The word hit wrong.Sharp.Possessive.
I swallowed.“I’ll see you later.”I tried to move past him.Manny caught me around the waist.
“Let go,” I ordered.
His smile thinned.“You don’t give orders in my space.”
Fear slid clean and sudden down my spine.Not imagined.Not exaggerated.Real.
He pulled me closer, lowering his mouth toward mine—
“Step away from her.”
Creed’s voice cut through the room like steel drawn clean from its sheath.
Manny froze.
I turned, heart slamming, and there he was in the doorway—dark suit, no tie, posture loose in the way only truly dangerous men ever allowed.His gaze locked on Manny, cold and assessing, like he was already ten moves ahead.
Manny scoffed.“This is a private—”
Creed stepped fully inside and shut the door behind him.
The sound echoed.
“Back,” Creed said quietly.“Away.Now.”
I twisted free as Manny’s grip loosened.
Manny laughed, brittle.“You don’t get to barge in and—”
Creed moved.Not fast.Not aggressive.Just enough to place himself squarely between us, his back to me, his presence absolute.
I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding myself together until my shoulders sagged behind him.
I’d seen Creed angry before—controlled, calculating, ruthless when required.This was different.This wasn’t the man who ruled boardrooms.This was something older.Something that lived under the skin.
Manny’s smile faltered.“You’re misunderstanding—”
Creed didn’t answer.He reached out and closed his fingers around Manny’s arm.
Not hard.
Not yet.
But the instant contact was made, something in Creed shifted.His shoulders locked.His jaw tightened just enough that I heard his teeth grind.
The sound scraped straight down my spine.
Manny sucked in a breath.“Hey—”
Creed twisted his arm.Controlled.Precise.
Manny gasped, folding forward as Creed stepped in close, his mouth near Manny’s ear.
“I know your history,” Creed said calmly.
The color drained from Manny’s face.“You don’t know a damn thing about—”
