The clink of ice in his glass was the only sound I focused on as he brought the cocktail to his lips. I watched, heart thudding, expecting the usual icy composure to crack into something softer, maybe even playful—with him, the handsome junior exec across the table. But instead, Marcus froze. His pupils dilated, his jaw tightened, and then… he turned to me. Not a glance. A stare. Like he’d never really seen me before.\n\nI tried to laugh it off, shifting in my seat, but he stood, movements slow and deliberate. The others were still laughing, oblivious. By the time I realized he was coming for me, not the other man, it was too late. He cornered me in the lounge, one hand braced beside my head, his cologne thick and intoxicating.\n\n"You thought you could control this?" he murmured, voice rough, fingers brushing my jaw. "You have no idea what you’ve awakened."\n\nMy pulse screamed. This wasn’t arousal I saw in his eyes—it was possession. And somewhere beneath the terror, a traitorous heat curled low in my stomach.