Sienna Vale POV
The sunlight stabbed through the curtains with a point to prove.
Harsh. Honest. Unforgiving.
I groaned and threw an arm over my face. Both my body and the bed smelled faintly of him—and somewhere beneath that, regret.
Adrian Kade had been an outstanding lover.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was that he'd been everything I didn't expect him to be—focused, deliberate, and devastatingly human. He hadn't used me; he'd unraveled me. And I hated that I'd let him.
I never entertained clients with intimacy. It wasn't part of my contract or my character. Last night I made an exception. Kade didn't need to know that—because admitting it would mean confessing just how much I'd wanted it to happen.
Most nights ended with a polite goodbye, a kiss at the door, and a thick envelope that kept the lights on, and my brother's lawyer paid. Sometimes the clients got handsy, but that's what my taser was for. It worked the two times I'd needed it.
I was one of the agency's high-end girls—the kind hired to look beautiful, untouchable, safe.
But last night… last night had been a mistake.
The hiss of running water pulled me back. The shower was on.
He was still here.
I sat up slowly, the sheet slipping down my shoulders, heart pounding harder than it should. Nine a.m. blinked on the clock beside the bed. I never slept this late.
"Perfect," I muttered to the ceiling. "Overslept, compromised, and unemployed. Great start to the day."
"Talking to yourself again?"
That voice again—low, rough, and far too calm.
I looked up.
Adrian stood in the doorway, a towel hanging indecently low on his hips. Drops of water traced paths down his chest, catching on the faint red marks my nails had left. His hair—normally slicked back in ruthless order—fell forward in soft, chaotic curls.
Oh my goodness, I'm screwed.
He looked like sin on a stick.
My mouth went dry. I bit my lower lip before I could stop myself.
He noticed. Of course, he noticed.
A slow smirk tugged at his mouth. "You're staring, Ms. Vale."
"Occupational hazard," I shot back, tightening the sheet around me. "I observe people. Usually, while they're dressed."
He chuckled, the sound warm and dangerous. "You'll get used to it. New contract, sweetheart."
I blinked. "What?"
He strolled to the bar, pouring a drink at nine a.m., and as if he hadn't just rearranged my entire existence. "From this day forward, I've bought your agency contract."
My heart stopped. "You did what?"
He looked over his shoulder, utterly unfazed. "You work exclusively for me now. You'll keep your job at Kade Holdings and Enterprises, of course. You're too damn good at it. But at night, you'll be available to me."
I stared at him, words choking in my throat. "You can't be serious. I'm not your personal on-call girl when you get an itch to scratch. Ugh! Here we go again—you're so annoying."
He waited through my rant, patiently and unbothered. "I've never been more serious."
I pushed the sheet aside and stood, gathering what little dignity I had left. "Listen, Captain Control-Everything, I have a family who depends on me. Court dates. Depositions. A brother sitting in a cell waiting for me to prove he's worth saving. I don't have time to be one of your possessions."
His eyes trailed down my body and back to my face. I trembled. His eyes were dark and focused, unfazed by my nakedness. "You think that's what this is?"
"What else could it be?"
He took a step closer. "It's called protecting an investment. You're in dangerous company, Sienna. I've seen the kind of men your agency sells access to."
"Don't pretend this is about protecting me," I snapped. "You want control."
He smiled faintly. "And you hate that you want to give it to me."
I inhaled sharply, fury and something hotter twisting together inside me. "You're unbelievable."
"Efficient," he corrected. "Not unbelievable. And very patient."
I rolled my eyes. "Ugh. I can't stand you."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
They hung there—sharp and reckless—between two people who should never be alone together.
Adrian didn't flinch. He leaned back against the dresser, both hands braced behind him, expression unreadable.
"You'd be surprised how many people have told me that," he said. "Most of them don't look at me the way you do when they say it."
"I'm not looking at you any kind of way."
"Then stop looking."
I should. I really should. But my eyes betrayed me—again. He was beautiful, all edges and control. My own body betrayed me too, heat coiling low, nipples tightening to sharp peeks. I reached behind me and pulled the sheet around me.
He smiled, noticing everything.
"Exactly, sweetheart," he murmured. "I think we both know we're in trouble."
"I shouldn't be here," I whispered.
He nodded once. "Agreed. Yet here you are."
The silence that followed felt like standing too close to a cliff's edge. One more step, and there'd be no coming back.
I forced a brittle laugh. "Well, this was fun."
He straightened, moving toward me with deliberate slowness. "Do you think this is funny, Sienna?"
"I think this is insane."
"You're right." His voice dropped, deep and dangerous. "And if I were a decent man, I'd let you walk out that door. But you already know I'm not decent."
"I know," I said quietly, hating the tremor in my voice.
"You're my assistant," he continued. "I need you in the office. I want you in the bedroom." He shrugged lightly. "Stop blowing it up."
"Tell me to stop," he said softly. "And I will."
"I already did," I whispered. "But you're not listening."
He studied me for a long beat, unreadable. "Tell me and mean it."
"You'll fire me by the end of the week, won't you?" I asked.
A shadow of a smile ghosted across his lips. "If I were going to fire you, Ms. Vale, I'd have done it months ago."
He reached past me, opened the bathroom door, and guided me inside. Cool tile met my bare feet, snapping the spell that hung between us.
"Go home, Sienna," he said quietly. "Before I forget where the line is."
I was a little shell-shocked, as I realized how quickly my life was spiraling out of my control.
Tomorrow, I'd pretend it never happened.
Until the next call.
"You are in so much trouble, Sienna," I muttered, catching my reflection in the mirror.
Tomorrow I'd go back to hating him.
But as my pulse refused to settle, I already knew the truth—
I couldn't stay away.