We Loved Until We Couldn’t Novel – Chapter 7
“I especially don’t want children,” Adrian says, his voice quiet but steady. “The only thing I want out of life is success. Lots of it. But if I admit that out loud to anyone, it makes me sound arrogant.”
“Professional success or social status?” I ask.
He doesn’t hesitate. “Both. Anyone can have children. Anyone can get married. But not everyone can be a neurosurgeon. I take pride in that. And I don’t just want to be good at it — I want to be the best in my field.”
“You’re right,” I say, smiling faintly. “That does make you sound arrogant.”
He laughs under his breath. “My mother thinks I’m wasting my life away because all I do is work.”
“You’re a neurosurgeon, and your mother’s disappointed in you?” I laugh softly. “Good lord, that’s insane. Are parents ever really happy with their children? Will they ever think we’re good enough?”
He shakes his head. “My children wouldn’t be. Not many people have the drive I do, so I’d only be setting them up for failure. That’s why I’ll never have any.”
“I actually think that’s respectable, Adrian,” I say. “A lot of people refuse to admit they might be too selfish to have kids.”
He smirks. “Oh, I’m definitely too selfish. Too selfish for children, and definitely too selfish for a relationship.”
“So how do you avoid it?” I ask. “You just don’t date?”
He cuts his eyes toward me, a sly grin tugging at his lips. “When I have time, there are women who satisfy those needs. I don’t lack in that department, if that’s what you’re asking. But love?” He shrugs. “It’s never appealed to me. It feels like a burden more than anything.”
I wish I looked at love that way. It would make my life so much simpler.
“I envy you,” I admit. “I’ve always had this idea that there’s a perfect man out there for me. I tend to get jaded easily, because no one ever meets my standards. I feel like I’m on an infinite search for the Holy Grail.”
“You should try my method,” he says.
“Which is?”
“One-night stands.” He raises an eyebrow, the invitation hidden just beneath the tease.
I’m grateful it’s dark, because my face feels like it’s on fire. “I could never sleep with someone if I didn’t see it going anywhere.”
I say it out loud, but it comes out weaker than I intended — especially with him looking at me like that.
He exhales slowly and rolls onto his back. “Not that kind of girl, huh?”
There’s a trace of disappointment in his tone.
The funny thing is, I match it. I’m not sure I’d even want to turn him down if he made a move. But I might’ve just killed that possibility.
“If you wouldn’t sleep with someone you just met…” His eyes find mine again. “Exactly how far would you go?”
I don’t have an answer for that.
I roll onto my back because the way he’s looking at me makes my pulse quicken. I’m not necessarily against one-night stands — I’ve just never been propositioned by someone I’d actually consider it with.
Until now.
Or… maybe.
Is he even propositioning me? I’ve always been terrible at reading signals.
Suddenly, he reaches out and grabs the edge of my lounge chair. In one effortless motion, he drags it closer until it bumps against his.
My whole body stiffens. He’s so close now that I can feel the heat of his breath cutting through the chill in the air. If I turned my head, his face would be inches from mine.
I refuse to look at him, because if I do, he’ll probably kiss me — and I know absolutely nothing about this man beyond a handful of naked truths.
But when his hand comes to rest gently on my stomach, conscience is the last thing on my mind.
“How far would you go, Iris?”
His voice is low and decadent — smooth and dark like melted chocolate — and it slides right through me.
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
His fingers start to move, slow and deliberate, tracing the hem of my shirt. Then, inch by inch, he pushes it upward until a sliver of skin is exposed.
“Oh, God,” I whisper, feeling his hand warm against my bare stomach.
Against every bit of better judgment I have, I finally turn to face him. The look in his eyes captures me completely — hopeful, hungry, and sure of himself.
He bites his bottom lip, eyes fixed on mine, as his hand teases its way higher. I know he can feel my heart hammering in my chest. Hell, he can probably hear it.
“Is this too far?” he murmurs.