Nina stood outside Adrian's building, staring up at the sleek glass and steel structure that screamed wealth and power. This wasn't a dinner. Wasn't a public event where she could hide behind her role as arm candy.
This was just them.
Her finger hovered over the buzzer for a long moment before she pressed it.
"Top floor." Adrian's voice through the speaker sent shivers down her spine. "Elevator code is 4792."
The elevator ride felt eternal. Nina watched the numbers climb, her heart climbing with them, simultaneously terrified and exhilarated by what she was about to do. She caught her reflection in the polished steel doors hair swept back, makeup subtle but deliberate, wearing the black dress she'd changed into three times before settling on it. Simple. Elegant. Easy to remove.
The thought made her breath catch.
The doors opened directly into his penthouse.
It was stunning in an understated way floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, modern furniture in blacks and grays, art on the walls that was probably worth more than her entire education. But what caught her attention was Adrian, standing by the windows in dark slacks and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, looking more relaxed than she'd ever seen him.
More dangerous because of it.
"You came." He crossed to her, taking her jacket. His fingers brushed her shoulders as he slipped it off, and even that brief contact made her pulse quicken. "I wasn't sure you would."
"I said I would."
"People say lots of things." His eyes searched her face, and she saw something vulnerable there beneath the usual careful control. "Want a drink?"
"Maybe just water."
He smiled slightly, understanding her need to stay clear-headed. He poured water for her, whiskey for himself, then gestured toward the couch. "Sit. We should talk."
That surprised her. "Talk?"
"Yes, Nina. Talk." Adrian sat beside her, close but not crowding. The space between them felt electric, charged with possibility. "I need you to understand something. What happened last night that kiss changes things between us. And I need to know if you understand what you're getting into."
"I'm not naive."
"I know. But there's knowing, and then there's knowing." He set his glass down, turning to face her fully. "The contract we signed said no physical expectations. That's still true. But if we do this if we cross that line it becomes something else. Something more complicated."
"Because of your business."
"Because of everything." His hand found hers, thumb brushing across her knuckles in a gesture that was both tender and possessive. "I'm not a good man, Nina. I've done things that would horrify you. I will continue to do those things because it's who I am, what my world requires. And if you're with me really with me you become part of that world."
"Like Sophia."
"No." The word came out sharp, almost angry. "Sophia was an arrangement. Transactional. What I'm offering you is… more." He seemed to struggle with the words, as if unused to articulating feelings he typically kept locked away. "I want you. Not as an accessory or a convenience. I want you in a way that's probably selfish and definitely unwise."
Nina's throat went dry. "Then why are you trying to talk me out of it?"
"Because someone should." His jaw tightened. "Because once this happens, I won't be able to let you go easily. And you deserve to make that choice with full knowledge of what it means."
She studied him this man who commanded rooms with a look, who built empires and destroyed rivals without hesitation. Right now, in this moment, he looked almost uncertain. Almost afraid of what her answer might be.
"What if I want to be selfish too?" she asked quietly.
Something flared in his eyes. Heat. Need. But he didn't move toward her. "Nina"
"You think you're the only one who's thought about this?" She set her water down, turning to face him more fully. "Since that first night, when you looked at me like you could see right through all my careful walls I've thought about it. About you. About what it would be like to stop pretending this is just business."
"It would complicate everything."
"I know."
"Your studies"
"Are still my priority," she interrupted. "That doesn't change. But neither does this." She gestured between them. "Whatever this is."
Adrian was quiet for a long moment, his thumb still tracing patterns on her hand. When he spoke, his voice was lower, rougher. "I need you to understand what you'd be signing up for. The people in my world they'll see you as a weakness. A way to get to me. There will be danger."
"There's already danger. Marcus made that clear."
His expression darkened at the mention of his rival. "Marcus is handled."
"For now. But there will always be someone else, won't there? That's the world you live in." Nina shifted closer, closing the distance between them. "You're trying to scare me off, Adrian. It's not going to work."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm already scared. I have been since the moment I signed that contract." She reached up, touching his face, feeling the slight stubble along his jaw. "But I'm more afraid of walking away and spending the rest of my life wondering what if."
He caught her wrist, holding her hand against his face, eyes closing briefly as if savoring the contact. When he opened them again, the control she'd always seen there was fraying at the edges. "If we do this, there are rules."
"Of course there are," she said with a slight smile.
"I'm serious, Nina. My world requires discretion. What happens between us stays between us. No social media posts, no telling friends details about my business or my life. What you see, what you hear it stays private."
"I can live with that."
"And you keep pursuing your degree. Keep your independence. I meant what I said I don't want to own you. I want you to choose to be here."
"Anything else?"
He pulled her closer, his other hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck. "Yes. When you're with me, you're with me. No halfway measures. No keeping one foot out the door in case this goes wrong."
Nina's heart hammered against her ribs. "That goes both ways."
"It does." His thumb traced the line of her jaw. "Which is why I'm going to ask you one more time are you sure this is what you want?"
She could feel his breath on her lips, could see the restraint in every line of his body as he waited for her answer. This was her moment to retreat, to keep things simple and professional. To stay safe.
"I'm sure," she whispered.
The last thread of his control snapped.
Adrian kissed her with an intensity that stole her breath, one hand tangling in her hair while the other pulled her flush against him. This wasn't like the kiss at the party careful and controlled, mindful of watching eyes. This was raw and hungry, months of carefully maintained distance dissolving in the heat between them.
Nina responded in kind, her hands sliding up his chest to his shoulders, then into his hair. He tasted like whiskey and want, and she couldn't get enough. When he broke away to trail kisses down her neck, she tilted her head back, a soft sound escaping her throat that made him growl against her skin.
"Bedroom," he muttered against her collarbone. "Now."
She nodded, unable to form words as he stood, pulling her up with him. But before he could lead her away, she stopped him, one hand on his chest.
"Adrian?"
He looked at her, pupils blown wide with desire. "What is it?"
"No regrets," she said firmly. "Whatever happens after tonight no regrets about this. Promise me."
Something softened in his expression. He cupped her face in both hands, kissing her once, gently this time. "No regrets," he promised. "Whatever else happens, this you and me, right now no regrets."
Then he took her hand and led her toward his bedroom, toward a line they both knew, once crossed, would change everything between them forever.
And Nina followed without hesitation, knowing that some choices, regardless of their consequences, were worth making.