Page 23

Elena

M y hands trembled in my lap as I stared at Adrian, my pulse pounding in my ears, my body flushed with nervousness and excitement despite the cold surrounding us.

I had just put everything on the table and laid my feelings bare. And now, he just sat there, staring back at me with no emotion.

I watched as he shifted slightly, his fingers flexing as he clenched and unclenched his fists, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

He had heard me, but he wasn’t moving.

I licked my lips, heart hammering, and tried again, this time softer, more hesitant.

“Adrian?” My voice was soft, shaky.

His shoulders tensed.

For a moment, I thought he would ignore me, that I had misread everything, that I had just set myself up for the humiliation.

I didn’t think he’d answer, and I’d be left feeling like shit.

“Yes, butterfly?” he called out.

His voice was low and husky, filled with something forbidden and tantalizing that sent a shiver down my spine.

I exhaled shakily, my courage wavering, but I forced myself forward.

“Join us,” I whispered, my throat tight with nerves .

Adrian clenched his hands into tight fists again. I really didn’t think he’d come. He was putting me through it, that was for sure. His expression never changed. He never moved.

I had made a mistake.

I had assumed too much.

And now, he was going to sit there and let me drown in the mortification of it all.

My stomach twisted, heat rushing to my cheeks, and I lowered my gaze, about to backtrack and say never mind, when I heard the sound of his seat squeaking.

Finally, Adrian moved.

He stood slowly, his movements calculated and controlled like he was forcing himself to focus despite whatever storm was forming rapidly deep inside him.

He didn’t take his eyes off me as he crossed the small space.

And then, just like that, he was there, sliding into the space beside me, his presence warm and solid and so overwhelming I nearly shrank away from him.

Troy smirked beside me, his green eyes filled with satisfaction.

“Welcome, brother,” he murmured, greeting Adrian as he settled in.

Adrian cleared his throat, his jaw clenching as he finally dragged his gaze away from me to glare at Troy.

But his expression softened the second he turned back to me.

His green eyes were heated, filled with something I’d never seen on him before. There was so much raw emotion he didn’t bother to fix behind the carefully crafted mask he often wore.

His voice came out hoarse, almost like he had been holding these words back for a long time.

“I don’t know how to do this with you,” he admitted, his gaze darkening. “But fuck, do I want to, butterfly.”

A wave of warmth rushed through me at his words, excitement sparking through every fiber of my being, mixing with nerves, fear, and need.

I swallowed, heart racing.

“I don’t know what to do either.”

Adrian’s lips tilted slightly, the slightest hint of a smile breaking through. It looked misplaced on him, especially since it was directed at me. All I ever saw on his face regarding me was a scowl.

“Then we’ll find out,” he murmured.

Slowly, so damn slowly, he leaned in, his lips hovering just above mine, his breath warm against my mouth.

I barely had time to brace myself before he closed the space between us and kissed me.

God help me; I melted into him instantly.

When his warm, soft lips met mine, I felt the spark ignite inside me, something deep, powerful, and all-consuming. Something that could take over everything if I let it. It could swallow me whole, and I’d probably beg for more.

Adrian didn’t kiss me like Troy had.

Troy had been sweet. Teasing, testing, coaxing me into this new forbidden world we had entered.

But Adrian?

Adrian kissed me like he had been starving for me, like I was the only thing that mattered. Like I was a feast he’d been craving since becoming lost.

His mouth was fierce and possessive, his hands sliding up to cup my face, tilting me exactly how he wanted me. He turned me into putty in his hands.

He kissed me deeper, harder, his fingers tangling in my hair, his chest rising and falling rapidly like he couldn’t get enough.

Like he would die before letting me go.

I clung to him, my fingers grasping at his shirt, my body burning despite the winter wasteland surrounding us.

I had never felt like this before. I had never known this kind of desire.

And then, just as suddenly, Adrian slowed the kiss.

His hands cradled my face, his fingers brushing along my jaw, almost like he was memorizing how I felt.

He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his gaze smoldering, his lips swollen from our kiss.

He cradled my face before turning it toward Troy .

I barely had a second to process it before Adrian’s voice came out low and commanding.

“Kiss him, butterfly. I want to watch.”

My stomach flipped. Heat pooled between my legs, making my entire body thrum with an unfamiliar need.

I turned to Troy, who had been watching the entire time. His green eyes were dark with something primal, something possessive, something that told me I may be in trouble with the pair.

A slow, wicked smirk curled his lips.

“Yeah, little dancer,” he murmured, voice silk and heat. “Kiss me.”

And I did.

Troy caught my waist, pulling me in. His lips claimed mine, and this kiss was different from all the others.

There was no hesitation. No uncertainty. Just pure, burning desire.

He kissed me slowly, teasingly, his lips molding to mine, his tongue tasting me like he had all the time in the world.

Before I even realized it, I was being traded between them. Back and forth.

Troy. Then Adrian. Then, back to Troy.

Each kiss different. Each kiss new.

Each kiss pulled me deeper into something I didn’t know how to name. There was no label for any of it. Bliss. Paradise. The terrifying unknown.

Their hands explored me carefully, never pushing, never rushing, just learning.

Troy’s warmth was at my back as Adrian gently massaged my breast over my shirt. Troy’s hands moved to my waist, his lips at my throat, while Adrian stayed in front of me, kissing me deeper and longer, his fingers cradling my jaw with one hand while continuing to touch me.

It was intoxicating. Overwhelming. It was everything.

I was lost in them—in their touches, in their kisses, in the way they made me feel. For the first time since the crash, I truly let go. I let them explore. I let them have me without completely taking me.

Deep down, I knew I had always been theirs.