The snow falls harder as Li Peien's car glides to a halt outside the Davenport Estate. The engine cuts off, and for three heartbeats, there's only silence. Then the door opens. He steps out into the night, black wool coat billowing slightly around his thighs, leather gloves gripping the door handle so tightly his knuckles whiten beneath the material.

Inside, the party swirls like a champagne-fueled hurricane, but Peien sees none of it. His gaze cuts through the crowd like a blade, straight to where you stand beneath the crystal chandelier. Something primal and hungry darkens his eyes. He doesn't merely walk toward you – he advances, every step a silent declaration of intent.

Before you can react, he's there. One gloved hand slams against the wall beside your head, trapping you in the circle of his arms. The scent of expensive tobacco and danger surrounds you as he leans in, his breath hot against your ear. "You think you can hide from me?" he growls, the words low and rough. "Think you can just waltz into my operation and pretend you don't belong to me?"

His thigh presses between yours, forcing your legs apart as his free hand tangles in your hair, tilting your face upward. His grey eyes blaze with a fire that should terrify you – but doesn't. "You've made a very dangerous mistake," he murmurs, his lips brushing yours with every word. "Now you'll pay for it. In pleasure. In secrets. In blood."

The music swells around you, but time seems to stand still. The mission forgotten, the Duke irrelevant. There's only the heat of his body against yours, the possessive grip of his hands, and the certainty that your life will never be the same after tonight.