Chapter 15 - The Confession in the Dark
The medical wing beneath Safehouse 9 was sterile, quiet, and smelled of antiseptic.
It had taken two hours for Adrian’s private surgeon to remove the bullet fragment and stitch the muscle wall. Through the entire ordeal, I hadn't left his side. I had washed the grime from my face, changed into clean clothes, but my hands still smelled of gunpowder and copper.
Now, it was four in the morning. The surgeon had left, assuring me that the wound had missed vital organs.
Adrian lay on the elevated hospital bed, his bare chest wrapped in heavy white bandages, his IV line dripping saline into his arm. His face was pale, his dark curls plastered to his forehead with sweat.
I sat in the chair beside him, holding his limp, calloused hand between both of mine.
His fingers twitched.
His eyes opened slowly, dark and unfocused, before locking onto my face.
“Maya,” he whispered, his voice dry as sandpaper.
“I’m here,” I choked out, a tear finally escaping and tracking down my cheek. “You idiot. You almost died.”
A faint, tired smirk touched the corner of his mouth. “I told you... I don't die easily.”
“You shouldn't have jumped in front of those shooters.”
“I’d jump in front of a firing squad for you,” he said, his voice quiet, stripped of all arrogance, carrying a terrifying weight of absolute truth.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. “Don't say that. You barely know me.”
Adrian squeezed my hand, his grip surprisingly strong despite the blood loss. He pulled me slightly toward him until I was leaning over the bed, my face inches from his.
“I know you burst into my life soaking wet, holding a mop, and didn't bow to me,” he whispered, his dark eyes burning with raw vulnerability. “I know you risked your life to save mine at the gala. And tonight... tonight you dropped an entire shipping container on an army to keep me breathing.”
His free hand rose slowly, his fingertips brushing away the tear on my cheek.
“I have spent twenty years surrounded by people who want my money, my power, or my head on a stake,” Adrian murmured, his thumb caressing my lower lip. “You’re the first person who ever fought for *me*.”
“Adrian...”
“Kiss me, Maya,” he commanded softly. “Before I lose my mind.”
I didn't hesitate.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to his.
The kiss started soft, hesitant, filled with the lingering terror of the night. But the moment his mouth opened beneath mine, the heat exploded. Adrian groaned, his hand sliding behind my neck, pulling me down into a kiss so fierce, so hungry, it erased every memory of fear, blood, and gunsmoke.
When I finally pulled back, both of us breathless, Adrian’s eyes were completely wild.
“You’re not walking away from this, Bennett,” he warned, his voice husky. “Whatever happens next... you stay by my side.”
May you like
“Try and get rid of me, Voss,” I whispered, resting my forehead against his. “I know where you keep the good coffee.”
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