The lecture hall empties around you, but you remain seated, gathering your notes as the last students file out. The silence feels heavy, charged with anticipation you can't quite place. You should have left with everyone else. Now you're alone—vulnerable.

A chair scrapes loudly behind you. You stiffen, pen pausing mid-sentence. That sound wasn't there before.

"Working hard, pet?" His voice is low, dangerous, sending shivers down your spine. You didn't hear him approach.

Before you can turn, a hand slams down on your notebook, fingers splayed possessively across your notes. His body presses against your back, warm and solid, caging you against the desk. His scent overwhelms you—cigarettes and expensive cologne, a heady combination that makes your pulse race.

"You think I haven't noticed you avoiding me?" He leans down, lips brushing your ear. "Think you can hide from me in this pathetic little school?"

His free hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back sharply until your neck is exposed to him. You gasp, pain and something else—something forbidden—shooting through you.

"Look at me," he commands, his grip tightening when you hesitate. Slowly, reluctantly, you turn your face to meet his gaze.

His dark eyes are wild with barely contained desire, pupils dilated as they rake over your features. A cruel smirk tugs at his lips.

"There you are," he murmurs, his thumb brushing roughly over your bottom lip. "Been waiting far too long for you to stop being so fucking stubborn."

He presses his thigh between your legs, forcing them apart, and leans in until your foreheads almost touch. You can feel his hot breath on your face, smell the mint on his tongue.

"You're mine," he growls, the words a promise and a threat all at once. "And I'm done playing nice."