Page 40 of Protected By My Playboy Billionaire

“Come in,” I call from the bathroom, already wearing my pajamas. I hear the door open and close, and Adrian pokes his head into the bathroom. “Hi.” I smile, already feeling my cheeks heat.

“Hi.” He flashes me a lazy smile and leans against the doorframe, his hands in the pockets of his black pajama bottoms. My eyes travel up to the two lines forming a V, with the lower half being covered by the soft material of his pants. He’s only wearing pajama bottoms, the muscles and dips of his bare torso highlighted by the soft glow of the lights. God, he’s gorgeous. “I’m just checking to see if you’re okay.”

I take a deep, steadying breath. “I’ve never felt anything like this,” I admit, looking down at my hairbrush. All the rubbing against the armrest left the back of my head looking like a bird’s nest. I’m not sure if I’m talking about what he did to me or what he’s doing to me. Both.

“Do you regret it?” Concern flashes across his face.

“No, no.” I shake my head, reassuring him. “It was so overwhelming. Now I know why people do it.” I let out a small laugh and set my brush down. “I’d like to do itagain.”

“Is that right?” He gently pushes himself off the doorframe and closes the distance between us. I nod. “Me, too. But not tonight. It’s late, and you need sleep.” He gently lifts my chin up and bends down to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “Sweet dreams.” He turns on his heel, but before he can walk out of the bathroom, I take his hand.

“Wait.” I swallow, and he looks back at me. “Please stay with me.”

“Is that what you want?” He asks, and I nod. “Then I’ll stay.” He gives me a soft smile, then makes my knees weak as he tugs at the hand I used to stop him. “Let’s go to bed.”

Chapter seventeen

~ADRIAN~

I’m going to hell for betraying my best friend’s trust. It’s what I deserve. I lost my head. I’ve wanted to fuck Elana senseless from the moment I saw her at the cafe, and now, after tonight, I’m one look away from losing my heart.

I know these feelings aren’t too surprising considering the woman on the receiving end, but fuck, does she have to be my best friend’s little sister? It feels just as wrong as it does right. And what can I offer her? A workaholic who doesn’t know if he’s ready to give her the commitment she deserves?

If I fuck her, she’ll expect me to stick around. When I fuck her, she’ll want more. More of me, more of mytime, more of us. Ethan’s always been the person I’d talk to when it comes to these things, but I’d be lucky to get away with a few punches if I told him what’s happening.

I waited for Elana to fall asleep before moving back to my room, unable to fall asleep myself with her next to me. She’ll most likely be disappointed to wake up to see the bed empty, but last night, me staying with her even for a bit, was more than I’ve ever offered someone after—

After what? You didn’t fuck her. I certainly had other plans for her, but learning about her inexperience, I made some last-minute adjustments. And a part of me knew that if I buried myself in her, there would be no going back to trying to keep my distance. No excuse for my, no doubt, confusing behavior. But it’s not too late to try, not too late to fix this.

Keep telling yourself that.

I park my car in my usual spot and slide out of it. I told Mac to wait for Elana at the penthouse and drive her in once she’s done with her exam. I drove all the way to the office, my body on autopilot while mymind was all over the place. Fortunately, I could make the drive from my place to my office blindfold.

Walking through the sliding doors and into the main building, I bypass the usual greetings, heading straight for the elevator. There’s no time for small talk today. My mind’s too busy replaying last night’s events on repeat. I just need to get to my office. The paperwork I had to go through last night has been added to the pile of shit I have to take care of today.

As the elevator doors open on the top floor, I step out into the sunlit waiting area. Melissa and Bethany are waiting for me behind their desk, as usual.

“Good morning, Mr. Morgan,” Bethany chirps, batting her eyelashes and flashing a smile that’s meant to be charming. Melissa remains professional, offering a polite nod of acknowledgment.

Ignoring Bethany’s attempts, I turn to Melissa. “Melissa, get Victoria on the line for me, please.” Then, turning to Bethany, I add, “Coffee.”

“Of course, sir.” Melissa nods and sits back down.

With that, I step into my office and close the door behind me. I can still feel the remnantsof last night on my body, begging for release. I should go for a run once I find the time.

As I settle into my office chair, Melissa’s voice comes through the intercom. “Mr. Morgan, Ms. Duchamp is on line two. She’s expecting you.”

“Thank you,” I reply, pressing the button to switch to line two.

“Good morning, Adrian,” Victoria's sultry voice comes through the phone.

“Morning, Victoria,” I respond, not matching her tone. “I understand there are some details you’d like to review regarding the deal with Mortimer. I’ve got some time in about an hour.”

There’s a knock on the door, and Bethany pokes her head in after waiting for me to invite her in. She silently sets my coffee in front of me and gives me a look through her lashes before walking away, making sure to sway her hips as much as possible.

“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.” With a quick bye, I hang up and recline in my chair. There was a time when Victoria and I had been friends. Perhaps she still thinks we are. But mixing friendship and business is like trying to mix water and oil. I learnedthat the night we indulged in too much brandy to celebrate a deal. Something changed in Victoria that night, and it's lingered ever since.

Victoria’s knock interrupts the steady hum of my office. Glancing at my watch, I realize time has passed faster than I’d thought.