Page 44 of King of Pride

He pursued her like a predator.

Hearing his heavy footsteps, Rose pivoted, hand gripping the railing as panic sharpened in her eyes.

Maverick lunged, catching her and smashing her again against the wall. His kiss was even more feral this time—hungry, violent—his lips devouring her mouth in maddened thrusts. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other pressing her wrists behind her back. She trembled, her head spinning as he pressed kisses to her neck and cheeks, each one leaving her more breathless than the last.

She managed to slip free once more and sprinted to the first-floor landing. But he was already there, advancing on her with relentless determination. Before Rose could protest, he caught her, hauling her against his chest, one of her wrists pinned tight behind her.

“Stop,” Rose gasped, her hands flying up to shield her neck and mouth. “Stop kissing me. It hurts.”

In one swift motion, his arms locked around her waist and lifted her off the floor. A startled cry escaped her as she instinctively clung to him, her heart hammering against his chest.

He looked down at her. “Our bedroom is downstairs,” he stated, his voice low. “I’m taking you back.”

She swallowed hard, staring up at him without protest, her fingers tightening their grip on his shoulders. Maverick carried her down the stairs with unnerving steadiness, his steps sure and measured as he descended into the living room. He set her down on the couch just as her phone on the side table began to ring.

Rose reached for it, Zoe’s name flashing across the screen.

Rose looked at Maverick for a brief moment before he took a seat beside her on the couch. He looked at her expectantly, as though he expected her to answer the call.

Nervously, she picked up the phone and brought it to her ear. The mansion was so quiet that Zoe's voice immediately carried through the speaker, loud enough for both Rose and Maverick to hear.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” Zoe demanded. “And who was the man you slept with last night? Rena told me she had sent a man to meet you, but he never made it to you. Does that mean you slept with someone else? What the hell is going on?”

Before Rose could answer, Maverick reached over, took the phone from her hand, and brought it to his ear.

“It was me. Do you have a problem?”

His voice was calm and serious.

Zoe immediately fell silent.

For several seconds, there was nothing but silence on the other end before she finally found her voice.

“Maverick?”

Her voice trembled slightly, a mixture of surprise and nervousness making the single word come out unevenly.

She seemed unable to find the right words for a moment before suddenly launching into an apology.

“I’m so sorry. I didn't know this happened. I think Rose just made a mistake last night. Please don't do anything to her. You know how she is. She probably didn't understand what was happening. Maverick, can you please forgive her? It wasn't intentional. It must have been a mistake last night. I know you're serious about who you let into your life, so please don't take Rose seriously. It was just an error. Can you please forgive her? Don't punish—”

Maverick ended the call before she could finish.

He tossed the phone onto the couch.

Rose released a deep breath of relief, her shoulders finally loosening. Yet the longer she remained beside the dangerous man, the more intensely she became aware of his presence.

Maverick looked at her.

His gaze traveled from the clothes she was wearing back to her face with such intensity that Rose instinctively drew her arms closer to herself, suddenly conscious beneath his stare.

“Take off your clothes.”

Rose stared at him, confused and tense.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.