Chapter Twelve –
I woke up the next morning to the refreshing beach air, and instantly inhaled the peaceful smelling aroma while stretching my limbs after a comfortable sleep. Adrian groaned beside me and stirred a little, making me look over to him to check if I had accidentally woken him up. Once his breathing fell even, I slowly pushed myself out of the bed, careful not to make much sound or movement.
Once I successfully escaped the room quietly, I made my way over to the main bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, before descending the long staircase to make my way to the kitchen.
My stomach grumbled slightly as I scanned the contents of the cupboards, before walking over to fridge and pulling out the loaf of bread that was sitting in the corner of the top shelf, along with 4 eggs and the jar of strawberry jam. I cut the loaf into even pieces before popping the cut pieces into the toaster while turning on the stove for the eggs.
I heard Adrian yawned loudly just as I finished spreading jam on one of the cooked toast, and turned around to find him staring at me with a sleepy smirk. “Good morning Housewife.” He greeted in a husky morning voice, making me blush lightly at the statement. “Is this for me?” He asked, pointing at the eggs and toast in front of him.
It was actually mine, but he took a bite from the toast before I could respond. I glared, placing a hand on my hip. “That was mine.” I said, huffing.
He shrugged and smirked in my direction before sitting on the bar stool and taking another bite from my breakfast. I gave him a look of disbelief before sighing and turning around to continue his eggs – that were now going to be mine.
Once I was done cooking, and after pouring Adrian a large bowl of cereal, I sat across from him and began to eat my own breakfast, closing my eyes as I savoured the taste. Once my eyelids fluttered open again, I found Adrian staring in my direction with a small smile on his face, making me blush. “What?” I murmured, shaking my hair slightly so that it fell onto my face to hide my embarrassment.
“I’ve noticed something about you, Shortcake.” He stated, still wearing the warm smile on his lips. I raised my eyebrows in surprise before nodding my head cautiously, indicating for him to continue. “Your eyelids flutter closed and you let out a small sigh every time something you experience something you enjoy. You just did it now, and you always make that small sigh in your sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night and wrap my arms back around your waist.” He commented, before shoving a spoonful of the sloppy cereal into his mouth.
My eyes widened in shock as his words sank into my mind, and I began blushing furiously at the fact that Adrian noticed something so irrelevant. “O- Oh, really?” I stammered, fumbling with my reply.
He nodded before looking up at me with a smirk. “Don’t get me started on how many times you’ve done it when I’ve touched you.” He added while his smirk grew and my horrified expression.
“Shut up!” I exclaimed in a squeaky voice, before jumping out my seat and taking our empty plates to the sink as he chuckled before chomping on some more soggy cereal.
“We’re going to spend the day on the beach again.” He stated while I began to wash the plates under the running water.
“Okay, fine with me.” I replied, washing off the soap.
“We’ll eat lunch there too. We need to make the most of it since our flight is at 5AM tomorrow morning.” Adrian continued, making me choke on my own saliva.
“5AM?!” I exclaimed, turning around to give him another look of disbelief.
He nodded, before getting out of his seat and placing the bowl into the sink before giving me a pointed look. “It’s a five hour flight, so we’ll already be missing most of the morning in the office.” He explained with a slight frown.
I nodded in thought, feeling slightly disappointed at the fact that I was going to be leaving this place. “I understand.” I said, sighing slightly before turning off the tap. “Let’s go up and get dressed then. I want to soak up as much sunrays as my pale skin can take in before we go back to hell.” I joked, grinning.
He chuckled and bit my shoulder playfully, making me squeak in surprise, before we both raced up the stairs of the beach house, laughing loudly.
***
“Feed me!” Adrian demanded, glaring at my exasperated expression.
“Adrian, you’re not two! Feed yourself!” I snapped back, glaring at him. His glare deepened before he pulled me into his seated body, making me scream out in surprise. “Are you insane?!” I exclaimed, glaring down at him as his glare transformed into a smirk.
“Feed me.” He repeated, lowering his voice. I looked around the crowded beach in shock, hoping no one was watching our encounter as I felt his hand slide down to grip my rear end, making me gasp lightly. “There you go again!” He grinned in a sing song voice, pointing out the small gasp he’d noticed from the morning.
I blushed furiously before shoving three pieces of fries into his mouth with a glare, distracting him long enough to stumble off his shirtless body clumsily.
He chuckled at my lack of coordination, making me glare at him again as he chomped onto the fries smugly.
“You are so obnoxious.” I mumbled loud enough for him to catch my statement.
“Are you sure you want to be saying that to your boss’s face?” He asked with a smirk, raising his eyebrows playfully.
“Absolutely!” I grinned, before pulling my tongue out at him. He chuckled before giving me the same small smile as he did in the morning, before getting out of his seated position. “Really?” He questioned again, walking towards me in a threatening manner.
My eyes widened and I began to walk backwards as my eyes landed on his smug smirk before trailing back up to meet his gaze. I gulped and let out a loud squeal just as he began charging at me, making turn around and run towards the water as quickly as my legs would take me with a heavy stomach.
Suddenly, I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist, and before I could try and wriggle out of his old, I was hoisted over Adrian’s shoulder while he chuckled. “Adrian!” I squealed in surprise, “Put me down!”
“Apologise.” He said, as I practically felt the smirk appear on his lips at my misery.
I grumbled before pounding my fists on his bare back, scowling down at his red swim shorts. “Adrian.”
He began to chuckle again but stopped abruptly once an admiring sigh sounded from the side of our bodies, causing us to both freeze in shock and confusion.
Adrian turned to the source of the sound, making my scowl at the fact he was turning me even further away from it, before stopping.
“How long have you two been married?” A soft, feminine voice asked, making my eyes widen in shock as I went limp in his hold.
“We’re not married.” I laughed nervously, responding before Adrian could before trying to get my lips as close to his ear as possible. “Put me down, it’s rude!” I hissed into his hair, getting sand on my lips in the process. Adrian’s began to loosen his grip on my waist slightly as he let me slide down his body, but kept me plastered into his side once my feet touched the floor.
My eyes finally met the source of the voice, and I smiled at the middle aged couple politely, blushing slightly at the fact that Adrian wouldn’t let me go.
“Oh! Sorry, how long have you two been dating then?” She asked, returning my gesture as she wrapped an arm around the man – who I assumed to be her husband – next to her.
I opened my mouth to respond but Adrian beat me to it this time, cutting me short with a peck on the cheek. “Three years. Funny you bring up marriage, actually. I’ve proposed to her three times, and she still insists on rejecting and publicly humiliating me every single time it happens.” Adrian said with a pout, making me snap my head up to meet his amused expression.
“I-” I began, but was cut off once again. “It’s really getting to me, you know? I don’t know what to do anymore. My heart feels like it’s going to explode from the inside out every time you say no to me.” Adrian continued, looking down at me with a smug expression, just as the double meaning behind his words registered within my mind. He was talking about the fact that I say no every time he asks me to sleep with him.
I glared up at him, blushing furiously as the couple watched us with amused expressions. I mean, sometimes I think you’re only with me for the sex, apple.” Adrian stated, giving me a look of disbelief that only I knew was false.
My glare continued before I dropped it, pouting a little myself. “Well fuzzy bunny, I didn’t want to have to tell you this… but since you’ve brought it up… I don’t want to marry you because you’re kind of… lacking… in that department.” I said with a sympathetic frown, before my gaze trailed down to his crotch area. Two can play at that game. I thought smugly, as he looked back up at me and glared.
“I’m sure he loves you very much sweetie, no matter how… um, lacking he is. That won’t matter at the end of the day! I mean, from the way we saw you two act towards each other all day today, we can tell how much you’re fond of each other. I think you should accept the next time he proposes.” She said, giving me a comforting pat on my shoulder with a smile.
I instantly began to feel guilty at the fact that we were lying to such a sweet couple, just as the man spoke up, directing his advice to Adrian. “Any maybe you shouldn’t propose somewhere so public next time.” The man winked, grinning.
The lady and I laughed at his statement, before I looked up at Adrian, who was smirking down at me. “I’ll keep that in mind for Take #4. Is that alright with you fluffy munchkin?” He asked, raising one eyebrow as he waited for my answer.
I almost gagged at the nickname he gave me, before placing my palm on his chest and gasping. “That would be amazing!” I gushed, grinning as widely as I could.
The couple exchanged amused glances before the man bent down to place a kiss on the woman’s lips, making her blush. “Well, we’d best be off. We have to make the most of our 25 year anniversary without the kids around as much as we can.” He joked, before looking down at the woman with an all too familiar expression I had seen on Adrian’s face when I’d be in my underwear. The woman began to blush even deeper before waving at both Adrian and me, and they continued their stroll near the waves, holding hands.
“You’re an idiot!” I scowled as soon as they were out of earshot, making him smirk down at me as I struggled to free myself from his hold.
“A pretty convincing idiot. They ate up the lie like it was their next meal!” He declared, grinning proudly at himself.
I gawked in disbelief before slapping his muscled arm. “That’s because you told them we’d been dating for three years and that you’ve proposed to me!” I scowled, frowning.
“Oh, you’re in no position to talk, Shortcake. ‘Fuzzy bunny’?” He repeated, breaking into a fit of laughter. I tried to glare up at him, but ended up joining his laughter. “That almost cracked me – I’ll give you a point there.” He declared after we had calmed down.
I smirked before biting my lip in thought. “Hmm. I believe that now makes the Tally board Kingston: 1. Johnson: 2 – I’m including my UNO win as a part of my score.” I stated smugly, grinning up at him.
“I let you win.” He confessed, making my nostrils flare in anger. “I knew it!” I shouted out, jumping slightly. “You couldn’t stand the fact that you were about to be beaten by a girl, so you decided to let me win on purpose so your ego wouldn’t – oh my god! Is that a crab?!” I exclaimed excitedly as I spotted a red animal crawl across the sand sideways.
Adrian gave me a confused look before his gazed travelled over to where all my focus was suddenly averted too, and I ran over to the crab in excitement. “Oh my god. It’s a real crab! Look! It has hands and it’s walking sideways and it looks angry and everything! A real crab!” I squealed excitedly, grinning down at it as it continued to scurry sideways along the sand. I sighed happily before looking up to grin at Adrian – who I found staring at me with that funny, small smile on his face once again. His usual playful expression had softened, and he was watching me with a glazed expression over his features.
Once he noticed me staring, he snapped out of his gaze and blinked a few times before looking at me, and I thought I could see a faint pink colouring filled his tanned cheeks, showing me that he was blushing. He covered it up with a smirk. “Yes Shortcake. Very good! Now how to do you spell that?” He said slowly, treating me like a kindergarten child.
My excitement faltered slightly as I glared as his mocking attitude, before I ran over to him and grabbed him by his wrist, dragging him over to the sea creature. “Isn’t it so beautiful?” I murmured, getting lost in its bronze/red shell colour.
Adrian sighed beside me and I turned around – to find him staring at me with the same glazed expression yet again, making me flush. “W- What is it?” I stuttered, feeling self-conscious under his gaze.
He snapped out of it once again at the sound of my voice, and shook his head, frowning as he clenched his jaw. “Nothing. Let’s get back inside and spend the last few hours here indoors.” He said, avoiding my gaze. I frowned and bit down on my bottom lip curiously, but didn’t question it as he dragged me away from the sea creature, back to the beach house in silence.
***
By the time I had finished washing up the cutlery we used to make our lunch for the beach, showering, and re-packing my suitcase neatly, the sun had set, turning the light blue waves right outside the beach house into a dark navy – almost black colour. Adrian had gone out to the stores that were a street away from the house to buy a movie while he waited for me to finish my shower, and returned with Law Abiding Citizen, making me grin broadly at the excellent choice.
He suggested that we watched the movie in bed in case we fell asleep, so that we were comfortable before the early flight tomorrow morning, and I nodded in agreement at his practical logic.
“Just wear my shirt Shortcake, it’s not like I’m going to fondle your body at the sight of Gerard Butler.” Adrian smirked, making my eyes go wide with shock as a blush crept up towards my cheeks. “Well, I won’t. But who am I to say that you wouldn’t want too? That’s it, isn’t it? I’ve finally figured out what makes your prized jewel click! You want me to act like a murdering psychopath? Brilliant. Who do you want me to kill first?” He asked, chuckling once I threw a pillow in his direction.
“I told you not to ever refer to my… lady parts using that phrase ever again!” I groaned in disgust.
“Okay, okay. I won’t do it again. But is my theory right? That’s why you don’t want to wear my shirt! Because it’ll be noticeable if you touch-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kingston!” I snapped, glowering at him. He chuckled while putting his palms up in defence, before climbing into the bed and pressing the play button for the movie to start.
I began to climb into the bed but jumped out once Adrian hooked his thumbs to the waistband of his navy coloured boxers. “What the hell are you doing?” I shrieked, covering my eyes with my hands in shock, before slightly moving once finger to take a peek at his current actions.
“Wear your normal sleepwear, or these come off.” He threatened with a smirk, and I removed my hands from my eyes in disbelief before sighing in frustration. “Turn around.” I snapped as I snatched his shirt off the bed. A smug smile curled its way onto his lip as his body shifted to the other side of the room so that his back was facing me, and I glared at the flawless tan bitterly as I shoved my mini shorts down my legs and pulled off the tank top.
Once I slid the shirt over my body and pulled off my bra, I climbed into the bed. “Idiot.” I scowled as he turned back to me with a smirk before inching closer towards me so that the side of our bodies were squashed together.
“Shhh, you’ve missed the first five minutes of the movie.” He whispered into my ear, making me glare at the television screen as I tried to keep my expression from reacting to his hot breath against my neck.
About half way through the movie, Adrian spoke up again. “I need you to do something important for me when we get back to the office tomorrow.” He stated, making me turn over to him with a curious frown. “Of course. I’m your assistant, that’s my job.” I pointed out, laughing lightly.
“No, no…” He trailed off frowning as he clenched his jaw. “I need this to happen. I don’t want it too.” He specified, glaring slightly.
“Adrian…” I trailed off, not liking the sound of it, or his expression towards the favour. “What is it?” I finally asked.
“I’ve been talking with… someone… who I’ve managed to negotiate one of the best business deals I’ve ever heard of. It’ll be great for the hotels, and my father’s real estate company combined.” He explained, looking over at me.
“Well, that’s great!” I grinned. “Who’s it with? And what’s my role in all of this?” I asked, not seeing the negative aspect of his favour yet.
“Well… the only way they’re going to be convinced is if you talk to them.” He stated, not looking me in the eye. My curious frown returned as I glared at him slightly. “Who’s ‘them’.”
“Walter Inc.” I barely heard Adrian mumble, making me freeze in my position beside him.
“As in…” I trailed off.
“David Walter’s business.” Adrian confirmed my thoughts, making me feel queasy to the stomach. “He said the only way he’d agree to the deal is if you and him spoke in a room alone for a while.”
“No fucking way!” I snapped, jumping out of the bed before glaring at Adrian. “Being ‘alone in a room’ with that pig is practically signing me up for sexual assault!” I exclaimed angrily, fuming at the fact that Adrian was even considering this offer.
He glared up at me before replying. “He won’t do anything. The room you two will talk in will have surveillance cameras and I’ll be right outside the door if anything happens.” He explained in a snippy tone, trying to end the topic.
I wasn’t having that. “No way! David Walter is not coming near me, whether it was in a room filled with thousands of people or whether it was him and me alone. It’s not happening.” I sapped, crossing my arms over my chest before my anger dried up in my mouth. “Is this…” I trailed off, my eyes widening. “Is this why you brought me to California? To convince me by trying to spoil me?”
“What? No!” Adrian growled, getting out of the bed to walk over to me. “And you have no way in the matter. I am your boss!” He professed, raising his voice slightly.
“What boss sets up their assistant for sexual assault?!” I snapped back, scowling. Adrian let out a frustrated growl before stepping closer towards me, making me take a step back in response as my back collided with the cold, glass window. “Do not test me, Emily.” He warned in a low voice, closing the small space in between us completely by pressing his tall figure against mine.
“I’m not testing you. I’m telling you. It’s not happening.” I declared firmly, glaring up at him before I realised just how close we were to each other.
The realisation settled into Adrian’s consciousness at the time it did with me, and his eyes slowly left mine and trailed down to my lips. I licked them out of habit, before my eyes duplicated the movement – landing on his plump lips. My chest began to rise and fall rapidly at the thought of his lips pressed against my own flashed through my mind, and my eyes snapped back up to meet his.
He looked down at me with a furious frown before his eyes briefly went back to my lips. He slammed his palms against the glass windows beside my head, making my eyes widen in shock as the glass vibrated against my body from the force before letting out a low growl. “Fuck it.” He muttered, before I felt one arm circle around my waist and pull me closer into his body as another tangled itself within my blonde waves while he crashed his lips onto mine with a strong force, sending shock waves throughout my entire body.
I gasped and stood frozen in shock for a moment before my lips began to move against his hungrily as my fingers wrapped around the back of his neck and gripped his soft hair, making him groan at the gesture. My breathing became heavier as his tongue licked my bottom lip, before he forced my mouth open impatiently.
My whole body was on fire as the arm around my waist hoisted my body up against the glass window, making me instinctively wrap my legs around his waist for support. Some tiny part of me at the back off my mind was telling me this was a very bad idea – but I ignored the small, irritating voice as the kiss deepened –before a gunshot sounded from the television screen; washing over me like a bucket of ice cold water.
I pulled away abruptly, my eyes wide with shock, before I untangled my fingers from his hair and jumped off – and away – from him before I blinked. “I- I-” I stuttered in my flustered state, looking at him with wide eyes as my mind replayed the kiss. “Oh my god.” I whispered to myself, running a hand through my hair as the reality of the situation settled into the rational side of my brain.
“Emily…” Adrian trailed off, making my shocked eyes look back up at him. “That-”
“Never happened.” I stated as firmly as I could, taking him by surprise.
“What?” He asked, frowning.
“I- It- It was a mistake, Adrian. A stupid, stupid mistake. I apologise for acting so inappropriately.” I said in the smoothest voice I could muster up, trying to hide the shaky and excited aftermath that still tingled throughout my entire body.
“Emily-” Adrian began again, frowning angrily at me. I shook my head, cutting him off, before slowly making my way to the door of the bedroom. “I need some air.” I mumbled, grabbing my phone on the way out of the room before making my way downstairs to the back porch that lead to the beach.
The freezing air slashed against my face and bare legs like a sharp blade, and I wrapped my arms around myself to protect myself from the harsh winds as I looked out into the dark ocean, replaying the events of 5 minutes ago, over and over again in my mind.
I just kissed Adrian Kingston.
---
Hello! Omg this took a lot out of me. Sorry for the late upload, I had people over!
So they finally kissed! :O That was literally the motto of the comments on the last chapter, LOL ‘Make them kiss!’ And I’m like be patient! :P Again, not entirely satisfied with this chapter – I really rushed the end (If you couldn’t already tell, lol) Sorry for any spelling mistakes!
Dedicated to MonaaMouse for being another amazing fan! :D
Vote/Comment/Fan if you deem it worthy enough!
Thanks for reading lovelies! xx