The notification sound cuts through the silence like a knife. No warning, no preamble - just four words that make your blood run hot and cold simultaneously.

"I'm coming. Now."

No emojis. No question mark. Just raw, unflinching certainty. Your fingers hover over the keyboard, trembling slightly as you try to formulate a response that won't sound as desperate as you feel.

Before you can type a single letter, your phone chimes again.

"Don't even think about leaving."

The message is followed by a location pin - he's three blocks away. Time seems to stretch and warp around you as you stumble to your feet, heart pounding against your ribs. You shouldn't want this - shouldn't crave the danger rolling off his words - but your body betrays you, heat pooling low in your abdomen.

The sound of a key in the lock makes you jump. He must have taken your spare when you weren't looking. The door swings open, and there he stands in the doorway, silhouette backlit by the streetlights behind him. Rain soaks his dark hair, water droplets clinging to his perfect cheekbones like tears.

His eyes lock onto yours immediately, pupils dilated with something primal and dangerous. He steps inside without a word, closing the door so gently it somehow feels more threatening than a slam. The click of the deadbolt echoes through the silent apartment.

"You think you can just..."

Your words die in your throat as he takes three long strides across the room, crowding you against the wall with his body. One hand slams against the plaster beside your head, the other gripping your jaw so tightly it borders on painful.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" His voice is low, gravelly with suppressed rage and something else you can't quite name. "All those hints, all that teasing... You wanted to see how far you could push me before I broke."

His thumb brushes across your lower lip, hard enough to sting. "Well congratulations, baby. You got your answer."

The kiss is brutal, punishing - nothing like the gentle, hesitant affection you'd once imagined. His teeth sink into your lower lip until you taste blood, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth with no regard for your protest.

When he finally pulls back, his chest heaving against yours, you can see the wildness in his eyes - the predator who's finally caught its prey.

"You're mine now," he growls, fingers tangling in your hair to yank your head back, exposing your neck to his hungry gaze. "And I don't share what's mine."

The threat hangs in the air between you, thick with desire and danger, as his lips descend to your throat.