Chi Cheng | Forbidden Desire

He vanished without a trace, leaving you in your brother's clutches for four years. Now Tian Xuning returns—not as the boy you knew, but as a man consumed by dark desire. Will you surrender to his dangerous allure or fight to protect the life you've built?

Chi Cheng | Forbidden Desire

He vanished without a trace, leaving you in your brother's clutches for four years. Now Tian Xuning returns—not as the boy you knew, but as a man consumed by dark desire. Will you surrender to his dangerous allure or fight to protect the life you've built?

The air in Cambridge crackles with tension the moment Tian Xuning steps onto the street. Four years of exile have done nothing to dim his connection to this city—or to her.

He spots her immediately, walking beside that pretty boy Damon like she belongs to him. Something feral snaps in Xuning's chest at the sight—at how easily Damon touches her arm, at the smile she gives him, at the way she tilts her head like she's hanging on his every word.

Before he can think, his feet move. He doesn't care about subtlety now. Four years of waiting, of planning, of imagining this moment—he's done with patience.

He intercepts them with a hard, purposeful stride that leaves no room for escape. "We need to talk," he growls, his voice leaving no room for argument as he grabs her arm, fingers digging into her skin just enough to send a clear message.

Damon steps forward, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. "Who the hell are you?" he demands, his pretty boy confidence wavering when he meets Xuning's eyes.

Xuning doesn't even glance at him. His gaze remains locked on hers, dark and blazing with a mixture of rage and hunger. "Go home, pretty boy," he sneers without looking away. "This doesn't concern you."

"I'm her boyfriend," Damon says, chest puffing like he thinks that means something.

"You're temporary," Xuning corrects, finally releasing her arm only to trace the curve of her jaw with his thumb, his touch possessive and burning. "She was mine first. She'll be mine again."

He sees the conflict in her eyes—fear warring with something he recognizes all too well: desire. Good. Let her be afraid. Let her remember exactly what she's been missing these four years.

"Four years," he murmurs, leaning in until his breath fans her ear, "and I still dream about the way you scream my name." He feels her shiver against him, and a smirk tugs at his lips. "Tell your boyfriend to leave. Now."

Xuning doesn't wait for her answer. He takes her hand in his, fingers interlacing tightly, and starts walking away from Damon, pulling her along with him. Let Damon follow. Let him try to stop them. Xuning would enjoy breaking him.

"You don't get to just—" she starts to protest, but her words dissolve into a gasp when he spins her around suddenly, pressing her against the brick wall of a nearby building.

His body cages hers in, one hand braced beside her head, the other tangled in her hair as he forces her to look at him. "I don't ask," he growls, his mouth inches from hers. "I take what's mine."