His Forbidden Claim

I felt so much relief after being back after a long while. The Blackwoods may have not been my biological family, but they were the closest people I had to family.

"The last I heard from you, Si. You were dating some guy named Joshua..." Zoe asked softly.

It was hours after my arrival, and Adrian had been gracious enough to make dinner. There was nothing the man couldn't do.

"Ah, yes. Well, he kind of went from boyfriend to fiancé," I replied right before I stuffed a piece of juicy steak in my mouth.

"What? Nooo," Zoe gasped, completely absorbed in the conversation now. My eyes flicked over to Adrian at the far end of the table, and I almost choked when I found his eyes locked set on me. It didn't seem like he had been eating, only watching me. His gaze felt like it was setting my body ablaze.

I looked at Zoe after I had swallowed, "No, not anymore." I said even before she could ask. I hoped she wouldn't ask me for the story.

Zoe looked at me for a moment longer before she went back to eating. She was my best friend after all. How could she have not seen my struggle?

"Zoe told me you expanded, Mr. Blackwood?" I suddenly asked, breaking the awkward silence that had been lingering in the air.

Adrian pulled his eyes away from me as soon as I shifted the focus back to him. He grabbed his glass of wine and swirled it a little before he took a sip. "Ah, yes. We have more land now, but it's been taking on so well." He replied curtly.

"Well? Dad's been producing milk and meat for the whole county. There was a local issue piece about him." Zoe said as she pulled out her phone to show me the article. Adrian was on the front cover and in a full cowboy gear. The man was handsome even without trying.

"We should ride out tomorrow, yeah?" Zoe suggested as she looked at me. "You'll see how beautiful this place is. Maybe it can convince you to stick around for good?"

I did not know what to say to Zoe. She hoped I stayed, and as sweet as that was, I had a whole life back in New York. Besides, with how hard Adrian's face muscles were clenched, I didn't think the man wanted me to be around longer than I had to.

"Maybe." I replied and coincidentally, something fell off the table at the same time. It was fortunate because Zoe would've insisted and the girl was quite persistent.

As we continued to eat, Zoe's phone started buzzing. When she saw who the caller ID was, she broke into a smile as she stood up. "I should grab more wine from the cellar. I'll be right back." Zoe announced as she dashed out of the living room.

I did not want to be alone with Adrian lest I find out exactly what he truly thinks about me. If his attitude had happened right after I'd been back, I might've understood that it was because I left and barely kept in touch. But it started way before I left.

Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to face him only to frown when I found his seat empty. Or maybe not. Adrian was bent under the table, hand reaching out for something. Something had fallen earlier. Had he not found it?

"Adrian, do you need some help?" I asked as I bent and disappeared under the table as well. The words died on my lips when I found Adrian, his face locked on my legs. He wasn't even making the effort to hide what he had been doing.

I had found it convenient to change into a dress for dinner. It was a New York thing: dress up and look nice when having a meal. Now, it didn't seem like such a good idea after all.

As Adrian's eyes met mine, heat coursed straight through my body and settled somewhere it definitely shouldn't. We both got back up at the same time only for our eyes to lock into each other again. None of us said anything. What was left to say? I found my best friend's father looking at my legs under the table.

Had he seen more? The black lace panties I had on under the red dress? Were my legs parted enough for him to see my covered pussy? Heat flooded my face and burned with every passing second we stared at each other.

"Sienna-" Adrian had started to say when we heard footsteps coming up the steps. Zoe was back from the cellar in the basement. Whatever Adrian had to say was forgotten instantly.

"Found it. It's not as good as the one we opened earlier, but I think it should do," Zoe announced as she walked into view. As soon as she sat down, Adrian stood up and excused himself.

Zoe looked at him with a frown before she looked at me. I shrugged cluelessly. It was anything but. The rest of dinner was actually very pleasant. Zoe and I finished a whole bottle of wine while talking.

It was a few minutes to midnight when we finally decided to call it a night. Zoe's room was closer than mine, so I stumbled through the hallway in the dark. I wasn't fully drunk, but I was tipsy enough to use the wall for support.

"I'm telling you, man, I can't—"

I paused mid-step when I heard a muffled voice across the hallway. The door was slightly open so the dim lights from the office illuminated into the hallway.

It was Adrian's voice on the other side of that door, talking to someone. I took soft and quiet steps until I stood right outside, my eyes peering through the small crack of the open door.

"My decision is final. Sienna cannot stay here."

The sound of my name caught me off guard, and I took a step back, louder than I intended. The soft creaking of the wooden floor behind me announced my presence.

Adrian pulled the phone from his ear, tilted his face up slightly as if he was smelling the air, and with a deep groan, he turned around. I was out in the dark hallway, but it felt like his eyes could see straight through the very darkness I was in. He didn't say anything more, and I didn't stay to find out if he would.

Who was he talking to?

And what did he mean when he said I couldn't stay?