Consumed by Deception (Deception Trilogy #3) by Rina Kent

“Are you jealous of my second-in-command, Lia?”

“Of course not!”

“If you say so.”

“Stop it, Adrian.” A small smile lifts my lips, but he keeps his signature blank expression.

“What? I’m agreeing with you.”

“You’re teasing me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“There. You’re doing it again.”

“Am I?”

“Yes!”

Adrian pushes off the door and stalks toward me. I suck in a deep breath, my heart hammering in my ears. Now that he’s getting closer, I’m caught in that trance that’s exclusive to him. The one where he’s the only thing I can breathe or feel.

This isn’t healthy, is it? I’m not supposed to hang on to every breath out of his sinfully proportioned mouth. I shouldn’t be burning up from the inside out because of the simple fact that he’s approaching me.

Why did I have to go and fall in love with him? It would’ve been easier if I didn’t have feelings for him.

Or if, at least, all I felt toward him was fear.

As he stops beside me, I just want to throw myself in his arms and burrow my face in his chest.

His large palm engulfs my slender shoulder and I freeze in place, my heart beating so violently in my chest, I’m surprised it doesn’t break free from my ribcage.

His hand still in place, he glides his fingers up my neck, unhurriedly, deliberately until my harsh breathing is louder than the beeping of the machine.

“Did you know that red creeps up your delicate throat and ears when you’re flustered or lying?” He leans over, his voice dripping with seduction. “Or when you’re turned on.”

“Adrian…” I mean to scold, but his name comes out as a whisper.

“There. It’s happening again.” He glides his finger over the pulse point in my neck. “I assume you’re aroused, Lenochka?”

“Do you enjoy driving me out of my element?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m the only one who does it.”

“You’re so arrogant.”

“And you’re so fond of labels.”

“I told you. I’m just giving things their names.” I focus back on Winter because if I allow myself to be sucked into Adrian’s orbit, I won’t be able to escape at all. It’s impossible to ignore his hand on my shoulder or the slow up and down motion of his fingers. “So?”

“So what?”

“What are we going to do about Winter?”

“I can keep searching for her family. Though from Kolya’s report, she doesn’t have one. Or as I said, I can transfer her.”

“Don’t do that. The nurse can keep taking care of her here. Don’t you think we owe her that much?”

“No. As I mentioned, no one forced her to come here.”

“You can be so heartless sometimes.”

“You mean logical.”

“Heartless.” I stare at Winter. “She was so happy when she thought she could live a rich person’s life.”

Adrian’s movement pauses and his hand remains inert on my shoulder. “And you were so ready to give up your life for her.”

There’s no accusation in his quiet tone, but it couldn’t have been clearer if he pointed a finger at me.

Letting my hands rest in my lap, I stare at them. “I never wanted to give up my life. I was just…trapped.”

“Trapped,” he repeats in that infuriating way he uses to get on my nerves.

“Yes, Adrian. Trapped. As in, with no way out. But you wouldn’t know what that term means, not when everything you want magically comes true.”

“Believe me, there’s no magic involved. I forged my way through, and while I didn’t give a fuck about who got destroyed in the process, I didn’t walk all over you. I didn’t step on you and continue my path as if you were nothing.”

I glance up at him, at the menacingly beautiful face and merciless gray eyes. “Do you really believe that? Do you honestly think you didn’t walk all over me?”

“Yes. If I had, you wouldn’t be sitting in front of me right now.”

“Then should I be thankful that I didn’t end up like Winter?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“That’s what you mean.”

“That’s what you want me to mean, Lia. Don’t project your misconceptions on me.”

I release a long breath in a last-ditch attempt to calm my nerves. As if feeling my distress, Adrian strokes my shoulder. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, is that understood?”

“You say that as if you weren’t fooled by Winter.”

“I wasn’t. One look into her eyes and I figured out she wasn’t you.”

“That simple?”

“That simple.”

I don’t know why that rips a small sigh out of me. The fact that he could’ve replaced me with her ate me alive back then. “Does that mean you wouldn’t have…you know…”

“Fucked her?”

My cheeks heat as I stare at my hands and nod once.

“What do you think?”

“You have a crazy sex drive…so…it could happen.” The words burn in my throat on their way out.