I eventually grew into amostlynormal adult, and I learned to adapt to my surroundings quickly.
However, my peculiar mannerisms that I had developed over the years stuck with me, making me unable to pursue any sort of normal relationship with anyone really. My affinity to cleanliness came from living in scum my entire childhood. It soon grew to an obsession. And along with it, the need to feel clean and for everything around me to be sanitary.
I was only sixteen when my uncle noticed that I couldn't eat off the fine china that had already been used at a prior meal. I couldn't drink from the same glass that someone else's lips had touched even if it had been washed a million times in scalding hot water.
I needed everything to be brand new and unused. Every. Single. Time.
I also required control over every single aspect of my life. Having had no control for so long throughout my childhood, I demanded it when I got older. I need order and precision to survive.
Taking a final swig of my scotch, I set the glass down on a coaster resting on a side table. Feeling flushed from the alcohol and overwhelmed from the barrage of painful memories, I take off my suit jacket and neatly drape it over the back of a broad backed leather armchair. My fingers hook into the tie around my neck, loosening it, before unbuttoning the top two buttons.
Breathing deeply, I instantly feel better and not as if I'm suffocating.
The door to the library opens, and my gaze flashes to the doorway to see the most beautiful creature who ever graced my presence.
Adeline's dark locks cascade in soft waves around her. She's wearing short pajama shorts that showcase her long legs and curves and a tight tank that leaves no room for the imagination. She's not wearing a bra, and I can see her nipples poking through the material.
My cock jumps at the sight, straining against my zipper, and I hold back a groan as she walks towards me.
"I thought you might be in here," she says with a coy smile.
I try to read between the lines of her statement. She knew I'd be here, and she dressed…likethat? I narrow my eyes as I try to figure out what kind of dangerous game she's trying to play.
"Jax told me that you don't even own a DVD player," she tells me.
I frown at her words, because I don't remember the two of them discussing that over dinner. She must have talked to him afterwards…or maybe before. How often do they talk? What do they talk about?
My mind swirls with jealously, and I hate the fucking feeling. I clench my jaw, seething internally with anger.
She must notice the change in my demeanor, because she takes a step back and watches me with a guarded look on her face. "You said that we could watch theLord of the Ringsmovies together sometime, so I asked Jax if you had them."
Some of my raging jealousy simmers when I realize she was thinking about me when she talked to Jax.
Adeline regards me with unease, and I hate it. I don't want her to fear me or hate me. I want her to like me and to trust me, and I've never wanted something more in my entire fucking life.
I close the distance between us in a few, long strides. I tower over her petite frame as she looks up at me with those emerald eyes I can't seem to stop thinking about.
"I'll order a DVD player and the movies," I tell her. "If you make me a list, I'll get whatever movies you want."
She gives me a heart-stopping smile, and I can feel the breath leaving my lungs. Without thinking, I reach up and wrap a lock of her hair loosely around my finger. Her hair is soft, and I can smell the apple scent from the shampoo I bought for her.
"Lucien." My name is a soft plea on her lips.
When her pink tongue darts out of her mouth to lick her full lips, I'm a fucking goner. I curse at the scotch in my system right now giving me liquid courage and not a clear head. But maybe this is just what I need…what I want.
I release the strand and cup her cheek against my palm. Gently, I trace her bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. And suddenly, I feel the urge to do something I've never done before. My eyes lock onto her lips, and I lick my own. I want to kiss her. I want to taste her.
I want to fucking devour her.
She would be my first.
My first kiss…ever.
I suck in a shuddering breath, my entire body shaking with need. "Adeline." I say her name, and it comes out almost like a moan. I don't ask if I can kiss her. I just take what I want. And I fucking want her more than anything in the world at this moment.
Leaning down, I brush my lips over hers in a teasing barely-there kiss. Softly at first, savoring the feeling of her mouth against mine for the first time.
My fingertips slowly trace the soft line of her jaw to the back of her neck. Then, I tangle my fingers into her hair and pull her closer, holding her in place as I deepen the kiss.
