Hot Holidays

CHAPTER 31: Adrian

CHAPTER 31: Adrian

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Adrian stared at his phone. Well, that text was rude, but he’d forgive her. Ellie had been kind of pissed about the hickey. Plus, he definitely wanted another round in the sack with her. He was looking forward to making her admit that he was the best f**k she’d ever had. She sure had been his—the way she clung to him and surrendered. Even her take charge attitude had turned him on. He’d never thought to play the Bottom, but it might be fun once in a while with her as Top.

His phone rang. “Hey Mom, Merry Christmas. Yeah, I’ll be on my way in a few minutes.”

Ellie raced from the apartment running in the opposite direction from him.

“I need to call you back.” He hung up the phone and ran after her. He glanced to the side, expecting her hulking ex to be barreling down on them but the area was quiet. “Ellie, wait!”

She didn’t even pause. He’d kill Marc if that bastard had touched her. Damn it. He should’ve listened to his gut and gone upstairs with her. She hurried around the side of the building and he picked up his pace. He almost slammed into her as he raced around the corner. Only his instincts kept him from knocking her down. Instead he pivoted and smashed into the brick wall.

“Where is he?” He’d deal with the pain in his shoulder later. He grabbed her, shoving her behind him.

“Stop it. What’s the matter with you?” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her with his arm.

“Where is he?” He repeated, senses on alert for any movement or sound.

“Let go of me.” She pushed his shoulder.

“Not until you tell me where Marc is.” So, he could beat the s**t out of the guy.

“I don’t know.” She shoved him again.

“He’s not chasing you?” This time he let her step around him.

“What? No.” She looked at him like he was crazy. “The only one chasing me is you.” Her foot tapped on the pavement.

He recognized that sound. It was the pre-battle cry of all women. Any sane man would back away slowly but right now he wasn’t sane. His blood pounded from thinking she’d been hurt. His fists itched to sink into Marc’s face and torso but the only one here for his frustrated rage was her. “I wouldn’t have been running if you hadn’t come charging out of the apartment like someone was trying to kill you.”

“Please. It wasn’t that bad. I was just in a hurry.” She did manage to look a little ashamed.

“Not that bad?” He was going to shake some sense into her but instead he threw his hands up and spun around. He didn’t trust himself to touch her right now. If he did he’d end up kissing her. That’d lead to a public f**k and they’d both end up in jail on Christmas. He was pretty sure neither his mother nor Ellie would be amused.

“Fine. I’m sorry that I scared you.”

He glared at her. Scared wasn’t the right word for the terror that’d race through him followed closely by the need to protect her.

“I...Marc isn’t home. Didn’t come home.” She started walking back toward the door.

“That doesn’t explain why you ran out of your apartment.” He trudged after her. It looked like he was going to have to pry the information from her.

“I don’t have a car.”

“And you ran out of the building like it was on fire because of that?” He was going to throttle her, and no one would blame him.

“I was upset.” She shot him a dirty look. “My day hasn’t been going all that great.”

He had to admit, that stung a bit. “If you’d stayed in bed another thirty minutes it would’ve at least started with a bang.”

The look she gave him made it clear that she didn’t find him the least bit amusing. “I’m already running late and it’s Christmas. Then”—another dirty look—“I find out I have a hickey on my neck.”

He couldn’t help it, his chest puffed out a bit at that. It was a nice one—big and purple.

“And now, I don’t have a car. I’m going to have to see if I can find an Uber who’s working on Christmas or take a taxi which means I’ll be even later. My mother isn’t going to be happy with me.”

“I can drive you.”

She stopped and turned toward him. “You want to come to my parents’ house for Christmas?”

Her tone told him that the correct answer was no which meant the only response he could give was...

“I can’t stay long. I have to go to my parents’ house but sure, I’d love to join you for an hour or so.” It took every ounce of military training he had to not burst into laughter at the horrified look on her face.