The room was thick with heat.
Adrian's lips were still crushing against Valeria's, his hands roaming her body with an urgency that sent fire through her veins. He wasn't gentle, wasn't patient. He was demanding, consuming. And she let him—for now.
His fingers slipped over the bare skin of her back, rough against the delicate silk of her dress. He gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him, and the hard evidence of his arousal pressed against her stomach. A sharp thrill coursed through her. She had him exactly where she wanted him.
A slow, teasing smile tugged at her lips as she rolled her hips, pressing deliberately into him. His breath hitched, and his grip on her tightened.
"Fuck, Valeria," Adrian growled against her mouth.
She loved the way her name sounded on his lips—raw, desperate, like she had unraveled something tightly coiled inside him.
His mouth moved, trailing down her jawline, his stubble grazing her skin in the most intoxicating way. Then his lips found her throat—hot, open-mouthed kisses that burned against her pulse. He sucked lightly, letting his teeth scrape her delicate skin, sending waves of sensation straight to her core.
She arched into him, a soft gasp escaping her lips as his hands wandered lower, over the curve of her hips, then lower still, fingers slipping under the hem of her dress.
He wanted more.
And she was dangerously close to giving it to him.
His fingers dug into her thighs, parting them slightly as his knee pressed between them. Heat coiled in her belly, her breath coming in shallow pants as she felt him against her, hard, hot, completely out of control.
She dragged her nails down his chest, feeling the taut muscles beneath his shirt. She could rip it off him right now, could let this escalate, let him take her right here against the desk—
But then, she remembered.
This wasn't just about desire.
She was supposed to be playing him. Not falling for him.
She inhaled sharply and forced herself to stop.
With a smirk, she pulled away, breaking the kiss just as Adrian moved to deepen it. His grip tightened like he was about to yank her back to him, but she placed a single finger against his lips.
His breathing was ragged, his pupils blown wide with lust. He looked wrecked.
Valeria leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "Not yet."
Adrian let out a sharp exhale, frustrated, feral. His jaw clenched, his hands still gripping her like he was barely restraining himself from pulling her back in.
"Not yet?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low.
She smirked. "You'll just have to be patient."
His fingers flexed against her hips, his frustration evident in the way he was still pressing against her, still wanting.
"Valeria," he warned.
She only chuckled, stepping away slowly, letting his gaze drink her in, taking in the way her swollen lips and flushed skin screamed of what they had just done.
The tension was still thick, suffocating.
Valeria could feel the weight of Adrian's gaze on her as she took a slow step back, distancing herself from the temptation that was his body pressed against hers, his hands still gripping her like he owned her.
But just as she was about to fully slip from his grasp, his fingers caught her wrist—firm, unyielding.
"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was deep, rough with frustration, with desire left unsatisfied.
Valeria tilted her head, amusement flickering in her dark eyes. "Leaving before we do something you might regret."
His grip tightened, and in a swift move, he yanked her back to him. Hard.
She gasped as her back hit the cold surface of the desk, and in the next breath, Adrian was towering over her, trapping her between the solid wood and his firm body.
"I don't regret things," he murmured, his breath hot against her cheek.
She exhaled shakily, her pulse spiking when his fingers trailed down her arm, then lower, skimming the bare skin of her thigh where her dress had ridden up.
Adrian leaned in, lips just a whisper away from hers.
"You think you can just walk away after that?" he murmured. His hands slowly traveled up, tracing the curve of her waist, making her stomach clench in anticipation. "After the way you just had me?"
Her smirk faltered for half a second. He wasn't wrong.
She could still feel the heavy ache between her thighs, the ghost of his mouth on her skin, the way her body screamed for more.
But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Not yet.
With a sultry smile, she trailed a teasing finger down his chest, over the expensive buttons of his dress shirt. "If I had you," she whispered, "you wouldn't be standing here looking so frustrated."
Adrian let out a low chuckle, but his hands tightened on her hips, fingers digging into the soft flesh there, making her gasp.
"You like playing with fire, Valeria," he warned, his voice gravelly, laced with heat.
She lifted her chin, her lips ghosting over his jaw, the scent of his cologne thick in her lungs. "And you like getting burned."
His breath caught.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them was charged, electric. His fingers curled against her skin, his chest rising and falling in heavy, uneven breaths.
Valeria's lips brushed against his once—just enough to drive him insane.
Then she pushed lightly against his chest, forcing him to step back.
"I have to go," she murmured, smoothing down her dress as if she hadn't just been seconds away from letting him devour her.
Adrian clenched his jaw, his eyes dark and unreadable as they bore into her. Still hungry. Still unsatisfied.
"This isn't over," he said, voice low, dangerous.
Valeria smirked, walking past him. "I know."
And with that, she left, leaving Adrian standing there, still hard, still aching, still thinking about the way she had whispered, 'Not yet.'
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
Fuck.
He needed to have her.
And soon.