Untouchable

0.44

Adrian’s POV

I didn’t think.

I didn’t weigh the consequences, didn’t stop to wonder if this was a mistake. I just kissed her.

The second Ivy’s back hit the door, I felt her tense, but she didn’t pull away. She gasped against my lips, and I swallowed the sound, one hand gripping her waist, the other sliding up to cup her jaw.

She was soft. Warm. Dangerous.

Her fingers twisted into my shirt, pulling me closer like she needed me just as much as I needed her. And God, I needed her.

It wasn’t enough.

I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, and Ivy met me halfway, her body molding against mine in a way that sent heat rushing through me. It was messy, frantic, all tongue and teeth and desperation. Like we’d both spent too long pretending this wasn’t inevitable.

I pulled back just enough to catch my breath, my forehead resting against hers.

Her eyes were half-lidded, lips swollen, cheeks flushed. I’d never seen her like this before, and I wanted to memorize it.

“What are we doing?” she whispered, her voice shaky.

I exhaled sharply, my grip tightening on her waist. “I don’t know.”

She let out a breathless laugh, but there was something uncertain in her gaze.

“This isn’t fair,” she said. “You—” She shook her head, looking frustrated. “You don’t even know what you want.”

I knew exactly what I wanted.

I brushed my thumb over her cheek, watching the way she leaned into my touch despite the hesitation in her eyes.

“I want you,” I admitted, the words rough but honest.

Her breath hitched. “And tomorrow?”

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t have an answer for that.

Ivy sighed, pressing her hands against my chest as if to push me away, but she didn’t. She stayed there, fingers gripping the fabric of my shirt, her eyes searching mine.

“I can’t do this if you’re going to run the second it gets real,” she said softly.

Something twisted in my chest. I had spent so long running—from her, from this, from whatever the hell I was feeling. But I couldn’t do it anymore.

So I kissed her again. Slower this time, but just as deep.

I wanted her to feel it.

To understand that even if I couldn’t say the words yet, I wasn’t going anywhere.