The Replaced Bride’s fortune

Chapter 31

Brianna’s POV

“What do you mean ‘what’?” I snapped at Adrian, rushing towards him, despite my sharp words. “How did you get yourself cut? You said you’d be…”

“Ahem.”

Barrett’s voice cut in from behind Louis. I felt myself freeze in mortification. I was so enraged and worried that I didn’t even realize he was there.

Adrian must not have remembered too, because at noticing my reaction, he turned to him and dismissed him with a lazy wave of his hand. “You may leave us, Barrett.”

“Alright, Boss.” And with that, he strolled around the side of the house and out of sight. I watched him go for a moment before returning my hard gaze to Adrian.

“How did you get that cut?”

Before I even realized what I was doing, my hands had already moved, fingers reaching up to his face, tracing the gash that now marked his cheek.

It wasn’t deep, and perhaps I was being dramatic, but it was still bleeding slightly, and that was enough to make my chest tighten.

My face was inches from his as I examined it, a frown pulling at my brows. Where had he even been? And how had he come back looking like this?

I couldn’t understand why I was bothered by it. He was a grown man, a strong one at that. He didn’t even realize he was injured.

The man was increasingly seeping into my system, I felt a strange but strong pull towards him, like I’d known him before. It was a connection I couldn’t even explain if I had a gun pointed to my head.

The man in question just stood still, he was even grinning as I worried about him. Staring down at me with a gleaming smile and a twinkle in his eyes, like I was the most entertaining thing he had seen, even as the cold air licked at the cut that should sting.

“What’s so amusing?” I asked, thrown by his apparent lack of concern. “Doesn’t it hurt? How did you not even realize? What if it’s infected? How did you even—.” I rambled on in one breath, the endless stream of questions tumbling out of me in waves.

He doesn’t respond. He just smirked, that sexy and annoying smile that made his eye twinkle.

He answered by pulling me closer by the waist, I don’t resist. “Baby,” he raised a hand to brush a strand of hair behind my ears. “I’m fine. You should have seen the other guys.”

My stomach dropped, “what?”

His eyes left my face, “I mean you should have seen the other workers hat got hurt from the attack.”

I squinted at him, not quite believing him. “Hmmm.”

A shiver ran through me as the cold night air began to pierce through my skin. Adrian noticed immediately.

“Let’s go inside, baby,” Adrian said, gently pulling me along even as my eyes kept drifting back to the cut on his face.

Once we got in, he shrugged off his jacket with ease. By the time he started loosening the buttons of his shirt, casually trying to take it off, I turned away almost instinctively.

He chuckled softly behind me. “My love, what haven’t you seen?”

I bit my lip, suddenly embarrassed for reasons I couldn’t explain.

Honestly, I didn’t even know why I did that.

It wasn’t like Adrian and I were strangers. We were far from it. Yet somehow, standing there while he undressed made my face warm and my stomach twist with a strange kind of shyness.

I frowned at myself. Why was I suddenly acting like this?

His amused voice came again, lower this time, teasing. I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “Considering it’s something you’ll be seeing very often very soon, I think you should start getting used to it.”

My face burned hotter. I refused to respond.

“Where’s the first aid box?” I asked quickly, changing the subject so fast it made him chuckle.

He pointed toward one of the kitchen. “Second shelf in the kitchen cabinets.”

I practically ran out to get it. Not wasting a second more.

When I came back, Adrian was seated by the dining table—shirtless. Completely shirtless.

I froze for half a second.

God.

His broad chest, toned abs, the sharp lines of muscle under warm skin, it was unfair how attractive one person could be. His hair was slightly disheveled from the evening, falling messily over his forehead and somehow making him look even better, even hotter.

I felt my face heat up despite the slight chill in the air. A discomforting feeling settling low in my chest.

He was turned slightly, trying to glance over his shoulder, probably checking for injuries on his back, not noticing me standing there staring like I had forgotten how to function.

I might have if I was being honest. He was impossibly sexy.

‘Why was he even with me?’ I found myself thinking.

I didn’t think I had the best feminine features. My breasts were normal-sized, my hips were adequate, and my ass was… okay. Perky enough, I supposed, but nothing extraordinary.

Nothing compared to the kind of woman someone like Adrian could have. Yet here he was.

Mine. Or so he claims.

My gaze drifted again.

I thought of running my fingers through his hair. Dragging my hands slowly across his chest. Letting them roam lower and—

“My love?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Adrian had turned to look at me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Mortification flooded me so fast my neck burned.

Oh God.

Had he noticed?

I rushed forward quickly, keeping my head down, my hair flowing to cover the small crimson on my cheeks.

I quickly set up the box on the dining table and opened it, hoping he wouldn’t notice how red my face had become.

He definitely noticed. “Were you stealing glances at me, my love?”

I said nothing.

His smile deepened. “You know I’m all yours. You only need to ask, and I’m all yours to watch, touch, or tast—”

“Okay—okay. Keep quiet. I get it.”

I cut him off quickly before he could finish, fumbling with the disinfectant and plaster strips.

His quiet laughter only made it worse.

I focused on cleaning the cut on his face, carefully dabbing the antiseptic over the wound while trying very hard not to meet his eyes.

Which was difficult. Because Adrian was staring.

Not casually.

Not absentmindedly.

He was looking at me like I was something precious. Something he wanted to memorize.

It made my hands unsteady.

I tried ignoring it. I failed, woefully.

“What?” I whispered finally, my voice embarrassingly soft.

His gaze didn’t waver. “Can’t I just watch and adore my wife?”

He said it so shamelessly, so naturally, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile.

“Don’t you have shame? A reputation to uphold? Aren’t you supposed to be the big boss.”

“What does reputation or shame have to do with staring at my wife?”

“You’re impossible,” I muttered weakly.

Before I could move back, Adrian’s hand slid around my waist, pulling me forward until I was standing between his open legs.

My breath caught.

I hadn’t even realized how close I already was.

“Adrian…” I warned softly. Trying to ignore the heat his hands dragged across the open skin.

His hands moved to the back of my thighs, slow and warm, his touch sending heat straight through me. His gaze dropped, dark and heavy with thoughts he wasn’t even trying to hide.

I swallowed hard. Adrian was dangerous, very dangerous. Not in the sense outsiders would think. Dangerous in a way that made me want to crawl into his skin. His eyes were so filled with light and adoration that it unnerved me.

Quickly, I pressed the last plaster into place and stepped back before my own thoughts betrayed me.

“There. Done.” I cleared my throat, refusing to look at him. “All patched up.”

“Can I kiss you, my love?”

I swatted his hand away lightly. “Focus, Adrian, and play nice. I’m still mad at you.”

He leaned back in the chair with a sigh, looking far too pleased with himself for someone supposedly being punished.

“I’m sorry, baby, but I am already playing nice. I usually wouldn’t ask. I’d just take.”

My face warmed instantly.

“Shameless,” I muttered, closing the first aid box and stepping away before he could pull me back into whatever dangerous mood this as becoming.

I turned to leave, determined to make it to my room with at least a little dignity left.

“Can I come to the room with you, my love?” he called after me.

I paused. “Please,” he added.

I looked back at him. He was still sitting there, shirtless, injured, and somehow looking entirely too smug and too boyish at the same time.

A slow smile broke across my face despite myself. I don’t let him see, with my back turned, I continued up the stairs to my room. “Goodnight, Adrian.”

His groan followed me down the hall. “Cruel woman.”

I shook my head with a small chuckle.