Chapter 66

Her silken skin burned against his.

When she attempted to push him away, her delicate fingers grazed his chest, igniting a wildfire of desire within him.

Adrian's breath turned ragged as his hand crept beneath her blouse.

Her previously chilled flesh now radiated unnatural heat.

Was she running a fever?

The realization cut through his haze of lust like a blade. With tremendous effort, he wrenched himself away despite the primal urges coursing through him.

"Damn it, Vivian!" He delivered a sharp swat to her backside, his voice rough with frustration. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? Look what you've done to yourself!"

Humiliation and fury painted Vivian's cheeks crimson. Without hesitation, her palm connected with Adrian's cheek in a stinging slap.

The sound echoed through the car's interior like a gunshot.

Adrian's expression darkened dangerously. His fingers became iron shackles around her wrist, his eyes promising retribution. "Vivian Hartley!" he snarled through clenched teeth.

Lately, she'd been testing his patience at every turn, challenging the very foundations of his control.

For years, Adrian Blackwood had commanded boardrooms and inspired terror in competitors.

Yet this slip of a woman reduced him to this raw, uncontrolled state.

Vivian's wrist bloomed red beneath his punishing grip. "What now?" she spat, her voice trembling with defiance. "Going to teach me a lesson? Your silent treatment wasn't punishment enough?"

"You think I won't?" Adrian's grip shifted to her throat, cutting off her air supply.

Vivian's lips parted in a soundless gasp, but her eyes—those magnificent, furious eyes—held nothing but unbroken rebellion.

Her complexion had gone deathly pale, the only color remaining in her bloodshot eyes.

A single tear escaped, scalding his fingers as it traced a path down her cheek.

The sight jolted Adrian back to reality. What was he doing? He'd faced armed mercenaries without flinching, yet this woman's defiance unraveled him completely.

Releasing her abruptly, he slammed the privacy partition up with unnecessary force. "Seabreeze Villa. Now," he barked at Ethan, his voice glacial.

Ethan's forehead gleamed with nervous sweat as he quickly obeyed. "Right away, sir."

Vivian scrambled to the far side of the limousine, putting maximum distance between them. Her wary gaze darted about like a cornered animal's. Adrian deliberately turned toward the rain-streaked window, finding perverse comfort in the rhythmic patter against the glass.

When they arrived at the villa, Adrian discovered Vivian had succumbed to feverish unconsciousness. Her forehead burned beneath his touch. Even in sleep, she remained restless—whimpering softly, fresh tears mingling with the dried tracks on her cheeks.

His expression grim, Adrian hauled her into his arms with none of his usual care. The abrupt movement made her stir slightly, her body shifting against his. That slight friction reignited the embers of desire he'd struggled to suppress. His arms tightened instinctively, as if afraid she might vanish into the night.

The storm outside mirrored the tempest raging within him.