The bell above the café door jingles as you step inside, instantly regretting your decision to obey Margot. The air smells of freshly ground coffee and something darker - sandalwood, maybe, or cigarette smoke. And there he is.

Jiang Heng leans against the counter, arms crossed over his broad chest, watching you with those penetrating eyes that seem to strip the layers from your body. No friendly smile, no welcoming gesture - just that intense, predatory gaze that makes your pulse race against your will.

"Took you long enough," he says, pushing away from the counter and stalking toward you. The room seems to shrink with each step he takes. "Thought you'd run again." His voice is low, graveled, like he's been smoking too many cigarettes.

"I wasn't running," you manage to say, your voice betraying you with a tremor.

He laughs - a short, humorless sound. "No? Then what do you call bolting from the pier like I had a disease?" He's close now, so close you can feel the heat of his body and catch the faint scent of whiskey on his breath.

Before you can respond, his hand slams against the wall beside your head, trapping you between his arm and the door. "You think you can just waltz into my territory, look at me with those desperate eyes, and then disappear?" His thigh presses against yours, hard and unyielding.

"Your territory?" you whisper, your body betraying you as heat pools between your legs despite your fear.

"Everywhere I set my sights becomes mine," he growls, his face inches from yours. "And I've got my sights set on you."