My hand shot out on instinct, grabbing her wrist to stop her with a grip that was a little too tight, a little too possessive. The touch of her skin against mine sent a thrill straight to my core.

I turned her towards me, my other hand reaching out to steady her as she crashed against my chest with a force that had us both gasping for air.

Fuck, she felt so goddamn good pressed against me, like she belonged there.

I buried my face in her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo combined with the faint hint of cigarettes.

“Not so fast, little one,” I said, my words muffled against her hair.

Red looked up at me, her eyes wide with surprise and something else, something I couldn’t quite name. But I didn’t need to put a name to it to know that it had me harder than a rock.

“What the hell, Rogue?” she muttered, her breath hot against my skin.

Her eyes met mine, dark and stormy like a hurricane ready to tear shit up.

I didn’t waste a second, spinning her around until her back was pressed against the cold metal wall. I leaned in close, the scent of her perfume clouding my senses as I whispered against her lips, “You drive me fucking crazy, Red.”

And holy shit, if that wasn’t the fucking truth.

Her hands found their way to my chest, fingers digging into the fabric of my shirt like she needed something—anything—to hold on to. And fuck me sideways if I didn’t want to be that something, the one thing she could hold onto in a world gone to shit.

“You’re not exactly a walk in the park yourself, Rogue,” she shot back, her voice painted with something that soundedsuspiciously like affection, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Then she tried to push me away, her hands shoving at my chest with surprising strength for someone so small. But fuck if I was gonna let her slip through my fingers that easily.

I grabbed her wrists with one hand, pinning them above her head, her skin burning against my fingertips as she squirmed beneath me. The look of shock on her face just made me smirk.

“Nice try, sweetheart,” I said, leaning in close so that our faces were inches apart.

Red’s nostrils flared, her chest heaving with the effort of trying to break free from my hold. “This,” she spat, gesturing between us with her head, “isn’t happening again. It was a one-time thing, Rogue. Don’t get any ideas.”

I tightened my grip on her arms, relishing in the way her body reacted despite her words. “Oh, I’ve got plenty of fucking ideas,” I whispered in her ear.

She let out a frustrated growl, her struggles growing more frantic as she tried another attempt to escape. But I held firm, my fingers digging into her skin just enough to let her know I wasn’t fucking around.

“You think you can just have your way with me?” she asked, her breath coming in short, angry puffs.

I let my lips trail along her jaw, leaving a searing line of heat. “I don’t think. I know,” I mocked, my lips dangerously close to hers. “And you’re gonna enjoy every second of it.”

Her struggles only seemed to intensify at my words, her hair whipping around her face like a tornado. “Let me go!” she spat, her words like daggers aimed straight at my heart.

I chuckled, the sound rough and guttural in the empty corridor. “Your resistance is adorable, little one,” I goaded, pressing myself even closer to her. “But ultimately futile.”

She struggled against me for a moment longer, but I could feel the shift, her body surrendering to mine like it was always meant to be.

She was fighting a losing battle, and she knew it. But damn if she wasn’t putting up one hell of a fight.

Fuck it. I couldn’t resist any longer.

“Come here.”

I crashed my lips against hers, swallowing her gasp of surprise as I deepened the kiss with a hunger that bordered on goddamn desperation. She moaned into the kiss, a low, sultry sound that sent a shiver down my spine and made my cock throb harder than I thought possible.

She tasted like sin and salvation all rolled into one and every nerve in my body lit up like a Christmas tree. My hands slid down her arms to tangle in her hair, pulling her closer, as if I could never get enough of her—the way she tasted, the way she felt pressed against me, the way she moaned into my mouth while I devoured her like a starving man.

And she matched me, kiss for fucking kiss, her mouth hot and hungry against mine, her nails digging into my back like she was trying to brand me as hers.

I groaned into her, tasting every inch of her as if she was the sweetest thing I’d ever known. I nibbled on her lower lip, earning a whimper of pleasure from her, before deepening the kiss even further, losing myself in the taste of her. My tongue explored every crevice of her mouth as I drank her in like she was my last meal.