Crossing the Line
510 Words
Emma spent the next few days avoiding Adrian as much as humanly possible. She stuck to emails, dodged unnecessary meetings, and left the office the second her work was done.
But Adrian? He wasn’t making it easy.
It was as if her rejection had awakened something in him. He was watching her more now, his gaze lingering in meetings, his presence feeling heavier whenever he entered the room. And worst of all? He wasn’t backing down.
Like today.
Emma had barely settled into her desk when her phone pinged.
Adrian: My office. Now.
She groaned, resisting the urge to throw her phone across the room.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and walked into his office. “What do you want, Blackwood?”
Adrian glanced up from his desk, looking entirely too composed. “Close the door.”
She hesitated. “Why?”
His lips curved into something dangerously close to a smirk. “Because I said so.”
Oh, hell no.
“If this is about—”
“It’s about the Sterling Tech deal,” he cut in smoothly.
Emma exhaled, relieved. Work. Work was safe. Work didn’t make her feel like she was on the edge of a cliff with no way down.
She stepped forward, placing her hands on the table. “What about it?”
Adrian leaned back in his chair, his gaze locking onto hers like a hunter watching its prey. “You were right. About the distribution terms.”
Emma blinked. “Wait. What?”
A slow, almost amused look crossed his face. “You heard me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, let me get this straight. You’re saying I was right, and you were wrong?”
Adrian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t make me regret this conversation.”
Emma grinned. “Too late.”
For a moment, the air between them shifted. It was almost easy—almost light. But then Adrian’s expression grew serious again.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said.
Emma’s stomach twisted. “I’ve been working.”
He tilted his head slightly. “That’s not what I asked.”
She swallowed, her grip tightening on the desk. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
Adrian stood, moving around the desk until he was close. Too close.
“Say you don’t feel anything when I look at you,” he murmured.
Emma’s pulse spiked. “Adrian—”
“Say it, and I’ll drop this.” His voice was quiet, his gaze unwavering.
She opened her mouth, ready to throw out a sarcastic remark, to tell him what he wanted to hear. But the words wouldn’t come.
Because it would be a lie.
A slow, knowing smile touched his lips. “That’s what I thought.”
Damn him.
Emma took a step back, her heart hammering. “This conversation is over.”
Adrian nodded once. “For now.”
And the worst part?
She knew he was right.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
- Writer
