the Villainess they took for granted

(Marian POV)

Adrian kissed her.

For a moment, Marian couldn’t move.

Her mind simply stopped.

She had expected him to speak.

Perhaps he wanted to acknowledge what had happened between them. Perhaps he wanted to ask why she had returned. Perhaps he had brought her here because there were things they could finally say without an entire ballroom listening.

She had not expected this.

His hand rested against the wall beside her.

Then it moved.

His arm came around her waist, drawing her closer.

His other hand slid to the back of her neck, holding her gently but firmly as he kissed her again.

Marian’s breath caught.

Her fingers curled instinctively against his chest, feeling the steady warmth beneath the fabric. She could hear nothing except the faint rush of her own breathing and the pounding of her heart. Every sensible thought seemed to have dissolved beneath the certainty of his touch.

She should have stopped him.

She knew that.

Instead, she remained where she was, her body slowly relaxing against his.

When his thumb brushed lightly against the nape of her neck, a shiver passed through her.

She closed her eyes.

For one dangerous moment, she allowed herself to forget everything except this.

The closeness.

The warmth.

The familiar scent of him.

And the terrifying possibility that perhaps she had never stopped wanting him.

She knew this man.

She had known him for eighteen years.

She knew the warmth of his hands.

She knew the way he held her.

She knew what it felt like to stand this close to him.

There had been nothing unfamiliar about Adrian’s touch once.

But this—

This was different.

Adrian had never been like this with her.

Not this decisive.

Not this unrestrained.

Not as though he had simply decided that he wanted her and saw no reason to pretend otherwise.

The Adrian she remembered had always been careful.

He had considered her feelings.

He had waited for her.

Even when he wanted something, he had rarely taken it without first making certain that she wanted it too.

Now he was holding her as though the years between them had only made his restraint thinner.

Marian should have been startled by that.

She was.

But beneath the surprise was something else.

She liked it.

That realization unsettled her more than the kiss itself.

She liked the certainty in his touch.

She liked knowing that he wanted her.

Perhaps she had wanted exactly this without knowing how to admit it.

Her hands remained uncertainly between them.

She didn’t immediately know what to do.

Not because she was unfamiliar with Adrian.

Because she was unfamiliar with this Adrian.

This was the man who had once loved her carefully.

Now he was kissing her as though he had spent three years wanting to do exactly this.

The thought made her heart race.

Does he still want me?

She didn’t dare believe it.

Not yet.

So she simply let him kiss her.

And, for the first time in years, she allowed herself to wonder what it might feel like to be wanted by him again.

--

(Adrian POV)

Adrian felt her stillness.

He drew back.

His hand remained at the back of her neck.

Marian stared at him.

Her lips were parted, her breathing uneven.

She hadn’t pushed him away.

But she hadn’t kissed him back either.

Adrian studied her face.

There was no need to question himself.

He had wanted her.

He still wanted her.

And Marian had spent the entire evening giving him reasons to believe that she wanted him too.

The earrings.

The way she had watched him.

The way she had accepted his dance.

The way she had remained in his arms.

He had given her the opening.

Now he was seeing what she would do with it.

”Do you not want this?”

Marian’s eyes widened slightly.

Her gaze dropped.

For one brief moment, she looked at his mouth.

Then she looked back at him.

Adrian waited.

Not uncertainly.

Simply watching.

If she wanted him, she would tell him.

And if she didn’t—

he would know that too.

Marian reached for him.

Her fingers caught the front of his coat.

Then she kissed him.

Adrian went still for a heartbeat.

Not from surprise.

From satisfaction.

There it was.

Her answer.

He pulled her closer and kissed her again.

This time, Marian responded without hesitation.

Adrian felt the change immediately.

She wasn’t merely allowing him to have her attention.

She was giving it back.

He had wanted to know how far she would go.

Now he had his first answer.

And it pleased him far more than it should have.

For the moment, he didn’t care whether she wanted the Emperor or the man beneath the crown.

She was here.

She was choosing to kiss him.

And he wanted her badly enough that the distinction could wait.

He pulled her closer.

Much closer.

Marian’s breath caught as the last space between them disappeared.

She could feel the heat of him, the strength in the arms holding her, the unmistakable intensity of his desire.

Her fingers tightened around his coat.

This was no longer simply a kiss.

Adrian’s gaze remained fixed on hers.

He wanted to know whether she would retreat now that she understood what he wanted.

She didn’t.

Instead, Marian looked at him with flushed cheeks and uncertain eyes.

Then, without warning, Adrian slipped one arm beneath her knees and lifted her effortlessly into his arms.

Marian gasped.

”Adrian—”

He kissed her again.

The surprise left her momentarily breathless.

He carried her away from the corridor without slowing.

Only then did Marian fully understand where he was taking her.

His private chambers.

Her heart began pounding.

She had thought she understood what she was offering when she had kissed him back.

Now the reality of it was catching up with her.

This was no longer a stolen moment hidden away from the ballroom.

She had crossed a line with him.

And she had done so willingly.

Adrian pushed open the door and carried her inside.

He looked down at her.

There was no hesitation in his expression.

Only want.