this silence, this mockery? My fists clenched, the muscles in my hands twitching with the urge to hit something—preferably his face.

"Really?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, my teeth grinding together. "Is that really all you have to say?"

His gaze didn’t waver. He stood there, indifferent, as if none of this mattered to him. As if I didn’t matter. The way he exhaled through his nose, a heavy, exasperated sigh that seemed to weigh down the air between us, made my blood boil.

"Doesn't matter whatever it is," he muttered, his tone flat, uninterested, as if he were talking to someone he couldn’t care less about. "You’ll deal with your shit."

I stared at him, my breath coming in short, controlled bursts. But when his eyes lifted again, meeting mine, a wave of something strange washed over me. My heart stopped—just for a second—at the depth of those amber eyes. They held a glimmer, a hint of something raw, something buried beneath the surface. Something that made my pulse race, a whisper of curiosity that I wanted desperately to explore. But just as quickly, it was gone, wiped clean from his expression, leaving nothing but cold, calculating indifference.

"Like your dad said, you’ll come and leave with me from this day henceforth," he said, his voice steady, assured, as if his words were gospel. As if it were inevitable.

I couldn’t tell if I had imagined that brief flicker in his eyes, the moment when he wasn’t just the cruel bastard standing before me. Maybe I had been desperate for something—anything—that would show me he wasn’t all bad, but that fleeting moment was already gone, lost in the abyss of his heartless gaze.

"And what if I say no?" I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to steady my breath. The anger that had been simmering beneath my skin flared once more, and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. "What about that? You’re just going to act like we’ve been friends since high school? Faking some fate that was nothing but your plan to keep me on a leash?"

His lips curled into a smile that made my blood run cold. He looked at me as if he were amused, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum over something he had already won.

"Manipulative, that I’ll agree on." His voice was casual, almost too casual for someone who had just brushed off my defiance. "But schemes? No... You should take the blame, really. Your schemes led us here. And all I want to show you is how easily I can ruin you, without even trying."

He leaned in, so close now that our breaths mingled in the space between us, the air thick with unspoken tension. I could feel his heat, his presence, pressing against me, making everything in my body react. It was maddening. Strange. How could his proximity feel so comfortable and yet so wrong at the same time? My brain screamed to push him away, but my body—my body didn’t seem to mind.

"And that night," his voice lowered, his words brushing over me like a dark, seductive caress. "I loved how you moaned and begged for me to take you whole, how you gripped the bed while I fucked you—" He paused, his smile widening, that same malice curling in the corners of his lips. "It was... satisfying."

I could barely breathe. His words cut through me like a blade, each one wrapping around my chest, squeezing until I could feel my heart constrict. I was shaking, from anger, from disgust—maybe even from the strange pulse of desire he was somehow pulling from me, despite myself.

"And I can’t help but want us to stay together," he continued, his breath hot against my ear, his lips so close to mine that I could feel them ghosting over my skin. "So we can have another night for ourselves."

His words were poison, each one laced with venom, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. Why did it feel like my body was betraying me? His voice, deep and husky, slid under my skin like a drug, a dangerous, enticing poison that made everything inside me ache.

I wanted to push him away. I needed to. But my body wasn’t listening.

"No." The word tore itself from my throat, more of a growl than anything. "What happened in that room was a mistake. A mistake I’ll never repeat." My hands balled into fists at my sides, and I could feel the heat rising inside me, the anger and frustration mixing in my veins, pushing me to do something, anything, to stop him.

"Suck up your dick if you want another ass to bang," I spat, my voice rough, full of fury. "But that ass won’t be mine."

If looks could kill, Adrian would be a pile of broken flesh on the floor. But he didn’t flinch. No, he just smiled. That damn smile—perfect, smug, and utterly infuriating.

"I’m even more thrilled about this," he said, showing off his perfect white teeth.

My stomach churned in fury. This man, this fucking bastard, had gotten under my skin in a way I couldn’t explain. He had won every game we played, every single time. Since high school, since college—always winning. Even with Lily. Always him, never me.

"Fuck you," I snarled, my hands shaking with rage. "And fuck my dad."

He was right. I had no choice. My back was against the wall, and if I wanted to protect my sister, I had to play this game. His game. And every part of me hated it.

"I just did two nights ago," he bit his lip, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Bet you didn’t think I could make you moan like that, did you?"

I wanted to retch. I wanted to crawl out of my skin. But I held it together, my body trembling with revulsion.

"Fuck your small dick," I snarled, unable to hold back the words.

His grin widened. "I bet it’s not as small as you think... To think you cried when I went into you."

My stomach lurched. I could feel the heat rising in my face, the shame, the disgust, the overwhelming desire to run the hell away from him. But I wouldn’t let him see me break.

"Asshole!" I barked, taking a step back, putting distance between us, because I couldn’t stand the proximity any longer.

His gaze roamed over me like a predator sizing up its prey. "It’s still swollen, I guess."

I shivered involuntarily, and that’s when I understood—really understood—just what he was. Dangerous. A weapon wrapped in sin. The kind of man who could make anyone bend to his will, even without trying. The kind of man who had everyone wrapped around his finger, and I was just another pawn in his game.

"I’ll stay with you," I said, my voice trembling with the weight of the decision. "But we’re going to have separate rooms."

I didn’t want him anywhere near me when I slept. Not after everything that had happened.

I couldn’t bear the thought of sharing a bed with someone like him. I needed my peace. And I wasn’t going to find it if he was anywhere near me.