The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#25 - I Don't Need You

Adrian

I was officially a caveman. With every sip of her beer and every sway of her hips, showcasing those alluring curves I desperately wanted to get my hands on, I felt the protective beast in me roar to life. I had an overwhelming urge to stride over to the dance floor, scoop Lily up, and whisk her away from the prying eyes that seemed fixated on her every move.

What the hell was she doing? Even as the question registered, I knew. She was still mad at me; I could see it in her eyes the moment she grabbed that beer and seductively swayed onto the dance floor, drawing countless eyes to her curves.

That didn't mean I hadn't been caught off guard, though. The damned display had left me rushing to the counter and snagging a beer for myself and downing it to douse the fire she'd lit in me. The liquid was ice cold, but it had not done a damn thing.

Drunk giggles rose above the loud music, and my hold on my beer tightened, hating that it only drew more attention to Lily. There was Derby and another girl who bore a cunning resemblance to the mayor out on the dance floor, but I couldn't help imagining every eye settling on Lily. If everyone was seeing what I was seeing, it was only logical. I had seen Lily dance before, but that was when she was a teenager. Now? Now she was temptation on legs that had got my blood rushing hot. She'd made my blood rush back then too, but not like this. I shifted in my seat, hoping to ease the tension in my pants before I burst out.

This night had turned out differently from what I planned. Between wanting to escape the rawness of my conversation with Beatrice and Lily's accusations, I'd decided to take Carl up on the offer the bartender had made me the first time I walked into the Cask. Running into Lily here had added a new layer of unexpected tension to my evening.

What the hell? My eyes narrowed at a drunk figure headed her way. I rose from my seat in a flash and marched toward her, my mind screaming murder if he dared to lay his filthy hands on her. I had promised myself that I would let her have her fun before I intervened, but like I said, I'd turned into a caveman.

"Can I join you, sweetheart?" I saw red at the dude's lame pick up line and hungry gaze he had sweeping over Lily.

Sweetheart? "No, she doesn't," I hissed, barely keeping my fists from connecting with the guy.

"She can speak for herself. Why don't you get lost man." The guy blabbered and made a gesture of shooing me away as Lily became aware of both our presence.

"Yeah, I can speak for myself, Ri." She let out a cute giggle as she turned to the drunk bastard who was now flashing me a smug look." I wanted to wipe it right off of his face but I shot Lily a stunned look instead. She hadn't called me 'Ri' in so long. Though she always meant to annoy me with it, I had secretly grown to love hearing it. And although her drunk state may have had everything to do with why she called me that, I suddenly wished we weren't in this goddamn place.

"No, thank you. I'm good," she told the guy before turning back to me. Her smile, confident as if showing off that she had it handled. Only she hadn't got it handled.

"You sure? I promise to show you a good time." The bastard grabbed her, and she tripped. Saving her from the fall was the only thing that kept me from ending him for touching my woman.

"I got you baby." I caught her just in time.

"You sure about that, Mr. Frost?" Lily purred, freezing me on my spot. Damn! What was I supposed to do when she stared at me like that? "I don't think your woman will like that very much."

"My woman?" I frowned at her.

"Your dear sweet Courtney," she said tracing invisible lines on my chest. What I would give to have them on my bare skin.

"Courtney is not—"

She cut me off. "Do you know that she is bad?" I was taken aback by her statement. "No?" she gave me a skeptical look before it morphed into a smirk. "I'll tell you then." I braced for whatever she had to say, but the words never came. Lily seemed to give it a thought for a beat and shook her head.

"I wish I was a bad girl too," she suddenly said, the vulnerability in her gaze striking a chord in me. Why the hell would she say that?

"Would you like me if I was a bad bad girl, Adrian Frost?" she whispered in my ear, her breath hot on my neck. It was the most intoxicating thing. She was drunk, I should not have given importance to her words or her coming on to me, but there was something about her taking charge. Memories of how she'd fiercely defended Beatrice earlier flashed through my mind, intensifying my desire for her. And when she leaned in, mouth so close I could almost taste her, I wanted to close the distance between us and connect my mouth to hers and kiss her senseless. "Would you like it if I touched you like this?" I hissed in a breath as she felt me up, hands slipping under the hem of my Tee and snaking their way up, leaving me trembling with desire and barely able to think straight. I didn't care that we had an audience or maybe I secretly enjoyed having her touch me so openly, a bold statement to those watching that she was mine.

"Ri?" I hummed a response at the sound of my nickname from her lips, my gaze fixed on her as our breaths mingled. I itched to taste her lips, invade her mouth to savour the lingering taste of alcohol, but I would wait for her to make the first move. She did, just not the one I expected. A clumsy yet genuine smile escaped her lips before she said, 'I don't need you. Haven't for a long time.' And with that, she crumpled into my chest and passed out.