Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Desire

Chapter 36: Desire

Chapter 36: Desire

+25 BONUS

A low groan slipped past Noelle’s lips as she stirred. Her body sank further into the unfamiliar mattress beneath her. Her limbs felt heavy, as if weighed down by exhaustion, and a dull, persistent ache pulsed through her entire body.

Her brows knitted together as her breathing quickened.

This wasn’t her apartment.

This wasn’t anywhere she recognized.

A rush of unease coursed through her veins, but before panic could take hold, a sharper sensation flared in her stomach. She instinctively curled inward with one hand drifting down to soothe the discomfort.

But the moment her fingers touched something familiar, warm and rough–she instantly jolted up with her eyes snapping open.

Her breath caught in her throat as her wide, disbelieving eyes took in the sight before her.

There, beside her, was Adrian.

He was slouched forward in a chair beside her bed. His head was resting against the mattress as if he had been there for hours. His breathing was slow and even. His dark lashes casted faint shadows over his sharp cheekbones. But what made her stomach twist wasn’t the sight of him asleep–it was his hand resting on her belly ever so gently as if nothing had happened between them, as if everything was fine.

A fresh wave of panic slammed into her chest.

‘No. No, this can’t be real.‘ She thought.

Her fingers trembled where they hovered just above his as the heat of his palm searing into her skin like a brand.

Her mind screamed at her to move, to shove him away, to rip herself from this moment before it suffocated her. But she sat frozen, staring at him as if making sure she was not hallucinating.

The man she had tried so desperately to escape was here beside her, touching her like she still belonged to him.

Her mind screamed at her to move. To get away before he woke up, before he trapped her in the past she had fought so hard to leave behind.

And so Noelle, quietly and carefully reached down while her fingers trembled as she gently pushed his hand away, desperate to free herself from his touch.

But the moment she shifted- he flinched.

Before she could even process what was happening, Adrian jolted awake and his body tensed like a predator stirred from a deep slumber.

His amber eyes that were hazy with sleep was suddenly sharpened into focus the next second–locking onto her with a fierce intensity.

And before she could pull away, his hand shot out while his fingers wrapped around her wrist in a firm, unyielding grip.

Noelle gasped.

His hold wasn’t rough, but it was absolute- as if his body had reacted before his mind could even register the situation.

As if he had already anticipated her next move.

As if he knew she would run.

And then, their eyes met. And although Noelle’s eyes conveyed the fear that she felt towards what he was about to do to her, to

Chapter 36: Desire

+25 BONUS

Adrian, her eyes were something he missed dearly.

Noelle’s heart raced wildly. It was almost like a frantic drumbeat that echoed in her the haze of her confusion and fear.

ears as Adrian’s amber gaze pierced through

She had run from him. She had ran from the pain he had caused her when he had chosen another over her, and now, here he was with his body taut like a predator who had finally caught his prey.

As she felt the firm grip of his hand around her wrist, a rush of anger surged within her. “Let me go!” she hissed. Her voice was clearly laced with venom, but the command barely registered in his eyes. Instead, the intensity within him seemed to swell and it became a feral hunger that made her skin crawl.

Adrian suddenly pulled her close as his other hand gripped the nape of her neck, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You think running away from me would make it easy?” he growled with his breath hot against her face. “You think I’d let you just walk out of my life?”

“What do you want from me, Adrian?… You’ve hurt me enough… I’m already suffering because of you. Didn’t you choose to be with your Bianca? I already accepted it… So please… let me go…” Noelle sobbed weakly as her arm began to lose strength.

“Noelle,” he murmured. “Forgive me, baby… I was in the wrong, I admit it. I know I hurt you…“, he added that made her breath

hitch.

He then leaned closer as his forehead nearly pressed against hers. She tried to pull away, but his hand slipped behind her head, holding her gently but firmly in place.

“I was blind,” he whispered, breathing her in like she was the only thing keeping him alive. “But I see now. I only want realized it the moment you left me.”

Noelle let out a small, broken laugh, bitter and full of disbelief. “You realized it after you lost me?” she whispered, sharing her head. “Do you know how cruel that is, Adrian?”

Adrian exhaled as his jaw clenched. “I was a fool,” he admitted. “I was stupid–but tell me, Noelle. Isn’t this what matters? That at the end of the day, I chose you?”

Noelle’s breath shuddered at the pain that followed behind his words.

He had chosen her… But at what cost?

She had already lost so much.

Her trust. Her peace. Her heart.

Noelle’s fingers curled into the sheets beneath her as she forced out a weak, bitter, and hollow laugh.

“You chose me now?” she whispered with her trembling voice. “After all the time and effort I’ve spent trying to forget you?! After I’ve spent every single day reminding myself that I was nothing more than a fool who fell for a lie?! How dare–”

But before Noelle could finish her words, Adrian pressed his lips against hers into a brutal kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. She recoiled, instinctively trying to twist away, but his grip was strong as he held her firmly in place. Noelle fought against him, pushing at his chest as if she could create distance. But he only pressed harder, as if her resistance fueled his desire. “Stop it!” she screamed against his mouth, her voice trembling with rage and desperation. “Please! I’m begging you!”

But Adrian only growled in response as his hands roamed down her sides and his fingers digging into her waist possessively.” You cannot fight me, Noelle. You’re mine to the very end.”

Chapter 37: Perverse Love