His Forbidden Touch

Chapter 18 : The Touch

The penthouse was silent, save for the faint hum of the city far below. Elena’s heels clicked softly against the polished floor as she followed Adrian inside, every step heavier with the weight of her decision.

The room itself felt like him sleek, powerful, commanding. Dark leather furniture, floor-to-ceiling glass, shelves lined with expensive whiskeys. She turned slowly, her heart pounding, her breath shallow.

“This is your place?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“One of them,” Adrian replied casually, shrugging off his shirt jacket and tossing it onto the sofa. His movements were fluid, precise like a man who always had control. Except now, his eyes told a different story. His gaze burned into her, hungry, restrained only by the thinnest thread of discipline.

Elena wrapped her arms around herself, as if to guard against the heat in the room. “I shouldn’t be here,” she murmured.

Adrian took a step toward her, then another, slow and deliberate. “And yet… you are.”

Her back brushed against the cool glass wall, the city sprawling beneath them like a living canvas. He stood before her now, tall and overwhelming, his scent intoxicating.

“Elena,” he whispered, his hand rising to brush a strand of hair from her face. The touch was feather-light, but it sent a shiver racing down her spine. “Do you want me to stop?”

Her lips parted, but no words came. Her heart screamed yes. Her body begged no.

The silence between them deepened, stretching taut, until Adrian’s hand slid to her jaw, tilting her face up. His thumb traced her bottom lip, his breath hot against her skin.

“I won’t take what isn’t given,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “But if you stay another second, Elena… you’re mine.”

Her pulse roared in her ears. She thought of Daniel. Of Clara’s warning. Of Veronica’s sharp, venomous smile. But when Adrian’s eyes locked with hers dark, possessive, unyielding every reason melted into smoke.

“Adrian…” she whispered, trembling.

That was all it took.

His mouth crashed against hers, fierce and demanding, stealing the breath from her lungs. Elena gasped, her hands instinctively clutching at his shirt as his lips moved over hers with intoxicating hunger. His kiss was nothing like Daniel’s—there was no hesitation, no gentleness. Only fire.

He pressed her harder against the glass, the city a blurred backdrop as his body caged hers. His hands slid to her waist, fingers digging possessively into her curves. She whimpered into his mouth, her body arching against him despite every thought screaming at her to stop.

“God, Elena,” he groaned against her lips, breaking the kiss only to trail hot, desperate kisses down her throat. “You drive me insane.”

Her knees threatened to buckle, but his grip was unrelenting, holding her upright, holding her his. She threaded her fingers into his hair, a soft moan escaping her lips when his teeth grazed her collarbone.

“This is wrong,” she gasped, her voice shaking.

Adrian’s hand slid lower, splaying against her hip, pulling her flush against him. His breath was ragged, his control unraveling. “Then tell me to stop.”

But she didn’t. She couldn’t.

Instead, her lips found his again, harder this time, surrendering to the fire consuming them both.

His answer was a low, guttural sound as he lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist. He carried her across the room, their mouths never breaking apart, until her back met the cool leather of the sofa.

Adrian loomed above her, his eyes dark with desire, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. “You’re mine now,” he said, voice hoarse, almost broken with need.

And for the first time, Elena didn’t fight the truth.

She wanted him.

Completely.