Chapter 18: The Devil's in the Detail

The boardroom was colder than usual whether from the aggressive AC or the tension crackling between Adrian and Lucien, Kai wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't want to be here. Not with Lucien's smug little smirks. Not with the way those other vampires kept looking at him like a snack wrapped in a bow.

He tugged at his collar, fingers twitching as the meeting droned on. Contracts, projections, budget allocations it all blurred into static. Especially with Adrian seated beside him, legs spread like a king, expression unreadable… but one hand resting low on Kai's thigh beneath the table.

Possessive bastard.

And yet, Kai didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

Didn't dare look at him.

Because that hand? It squeezed.

Gently.

Then firmer.

And suddenly Kai wasn't thinking about pie charts anymore.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Silvan?" Lucien asked, voice like sugar-coated poison.

Kai's gaze snapped up. "No. I was just adjusting my seat."

Lucien smiled like a shark. "Your seat or what's under it?"

Adrian's eyes flared red.

Kai's heart skipped.

"Lucien," Adrian said slowly, dangerously, "you're about two seconds from needing a new tongue. Care to rethink that sentence?"

Lucien's grin widened. "Touchy."

Adrian turned, hand still firm on Kai's thigh. "You alright?"

Kai swallowed and nodded, trying to ignore the sudden warmth flooding his cheeks. "Peachy."

The meeting wrapped with strained pleasantries and icy handshakes. As soon as the last vampire cleared the room, Kai stood, ready to bolt but Adrian didn't let him get far.

He caught Kai by the wrist again, this time yanking him flush against his chest.

"You let them stare too long," Adrian growled lowly. "Let them think they had a chance."

Kai blinked up at him. "I didn't let anything happen. Your people are just creeps."

Adrian's hand slid down to his waist, grip tightening. "You're not my people, Kai. You're mine."

"Oh my god," Kai muttered. "You're actually serious."

"Deadly."

Before Kai could argue, Adrian backed him up against the glass wall of the now-empty boardroom, lips brushing his jaw.

"You looked so good tonight," Adrian murmured. "In that tight little shirt, all wide-eyed and flustered. I wanted to drag you onto the table and"

Kai slapped a hand over his mouth. "Adrian! This is a professional setting."

"Mmm." He licked the inside of Kai's palm slowly, and Kai yelped. "I'm a terrible professional, then."

Kai tried to push him away, but Adrian caught both wrists, pinning them above Kai's head against the glass. His breath was hot, intoxicating.

"You keep tempting me, omega," he whispered. "And one of these days, I won't stop."

Kai's breathing hitched. "Then maybe don't start at all."

Adrian smiled against his cheek. "No promises."

He released him just as suddenly and stepped back, letting Kai catch his breath.

"Get in the car," Adrian said. "We're not done."

Kai stared, flustered and burning. "Where are we going now?"

Adrian smirked, fangs flashing. "Home. You've stirred the beast, baby. Now you get to deal with him."

Kai's heart still pounded as they stepped into the sleek black car. The driver didn't even glance back, and the tinted windows made the city lights blur into a private world of shadows and tension.

Adrian didn't say a word.

He didn't have to.

The way his hand rested on Kai's thigh again firm, warm, a silent claim said everything.

Kai crossed his legs, glaring out the window. "You can't just do that. In front of everyone. At work."

"Oh, I can. And I will." Adrian's voice was like silk wrapped around a dagger. "You're mine, Kai. I don't care if it's a boardroom or the bloody Vatican. If someone looks at you the wrong way, I'll make them regret it."

Kai turned, brows raised. "That's a little dramatic."

Adrian leaned in, brushing his nose along Kai's jawline. "You know what else is dramatic?" he whispered. "The way your scent shifts when you're flustered. Like wildflowers after a storm. I could drink it in for hours."

Kai shoved at his chest, but there was no real power behind it. "You're such a vampire."

"And you're such a damn tease," Adrian purred. "All that innocence wrapped in omega softness. You don't even know what you do to me."

Kai's breath caught.

The car came to a slow stop in front of Adrian's penthouse. A towering building of glass and steel that shimmered like a monolith under the moonlight. Kai had been here before but tonight, the air felt different. Charged.

Adrian stepped out first, then turned and held a hand out for Kai.

"You coming, baby?"

Kai hesitated. "If I say no?"

Adrian smirked. "Then I'll carry you."

Kai took his hand with a sigh that had no real annoyance in it. "You're lucky I'm too tired to argue."

Adrian's fingers laced with his. "Oh, I'm not banking on your exhaustion, sweetheart. I'm banking on your curiosity."

Once inside, the doors shut behind them with a soft click. Adrian didn't turn on the lights just pulled Kai deeper into the shadows of his space. The moonlight spilled across polished floors, catching the tension coiled in Adrian's shoulders as he finally stopped and turned.

"You don't know how long I've waited for this," he said quietly. "To have you in my space. With no eyes. No rules. No distractions."

Kai's voice was barely a whisper. "What are you gonna do to me?"

Adrian's smile was slow. Sinful. Dangerous.

"Everything you've been begging for with those big, innocent eyes."