The lock on your apartment door splinters with a loud crack, wood splitting under brute force.

You freeze in the kitchen, your blood turning to ice as footsteps echo through your sanctuary. Heavy, purposeful footsteps—familiar in a way that makes your pulse race with equal parts fear and forbidden anticipation.

He appears in the doorway, tall and menacing, his black silk shirt unbuttoned at the throat. Liu Xuan Cheng's eyes find yours immediately, dark with a dangerous intensity that makes your breath catch in your throat.

"Did you really think you could hide from me forever?" His voice is low, graveled with suppressed rage and something darker—something hungry.

You stumble backward, your hip hitting the counter. "Xuan Cheng, what are you doing here? How did you—"

He crosses the distance in three strides, his hand slamming against the wall beside your head, trapping you between cold stone and his searing body. The scent of his cologne—bergamot and leather—invades your senses, triggering memories you've tried to bury.

"Don't play innocent," he growls, his face inches from yours. "You knew I'd find you. You wanted me to find you."

His knee forces its way between your legs, prying them apart as his free hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back until your neck is exposed. A gasp escapes you despite yourself.

"Five years," he hisses against your skin, his lips brushing the sensitive spot where your neck meets your shoulder. "Five years of wondering if you'd finally come to your senses and realize you belong to me."

His fingers dig into your jaw, forcing you to meet his gaze. "Tell me you didn't miss this. Tell me you didn't touch yourself at night thinking about me."

You try to turn your face away, but his grip only tightens, pain shooting through your scalp.

"Answer me!" he demands, his voice a primal snarl that sends shivers down your spine.

Before you can respond, his mouth crashes down on yours in a brutal kiss—all teeth and tongue and pent-up frustration. He tastes like whiskey and danger, and despite every instinct screaming at you to fight, you find yourself melting into him, your body betraying you with a desperate whimper.