Chapter 378: You started this

Her sobs were muffled against his chest, but he could feel the vibration of them deep in his own bones. The sound of it made his heart ache. He wanted to move. He wanted to tell her she was being inappropriate. But he remained still, paralyzed by some strange longing that consumed him out of nowhere.

Her head fit perfectly under his chin; her scent, something like the bloom of magnolias filled his senses, drowning out the memories of any expensive fragrance he had ever liked.

He stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, his hands twitching at his sides before he finally, hesitantly, rested them on her back.

After a while, the intensity of her sobbing slowed. She stepped back, though she didn’t move far. She looked up into his eyes, her face flushed and her lashes wet.

The moment their eyes met at such a close distance, all the breath was knocked out of Adrian’s chest.

"You..." he began to speak, his voice husky and uncertain.

But Ella didn’t let him finish. She reached up, her fingers grazing the back of his neck as she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips firmly against his.

Adrian’s world tilted on its axis. He was stunned, his eyes wide as the soft pressure of her mouth sent a jolt of electricity through his entire body.

Ella gently kissed his lips for a second. Then, she began to back off, her eyes searching for something in his eyes.

"I miss you..." she whispered, her lips lingering near his, awfully close.

The tension in the small space between them was electric, thick enough to touch.

Their breaths were unsteady and messy, puffing against each other’s skin in the quiet room. Adrian didn’t say anything; he couldn’t. His brain was a static-filled mess of ’I shouldn’t’ and ’I need this.’

As Ella began to pull away completely, her hand slipping from his neck, something snapped inside Adrian.

Every thought in his mind crumbled, replaced by a primal, possessive instinct that came out of nowhere.

Before she could take a full step back, he lunged forward. His hand shot out, grabbing the back of her neck with a firm grip, and he crashed his lips back onto hers.

It was a passionate kiss.

He backed her up until her heels hit the edge of the bed, his mouth devouring hers with a desperation that shocked them both.

Ella let out a soft, broken moan into the kiss, her hands flying to his chest to bunch the silk of his shirt in her fists.

Adrian groaned low in his throat, a sound of pure, unadulterated want.

He tilted her head back, deepening the kiss, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips until she opened for him. The kiss turned fierce, as their tongues clashed.

He pushed her down onto the mattress, his body following hers without a second’s hesitation.

He was hovering over her, his silver hair falling forward to curtain them from the rest of the world.

His hands were everywhere, tracing the curve of her waist, tangling in her hair, pressing her down as if he couldn’t have enough of her.

Ella wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, her heart hammering against his. The air in the room was thick with the scent of them, the sound of their frantic breathing reverberating in those walls.

He paused for a moment, but Ella pulled him in towards herself.

Adrian let out a groan before he buried his face in the crook of her neck, his kisses hot and demanding, marking her skin as he moved back to her lips.

Their lips parted for an agonizing moment, the cool air of the room grazing the wetness left behind on their lips.

In the sudden silence, a flicker of hesitation crossed Ella’s eyes.

She looked at the man above her, his silver hair shimmering like ice, and his eyes were so enigmatic that one could not comprehend his thoughts.

Adrian paused. He felt her breath hitch, and saw the slight recoil in her shoulders.

Something possessive flashed in his eyes as his fingers grabbed her neck.

His grip on the back of her neck tightened, his fingers threading through her hair to tilt her face upward, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"You started this," he whispered against her lips, his voice was a low rasp that vibrated through her entire body, "I’m going to finish it.’’

His palm, large and searing, traveled slowly down from her ribcage, tracing the curve of her waist with a familiarity that made his own head spin.

He didn’t understand why his hand knew exactly how her skin would give under his touch, or why the dip of her hip felt like a map he had memorized in a dream.

But it was so addictive. She was so damn addictive.

As his hand slid down to the hem of her skirt, a wave of deep obsession crashed over him. He felt like a man dying of thirst who had finally found an oasis.

Ella’s eyes misted over, her pupils blown wide. The sight was so provocative, so raw with need, that Adrian’s remaining restraint snapped like a brittle thread.

He yanked her skirt upward in one impatient motion. His fingers found the lace of her panties, sliding underneath the fabric.

The moment his fingers touched her skin, Ella let out gasp, her back arching off the mattress as if she’d been struck by lightning.

It had been so long.

The weight of him, the scent of his skin, and now the intrusive, demanding touch of his fingers sent her desire spiraling out of control.

She leaned into him, her hands moving from his chest to his hair, pulling him back down to her as she sought the friction of his body.

Adrian’s fingers grazed her folds, finding her slick and aching.

He paused for a heartbeat at the entrance, his eyes darkening to a shade of obsidian as he felt her pulse against his fingertips.