I gentle my movements, kissing my way up her trembling abdomen, between her breasts, to her mouth.She tastes like breathless laughter from another life—a fantasy made real.
The Tower holds.
Not collapse—revelation.For once, destruction gives way to clarity.She’s here because she chose safety.Chose me.Chose us.
When we kiss, she tastes like trust and tomorrow.Her hands fumble with my belt again, and this time I let her.She releases me, slicks my crown with her thumb, then strokes with intention that makes my vision blur.
“Adrien.”My name is permission and plea.
The table’s the perfect height—almost like I planned this.I position myself at her entrance, meet her eyes for confirmation.
She nods, pulls me closer.
The first slow thrust steals both our breath.Home.This is what coming home feels like—her heat surrounding me, her legs wrapping around my hips, her hands gripping my shoulders like I’m the anchor in a storm she didn’t know she was weathering.
“Stay,” I murmur against her mouth, though whether I’m asking her to stay in my apartment or stay in this moment or stay in my life, I don’t know.
“I’m here,” she whispers back.
For now, it’s enough.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Brie
I wake to Adrien’s phone buzzing and the disorienting luxury of his bedroom.My body recognizes where I am before my mind catches up—the weight of expensive sheets, his warmth beside me, that particular scent of his cologne lingering on the pillows.After years of waking alone or on assignment, this feels uncomfortably close to something I want to get used to.The blackout curtains make it impossible to tell what time it is, and for a moment I just lie there resting.
Adrien groans.“Sorry.I thought I put it on silent.”
For a brief second, I block out the distant vibration and relax into the comfort of the cocoon, the sense of safety, and Adrien’s long, sinewy body stretched beside mine.But all too soon, I glimpse the time—and realize we massively overslept—which I never do.
“It’s okay.I need to get up.”I press a kiss to his shoulder before sliding out of bed.
The simple domesticity of it catches me off guard.When did we morph into a real couple?Because that’s what this is, isn’t it?We don’t have an end date.When the project ends, there’s no reason we can’t still see each other, is there?
“What time is it?”
“It’s after eight.I never sleep this late.”
On my way to the bathroom I see him lift the phone and set it back down.
“Who is it?”I wouldn’t normally ask, but his expression isn’t merely dismissive; there’s something else there and given all that’s happened…
“My sister.I’ll call her back from the office.Get your shower.I’ll get us coffee.”
I pause in the bathroom doorway and ask, “Are you still planning to let Eddie go today?”
“Yes.”He’s in his boxers, barefoot, but the way he’s looking at me, with his stance and commanding air, he could lead a press conference.He is not a man who needs a suit.
“I’ll go in with you.Before you let him go, your security team should be briefed.”
“I’m aware.Macon, the head of security, should be in by ten.”
In under thirty minutes, we’ve both showered and dressed.His housekeeper, Maria, is in the kitchen when I enter seeking a refill of the French-pressed coffee.
“Good morning,” she says, greeting me from beside the stove.“What would you like for breakfast?”
Is this how he wakes all the time?The casual luxury of it makes me hyperaware of the chasm between our worlds.On the yacht, I could pretend we were both visitors to that floating palace.But here, watching Maria move through his kitchen with practiced ease, I’m reminded that Adrien doesn’t just visit this life—he lives it.Meanwhile, my apartment back home has a coffee maker I bought at Target and a fridge that’s empty more often than not.
