Hadrian — Amarinda Jones

Follow on to Swerve


Socia landed with a thud on top of hard, male flesh. She gasped out loud as she tried to catch her breath. She felt like she had been spun around in a washing machine. Her head pounded and her heart raced. When she had grabbed hold of Hadrian's arm and followed him through the time portal, she hadn't been thinking of anything else other than knowing she was meant to be at his side, at that moment.
“Bloody hell,” Hadrian flung his head back and groaned, one arm wrapping around Socia's waist. “I feel like I've been kicked by elephants.”
She rested against the solid, warm bulk of muscle beneath her for several minutes. There was only silence now. Before, as they whirled through time and space, the cacophony of sound which tore at her ears had made Socia scream. To hear the cries of terror coming from her own lips was frightening. She was not one who scared easily. But the rush through the time portal had slammed terror into her soul. Her eyes still ached from holding them closed against the violent flashes of neon yellow and vivid purple that had pounded at them. Socia sighed, her body sinking against his. His? What the -- Her eyes snapped open. It was him. She wasn't sure whether she should be alarmed or relieved.
“Let me go!” She slapped at his arm. It was so rigid with muscle, it felt like slapping side of beef.
“Hey, you landed on me, lady,” Hadrian pointed out, his arms dropping from around her body.
Socia pushed her hands on his chest to lever herself off from him. She knew her arms were shaking and it wasn't just because of wild trip down the cosmic rabbit hole they had taken. “A gentleman wouldn't have grabbed.” She swung one leg over and rolled off from him, landing flat on her back beside him.
“I'm not a gentleman.” Hadrian stretched his hands over his head and groaned. “You weigh a ton.”
“I do not!” She would have slapped him if she had the strength to lift her hand. “And that was a rude thing to say that.” Surprisingly Socia felt more hurt by that than any blow that had ever landed on her.
“I'm not known for my manners.”
“Evidently.”