Chapter 43: When the Wine Speaks

Chapter 43: When the Wine Speaks "Shit." Adrian’s questions left Bianca speechless. The game had just started, and he was already making her feel completely embarrassed. She shot him a glare, but there was no real anger behind it, just disbelief. "Never have I ever forgotten an ex’s name," Bianca said smugly. Adrian poured himself another bit of wine and took a sip. Two fingers down already. Before the game even started, he’d planned every question carefully, questions designed to help him get to know Bianca on a deeper level. And he knew for sure, most of them would make her curse him in her head. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His next prompt was about Bianca’s personal life, stuff she normally kept private, especially as a woman. "Never have I ever been dumped by someone I was dating." Bianca blinked. Fucking hell. Was there really nothing else he could’ve said? She didn’t expect Adrian to be curious about that kind of thing. Her cheeks heated slightly, and even though she was annoyed and a little embarrassed, she still picked up her glass and drank—quickly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Adrian do the same. That bastard. "Never have I ever broken someone’s heart." Adrian scoffed, then took another sip of his wine, downing it completely without hesitation. There wasn’t even a hint of regret in his expression. "Never have I ever dated more than three people." Bianca took her turn and drank. She tried to stay expressionless, but a small twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her. Adrian saw it and grinned. She’d only ever had two boyfriends in her life. And Rafael wasn’t one of them. In her 31 years of living, she’d only dated twice and one of them dumped her for the most ridiculous reason. The guy broke up with her because she didn’t laugh enough at his jokes. Well, excuse her, what did he expect her to do, laugh at a joke that wasn’t even funny? By the seventh prompt, Bianca was already feeling lightheaded. She was definitely tipsy now. Her head was starting to spin. "You know... you’re insanely handsome when you smile," Bianca said, her words a little unclear as she pointed a wobbly finger at Adrian. Her body swayed slightly from side to side, clearly tipsy. Adrian chuckled softly at her sudden confession. Right now, Bianca looked absolutely adorable. He almost couldn’t resist the urge to pinch those flushed cheeks of hers. Out of nowhere, Bianca reached out with both hands and touched Adrian’s face. He flinched a little but didn’t stop her, just let her explore his features freely. She didn’t skip a thing. From his eyebrows, to his eyes, to the bridge of his nose—slow and careful until her fingers finally landed on his lips. Adrian froze. He definitely wasn’t expecting that. His jaw tensed, but he didn’t move, his breath caught somewhere in his chest. "Stop it," he told Bianca, almost like a warning. "Huh?" Bianca blinked, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked up at him. "I said stop it," he repeated, firmer this time, watching as Bianca’s thumb gently traced his bottom lip. A slight shiver ran through him, but his expression remained composed. "Bianca, don’t play with fire if you can’t handle the heat." "Fire? I’m not playing with fire..." she mumbled, clearly drunk, not really understanding what Adrian meant. "Come on, don’t do this, Bianca." His voice was low, almost pleading, as if trying to convince himself as much as her. "You know, Adrian..." she murmured, eyes a little hazy, "these lips of yours make me want to kiss you. I wanna know what it feels like..." The moment Bianca leaned in, Adrian quickly grabbed both of her wrists and gently pushed her back, his hands firm yet careful. "You’re drunk, Bianca." "I’m not drunk," she mutters, pouting a little. Her cheeks red. "Yes, you are. You don’t even realize what you’re doing right now." His tone was calm, but his eyes were troubled, conflicted. Like he’s holding back. Torn between stepping away and pulling her closer. "Let me go. I’m not drunk!" she protested, trying to pull her hands away, her face flushed with embarrassment and stubbornness. "No," he said firmly, keeping her in place. "I’m not letting go. You’re drunk. And I’m not gonna let you do something you’ll regret once you sober up." Even if Adrian could be a bit of an asshole, he was never the type to take advantage of a drunk woman. Especially not Bianca. Sure, he’d imagined what it might be like to kiss her, more than once but he wasn’t about to let it happen like this. If it were ever going to happen, it had to be real. Mutual. And conscious. Not because of wine and heat-of-the-moment impulses. Eventually, Bianca stopped resisting. Her body relaxed against his, her eyes growing heavy. Moments later, she dozed off right there on him. Adrian let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples, trying to calm the mess inside his head. Then, without saying a word, he gently picked Bianca up in his arms. She felt lighter than he remembered, her warmth sinking into him as he moved slowly toward the bedroom, careful not to wake her. But just as he was about to lay her down, Bianca’s eyes fluttered open, hazy and vulnerable. "Don’t leave me, Adrian," she whispered, her fingers weakly clutching the front of his shirt. He froze for a second, then with a small almost tired smile, he lay down beside her. Twenty minutes later, even though he closed his eyes, sleep didn’t come. His mind kept replaying what had just happened in the living room—the way she looked at him, what she said and the way she leaned in... Adrian let out a frustrated sigh, raking a hand through his hair. What the hell was she trying to do to him? God, I regret ever asking her to play that stupid game. "You know... you’re driving me crazy," Adrian murmured as he stared at Bianca’s face, peacefully fast asleep. ***