Adrian (Filthy Rich Alphas)

“And... to apologize for not contacting you earlier.” Adrian sighed. “There have been some problems on my end. It seems my father was okay with me simply having sex with you, but when I told him that I was in love with you, it made him—”

“Mad? Wait. You’re in love with me?”

“He’s threatening to take my money. He’s always held the purse strings. One of the reasons why I moved back in the mansion with him is because he didn’t want to be alone, but instead of just asking me back, he forced it.”

“How?”

“He told me that if I lived on my own, I would need to find a way to pay for it.”

“You’re smart and educated. You’d have no problem getting a job outside of Ford Enterprises.”

“Of course.” He laughed. “But if someone offers you a million dollar yearly budget and all you have to do is stay on the property with them, it doesn’t take a Harvard degree to know that’s a clear yes.”

“True.”

“Except now it’s no longer a clear yes. He’s added new rules to our arrangement.”

I didn’t like where this was going. “Okay?”

“He wants me to stay away from you.”

I frowned but didn’t have much of an argument against it either. It was Nick’s right. Adrian and I should’ve never started anything. I would’ve hated it if Nick had slept with my daughter. “That might be a good idea.”

“I don’t think so,” Adrian said. “I told him that I could love you for the rest of my life. I’ve never felt that way about anybody before.”

Shocked, I leaned back in my chair.

Adrian continued, “I told him that I would move out right now and work at a bloody gas station in the roughest area of town if it meant being with you.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, I meant it.”

“I’m sure you did, but—”

“It doesn’t matter. Dad came up with a new rule.”

I rubbed my eyes, preparing for more of Nick’s craziness. “What’s the other threat?”

“He said that he would expose you to the world and figure out a way to cancel the Concrete Rose deal.”

That got my attention. “He knows about my background, that my mother is really an influential psychologist? He knows it all?”

“Yes,” Adrian said. “He found out after the deal.”

Darkness filled my gut. “So he would hurt the book deal if it meant keeping you away?”

“Yes. That’s why I didn’t contact you sooner.”

Quiet came again. My mind twisted and turned over various solutions. I could just reveal my deception to the world and suck it all up when people began criticizing me. So much would change. My fan’s trust would dissipate. Why be loyal to an author who lied to them? Why care about her words?

“He can’t do that,” I said.

“I know. I’m working on it.”

“No, just leave it all alone. Seriously, I don’t know if it’s a good idea for both of us to start this all back up, anyway.” I considered something that my mother always used to say. “Relationships that arise from wickedness and other people’s heartbreak are ones that will never move beyond the pain. We should’ve never messed around.”

“I disagree.”

I closed my eyes.

I disagree too. I’m just trying to be the adult here. “You know in your heart that we should be together,” Adrian said. “Fuck how we got together. What we have is something more. Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Then don’t fight me.”

“I’m not.”

“Give me time to fix this. While I’m doing that, I need you to take care of yourself.”

“What?” I asked. “I do.”

“You’ve barely left your apartment. You’ve stopped your morning runs. You eat ice cream every night. Every afternoon, you chase down the ice cream truck.”

“Hey, I buy stuff for the neighborhood kids.”

“You also grab an armful for yourself.” He laughed. “I don’t mind that you’re stuffing yourself. You’re getting even curvier.”

“Hey. I haven’t gained any weight.”

“You look amazing. Every time I see you, I want to tackle you, push you against my car, and ram my cock into you.”

My skin flushed with heat. My nipples hardened under my shirt. I raised my eyebrows. “When do you stalk me?”

He avoided my question. “Have you been writing?”

Nervous, I looked behind me as if he was hiding in the room somewhere. “Answer me please.”

“I check on you.”

“That’s creepy.”

“I’ll do my best to stop.”

“Are you still going to your therapist?”

“I still see Dr. Engles. Don’t worry. The stalking is the number one thing we talk about.”

His feelings for me scared and confused me. Normal people don’t fuck their fiancé’s children or, in Adrian’s case, stalk their alleged lover. This was a train wreck. I could see the large machine rumbling down the tracks at full speed with him and I tied up to the ground, close to being smashed into pieces.

Maybe, I won’t mind the train running us over, as long as I get to touch him one more time. Fuck. I’m crazier than him.