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"Adrian?"

The sound came first.

That was when Adrian finally lifted his head, his eyes flashing in surprise.

Sienna stood before him, her face filled with concern. She reached out and gently took the whiskey bottle from his hand, prying it from his loosened grip. He let her take it without resistance.

Her fingers cupped his face, tilting it up so he’d meet her eyes. “What’s going on with you? Why did you drink so much?”

The worry in her gaze made something in his chest stir. Despite everything, the sight of her, worried, close, made warmth surge through him like fire in his veins.

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him.

Caught off guard, Sienna braced her feet, barely managing to stay upright under his weight.

“Adrian…” she murmured, her fingers sliding into his hair as she began rubbing slow, gentle circles on the back of his head. His face was buried against her stomach. She felt him breathing her in, turning in his chair to press in even closer, hugging her tighter.

After a while, she slowly slid her hands down from his hair to his cheeks, coaxing his face back so she could look into his eyes.

“Let’s get out of here?” she asked softly.

Adrian blinked, his eyes clouded with a drunken haze. “You want to go out?”

Sienna bit back a smile. “Yes. I want to go out.”

“Okay,” he murmured, nodding. “Then we’ll go out.”

He rose from the chair, but stumbled the moment he stood. She moved quickly, steadying him, guiding him as he found his footing.

Just as she turned to walk, Adrian caught her hand and yanked her closer, throwing an arm over her shoulders. His grip was strong, almost desperate, as they stepped out into the cool night air together.

Outside, under the open sky, she turned to him, a playful scowl on her face.

“Really, is New Year’s Eve such a big deal that you had to get this drunk?” she teased, her voice stern but light. “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to sleep on the bar floor? Can you imagine tomorrow’s headlines? ‘Adrian Vaughn—never seen anything less than perfect—passed out drunk on a bar floor.’”

She laughed at the thought.

Adrian couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her laughter, that radiant smile, it wrapped around his heart and squeezed. It cut through the fog in his mind.

He leaned in closer, eyes fixed on her face. His brows drew together, his stare intense.

“Are you really here?” he asked, his voice low, rough. His grip on her tightened. “Sienna, did you really come for me?”

“Of course,” she answered. “You called me, remember?”

She reached up and cupped his face again, gently pulling him closer. “You are so drunk. Look at the state of you. Let’s go. I’ll drop you home. It’s getting late. Alright?”

She turned to signal for her car, but before she could take a step, Adrian came up behind her and spun her around. His hands locked around her waist, pulling her in as his stormy eyes bore into hers.

“No… wait,” he said, his voice almost a whisper, filled with something raw. “I have something...” He fumbled with his watch. “What time is it?”

She glanced at his wrist. “Five minutes before midnight.”

“Perfect.” He suddenly scooped her up into his arms.

Sienna gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. “Adrian! You’re drunk. Put me down—you’re going to fall. Let me walk!”

But he held her tighter, lifting her so her face was close to his.