I pushed lightly at his chest, even though every part of me was screaming to let him keep going. “Check it. Please.”
He pulled back with a curse, his eyes dark and wild, his chest heaving. For a moment he just stared at me. Looking at my kiss-swollen lips, my flushed face, the rapid rise and fall of my chest. Like he was memorizing the sight of me coming undone for him.
Then he yanked out his phone, his jaw clenching as he looked at the screen.
“Serenity.” He said it like a curse.
I took a step back, trying to steady my breathing, trying to rebuild the walls he’d just demolished with a single kiss. My lips still tingled. My body still ached for his.
He caught the movement. Saw me retreating. His expression shifted. Hardened.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice rough. “Don’t pull away from me.”
“I’m not…”
“Zahara.” He caught my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “That was my sister blowing up my phone. My baby sister, Serenity. Not a girlfriend. Not a side piece. Not anyone you need to worry about.” His grip tightened slightly. “You’re theonly woman I want. The only woman I’m thinking about. You understand me?”
The authority in his voice, the absolute certainty, it did something to me. Made me want to believe him even though every instinct screamed that men like him didn’t stay. Couldn’t be trusted. Would leave eventually.
“I understand,” I whispered.
“Good.” He released my chin but didn’t step back. “Now I need to answer this before she loses her mind.”
He hit the call button, his free hand still resting possessively on my hip.
“Ren? What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I could hear that she was crying. Sobbing actually. Tears that came from somewhere deep and broken.
Prime’s whole body went rigid. His hand on my hip tightened. Protective. Violent.
“Where are you?” His voice was deadly calm. The kind of calm that meant someone was about to have a very bad night. “Stay there. I’m coming.”
He hung up and looked at me, conflict written all over his face for just a second before the alpha mask slammed back into place.
“I need to go,” he said. Not asking. Just stating fact.
“I need to get home to Yusef anyway.”
“Tomorrow,” he said, already pulling me back toward the car. “I’ll pick up Yusef after school. Take him to the gym. And then I’m coming back for you. We’re finishing this conversation.”
It wasn’t a question. Wasn’t a suggestion. It was a promise. A command.
And God help me, I wanted him to keep it.
The drive back was silent but charged. Electric. His hand rested on my thigh the entire way. Possessive, claiming,reminding me that even though we were interrupted, he wasn’t done with me.
Not even close.
He pulled up in front of my building and turned to face me, his hand sliding from my thigh to cup the back of my neck.
“One more thing,” he said.
Before I could ask what, he kissed me again.
Hard. Consuming. A brand that saidmineeven though we both knew this was complicated and dangerous and probably a terrible idea.
His tongue swept into my mouth, taking, claiming, leaving no doubt about what he wanted. What he intended to have.
