Page 71 of Mine to Take

It’s almost agonizing, the way air leaks from my lungs.

If I were smart, I’d untangle myself from him before slipping from the bed. Then I’d make a promise to do a better job of steering clear of Maverick McKinnon in the future.

But…

How can I do that when he’s the only one capable of making my body soar?

His muscles fill with tension. “Is there a reason you won’t tell me?”

My heartrate kicks up tempo, beating faster. I nibble my lower lip before reluctantly admitting, “Willow.”

“Willow,” he murmurs, as if tasting my name on his lips.

That’s all it takes for a shudder to slide through me.

His fingers slip beneath my chin to lift it until there’s no other choice but to meet the steeliness of his mahogany-colored eyes. “Break up with him, Willow.”

When I remain silent, his voice dips, turning harsher. “Did you hear me, sunshine? I want you to break up with him.”

“I heard you.”

Tension vibrates off him in heavy waves. “Then give me an answer.”

I force myself to stay strong. “I can’t do that.”

A growl escapes him as he flips me onto my back and cages me in with his strength until he’s all I’m cognizant of. Before I can draw in a deep, cleansing breath, his lips slam into mine. His tongue plunges inside me the same way his cock had driven into my body a handful of minutes ago.

And then I’m lost in a sea of sensation.

In the taste of him.

The possessiveness of his touch.

Just when it feels like I’m drowning, he breaks off contact and rips himself away. It doesn’t escape me that our breathing has turned labored.

Anger sparks in his dark depths as he narrows his eyes. “Does he make you feel anything close to this?” There’s a pause. “Has anyone ever played with your body the way I do?”

I press my lips together and shake my head. This, at least, I can answer with absolute honesty. “No.”

“The fucker disrespected you by making out with another girl in front of your damn face.” His upper lip curls in disdain. “How can you want to be with someone like that?”

His question churns through my brain. The situation is so much more complicated than he understands. I’m afraid to tell him the truth. Afraid that it’ll destroy and taint everything that’s happened between us.

When I remain silent, he growls, “You deserve so much better. If he doesn’t realize how special you are, then fuck him. I would treat you like a queen.” There’s a pause as his deep voice dips, flooding with unspent emotion. “Give me a chance to prove it. Just one. That’s all I need.”

My heart twists beneath my breast. It’s so much more agonizing than I could have imagined. “Maverick…”

He shakes his head before nipping at my lower lip and drawing it inside his mouth. Our gazes remain locked in silent battle.

It’s only when he releases the plump flesh already swollen from his previous kisses that he demands, “Break up with him.”

“It would be for the best if we didn’t see one another again.”

There isn’t a single drop of humor in the laughter that escapes from him. “It’s much too late for that, sunshine. Your fate was sealed the moment I caught sight of you on the other side of the plexiglass. It’s just that neither of us realized it in the moment.”

He’s wrong.

The second our gazes collided, I felt the shift in energy. Almost like an impending storm was about to wreak havoc in my life.

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