Love/Hate: The Complete Enemies to Lovers Series

by Lilian Monroe

  His lips curve up slightly, and he tilts his head to the side. “There are dozens of reporters outside the Mayor’s Residence. I can’t do anything in there without being photographed. I was hoping, maybe…”

  I arch an eyebrow, and he gives me his best puppy-dog eyes. I laugh and he rewards me with a smile that shows off his dimple.

  My insides dissolve as heat flows from my chest downward. It stops between my thighs and the space between them ignites. I nod.

  “I like it when you beg.”

  “You’ll regret saying that.”

  “I doubt it.”

  He grins as his eyes flash. He extends his hand and I slip mine into his, and then we head out toward the parking lot where I left my car. We drive mostly in silence, but he slides his hand over my thigh. The heat between them burns hotter, and I blink to focus on the road.

  His fingers drift up and my heart explodes against my chest. I bite my lip, glancing at him. His dimple smiles back, and I can’t believe that I used to hate it.

  I can’t believe I used to hate him.

  We crash through the door like elephants. We don’t make it to the bedroom, because there’s a staircase in the way. He kicks the door closed behind him as his lips find mine. His hands claw at my skirt, my shirt, my bra. I do the same and our clothing litters the floor like the leaves off a tree.

  A current of desire rips through my body as his hands cover me. He pulls me close, pressing his bare chest against mine. I want him to feel my nipples hardening. I want him to feel the desire soaking through my panties. I want him to feel the pounding of my heart and the shortness of my breath.

  I try to take him up the stairs but he stops me on the third step. I sit down and he tears my underwear off, groaning in delight.

  “Beautiful pussy,” he says, his eyes glued between my legs.

  Then, right there on the staircase, he kneels down and puts his mouth on me. His tongue slides through my slit and he groans again as he tastes me. I lean back, the steps digging into my spine as I roll my hips toward him. I barely feel them. All I feel is his mouth, his tongue, his hands. He sucks my clit until I gasp, and then slips two fingers inside me.

  When he curls them and finds my most sensitive spot, I moan his name. He grunts in response, never taking his mouth off my bud.

  Tangling my fingers into his hair, I grind his face between my legs. It’s messy, dirty, sloppy, and so completely perfect. An orgasm crashes into me without warning, making my back arch as a scream slips through my lips.

  He keeps his fingers inside me and then crushes his lips against mine. He drives his tongue into my mouth, bites my lower lip, making sure I can taste myself on him. I squeeze his hand between my thighs and gasp.

  Adrian grins again, his face still pressed up against mine.

  “That was hot.”

  I can only grunt in response. My blood is still pumping, my chest heaving as I wrap my arms around his neck. I kiss him again, tangling my fingers into his hair.

  We stumble up the stairs and stumble through my bedroom door. I didn’t make my bed this morning, and there are dirty clothes thrown over the chair in the corner.

  Adrian doesn’t see any of it. He hoists me up and keeps his lips locked on mine as we go to the bed. Desire snakes through my body, circling around my center as I feel him press up against me.

  I love feeling his hardness. I love feeling how much he wants me, and how turned on he is. His eyes are hooded, dark and dangerous as he lowers himself on top of me.

  It’s slower than the first time we were together, but it’s more intense. Every thrust pierces me, fills me up, completes me.

  We’re in ecstasy together. He tears down the walls I built around my heart in an instant, and I’m powerless. I can’t even try to hate him now.

  When it’s over, I lay my head on his chest and sigh. His hand strokes my head and he presses his lips to my forehead.

  “Are you going to kick me out again?”

  “You can stay tonight. You earned it.”

  “Wasn’t easy,” he chuckles. He holds me close and inhales, groaning in contentment.

  24

  Adrian

  Something shifts between Stella and me. From that night onward, she’s less guarded and I’m less… well, I guess I’m less of an asshole.

  I cringe when I think of that day outside her office, when I told her I would go to trial even if it meant hurting her sister. These days, I can’t imagine doing that to her.

  The thought of hurting Stella makes my stomach turn. I envy her relationship with her sister, and I remember when Liam and I were close. We were kids, but there was a time when we didn’t despise each other.

  It’s easy with Stella. Her smile is warm, and her quips make me laugh. She’s more bark than bite. And she was right about one thing—after my announcement, it doesn’t take long for the City to forget about me. Another scandal takes over the headlines, and I disappear. I move out of the Mayor’s Residence and back to my own house, and reporters no longer hang out outside my door.

  I’m both humbled and relieved. I thought I’d make more of an impact, but I guess people just don’t really care about politics that much.

  Stella finishes up her last four weeks at her firm before moving to her new job, and I focus on tying up everything with the court case. After our first night together, we spend every single night at each other’s side.

  On her last day at her old firm, I go to her place with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates. She opens the door with a smile.

  “You’ve changed.”

  “Have I?”

  “Well, first of all, you called me before showing up. And you brought me gifts!”

  “Those seem like good changes.”

  “They are,” she smiles, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me. The way she’s looking at me is different though.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Well…” She bites her lip, hesitating. “I made plans with my sister and your brother to help me paint the last bedroom this weekend, and they’re going to be here early, and…”

  “And you don’t want me here?”

  Her face twists. She shakes her head. “I want you here. I just don’t think they would.”

  I sigh. We walk over to the couch and snuggle up beside each other. I kick my feet up on the coffee table and put my arm around her shoulders. “I get it.”

  “I tried talking to my sister about you last week, but she just shut me down. We’ve been seeing each other for over a month now, and it just feels like this big secret that I’m keeping from her.” She chews her lip. “I hate it.”

  “I know.”

  I pull her into my arms and kiss her. Stroking her face, I rest my forehead to hers and nudge my nose to touch her. “I think we should tell them.”

  She nods. “Yeah.”

  “You don’t want to?”

  “She was so mad before. It broke my heart. I want to, I’m just scared. She’s been through so much and I don’t want to hurt her more.”

  “She’s married now. She’s happy. You can’t live your life in fear of how your sister will react.”

  Stella’s eyes sparkle as she looks at me. She nods, chewing her lip. I kiss her again and my heart swells. It feels like it’s pressing up against my ribcage, trying to break free. She deepens the kiss. I start unbuttoning her blouse, kissing her collarbone, her neck, the soft skin between her breasts. I lose myself in her.

  I don’t hear the door open, or the footsteps.

  The first thing I hear is Ashley’s voice when she calls out.

  “Stella! I stopped by the hardware store tonight, I thought we could get started, and—”

  She gasps. Stella and I fly apart from each other. Ashley drops a bucket of paint from one hand and a bag of supplies in the other. The paint can rolls away from her feet, stopping at the wall with a soft thud.

  Ashley is looking between me and Stella as Stella scrambles to button her shirt back up. I clear my th
roat, adjusting my clothes and wiping my hands on my pants.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Ash, I can explain.”

  “Can you?” Ashley is quickly moving from shock to anger.

  I stand up. “Listen. I don’t want to cause trouble. I care about your sister—”

  “Ha!” Ashley throws up her hands. “‘Don’t want to cause trouble’? Are you fucking kidding me? You tried to ruin my life. You got me fired. You threatened to have me jailed!”

  My chest heaves. I don’t know what to say, because it’s true. I did those things.

  But that was before! Before I met Stella, before I resigned, before I started realizing what a fucking selfish prick I was.

  I open my mouth and leave it hanging like an idiot. Ashley stares at me, and then swings her rage toward her sister.

  “And you,” she starts. “How dare you?”

  “Ashley, please. We’re both adults.” Stella takes a step toward her and Ashley shakes her head. I feel like I’m intruding. My presence is making things more difficult for Stella. Tears are clinging to her eyelashes and she won’t even look at me. I try to put my hand around her waist but she shakes me off, stepping toward her sister again.

  Her sister’s face contorts and she shakes her head. “Fuck you. Fuck you both. You deserve each other,” she snarls. “Two selfish assholes who belong together.”

  The house shakes when she slams the door. Stella trembles, staring after her. She doesn’t make a sound until a sob rakes through her body and she doubles over. I run to her, wrap her up, try to soothe her, but she pushes me away.

  “Stop,” she sobs. “Just get away. Stop. I can’t. I can’t.”

  “Can’t what?”

  “Can’t be with you! Can’t sneak around! I can’t lose my sister.”

  “You won’t lose her.” I say it a bit more aggressively than I meant to, and Stella flinches. I take a breath, but the anger is starting to rise inside me. “If she cares about you, she’ll understand. Stella, you’re allowed to date whoever you want to.”

  Her lower lip is trembling, and my heart is slowly shattering. She’s looking at me through teary eyes and she shakes her head. “I don’t know, Adrian. She… she…”

  She sobs again, and I feel it rattle through my bones. Her pain needles my skin and I desperately want to wrap my arms around her.

  Every time I take a step toward her, she takes a step back. Finally, I give up. My chest hurts. My mouth is dry. My face is twisting as I try to get the words out, but finally I manage to speak.

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  She won’t even look at me to respond. All she does is nod, turning her tear-streaked face away from me. My stomach feels like someone has shoved all my internal organs into a blender and set it on high before pouring them back inside me.

  I take one more step toward her and she sobs.

  “Just go, please, Adrian. I can’t do this right now.”

  I don’t know what that means. I don’t know if this is done forever, if she just wants space tonight, or if she’s regretting being with me at all.

  All I know is she wants me out of her house. It’s another punch in my blended guts. I gather my things and walk out, gently closing the door behind me. I get in my car and just stare at her house, willing her to come running out. I want her to tell me she made a mistake, that she wants me to stay.

  I want her to choose me.

  But she doesn’t. She chooses her sister.

  The door stays closed, and the house stays silent. A light goes off in the living room and the finality of it slices my heart in half.

  I turn the car on and drive away.

  25

  Stella

  Ashley won’t return my calls. This is worse than the first time when she found out I was defending Adrian. After a couple calls, it goes straight to voicemail and I know she’s turned her phone off.

  I slump down on the sofa I put my hand to my forehead. A big gust of wind blows outside and my house creaks. A car drives by, its headlights illuminating my front window.

  I’m so alone.

  I kicked Adrian out without thinking, and Ashley won’t speak to me. It’s just me and my thoughts in my big, old, creaky house.

  I shouldn’t have told him to leave. He was trying to comfort me, trying to help me. Of all the people in my life, Adrian has made me feel stable.

  But in that moment, I couldn’t look at him. My sister has been through so much, and it kills me to think that I’ve contributed to her pain. The way she looked at me…

  I sigh.

  I’m not sure how long I stay in this position on the couch. I feel wired and exhausted at the same time. My mind is going a mile a minute, but my limbs feel like they’re made of lead. I can’t move off the couch, but I can’t rest or sleep or do anything except think of what a shitty sister I am.

  When my phone buzzes, I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. I groan as I lean forward on the couch, reaching for it on the coffee table.

  A part of me wants it to be Ashley, but another part of me doesn’t want to face her right now. What would I say? I have no excuse. Of all the men I could get involved with, I chose the one man who wronged her, the one man who tried to tear her and Liam apart.

  How can I look her in the eye after that? She walked in on us kissing! If that’s not a recipe for trauma, I don’t know what is. With the baby coming, and all the stress that she’s under, I can’t believe I’ve done this to her.

  I’m so selfish. The one thing that I hated Adrian for is what I’ve become.

  I curse myself as I grab my phone, tears threatening to spill over my eyelids. I take a deep breath and look at the screen.

  Adrian: You okay?

  I start sobbing. I cry and cry and cry until my cheeks hurt, my eyes hurt, my chest hurts. Everything is sore. My soul is in pain. I read the message over and over and cover my eyes with my hand.

  Even after I kick him out, he still wants to check up on me.

  How could I hate the man? How could I possibly cut him out of my life when he’s the one person who seems to care about me? He could have been mad at me, insulted that I told him to leave. He could have taken it as a reason to break off our relationship.

  But he isn’t doing that. He’s checking up on me.

  He’s already forgiven me.

  I wipe my eyes, sniffling as I stare at the screen.

  Stella: No. I’m sorry I kicked you out.

  Adrian: It’s okay, I get it.

  That makes me cry some more. My phone buzzes again.

  Adrian: Do you want me to come back?

  I type ‘yes’ before I can stop myself, and then I toss my phone away. I groan, putting my head in my hands and cursing myself.

  I’m not strong enough to stay away from him, and I’m not strong enough to be with him publicly. I’m stuck in this horrible purgatory and I can’t see a way out.

  I hate that I need him, but when he walks through the door, my worries melt away. I’m still glued to the couch, and he kicks his shoes off and comes beside me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his broad chest without saying a word.

  My tears soak his shirt as he holds me. We say nothing to each other, and yet we say everything.

  I’m here for you, he tells me with his embrace. I’m not going anywhere.

  I lift myself off his chest and look at his face. “I’m sorry I kicked you out.”

  He wipes a tear from my eye and cups my cheek. He shakes his head and a grin tugs at his lips. “I’m used to it.”

  I laugh, sniffling. He kisses my forehead and pulls me in for another hug.

  “I guess this means you need someone else to help you paint the bedroom tomorrow.”

  I smile into his chest. “Are you offering?”

  “I’m not really a ‘manual labor’ kind of guy, but I’ll do my best.”

  I laugh. “Well, you never know. Last time I checked, you’re out of a job. Maybe painting will be your new calling
.”

  The next day, Adrian and I paint the spare bedroom together. I glance at him. He didn’t have any work clothes, so he’s wearing an old t-shirt of mine and a pair of boxers. I can’t help but notice how good his butt looks as he bends over to dip his paintbrush into the can. He edges the walls with new paint and I smile.

  He catches me staring and grins. “You going to stand there staring all day or are you going to help me paint this thing?”

  “Bit of both,” I wink.

  He flicks his paintbrush toward me. Flecks of paint hit my cheek and neck and I gasp.

  “Hey!”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Oops.”

  I lift my paintbrush toward him, but before I can flick any paint his way, he catches my arm and wraps me in an embrace. He crushes his lips to mine, groaning as he takes the paintbrush and drops it onto the protective plastic on the floor.

  “We’re making a mess,” I say between kisses.

  “I don’t care.”

  He lowers me to the ground and makes love to me. We’re paint-stained, wearing ratty old t-shirts of mine, in a half-painted room in my old house, but it feels more romantic and more intimate than anything I’ve ever done.

  When it’s over, we both sigh as I lay on his chest on the floor. He glances at the walls. “I never knew painting could be so much fun.”

  I grin. “See? I told you it would be your new calling.”

  “Maybe you’re my new calling.” His eyes darken as he brushes his lips against mine. My fingers crawl up his chest and I sigh in his arms.

  My whole world is shifting. My career, my sister—everything. The only thing that feels safe and constant is Adrian. He used to be the one person that made me feel off-balance, but now he’s my rock.

  It takes us all day to paint the room. We take breaks often, tangling ourselves together and making love wherever we fall.

  I don’t think about my sister at all until the evening, when I finally check my phone. It’s still silent, but instead of breaking my heart like it did yesterday, it just stings a little.