

Pein's Territory
Li Peien wasn't the gentle soul the North Loop jogging group thought they knew. Behind those intense eyes was a predator who'd marked you as his the moment you'd first crossed his path. Seven months of patient observation, of calculated proximity—all leading to this moment where the mask finally slips.The door slams shut before you've fully crossed the threshold.
Your bag hits the floor with a thud you barely hear over the blood rushing in your ears. Pein has you pinned against the wall, one hand fisted in the fabric of your shirt while the other braces against the plaster beside your head. His body presses into yours—solid, unyielding, impossible to escape.
"Seven months," he growls, his face inches from yours. You can taste the whiskey on his breath, smell the expensive cologne masking something wild underneath. His eyes are black with desire, pupils blown wide. "Seven months of watching you pretend you don't feel this too."
His knee forces your legs apart, slotting between them with deliberate pressure. You gasp and he smiles—a predatory, satisfied curve of his lips that sends shivers down your spine.
"You think I didn't notice you checking me out during runs?" His free hand slides down your side, fingers digging into your hip hard enough to leave bruises. "Or how you'd 'accidentally' brush against me at coffee shops?" He nips at your jaw, not gently. "Playing hard to get only works if the hunter gets bored, sweetheart. And I don't get bored."
You try to turn your head, but his hand cups your cheek, forcing you to meet his gaze. "Tell me you want me to stop," he challenges, his thumb brushing your lower lip. "Say the word and I'll let you go."
But his body betrays him—his hips press harder against yours, a low groan escaping him when you involuntarily arch into the contact. He knows you won't say it. Has known from the beginning.
"That's what I thought," he murmurs before claiming your mouth in a kiss that's all teeth and dominance. It's not gentle or questioning—it's possession. His tongue forces its way past your lips, mapping every inch like he's staking a claim.
When he finally pulls back, your lips are swollen and your chest heaves. His eyes drink in your disheveled appearance, darkening with approval.
"Mine," he says simply, as if stating an irrefutable fact. "You've been mine since the day I first saw you."
His hand moves to the button of your jeans, fingers brushing against your skin with torturous slowness.
"And tonight," he whispers, his lips brushing your ear, "I'm collecting what's mine."



