Chapter 3

Adelia shoved against Kain's shoulder with all her strength. Her palms pushed into the hard muscle beneath his suit jacket, desperate to put even an inch of space between them.

"I'm ending this," she declared, her voice louder than she intended, fueled by a surge of adrenaline. "Tonight. Do you hear me? It's over."

Kain didn't move. He simply leaned back against the seat, his eyes half-closed, watching her struggle with an expression of mild amusement. He looked like a man watching a kitten batting at a ball of yarn.

"Are you?" he drawled. "Because from where I was standing, your eyes were on me all night."

The words hit their mark. Heat flooded Adelia's cheeks. She had been watching him. She couldn't help it. It was like staring at a car crash-you knew you shouldn't look, but you couldn't tear your eyes away.

"That was disgust," she snapped, the lie tasting sour on her tongue.

Kain's smile widened. He reached out, his hand moving with that deceptive laziness that always preceded violence. His fingers found the side of her neck, sliding slowly down from her ear to her collarbone.

He knew exactly where to touch. His fingertips traced a path along her sensitive skin, pressing lightly against the spot just below her ear that made her breath catch.

Adelia stiffened. She tried to pull away, but her body betrayed her. A shiver ran down her spine, and she held her breath, fighting the wave of heat that threatened to consume her.

Suddenly, a delivery bike shot out from a side street. The driver laid on the horn, the sound cutting through the quiet of the car.

The chauffeur slammed on the brakes. The massive vehicle lurched to a stop, the tires squealing against the asphalt.

The force of the stop threw Adelia forward. She lost her balance, her hands slipping from Kain's chest. She pitched forward, straight into his lap.

Her hands landed flat on his chest, her fingers splaying over the fine wool of his suit. Her legs tangled with his, her knees pressing into the leather seat on either side of his hips.

Kain's arms came up instantly. He wrapped them around her waist, locking her in place. He turned the accident into an embrace, pulling her tight against his body so that every inch of her was pressed against every inch of him.

In the darkness of the car, their breath mingled. The air between them crackled, the temperature skyrocketing. Adelia could feel the hard thud of his heart beneath her palm, or maybe that was her own heart, beating so fast it made her head spin.

She scrambled to sit up, panic clawing at her throat. "Let me go-"

His arms tightened like iron bands. He held her fast, refusing to let her retreat even an inch. He lowered his head, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"Your body," he whispered, his voice a low, sandpaper rasp, "is a lot more honest than your mouth."

Shame and anger burned in Adelia's chest, hot and acidic. Her eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. She pounded her fists against his chest, hitting him as hard as she could.

"Let me go!" she cried.

Kain didn't loosen his grip. If anything, he pulled her closer. One hand released her waist to grip her chin, forcing her face up to his.

He didn't hesitate. He crushed his mouth down on hers.

It wasn't a kiss. It was a punishment. It was a brand. His lips were hard and demanding, taking everything and giving nothing. He bit down on her lower lip, not gently, and the sharp taste of copper filled her mouth.

Adelia struggled, her hands pushing against his chest, her head trying to turn away. But his hand held her jaw in a vise, and his body was an immovable wall. She was trapped, overwhelmed by the scent of him, the taste of him, the sheer force of his will.

The car began to move again, picking up speed. Behind the partition, the driver silently pressed a button. The privacy screen slid up, sealing the back seat into a soundproof cocoon.

Kain broke the kiss. He pulled back just enough to look at her, his chest heaving, his eyes dark with a hunger that terrified her.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice cold and sharp. "As long as I don't let go, You will always be mine."

His thumb stroked her bruised lip, a gesture that was almost tender if not for the steel in his eyes.

"Dead or alive," he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Someone else's wife or mine. You. Are. Mine."

Adelia slumped against the seat, the fight draining out of her. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, tracking silently down her cheeks.

She stared at the privacy screen, at the dark glass that separated her from the rest of the world. She was in a glass box, speeding through the city, completely alone with a man who owned her body and soul.

Running was impossible. Fighting was useless.

She was never going to escape.