Page 56 of Never Fake Date the Financier
A frisson of excitement races down my spine, making me shiver as I remember that kiss. Averywonderful evening. And as I make my way outside, the cool night air blanketing my skin, everything feels so much better. So much so that I completely forget to text Adrian until I’m at the hotel, riding the elevator up to our room.
Ella: I’m back at the hotel
Ella: I had a run-in with Lillian
The elevator chimes as the doors open, and I pause for a moment, staring at the candid I snapped of Adrian earlier. I couldn’t help myself. Sariah was right. The man can bust a move, and I got a great action shot of him.
The doors slide shut, but something blocks them, forcing the mechanical doors to slide back into their pocket as I stare at a shoe that I know costs more than my entire outfit.
“Ella,” Adrian rasps as my gaze drifts slowly upward until it meets his eyes.
Whew.
He’s a sight to behold. His hair’s beautifully disheveled. His bow tie is askew around his neck, and his jacket is nowhere to be seen, giving me a mouth-watering view of the muscles rippling under his crisp white shirt. And he’s panting, staring at me like a wild, ravenous animal.
“Ella,” he repeats as he slips into the elevator, and I slide back to accommodate him, my back against the wall.
His scent fills the small space, sending my body into overdrive. And when he erases the space I created into nothing more than a sliver, his body caging mine, my body revs into hyperdrive.
He brushes my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Are you okay?”
I swallow, relishing his body heat. His touch. The way my body reacts to him. “More than fine,” I say, sliding my arms around him as he pulls me into a hug. “Now that you’re here.”
“I shouldn’t have left you. I promised I wouldn’t leave you and?—”
“It’s fine,” I repeat as I breathe him in.
The elevator doors slide shut, and I explain to him what Lillian said and how she suspects our relationship isn’t real.
“I know,” Adrian says, simply. “That’s why I got here so fast. She pulled me aside. Made a scene, and I raced back to the hotel when I couldn’t find you. Raced up those stairs?—”
He turns to the side, coughing.
“I could do with some more cardio.”
I laugh as he smiles. Makes sense why he was panting now. Although I’d rather believe my more primal explanation.
“Is everything okay? Are we busted?”
He presses his forehead against mine. “Forget about Lillian. Forget about everyone. The only person that matters to me is you. Busted or not, this isn’t fake for me. It never has been. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me.”
His words squeeze every bit of air out of my lungs.
“It’s been torture, Ella. Fighting every urge. Forcing myself to ignore what every ounce of my being is screaming for. I never believed in love at first sight. I thought it was silly. Absurd. Never in my wildest…” He closes his eyes, sighing. “I never believed in it until I met you.”
My mouth bobs open. I don’t know what to say. It feels like I’m floating and at any moment I’m going to fall to the ground in a heap. Maybe that tiramisu was laced with something, and I’m hallucinating this whole encounter.
“If you don’t feel the same…. If you don’t.” He shakes his head. “I’ll honor our contract. I’ll let you go in peace.” Adrian swallows hard, wincing at the idea of leaving me. “But if you feel the same way… “ He lets the words hang in the air as my body ignites. Every nerve ending in my body is singing, screaming for me to open my damn mouth and tell him.
He tilts my head up. “Tell me, Ella. Do you feel the same way?”
“I do.”
The words hardly leave my lips before his crash against mine. Oh fuck. His lips are sealed to mine as he wraps his hands around my skull, pulling me into him. Our bodies meld together as we crash against the back of the elevator.
I thought that kiss tonight was amazing, but this one is unreal. How on earth could this one top it? My body is on fire. I feel mini-detonations all over as his tongue swirls against mine. His fingers grip my body. Rove along my side. My ass. My legs. Pulling me off the ground before pinning me against the wall with his body.
I gasp as he breaks the seal, panting as my eyes flare. Lips tingling. Begging for more.
