She goes still. Stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “What?”
“I was wrong.” I release her wrist but don’t step back. Can’t step back. “Everything I said to my father that night. I was wrong.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why—” Her voice cracks. “Why did you say those things?”
Because I was trying to protect you. Because having you work near me is torture. Because every moment I spend around you makes it harder to deny what you are to me.
But I can’t say any of that.
“It doesn’t matter why.” I cup her face with my ink-stained hand, leaving black smears on her cheek. She doesn’t pull away. “What matters is, you’re not going anywhere near Ryker Laurent.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Watch me.”
She shoves me in the chest. Hard.
I don’t budge.
Then, she shifts her weight. I see it coming. The same setup as before. The same technique.
Her foot hooks behind my ankle. Her hands push me at a specific angle.
I let her do it. Let her spin me so my back hits the table. Let her think she has the upper hand.
Then, I grab her hips, lift, and pivot. She gasps as I set her on the table, stepping between her legs before she can close them. My hands press down on either side of her thighs, caging her in again.
“Getting predictable,” I murmur.
She glares at me. “Let me go.”
“Not until you promise.”
“I’m not promising you anything.”
She jerks her knee, aiming for my groin. I catch her thigh, my hand wrapping around the soft flesh, and hold it in place against my hip.
“You keep trying that,” I murmur near her ear. “Maybe you should learn some new moves.”
“Maybe you should learn to take a hint.” But her voice is breathless now, her pupils dilated.
I can feel the heat of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. Can smell the desire she’s trying to hide beneath that flowery perfume. I move closer, unable to resist.
She jabs me in the throat, catching me off guard.
I stumble back, and she slides to her feet, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t ever presume to tell me what I can or cannot do, Darius. You and I are nothing to each other. Let’s keep it that way.”
She grabs her bag and storms out, the door slamming behind her.
I stand there, breathing hard, my hand pressed to my throat. The sting from her strike is already fading, but not the one from the words she uttered.
“You and I are nothing to each other.”
The mate bond convulses in my chest, a physical pain that steals my breath. My wolf howls inside me, the sound primal and raw. It tears through me, and I feel my control shatter.
