Page 86

“I do,” I said softly and it was enough for him to ease his grip on my hand. Before he could rethink it, I moved my free hand up to his face, grabbing him roughly and pulling him in for a real kiss this time.

The second our lips connected, the violence in my chest snapped taut, tightening my grip on him. I needed him now. Right this very second.

The force with which I grabbed him seemed to be enough to disrupt his self-control because Adrian’s hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush to him with a strong jerk.

His tongue darted out to brush against my lips and I parted them immediately, taking any excuse to deepen the connection between us. Adrian’s fingers werepressed roughly into my skin like he was convinced if he pushed hard enough he could eliminate the space between us.

I helped him along in that pursuit, twisting my arms around his neck and holding on tighter.

The second my chest pressed harder into his, he released me like I was hot iron and had just branded him.

“We can’t do this,” Adrian breathed, even though his eyes were telling a very different story. He was looking at me with a dark, hungry expression, like there was a predator prowling under his skin and he’d just stumbled upon prey after starving for weeks.

Adrian’s hands flexed at his side, his jaw pulsing as he bit down—hard.

“We can, Adrian,” I said, taking a step towards him. This wasn't just about distracting him anymore—it didn’t seem like the storm was going to go anywhere anyways. And Ineededto do something with the near painful need coursing through my veins. And because I, apparently, wasn’t above begging for relief, I added, “Please.”

That word seemed to do something to him because his hand was cradling my jaw a second later, his other hand looping around my waist. “I can’t hurt you, Reyna. Don’t make me do that.”

“You won’t,” I all but begged. “If you need control, take mine,” I repeated, hoping he understood what I meant. What I hoped he responded to.

Adrian’s eyes went molten. “You want me to take your control?”

I nodded and his hand moved back to cup my head, his fingers tightening on my scalp. “Take it. I know youwant to.”

“Fuck,” Adrian cursed. But I saw it—the snap. The moment everything shifted. When his hold on me turned dominating, his eyes turned determined, his mouth curled up in a grin. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Despite his words, his mouth came down on mine again, wrapping me in a kiss so intense I felt my limbs go numb. His restraint was nowhere to be found now, not an ounce of it in the way he gripped my hair or in the way he moved his hands down over my shoulders to wrap back around my waist.

Our tongues slid together in a slow, hot glide that exposed the type of skill Adrian clearly possessed. If I had any sense, I would have been nervous with anticipation. But I was feeling settled again, anchored by his strength and shielded from the fear and pain that had plagued my day.

The thought made me hold onto him tighter, my arms flexing as they sought out his neck. Adrian let out a low groan, bending to move his hands under my ass and pull me up with effortless strength.

My legs wrapped around his hips without any encouragement, the fit disturbingly familiar. Once I was locked around him, he took off, walking us somewhere on instinct.

Not once breaking the kiss.

His normally steady legs were moving quick and urgent, propelling us forward. When the rain stopped falling heavy on my head, I realized we were under the awning of the cabin.

The thought only lasted a second because Adrian threw me up against the door, his hand bracing the backof my head.

The second he had me pinned, Adrian ripped his lips from mine and moved them over my jaw, then down to the sensitive spot on my neck, right behind my ear. My back arched towards him, a needy sound escaping the back of my throat as I tried to get as close to him as possible.

And when his lips trailed down to my shoulder, my skin broke out in goosebumps.

“You must be freezing,” Adrian said against my skin, the words sounding as crass as a curse. “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?”

I couldn’t answer him. Not just because he appeared to have stolen my ability to form coherent thoughts, but because that answer would give up details of my kidnapping.

Adrian seemed to realize the latter fact, his hands tightening around me. “Fucking hell.”

I couldn’t let him think about it too hard. It would risk him stopping. Instead, I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

“I couldn’t be warmer.” One solid kiss on his lips. “Take my dress off.”

Adrian lifted one thick eyebrow. “I thought I was the one in control?”

“Then act like it.”