Page 30 of His Dark Desires

Her fingers curl into my shirt. "You're very... controlling, aren't you?"

"I prefer thorough." I tighten my grip on her waist. "I protect what's mine."

"Yours?"

The spell is broken. Sophia straightens, confusion in her expression. Then she laughs like I've made a joke.

Fuck, I moved too fast. I swallow down the quick surge of anger and force a self-deprecating smile, smoothing over my slip.

"What I meant is, I take my role as patron seriously. Your success reflects on my judgment, after all."

"Of course." Sophia's amusement lingers, softening her previous wariness. She's no longer as tense.

"Please," I say, taking a step back to give her space, "if anything comes up, any concerns, any obstacles, let me know immediately. Day or night. I want to ensure nothing impedes your work."

"Anything at all?" She raises an eyebrow, that playful glint still in her eyes.

"Whether it's supplies, space, or even just needing someone to bounce ideas off of." I pull out my business card, holding it between us. "My personal number is on the back. Use it."

She accepts the card, turning it over in her paint-stained fingers. "That's... very generous of you."

"It's practical," I correct, keeping my tone light. "The best art comes from a mind free of external pressures."

"I'll keep that in mind." She tucks the card into her pocket, still smiling like we're sharing an inside joke about me.

"Good." I nod, stepping toward the door. "I should let you get back to work."

The moment I turn my back, my expression drops. My face goes blank, muscles relaxing into their natural state of careful neutrality. I fucked up. Let my control slip for a moment. Rookie mistake.

I stride down the hallway, my footsteps silent now. Next time, I'll be more careful. More patient. She's already accepting my help, my presence in her life. There's no need to rush.

I just need to play the long game. After all, I've been doing it for two years already.

Chapter 9

Sophia

Every time I meet with Adrian, it's like I fall deeper into him, grow more enmeshed in his world. He's starting to take over all my waking thoughts—and creep into my dreams more often. I've stopped fooling myself about that.

I want to dream about him.

I want him to take things further.

But the more we try to come together, the more things seem to get between us. And that reminds me—I haven't seen Mara around lately.

I've been looking at the work in progress in front of me for what feels like an endless amount of time. I just can't get my brain to work. I'd like to say it's because the scope is so big, that I have so many ideas that it's hard to narrow down my vision. But I know that's not it.

Today, my debts were cleared, just like that. All I had to do was give Adrian the details, and the financial issues I've been drowning in and stressing over just disappeared. I think that's why I arrived so early in the morning to Adrian's studio. I want to pay him back—even though he expects nothing in return. Well, obviously I need to work on the commission. But I won't have to pay him back a single cent.

I think I'm paying him back with my time and attention. Exclusivity.

It's easy to say that, use that excuse to rationalize my behavior. But more than that, I want to see Adrian again.

I jump slightly when the studio door opens, Adrian's footsteps coming nearer. My heart races as I pretend to focus on my work.

"Making progress?" His voice carries across the room, smooth and controlled.

I nod, my brush hesitating. "The technical elements are coming together, but..." I trail off as he moves closer. The air changes when he's near—becomes charged, makes it hard to breathe normally.

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