#CHAPTER 3: An Accident Or A Kiss

• LILLY'S POV *

"N-nothing," I mutter, trying to mold my expression into a mask of neutrality. "It's like my uncle said; we were just having a casual chat."

"About what?" Adam insists.

"Gloria, like you guessed. That's all."

"Are you sure? That did not seem like chit-chat. It looked like an argument."

"It wasn't an argument," I say quickly. "It just wasn't a very pleasant conversation."

Adam steps towards me, his voice low and commanding.

"You are my Luna, Lilly. You have a duty to speak the truth- and that means the whole truth."

I lower my gaze, choosing my words carefully.

"You know Edgar. My uncle can be a complicated man," I tell him. It's all I can say, but maybe there's a way I can warn Adam. I don't say anything incriminating, but I speak slowly, hoping my tone is enough to convey the necessary weariness. "Edgar can be… protective. In his own way. He is curious and concerned. He wants to know what's going on… to make sure everything is okay."

I keep my gaze lowered, knowing I can't give anything else away. All I can do is hope my warning is enough to make Adam weary of Edgar and his schemes.

Adam comes close, leaning in towards me. My skin bristles at his closeness, his breath warm against me as he whispers into my ear.

"What are you implying, you strange woman," he says softly, and I know he understands exactly what I meant. "Tell me, what exactly are you thinking?"

His breath caresses my sensitive skin, and he is so close to me I can barely think straight.

"I- I'm thinking…." I whisper, trying to regain my composure. "I'm thinking that you are far too close, my king. You forget yourself."

He arches a brow with an amused little smile, humming softly.

"Quite the contrary, wife. I think you're the one who forgets her place. It's perfectly natural for us to be close. We are married, after all."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be close to you," I snap, searching for an excuse to push him away before he gets any closer. "I told you; I love someone else."

"And yet you refuse to tell me his name," Adam retorts. "There is no other man, is there?"

"Yes, there is!" I insist desperately. "He exists. He would be my lover if I wasn't married to you. My heart belongs to him."

"Your heart may be his, but the rest of you belongs to me," he says slowly, leaning closer again. "Whether you have a secret lover or not. You are mine, Lilly."

Heat builds within me, but before I can say anything, Adam frowns, his eyes on my lips.

"What happened to you?" he asks suddenly.

"What? Oh!" I gasp, raising a hand to my swollen lower lip. I wince as my finger comes in contact with the bruise from where Edgar hit me. Thankfully, there's no blood, but I take a few steps back from Adam, trying to escape from his stare. "It's nothing."

"What happened?" Adam asks again, more serious. He steps towards me as I move away, and I find myself backed against a tree. "Did Edgar do this to you?"

"No!" I insist hurriedly, dropping my hands to my sides so that my palms are flat against the smooth trunk of the tree at my back. "It was an accident. I tripped and accidentally bit my lip. I'm fine, really."

Adam frowns, but he nods after a moment. Instead of stepping back, he leans towards me, raising his hand to my face. He curls a finger under my chin, tilting it up to look at him so he can examine the swelling on my lips.

"Does it hurt?" he asks.

"Not really, only a little."

His thumb brushes over my lower lip, gently stroking the little bruise. His touch is feather soft, and while it doesn't hurt, I nearly shiver at my sensitivity to his skin. His finger catches on the edge of my lower lip, tugging it down slightly. A soft gasp slips out of me as my lips part involuntarily, opening to him.

Something burns in Adam's eyes at the little sound I made, and he steadily slips his finger into my mouth. He's warm and salty, and I instinctively suck on his finger as he thrusts it into my mouth, grazing my tongue.

I want more of him. I want to taste him. I want to kiss him.

I don't know what comes over me, but heat pools within me. I know we're playing a dangerous game, but I've wanted to kiss him for so long. His body is pressed against mine, my back on the smooth tree. All I can think about is the feeling of his skin against my lips.

Mercifully, Adam seems to feel the same. He withdraws his finger slowly, eyes trained on mine. I look up at him with a racing pulse as his fingers glide down from my lips, past my chin, and around my neck. He holds me there, not tight enough to cause any discomfort, but enough that I know I'm at his mercy.

Give me more.

He leans his head toward me until his cheek is almost touching mine as he looks over my shoulder. After glancing past me to make sure we're alone in the woods, he turns back to face me. But we're so close together that when I look toward him as well, our lips brush. I'm consumed with desire, and I melt into that touch. I kiss him hard and hungrily as heat radiates off him.

He smells like oranges and spice, and his muscles body is hard against my skin. He kisses me just as passionately, lips pressed against mine with an unfamiliar, delicious kind of urgency. I feel like I'm on fire, and I want to burn through our clothes so there is nothing between our skin. I pull away as my breath catches in my throat. I can't let this go any further. Adam looks like he's going to kiss me again, but this is too dangerous!

"Gloria," he whispers suddenly, and the name is like a slap of cold water. He leans back, and I feel the chill of the space between us.

Did he… did he just call me Gloria?

"I'm not her," I say, my voice trembling. "I'm not Gloria."

Hurt flashes through his eyes, and I feel my heart crack.

"I know," Adam says. "But she's the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and you remind me so much of her."

"But I'm nothing like her," I say quietly, my cheeks burning and eyes stinging. "You said so yourself."

"I did," he says softly, and I wipe away my tears with the back of my hand. "Lilly… don't cry."

"I'm not. I'm fine," I insist. "It was a mistake, that's all. It won't happen again. It was nothing."

"That was nothing," he says, shaking his head. "Lilly, that kiss-"

"Was just an accident," I interrupt. "It didn't mean anything."

"An accident?" he asks with a laugh. "That was a lot more than an accident. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself. You wanted me. I felt it."

"I want someone else, not you," I mumble.

Adam's eyes golden eyes grow cold for a moment, his jaw clenching.

"But you shall not have him. You are my wife, and you will not have anyone else but me," he says with fire in his eyes.

He looks as though he's about to say something else, but instead, he turns and walks away. It seems he's done toying with me, and I ache as he leaves. He wants my body AND my heart, but I can't have either of his. It's not fair. But fair is the least of my concerns as Adams calls over his shoulder before disappearing.

"You would do well to remember your place."

I don't know how much time passes before I head back to Adam's townhouse. I stop by the kitchens to pick up some fresh fruit, carefully cutting and serving it onto a little plate. After our tense encounter in the woods, it might be a good idea to extend some kind of peace offering.

I head towards the living room with the plate in my hands, but I freeze behind the doorway when I hear voices on the other side. It sounds like Adam and his Beta, Kay, are talking about something. I'm about to knock, but I suddenly I hesitate. I go completely still and linger in the corridor at the sound of my name on Adam's lips as he talks about me to his second in command.