Chapter 25
ADAMS POV
I tried to focus. I really fucking did.
The contract in front of me was important, deadlines that ldn’t be missed, a dozen signatures waiting for my approval. But all I could see was my damn phone screen.
The last message I’d sent Layla stared back at me. “Have dinner with me.”
Forty minutes. No response.
I tapped the screen to keep it from blacking out, then forced my attention back to the documents, Five seconds later, I cursed under my breath. Fuck this. Maybe I was overreacting. No, today, I was definitely overreacting. But I couldn’t help it. She had me wound so goddamn tight, I wasn’t sure I could ever unwind.
Running a hand through my hair, I leaned back in my chair. Maybe she was just busy. Or maybe she was deliberately ignoring me, which was entirely possible considering how hard she was fighting this thing between us. Yeah, that made sense, she was playing hard to get.
Then my phone hazzed.
I snatched it up so fast I nearly dropped it. Layla
My lips curved, satisfaction kicking in. I knew she’d respond, never doubted it for a second….until I read her response.
“I will not h
a statistic for Stepbro Syndrome.”
I blinked. What the hell did that even mean? Frowning, I typed back a series of question marks. She didn’t reply.
So, I called. It rang- And Tang.
I was just about to text her again, telling her to answer the damn phone when she finally answered, sighing into t
the phone. “Do you seriously not have any
hobbies?”
I smirked. “None I enjoy more than you.”
“I give up.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my desk. “Stepbro Syndrome?”
She made a sound of frustration, then spoke slowly, like she was explaining basic math to a toddler. “It’s a thing where people get some weird, irrational fixation on their stepsibling! And before you say anything–no, I absolutely don’t have it. You however, definitely dot Whatever you think is going on between us is all in your bepd.”
|| 1 hummed, “It felt pretty real when you wore shaking beneath me.
“That-” She cut herself off, inhaled sharply. “That was a lapse in judgment. And it’s never happening again.”
I chuckled, ignoring the absolute lies coming out of her mouth. “Have dinner with me.”
“Did you hear a single word I just said?”
“Loud and clear,” I said easily. “And I’d like to discuss it. Over dinner.”
“Not fucking happening.”
I grinned. “Scured?”
“Oh, please.”
because you don’t think you’ll be able to control yourself around me?”
could just picture her expression at the moment. “You’re delusional Crest.”
“I’ll be fun.”
1/3
Chapter 25
“No.”
Come on, I didn’t take
you
for a coward.”
Wow, you should really learn to take no for an answer.”
et that settle for a beat, then said, “Not from you.” My voice had dropped, the playfulness gone. “Never from you.”
silence. I heard her breath catch. She felt that, just like I’d intended. I cleared my throat, lightening my tone. It appeared I’d have to use the last weapon in my arsenal. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Another pause. Then, softer, “Leaving?”
“Business trip.” It had come up last minute, and despite how much I tried to rearrange things, it just wasn’t possible. This was the longest I’d ever been away from my firm
“What time?”
“Afternoon.”
“How long?”
I rubbed my jaw, “Not sure. Could be a week, maybe more. Depends on how things go
“ob.”
That one word. Small. Quiet. But it hooked into me, pulling something I wasn’t ready to name. There was disappointment there, even if she tried to hide it
“I want
to see you before I go,” 1 told her. “I have to.”
She exhaled like she already regretted whatever she was about to say. “That’s just an excuse to get in my pants.”
I grinned. “I don’t need an excuse for that.”
‘Christ.”
“okay, how about this,” I bargained. “I’ll give you my word, I won’t fuck you. Not tonight, at least. So pick you up at eight?”
The silence stretched so long I almost thought she’d hung up. Then, finally–
“Make it eight–thirty,”
Satisfaction curled through me.
“Good girl.” I hung up and finished the last of the paperwork, scrawling my signature across the bottom of the page before tossing the pen onto my desk. I glanced at the time.
Too early.
I exhaled, leaning back in my chair, fingers tapping idly against the arrest. My mind was restless, my body wound tight with anticipation. Too much time left until I could see her. Standing. I rolled my shoulders and headed for my closet. I grabbed a black t–shirt, tossed it onto the bed, then picked out a jacket, stared at it for a second before tossing it beside the shirt. I then added a pair of jeans to the selection.
Not sure why. Just needed to do something. I paced. Went back to my desk. Checked my emails. Refreshed the screen. Nothing interesting. I drummed my fingers against the wood. Restless. Waiting.
Fuck it. I needed to burn off some of this energy. I turned toward the bathrooms, but as I passed the cabinet near the sink, something tugged at my mind. A quiet but insistent reminder.
opened the cabinet, fingers brushing over the familiar label. There weren’t many left. I made a mental note to under more before I ran out completely.
swallowed the pill dry, then caught my own reflection in the mirror. My jaw was locked, a tension sitting in my bones that wasn’t there a minute ago.
I recognized the shift.
Chapter 25
The quiet hum at the back of my mind.
Dark thoughts…unformed, subtle, like shadows stretching against the walls of my skull. They weren’t strong, not today. Manageable. Just ghosts flickering in my periphery, threatening but not consuming.
1 exhaled through my nose, rolling my shoulders again.
Not today.
I wouldn’t let it touch me.
I turned away, stripping off my shirt and grabbing a clean one. Running clothes, sneakers. I dressed quickly, movements sharp, decisive. Nothing was getting me down today. Not when I was seeing her tonight.
I stepped outside, inhaling the cool evening air, stretching my arms above my head. Then, without another thought, I took off.
A good run would fix this,
