Page 100 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

“Trying to kill me, tigress?” My gravelly voice echoes between us.

The fight leaves her body when she recognizes me.

“Phoenix?” There’s a hint of genuine fear in her small voice. “You scared the shit out of me!” She’s not lying, I can see her heart rate beating frantically against the taut skin of her throat. “I thought someone was breaking in to attack me.”

The thought of someone hurting her has the blood rushing to my head so quickly that I feel nauseous. I have to exhale harshly to keep from blacking out.

“If a man ever has you like this,” I growl in her face, “headbutt him in the face and kick him in the balls.”

“Then what? Scream and run away?”

My answering grin is downright sadistic. “Then you leave him for me to finish off. I’ll teach him the meaning of pain before I kill him.”

I don’t bother hiding the manic tone in my voice.

Before she can answer, Bellamy knocks at her door and says, “Six? Are you okay? I heard a loud noise followed by a scream.”

“Yes, I’m okay! I just stubbed my toe on the corner of my bed but I’m okay.” She answers, the lie falling smoothly from her lips. “You can go back to bed, sorry for waking you.”

“That’s okay, sleep tight!”

I listen to the sound of Bellamy’s feet pitter pattering back to her bedroom, followed by her door closing.

“You haven’t told your friends about me.” I say. It comes out sounding slightly accusatory and I don’t like it.

She looks up at me with wide, soft eyes that make the monster in me want to kill to protect her from any and all discomfort, no matter how little.

“What would I tell them?”

She doesn’t try to escape my hold of her wrists or the looming threat of my body over hers, instead submitting to me without question. Her compliance hardens my cock and has liquid lust running through my veins, heating every cell and particle it touches.

“That you’re going to be my wife.” I rumble seductively against her ear. This time my voice comes out heated. Possessive.

She’ll never be my wife so I savor the few opportunities where I can still say it.

Her face flushes, the pinkness of her cheeks making her freckles appear to blend together. “That’s supposed to be a secret, remember?”

“Not for much longer.”

“Plus,” she continues, undeterred, “your friend broke my friend’s heart. It’s not exactly a great time to be talking about any of you.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“Yes, he is.” She answers, before giving me a surprised look. “I’m shocked you think so.”

“That’s because you only think of me as trouble.”

“You just broke in through my window.” She points out.

“You never minded before.”

Her breath hitches and her eyes search for something in mine. I don’t know if she finds it, but she says, “No, I didn’t.”

The air thickens between us and my eyes drop to her mouth, drawn by her glistening, puffy lips.They part under my perusal and I feel my head dip slightly towards her.

“I was at your match today.” She says hurriedly, breaking the spell of the moment and stopping my descent.

I pull back.

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