LOGINNirvana’s POVI walked from the edge of the velvet sofa to the stone fireplace, turned around on my heel and walked exactly twelve steps back to the sofa.I had been pacing the length of the living room for three hours. The heavy silence of the house was slowly driving me insane. Adrian hadn't texted. Ronan hadn't called. The only thing I knew was that whatever pulled Adrian away was bad enough to warrant a complete lockdown.I stopped pacing and let out a frustrated breath, dragging my hands through my hair.Needing a distraction before I wore a permanent path into the rug, I walked out of the living room and headed down the hall toward the kitchen.Iris was standing near the marble island. He wasn't patrolling or holding a weapon. He was meticulously assembling a turkey sandwich with the intense, laser-focused precision of a surgeon performing a heart transplant. He placed exactly four slices of meat onto the bread, perfectly aligned the edges, and reached for a jar of mustard."
Adrian’s POVI pulled the phone away from my ear, ending the call. Then I shoved it back into my suit jacket pocket. Without a single word, I grabbed the handle of the SUV’s passenger door and ushered Nirvana inside. I slammed it shut with force.I walked around the hood, my jaw locked so tight. I slid into the driver's seat, threw the car into drive and merged into the afternoon traffic, completely cutting off a delivery van.The fierce, jealous anger that had been burning a hole in my chest just thirty seconds ago was completely gone. It was wiped out, replaced by a cold, sharp, and lethal focus.Nirvana sat in the passenger seat, watching me. She didn't yell about me pushing her into the car. She was smart enough to read the immediate shift in the air."What happened?" she asked, her voice quiet but steady."Work," I replied simply, keeping my eyes on the road as I ran a yellow light.She let out a frustrated sigh, sinking back into the leather seat. "Adrian, I left half my notes
Nirvana’s POV"Can I clear these for you guys?"A barista in a green apron stopped at our booth. She reached for the empty pastry bag, but her eyes were entirely fixed on Jesse. She gave him a slow lingering smile, leaning forward just a bit. She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, her voice dropping into a softer, clearly flirty register as she asked if he needed a refill on his iced coffee.Jesse just gave her a polite and oblivious shake of his head. "No, I'm all set, thank you."The barista looked slightly disappointed, but she nodded and walked away, casting one last obvious glance over her shoulder at him.The second she was out of earshot, I couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Jesse asked, looking confused as he packed his sociology textbook into his bag."She was practically throwing her number at you," I teased, leaning my elbows on the table. "You really didn't catch that?"Jesse rolled his eyes, zipping his bag shut. "I have a midterm on Friday, and my roommate i
Nirvana’s POVIt had been three days since the last security scare, and my brain was finally starting to untangle itself from the constant state of panic. Sitting across from Jesse in our usual coffee shop booth, I felt like a normal college student for the first time all week. The heavy weight of the guards, the rules and the chaos felt miles away.I dropped my bag on the floor and slumped into the vinyl seat.Before I could even complain about my morning, a guy rushing past our table clipped the edge of Jesse's iced coffee with his backpack. The plastic cup tipped over, spilling cold milk and ice across Jesse's knuckles and the table.The guy froze, his eyes widening. "Oh man, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you—"Jesse just smiled. He grabbed a paper napkin and wiped his hand with a quick shrug. "Don't sweat it, man. I put the cup too close to the edge anyway."The guy breathed a huge sigh of relief. He muttered another apology and hurried away.Jesse tossed the damp napkin into
ADRIAN'S POVI adjusted my grip on the leather briefcase. I kept my stride measured and even, demanding the space around me as I walked toward the humanities block. To the passing crowd, I was Professor Adrian Cross. They saw the expensive charcoal suit, the perfectly knotted tie, and the unyielding authority. They didn't see the bruised knuckles gripping the leather handle. They had absolutely no idea what I was doing.And they had no idea that I had spent the night completely at the mercy of my student.The memory of Nirvana straddling my hips was a live wire burning right through my chest. She had walked into my bedroom, pushed my shoulders into the mattress, and taken absolute control. I had built impenetrable walls between my underworld and my academic life, but she was tearing them down effortlessly. I was a syndicate boss letting a nineteen-year-old civilian dictate my undoing. It was reckless. It was a massive liability. But I had no intention of stopping it. I was entirely
NIRVANA'S POVThe manor was completely silent but my mind was deafening. I lay flat on my back, staring up at the dark ceiling. I knew I should be terrified. I had stood in that damp basement and watched Adrian shatter a man’s ribs without blinking. I had seen the cold, dead emptiness in his eyes when he delivered the blow. I had seen blood drying on Ronan's boots. The sane, logical part of my brain screamed at me to pack my bags, lock my door, and run as far away from this house as possible before I became collateral damage.But the fear wasn't paralyzing me. Instead, it was doing something twisted. It was fueling a dark, burning fire right in the pit of my stomach. The terrifying reality that Adrian Cross was a ruthless, cold-blooded monster was warring violently with my deep, undeniable addiction to him.And the addiction was winning.I didn't want to run from the truth. I didn't want to cower in my room and pretend I was just an innocent college student anymore. That girl was g
Adrian's hands were large and hot, anchoring me against the glass door while he kissed me like he was trying to swallow my breath. I let out a low moan against his lips. Every part of me felt wired and sensitive. The calloused texture of his palms against my waist sent a jolt through my spine that
The penthouse was exactly how I expected a billionaire's place to look. All glass and stone, polished grey floors, matte white walls. After all the noise in New Orleans, the silence here felt expensive. Ronan dropped my bags by the door and looked around, his shoulders dropping an inch. "It's yo
My heart wouldn’t stop thumping against my ribs. It was a fast, erratic rhythm that made my chest ache. I stared at the photo on my laptop screen until my eyes burned. It looked like a crime scene. I looked at the window. It was pitch black outside. It couldn't be real. Adrian was in New York. We h
"What is peace?" I typed the caption. "What, who, or where do you regard as your peace? Inspire me.” The glow of my phone was the only thing lighting my dark bedroom. I sat on the edge of the mattress, staring at the painting I’d just uploaded to my art profile. It was a piece I’d finished at 3 o’







