Chapter 189

Vivian's breath caught in her throat as an unbidden whimper escaped her lips, her body arching instinctively toward Adrian's touch.

His fingers worked with deliberate precision, sliding the silk negligee from her shoulders before lifting her thigh to position himself at her entrance.

A sudden flash of pain made her gasp sharply, her nails digging into his shoulders before she could stop herself.

Adrian stilled immediately, capturing her startled cry with a deep, soothing kiss that melted her tension away.

The way he held back, the careful gentleness in his every movement, unraveled something primal in her core.

Driven by equal parts desire and devotion, she tangled her fingers in his dark hair, her ankles locking behind his back to pull him impossibly closer.

Her enthusiastic response shattered the last vestiges of his self-control.

The bedroom filled with the heady scent of their passion as their bodies discovered an ancient rhythm made new again.

Adrian moved with desperate intensity, as if starved for the taste of her, each thrust more urgent than the last.

At first, Vivian reveled in the waves of pleasure, but soon the sensations became almost too much to bear.

When it was over, she lay boneless against the sheets, surrendering completely to his possessive embrace.

Drowsy with satisfaction, she floated between consciousness and sleep, cresting wave after wave of aftershocks that left her trembling.

She awoke to golden sunset light painting the bedroom walls in amber hues.

The space beside her was empty, yet the very air still vibrated with the echoes of their passion.

Every trace of their earlier abandon had been carefully erased - the bed remade, her clothes neatly folded.

Disoriented, she reached for the duvet, convinced only minutes had passed since dawn.

"Good, you're awake." Adrian's voice cut through her haze as he emerged from the ensuite, a towel slung low around his hips. "Dinner's waiting. Clean up and meet me downstairs."

The sight of water droplets trailing down his sculpted torso brought the afternoon's activities rushing back, heating her cheeks.

Vivian averted her gaze, suddenly fascinated by the bedspread. "It's evening already? Why didn't you—"

"Nobody disturbed us." He nodded toward the empty snack tray on the nightstand. "Sustained myself on those lemon biscuits around noon."

Her eyes narrowed in playful suspicion. "All of them?"

"Needed fuel for my cleaning spree," he deadpanned, shrugging one shoulder.

Her attention drifted to the laptop glowing softly on the bedside table, its screen frozen on a financial report nearly completed.