Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

Adrian Preston immediately took two steps back, looking at her with a complex expression.

This only intrigued Mia Kane more. ’Why does he look so aggrieved?’

The more Adrian Preston shied away, the more excited she became.

"Mia Kane, have you been drinking?"

Adrian Preston asked, puzzled.

’Otherwise, how could she be so bold?’

"I haven’t been drinking. This is my dream, so can’t I call the shots? Come here, let me take good care of you."

"Your dream?"

"Isn’t it?"

"So, in this dream, what do you want to do to me?"

Adrian Preston clenched his fists, suppressing the conflicted emotions roiling within him.

He desperately wanted to know how Mia Kane would treat him in a dream.

He knew he was playing with fire, but like a moth to a flame, he couldn’t stop himself.

"You asked for it..."

The moment he drew near, she pounced, tackling him down.

She was like an adorable, playful kitten, her fluffy hair brushing against his cheeks, his neck, his chest, sending a pleasant, tingling itch across his skin.

Her body was so soft, like a small animal’s. He was dying to pull her into a tight embrace and never let go.

She was just so incredibly squeezable.

A mischievous grin played on Mia Kane’s lips, making her look like a little fox whose plot had just succeeded.

Mia Kane poked his cheek and said with playful ferocity, "I’m going to kiss you until you cry!"

Adrian Preston was both amused and exasperated by her words.

Adrian asked curiously, "Anything else?"

Trying to sound fierce, Mia Kane declared, "I’ll make you cry in all sorts of ways. Make you cry and beg me to let you go."

Adrian Preston couldn’t help but chuckle. He nodded in praise. "Very ambitious. Why don’t you try pinching yourself while you say that?"

"Pinch myself?"

Mia Kane froze for a second, then pinched her own cheek. The sting of pain made her suck in a sharp breath.

Seeing her reddened cheek, Adrian Preston said, "Why’d you have to be so rough? Couldn’t you have done it a little more gently?"

’It’s not a dream? I can feel pain?’

Mia Kane was dumbfounded.

She finally snapped back to reality, scrambled off the bed, and backed away hastily, putting distance between them.

"You... Weren’t you in the study tonight? Why are you here?"

Adrian Preston sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t answer, simply watching her with an unhurried, teasing glint in his eyes.

Mia Kane glanced at her phone. It was just past midnight. She had gone to bed at ten.

Usually, Adrian Preston would be busy until one or two in the morning and would sleep in another room.

It was still relatively early today, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be here.

’But... he didn’t even give a heads-up. Did I just get completely carried away?’

"Just now... just now..."

"So, your dreams are all about me? And *those* kinds of dreams, at that?"

He said with a smile.

Mia Kane’s face was beet red. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

’This is absolutely mortifying.’

’How did I get caught red-handed?’

"D-dreams are all jumbled up, you can’t take them seriously. Have you never had a risqué dream before?"

At her words, the light in Adrian Preston’s eyes instantly dimmed.

’Looks like he has them too.’

’So we’re both cut from the same cloth. It’s the pot calling the kettle black.’

"You should sleep in the guest room tonight. I’ve gotten used to sleeping alone lately. Having someone else here so suddenly... I’m not quite used to it."

"Alright."

"I’m going to take a shower. See yourself out."

Mia Kane turned and went into the bathroom, hoping a quick shower would help her calm down.

She started running the bath, her mind racing. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice when the water started overflowing.

By the time she snapped out of it, the floor was soaked.

She scrambled to clean up the mess, but the floor was so slippery that she lost her footing and fell hard.

"Hiss—" She sucked in a sharp breath, the pain so intense that tears immediately welled in her eyes.

It hurt too much; she was in too much pain to even speak.

Adrian Preston’s anxious voice came from outside the door.

"Mia? What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Mia Kane wanted desperately to tell him she was fine, but she couldn’t make a sound.

Frantic with worry outside, Adrian was afraid something had happened to her and finally forced the door open.

In that instant, Mia Kane wanted nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

’I’m completely naked!’

Adrian Preston didn’t have time to think. He scooped her up immediately, grabbing a bath towel and wrapping it around her body.

Adrian’s expression was urgent. "Where are you hurt?"

Mia Kane mumbled softly, "My... my ankle really hurts..."

Adrian Preston felt her ankle and breathed a sigh of relief. "You didn’t break anything. Soaking it in hot water will be more effective than a trip to the hospital."

"Okay," she whispered.

Adrian Preston placed her in the bathtub, then startled her by starting to get in himself.

"You... you’re getting in too?"

"Mhm. I’ll help you massage it to reduce the bruising. It’ll be more effective, otherwise it’ll swell up by tomorrow and you’ll have trouble walking."

Adrian Preston’s reasoning was sound, leaving her no room to refuse. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Then... alright, then."

His large, rough hand kneaded her delicate ankle.

His deep, searching gaze fell upon her.

Mia Kane felt she had nowhere to hide.

As the minutes ticked by, the pain began to subside.

Mia Kane couldn’t help but ask softly, "Is... isn’t that enough?"

Adrian Preston stared at her intently, his body slowly closing the distance between them in the water.

Adrian Preston’s voice was husky. "Mia, do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?"

Before Mia Kane could process his words, his lips were on hers.

Mia Kane felt like she was drowning at sea, with nothing to hold onto for safety. Adrian Preston was the driftwood, the only thing that could save her.

She didn’t know whether to cling to him and pull herself to shore, or just let herself drown.

The problem was, Adrian Preston’s face was already a feast for the eyes. When he spoke, his enchanting words were like the witch coaxing the princess to eat the poisoned apple.

"Mia Kane, we’re both adults. There’s no need to be ashamed. If anyone ever tells you they’ve never felt desire, they’re just being sanctimonious."

"Follow your heart... Just this once, try trusting me."

His voice was too bewitching—deep and melodic, making her lose her senses bit by bit.

Mia Kane felt herself about to give in. ’Who could possibly resist such a temptation?’

’So what if I let loose just once? To hell with this damn sense of shame.’

She began to slowly accept the situation, her hands exploring his abs, her lips brushing against his earlobe.

She was like a delicate doll. Faced with a rugged man like Adrian Preston, his slightest touch made her whimper. Everywhere his fingers brushed, a captivating blush bloomed on her skin.

It couldn’t be helped. She was just that delicate, her skin so fair that the slightest pressure left a mark. It was a sight that made one’s heart ache with protectiveness, yet also stoked a primal urge to sin.

Adrian Preston felt the moral code and principles he had upheld for so many years were on the verge of shattering.

’To hell with being a gentleman.’

’To hell with all the damn rules.’

Adrian Preston just wanted to drag Mia Kane down with him into blissful ruin, damned for all eternity.

But as it turned out, Mia Kane was all talk, strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Soon enough, Mia Kane began to whimper in protest.

Mia Kane’s voice was full of grievance. "Adrian, can we not play anymore? I don’t want to do this. Please, let me go..."

Adrian Preston looked at her beautiful, pitiful face, and the demon in his heart swelled without limit.

The man’s voice was hoarse, laced with a thick, wicked cruelty.

"Darling, it’s too late for that—"