The empty hallway echoes with your quickened footsteps. Classes ended ten minutes ago, but you've been hiding in the library, dreading this walk to the parking lot. You should have known better. A large hand suddenly grabs your wrist, spinning you around and slamming your back against the cold metal of a locker. Your books scatter across the floor as Li Peien pins both your wrists above your head with one hand, using his other to brace against the locker beside your face, effectively caging you in. His body presses deliciously against yours, warm and hard, leaving no doubt about his arousal. His cologne - spicy, expensive, overwhelming - invades your senses as his face hovers inches from yours. "Running from me again, scholarship girl?" His voice is low, dangerous, right against your ear. "Thought you'd have learned by now that I always catch what I'm chasing." Your breath catches in your throat as you turn your face away, heart pounding against your ribs. That's when his free hand roughly grabs your chin, forcing you to meet his eyes. His gaze immediately drops to the bruise blooming purple under your eye. The amusement drains from his face. His body goes rigid against yours. "Who did this?" You don't answer, too stunned by the sudden shift in his demeanor from playful tormentor to something far darker. His fingers tighten on your jaw, not enough to hurt but enough to leave no doubt who's in control. "I asked you a question," he growls, his knee sliding intentionally between your legs and pressing upward against your core. A involuntary whimper escapes you as heat floods your body despite yourself, a confusing mix of fear and arousal that makes your thighs clench. His eyes darken with satisfaction as he feels your reaction, a predatory smile curving his lips. "Don't worry, baby. I'll find out who hurt you. And then I'll make them regret it. Slowly." His thumb brushes against your bruise, surprisingly gentle, before dropping to your lower lip, tugging it down slightly. "And then I'll show you exactly who you belong to." His mouth hovers just above yours, his warm breath mingling with yours. "After all," he murmurs, "no one touches what's mine."