Derek stood, the scrape of his chair against the marble floor sending a shiver down my spine. He moved with the ease of a man who owned everything in his presence—including me.
I refused to back down. Even as he stalked toward me with slow, deliberate steps, I held my ground.
"Say it again," he murmured, his voice like a rough caress.
My pulse thundered. "I don't belong to you."
A dark smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He reached out, his fingers trailing along my jaw, tilting my chin up. I should have pulled away. I should have fought.
But I couldn't breathe.
"You're lying," he said, his voice deep, full of confidence. "Your body gives you away, Elena."
Heat pooled low in my stomach, betrayal coursing through my veins. I hated how he affected me, how his presence consumed the air around me.
I shoved his hand away, standing so fast my chair scraped back. "You don't own me."
Derek's eyes darkened, amusement flickering behind them. "Keep saying that, dolcezza," he murmured, stepping closer. "But every time you defy me, I'll make you feel just how wrong you are."
My breath hitched.
He was intoxicating, dangerous in a way that made my skin tingle. He smelled like expensive cologne, leather, and sin.
Derek lifted a single brow. "Tell me you don't feel it."
I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body tense. "I feel nothing for you."
A slow, knowing smile curved his lips.
"Liar."
Before I could react, he leaned in, his breath warm against my ear. "I could ruin you, Elena," he murmured. "And you'd beg me for more."
A tremor ran through me, my knees threatening to give out.
Derek chuckled, his lips barely brushing the shell of my ear before he pulled back, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"Get used to it, dolcezza." His voice was silk and steel. "You're mine."
I swallowed hard, my entire body burning with a fire I didn't want to acknowledge.
And worst of all?
He knew.