I should stop. Apologize. Back down.
I don’t.
“Say it again,” he says quietly.
I shake my head.
Too late.
His hand fists in my shirt, slamming me into him. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs.
"Try that again," he growls, his breath hot against my cheek, his grip ironclad. "Say that again, and see what happens."
My heart is hammering, a brutal, and erratic rhythm. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to fight, to push back, and to claw my way free. But another part of me—the part that’s been waiting for him to break—thrums with something dark, and something dangerous.
I let out a breathless laugh, lifting my chin. "What are you going to do, Asher?" I taunt, my voice softer now, laced with venom. "Prove me right?"
The last thread of his control snaps.
His fingers tighten, and his other hand wraps around my throat, not squeezing, just holding me there. "Careful, Kitten," he growls, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "You don’t want to see what happens when I stop being nice."
My breath shudders, but I don’t back down.
I should be afraid. Maybe I am. But I’m also something else entirely.
Before I can open my mouth again, the door swings open, shattering the tension like glass.
Maverick steps inside, his expression unreadable as he takes in the scene. He cocks a brow, unimpressed. "Am I interrupting something?"
Asher doesn’t move for a second, his grip still firm, and his eyes still locked on mine. Then, slowly, his fingers loosen, and his hold slips away.
I should feel relief. I don’t. I feel like I’ve lost something.
But before I can process it, Asher speaks—calm, measured, and in complete control. "Out."
Maverick doesn’t even blink, just gives a knowing smirk before turning on his heel. The other techs move in eerie silence, slipping away without hesitation, and without question. No protests, no second glances—just swift, and obedient departure.
My stomach knots. I can’t decide what unsettles me more—the fact that Asher can command a room like that, or the fact that they listen so easily.
A chill runs down my spine as the last door clicks shut.
And then, it’s just us.
His gaze drags over me, dark and unreadable, and I swear I can feel the shift in the air itself. My skin prickles, the weight of his attention like a touch without contact. My breath feels too shallow, my chest tightening, and heat pooling low in my stomach. The energy between us thickens, charged and suffocating, anticipation crackling like a live wire. Every instinct tells me to move, to break the moment, but I’m rooted in place, held by something far stronger than fear.
Chapter 47
Mine
Asher
The room is empty now. Silent, except for our breathing, for the thick tension hanging between us. Everyone obeyed me without hesitation, slipping away like ghosts, like they already knew what was coming.
She’s pushing me, calling me weak, and daring me to prove her wrong. A slow burn of something dangerous coils in my chest—part fury, and part something darker, something deeper. It’s not just about proving a point. It’s about reminding her exactly who I am, exactly who she belongs to.
Fine.
I slam her against the lab counter, glass beakers crashing to the floor, shattering on impact. She gasps, her hands flying to grip the counter, but I’m already there, grabbing her face, and forcing her to look at me.
