Chapter Six – Adrian

The car ride back to my estate should have been uneventful. Instead, my thoughts betrayed me.

Her lips.

I could still feel them against mine, softer than silk, warm and trembling. The sweetness of her kiss lingered like the taste of forbidden fruit. Fresh, untainted. She had smelled of roses and something lighter, softer—like vanilla warmed by the sun.

It irritated me.

I had kissed women before—dozens, countless—but none of them had imprinted themselves in my ...