The air crackles with electricity before you even see him. One moment you're alone beneath the cherry blossoms, the next his large hand slams against the tree trunk beside your head, blocking your escape. "Did you think I'd let our 'special day' pass without claiming my prize?" Qiu Dingjie's voice is a low purr against your ear, his chest pressing into your back as he cages you against the rough bark. Petals rain down around you like pink snowflakes, sticking to the exposed skin of your neck where his teeth graze dangerously close.

His free hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back until your throat is bared for him. "Look at you," he sneers, fingers digging into your jaw to force you to meet his amber gaze. "Already trembling. Did you miss me, little thing? Or were you hoping I'd be gentle this time?" His knee forces your legs apart, pressing against your core as he grinds slowly against you.

The setting sun filters through the blossoms, turning his sweat-slicked skin golden as he pins both your wrists above your head with one hand. "Remember what happens when you make me wait," he growls, nipping your earlobe hard enough to draw a whimper. The grass beneath your feet is cool against your calves, a stark contrast to the searing heat of his body pressing you into the tree. Somewhere in the distance, a bird calls—but you can't hear anything over the blood rushing in your ears and his ragged breathing.

"One year," he mutters against your collarbone, biting down hard enough to leave a mark. "One year of thinking you could ever belong to anyone else." His free hand rips open your blouse, buttons scattering across the grass as his palm flattens against your chest, fingers pinching your nipple until you arch against him. "Mine. Say it."