LA

nt of me, so close I'm forced to tilt my head ba

, not like it was with Penelope, but it's absolute. Unbre

ill weak. The mahogany doors sw

click shut

es in the room. It's a sound of fi

eather of his couch. The impact sends another jolt of pain through my bruised body, and a pained gas

t city skyline. For a moment, he just watches me, his expr

a thousand times more powe

mell

ar and pain, he smells the faint, artificial,

rrow to dan

down, one knee landing on the couch cushion beside my

It's a futile gesture. He bats my hands away as i

he contents of my pocket a

s grasp. It lands on the dark, expensive Persian rug. The cheerful pink and

ice doesn't just g

scles twitching along his jawline. The possessive storm in his eyes fro

the box, his fingers closing arou

ps from his throat. It's

le, the cruelest I have e

e a venomous whisper, "that a filthy rogue'

e than Penelope's slap ever could have. They steal the ai

ontinues, his voice dripping with mock approval. "Very self-aware of you. I

as

it all burns away, replaced by a white-hot, defiant rage. The rogue who fought f

been wide with te

g against his chest. He's caught off guard by

ody shaking not with fear, but

my voice low and trembling with rage. I look him s

me. "This disgusting transaction is over. I wouldn't stay in t

can't afford. Leaving now means abandoning everything-abandoning the only path I have to Landon, to Penelope, to the truth about my parents. I'm throwing away m

disbelief, then something darker. The idea of me-his possession, his

e control he was barely

ith the crystal coffee table. It explodes, sending shards o

waist, lifts me off my feet, and slams me back aga

e in, his face inches from mine. The scent of him

wl that vibrates through my entire body. "You don't br

ffocating blanket. "You are mine.

ut of me as quickly as it came. It's

been ripped from my hands. And buried under the fear is a sharp, shameful flicker of relief. My outburst hasn't destroyed e

lly breaks free, tracing a path through

ast. And now, I am