Page 41 of His By Contract

Georgia’s cry echoed in the room as pleasure rushed through her, white-hot and blinding. Her body bowed, a boneless offering, as wave after wave washed over her. She arched beneath him, hands clutching his shoulders, thighs quivering as she surrendered completely to the all-encompassing sensation. He thrust once more, hard and deep, his own release shuddering through him.

The force of their simultaneous release left her boneless, spent, yet still ignited. Her thighs quivered, her muscles tensing and releasing as her body bore the imprint of his possession.

He lowered himself, his weight pressing her into the cushions, his chest heaving against her. For a moment, they stayed like that, panting, their bodies still joined, their hearts pounding in time.

Georgia felt him bury his face in the crook of her neck, his breath warm against her skin as he fought for control. His arms wrapped around her, his hands possessive, claiming her even in the aftermath of their release.

The world seemed to spin as the intensity of the moment overwhelmed her. Her senses were heightened, every touch, every sound, every scent amplified. She felt his lips press against the sensitive skin of her shoulder, his kiss a brand that seared her.

They stayed like that for long moments, their hearts beating in a shared, erratic rhythm. She could feel his breath evening out, his body slowly relaxing against hers. It was a novel sensation, having him so completely exposed and vulnerable, his normal carefully guarded control shattered.

Reluctantly, he pulled out of her and stood, his movements graceful despite his sated state. Georgia sat up, her body feeling heavy, her limbs weak.

He stood there, a commanding figure, his eyes holding her captive. Unable to break the spell he wove, Georgia’s eyes wandered across the hard ridges of his torso, drinking in the sculpted muscles that rippled beneath skin.

A stab of possessiveness shot through her, a desire to keep him close, to claim him as hers. It was an unfamiliar sensation, one that both thrilled and frightened her.

He pulled her to her feet, drawing her close, until their bodies were flush. The intimacy of the moment hit her, the post-coital aftershocks still shuddering through her. Their gazes locked, their eyes communicating the unspoken truth of what had just passed between them.

Stillness wrapped around them, thick with questions neither of them wanted to ask just yet. Georgia’s heartbeat echoed in her ears, the rhythm matching the thrumming of her pulse.

She didn’t know what came next. The uncertainty didn’t scare her as it once would have. Instead, it excited her, a challenge to navigate. His thumb stroked her cheek, a gentle contrast to the passionate ferocity he’d shown moments before.

He didn’t speak, and neither did she. She wanted to feel his touch again, to explore the power he made her feel, to understand the enigma that was Adrian Adler. All she knew was that she wanted more. Of his touch. Of his control. Of him.

CHAPTER 13

Georgia sat beside Adrian in the gleaming boardroom, feeling distinctly out of place among Adler Capital’s upper echelons. The space itself intimidated, all glass, steel, and calculated perfection, thirty stories above the city. She smoothed her skirt, aware of the whisper of expensive fabric against her skin.

“Remember, just observe,” Adrian had told her that morning. “See how legacy is built and maintained.” His words suggested professional development, but his eyes had communicated something deeper, a test, perhaps, or an invitation she couldn’t quite decipher.

The senior executives filed in, each nodding respectfully toward Adrian, offering Georgia polite acknowledgments. She recognized a few faces from previous events: the CFO with his wire-rimmed glasses, the stern head of acquisitions, the young tech genius Adrian had poached from a competitor.

The quarterly reports began. Numbers scrolled across the sleek displays embedded in the table, projections and analyses that should have been routine. Yet Georgia sensed something offkilter in the delivery, voices clipped, shoulders rigid, gazes that carefully avoided Adrian’s direct line of sight.

“Barnett Holdings has withdrawn their commitment to the Meridian project,” announced the acquisitions director, his voice carefully neutral. “No explanation provided beyond ‘internal restructuring priorities.’”

Georgia remembered Barnett’s CEO, a boisterous man who’d praised Adrian effusively at the charity gala last month.

The room didn’t visibly react, but Georgia felt the collective tension coil tighter. Adrian remained perfectly still beside her, his breathing unchanged, but she sensed his heightened awareness like a physical force.

“The withdrawal coincides with their new partnership announcement,” continued the director, clearing his throat. “They’ve aligned with Vincent Adler’s European consortium instead.”

Vincent Adler. The name hung in the air like smoke.

Adrian didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. But Georgia felt something fundamental shift beside her, a crack forming in his perfect composure, a tremor in the foundations.

“Continue with the Westlake acquisition updates,” Adrian instructed, his voice slicing through the tension. No questions. No reaction. Just the command to move forward.

The meeting proceeded, but the substance had evaporated. Georgia watched Adrian from the corner of her eye, his jaw clenched tight, hands perfectly still on the polished table, silence more thunderous than any outburst.

This wasn’t just business pressure. This was Vaughn’s doing, his invisible hand orchestrating moves against Adrian. But Vincent Adler’s involvement suggested something far more personal. This wasn’t just competition.

This was war. And someone had just fired the first shot.

Georgia slipped out of the boardroom behind Adrian, his measured stride betraying none of the tension she’d witnessed during the meeting. The walk back to his private office felt longer than usual, silence stretching between them like a live wire.

Adrian hadn’t spoken a word about Vincent Adler. Not a flicker of recognition, not a hint of personal connection. But Georgia had watched him, the almost imperceptible tightening around his eyes when the name was mentioned, the fractional pause before he’d redirected the conversation.

---