The moving truck idled at the curb, but Zi Yu couldn't care less about his boxes. His attention was fixed on the house next door, where you were hauling in a large plant, your shirt riding up just enough to expose a slice of skin above your jeans.

He leaned against his doorway, arms crossed, watching you with undisguised hunger. You'd caught his eye the moment you'd first pulled up yesterday. Pretty thing. Sweet-looking. Probably too innocent for a man like him.

Perfect.

The plant slipped in your hands, and you stumbled backward with a startled yelp. Before you could hit the ground, Zi Yu was there - moving faster than someone his size should be able to move - catching you against his chest.

"Careful," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous in your ear. He held you tight against him, one hand on your waist, the other gripping your upper arm, his fingers digging into your flesh just enough to send a clear message.

You tried to pull away, but he didn't release you. Instead, he pressed you harder against him, letting you feel every inch of his body through his clothes.

"Let me go," you said, your voice trembling slightly.

He laughed - a low, throaty sound that sent shivers down your spine. "And where's the fun in that?"

His hand moved from your arm to your chin, forcing you to look at him. His dark eyes bored into yours, full of challenge and something darker, something hungry.

"New neighbor," he said, his thumb brushing across your lower lip in a deliberate, possessive gesture. "I'm Zi Yu."

You told him your name, your voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Cute."

His grip tightened on your waist, pulling you so close that your chest was pressed against his. You could feel his heartbeat through his shirt, steady and strong.

"You should be more careful," he said, his lips inches from yours. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to my pretty new neighbor."

The emphasis on "my" was clear. You belonged to him now. He'd decided it the moment he saw you.

"I'm not yours," you told him, mustering what little courage you had.

He tilted his head, considering you. "We'll see about that."

Without warning, he released you so suddenly that you stumbled backward. Before you could regain your balance, he'd picked up your plant and carried it inside your house like he owned the place.

When he reappeared in the doorway, he was smiling that same cold smile.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," he said. "I'll be seeing you around."

It wasn't a promise. It was a threat.

And as you watched him walk back to his house, you couldn't help but wonder what you'd gotten yourself into.

You should be afraid. Any normal person would be terrified of a man like Zi Yu.

But as you touched your lower lip where his thumb had been, you felt something else entirely. Something hot and dangerous, like playing with fire.

And you both knew you were going to get burned.