Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,95
me, he stops dead in his tracks, his eyes widening comically as he stares at a point above my shoulder.
I turn to see what he’s looking at and find a similar expression on Felix's face, staring back at Adri.
“Adrian,” he says, schooling his features quickly and relaxing them into his usual pleasant smile.
“Felix? What are you doing here?”
“I work here.”
Adri blanches, then grabs my arm and drags me inside my room, slamming the door behind us.
“What the fuck!” I rub my arm where he grabbed me.
“How long has he been here?” Adri hisses, running his hands through his wild hair, curls sticking in every direction.
“Felix?”
“Yes! Felix! Who else? Do you see me freaking out over anyone else?” He spreads his arms wide, hazel eyes burning.
“Why are you freaking out right now?” I approach him, carefully. Don’t want him to apply one of those fancy self-defense moves on me. “How do you even know Felix?”
Adri groans in frustration, crossing the room and throwing himself on the bed. I sit next to him. “Adri. Talk to me.”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Adri this rattled.
He exhales loudly. “We fucked three months ago. In LA.”
“What do you mean you fucked?”
Adri props himself on his elbows, arching an eyebrow at me. “He pinned me against the wall and fucked me until I screamed.”
I raise a hand. “Not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?”
“You don’t usually do one-night stands with strangers, Adri.”
With another groan, he flops back down, throwing an arm over his face. “It wasn’t a one-night stand,” he mumbles.
“I’m sorry. What?” I’m being a dick, I’m aware. But if I’m to get to the bottom of this, I need him to tell me everything.
Adri sits up, his shoulders slumping, the fight leaking out of him. “It wasn’t a one-night stand. I stayed at his place for a week before I had to go.” He lifts his eyes to mine, and the anguish in them breaks my heart. “We met at a club, and I felt this pull… I can’t explain it.” A small smile tugs at his lips as he speaks, as if the memory is something precious. “I saw him across the dance floor. This gorgeous guy, dancing as if nobody was watching, you know? And it was as if he could feel my eyes on him. He looked straight at me, from all the way across the dance floor. And then he smiled, and I’d never seen a more genuine, happy smile.” He falls silent, his throat working.
I place my hand on top of his knee. “How did you end up staying at his place?”
Adri chuckles. “He invited me. For the night. We hooked up, and in the morning, he made breakfast. Then asked me out on a fucking date. I told him I had to swing by my hotel to get changed, and he said I should just bring my stuff to his place. Stay with him instead. Have some fun while I was in town. And I… I couldn’t say no.” He licks his lips, pausing to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t want to say no.”
“Did you? Have fun?”
His smile’s wistful. “Yeah.”
“What happened?”
Adri shrugs. “What always happens. I had to leave.”
“Did you keep in touch?”
He shakes his head. “He wanted to. But I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
He holds my eyes for a long moment before looking away. “I was falling for him. In just a week he managed to make me feel things I’d never felt before.”
I frown. “And your first instinct was to sever all ties?”
The fire in his eyes is back. “What was I supposed to do, Zach? Move to Los Angeles to be with him? Find a job in a fucking newsroom? Trust that he meant everything he said?” He snaps his mouth shut as if he’s said too much.
“What did he say?” I ask, taking advantage of his slip-up.
He scoots off the bed and starts pacing like a caged animal. “It doesn’t matter.” He goes to the window, leaning against it. “None of this matters.” His voice is small, so unlike Adri's usual attitude that it makes my heart squeeze.
“Adri…”
“No, listen,” he interrupts me, turning to face me, the light from the window framing his face. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I came here for something much more important.”
Sticking his hand in his jeans pocket, he fishes out a small box. He stares at it for a few moments before walking over to me.