Page 98 of King of Pride

The room immediately fell silent.

He tossed the phone aside and turned his attention back to her as though Ivan had never existed.

Rose was breathless beneath him. She turned her face away for a moment, trying to catch her breath, then glanced toward the phone before looking back at Maverick.

“He’s already hung up,” she whispered.

He raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening as he looked down at her.

“What did I tell you when you came home with me for the first time?” he asked, his voice low and rough.

His thumb brushed across her lower lip, wiping away the trace of moisture there before he continued, his gaze fixed on hers.

“I told you that if I ever found out there was another man in your heart, I’d break his fucking neck. Don’t you remember that, or do you simply not care what I say?”

Rose immediately stiffened beneath his gaze. The possessiveness in his voice sent a nervous shiver through her.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “It won’t happen again. I won’t pick up Ivan’s calls when you’re around anymore.”

The anger in his expression only deepened.

Before she could say anything else, he lowered his head and kissed her again, his frustration evident in the intensity of the kiss. When he finally pulled back, his eyes remained fixed on hers.

“In front of me?” he repeated.

Rose’s stomach tightened.

‘Oh my God. What am I even saying?’

He was already like a wild animal, perfectly capable of tearing her apart. The last thing she needed was to irritate him by saying something stupid.

‘What is wrong with me? Why can’t I ever seem to think logically around him?’

Before she could gather her thoughts enough to explain herself, Maverick leaned down again.

His mouth moved from hers to her neck, leaving a trail of heated kisses along her skin. Rose's breath caught, and her fingers instinctively curled against his shoulders as the tension between them slowly overwhelmed her.

Whatever argument she had been trying to make disappeared from her mind as she lay beneath him, her body trembling beneath the intensity of his attention.

He nipped at the delicate skin just beneath her ear and she gasped, sharp and high in her throat, every nerve ending pinpricked with longing and fear. His hands roamed her waist, splaying flat, fingers digging into the fabric of her shirt, anchoring her to the mattress. Maverick’s breath was ragged, the edge of it hot and ragged against her cheek.

Every movement of his mouth felt like an accusation. She couldn’t keep up—his tongue was insistent, lips relentless, as if he was trying to erase any trace of Ivan from her memory and replace it with himself. The force of him was overwhelming, and she was drowning in the taste of him, the scent of his skin, the weight of his thigh between hers.

“Ah!” Rose’s head spun. Her hands scrabbled at his back, nails catching at the thin cotton of his t-shirt, desperate for something to hold on to. She could sense the jealousy radiating off him, bitter and electric.

His teeth grazed her collarbone, and she felt her body arch, hips grinding up into him without her permission. Her breath hitched, a trembling whimper escaping, humiliating in its neediness.

“You are mine now,” he muttered, the word muffled against her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

He came down hard on her lips again, hungrier this time, and she surrendered to it, let herself tumble headlong into the want. She forgot about Ivan, her phone, the fight. All that mattered was the crush of Maverick’s body on hers, the way his hands mapped her ribs, thumbs tracing slow lines just under her bra.

He pulled back, just enough to hiss, “Stay the fuck away from him,” and the warning was clear, but so was the plea underneath it. She nodded, dazed, and Maverick kissed her harder, his body molding to hers as if he meant to fuse them together.

***

Maverick stepped out of the Oracle Fragrances building, and Rose hurried after him, quickening her pace to keep up with his long strides. He was already several steps ahead when he glanced over his shoulder and noticed her struggling to catch up.