Chapter 6 Unexpected Request

• ADELINE’S POV
• I’m woken up by a low grunt. My back and neck aches from Liam and I falling asleep on the couch. As I flutter my eyes open, I notice Liam pacing back and forth in the living room, an unhappy look staining his face. Liam is almost never agitated and he always looks like he has everything under control. He never loses his cool and he sure as hell never paces back and forth at five in the morning.
• Something’s wrong.
• “Liam?” I say softly, my voice still cracked from just waking up from sleep. He turns towards me and runs his hand down his face. His eyes are apologetic as he walks towards me.
• “Fuck Addie, I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” He asks taking a seat next to me. His hair is disheveled and he looks stressed.
• “I’m fine Liam. You wanna tell me what’s wrong?” I ask him worriedly as I sit up.
• “My client. Ricardo Mel. The one who was accused of sexual assault. Apparently, he’s dead. Someone broke into his house in the middle of the night, kidnapped him, tortured him somewhere and then brought back his dead body to his house. No one knows who did it. One of his guards informed the police about it and I got a call this morning. I got some photos of his body and God Addie, the things that were done to him…”
• My face falls as Liam explains. I know Liam always works on complicated and dangerous cases but this is the first time he’s ever lost a client. He always wins his cases so I know how much this must affect him.
• “I’m so sorry Liam. I know how much this case was important to you. Who do you think could have done it?” I ask as he runs his hands through his hair.
• “I have no idea. Normally the prime suspect would be the girl who accused him of rape but she’s just one girl and she surely doesn’t have the necessary resources to break into Ricardo Mel’s house, leave and then come back unnoticed. It’s either the girl has some dangerous people backing her or this was entirely someone else. Someone who wanted revenge for something. The way he was tortured and killed looked so personal though, so I’m sure they’ll pin the blame on the girl. But I’m certain it’s not her.”
• He looks towards me and lets out a deep breath. Then he scoffs and leans back on the couch. “I’m so sorry for bringing you into this Addie and waking you up. I know you have to be at your office today.” He apologizes with a strained smile.
• “I’m fine Liam.” I say pushing myself towards him. “It’s you I’m worried about. This complicates things for you, doesn’t it? I mean does his death somehow affect you directly?”
• “Not exactly. I was just his lawyer. Now that he’s dead, the case is over. The police just have to do their job now and find out who killed him.” He says.
• “And you’re sure it’s not the girl who accused him of rape?” I ask him furrowing my brows. He nods and stands up.
• “I think I need to go for a run. You coming?” He changes the topic fast which makes me understand I should probably shut up about all this and give his mind space to think. Knowing Liam, he’s not going to let this go. He’s going to brainstorm until he finds out who’s behind this, and that makes me worry because this isn’t just some normal case anymore.
• This was cold blooded murder and if Liam starts sticking his nose in places it doesn’t belong, he might get into real trouble. I shake my head slowly and offer him a sweet smile.
• “You go ahead. I’ll just use the gym upstairs.”
• Throughout my morning routine, I kept thinking about Liam. He sent me a message saying he was out to get coffee and that I can just go to work and not wait for him to come back. He’s hurting and he doesn’t want me to see it. I don’t know how I feel about that because we’ve been friends for the longest time. He should be able to come to me about anything.
• I suppose maybe it’s because this is something that Liam has never experienced before. I’ve never lost a patient before so I definitely have no idea what this might be doing to him but I want to be there for him. I sigh and get into my car and drive off to my office.
• I’m meeting Dante today and just the thought of being in his presence again is making my chest heavy and getting me agitated. I don’t know how I’ll react to his incessant staring and the way he makes my body feel hot all over just by staring at me. I really need to figure out a way to stop him from affecting me as much as he does.
• I don’t even know the guy yet I can’t seem to get his face and body out of my head and it’s fucking with the professionality of the situation. As soon as I get to my office, I practice over and over how I’m going to address him but I immediately forget everything as soon as he walks into my office with my assistant.
• He looks even better than the first time I saw him, if that’s even possible but there’s a certain darkness in his eyes that wasn’t there the first time as he gazes at me. My assistant walks out of my office and I’m left alone with Dante.
• “Good morning, Dante. Please have a sea-“
• “Go out with me.” He blurts out and my eyes widen at him as my heart starts beating frantically in my chest. He didn’t say it as a question. It felt a lot like an order and under normal circumstances, I would be pissed off but I know by now that Dante Russo, a man I’ve met only once in my life has the ability to make me feel things that I haven’t felt in a long time. He makes me want to break out of my shell and do things that I only ever dream of. He makes me want to ignite.
• He makes my skin tingle and he makes my breath get stuck in my throat. When he’s close to me all my professionality flies out the window and I feel like a teenager all over again with a need to feel him on my skin. A need for him to invade my personal space even though I know that’s probably a bad idea. God what’s wrong with me. This is a man I’ve met one time.
• I sound like a touch deprived and lonely teenager.
• “What did you just say?” I ask.
• He tilts his head and smirks as he takes his hands out of his pocket. My eyes scan his build as he takes slow steps towards me. His body looks perfect and as he moves further and further towards me, I start noticing how really tall he is and how small I am compared to him. What is he doing and why am I allowing it?
• “I said go out with me Adeline.” He comes to a stop in front of me, on my side of the table and even though we’re about a meter apart, I can feel his energy everywhere on my body. What happened to good morning? He can’t just walk in here and tell me what to do and I know I should stop this, but there’s a fucked-up part about me that’s excited about having someone as attractive as Dante Russo interested in me and I’m curious. Curious about how far this can go.
• With the way my chest is rising and falling, the way my breath comes out shakily as he gazes intensely into my eyes, I can tell he can see just how I attracted I am to him too. We’re both grown-ups and it’s not a secret the atmosphere is filled with pure lust when we’re together. He searches my face for a moment before taking another step towards me. I want to say something but my tongue suddenly can’t function anymore as he invades my personal space.
• “I don’t go out with my patients Mr. Russo.” I say calling him by his last name in a pathetic attempt to make this situation more professional than it is right now but all he does is throw his head backwards and curses in a whisper. A smile playing on his face. I’m surprised by his actions and that little groan he just let out sends a wave of heat straight to my core.
• He’s crazy and I still haven’t figured him out and he’s everything my body needs to feel good but everything my brain knows I shouldn’t want. It wouldn’t hurt to sleep with him just once, will it?
• “It’s just coffee Adeline. I don’t know about you but this office seems too…small for both of us. Every time I look at you sitting in that chair of yours, looking the way you do, it distracts me.” He moves even closer to me and pushes a lock of hair away from my face.
• I’m absolutely dumbfounded by what he just said to me. It’s taking me an unreasonable amount of time to process everything that’s going on right now and I can’t seem to take my eyes away from him. And what scares me the most is that I’m not even annoyed or disgusted. I want to go out for coffee with Dante Russo.
• So instead of doing the reasonable thing which is decline his offer, I swallow and nod my head slowly like an obedient little child. I’m going to regret this.