Page 42 of Major Penalty

I press a little more. His jaw tightens further, but there’s no sound. Nothing.

I can’t take it anymore.

I retreat my hands and look up at him.

“Are we seriously not going to talk about it?”

“No.” Ares exhales sharply, gaze dark. His voice is cold and unapologetic. “I came because Mathews had already left, and I promised Brown I’d get it checked out today. So, you’re going to do your job, and then I’m leaving.”

My stomach twists, anger flaring white-hot in my chest.

I take a step closer, tilting my head up.

“You can’t just act like nothing happened.”

“I can. And I am.” A muscle in his jaw ticks.

I cross my arms. He can’t do this. He can’t just kiss me, indirectly call me beautiful, and then pretend like he can’t stand me.

Ares tilts his head slightly, his expression bordering on amused. But his eyes are heated—a warning.

“Drop it,” he says quietly.

Oh, screw this.

Before I can think, I press down on his injury. Not enough to hurt him or cause damage. But enough to remind him he’s not invincible and that I won’t put up with this dismissive behavior. I press down enough for him to show me something, anything. And he does.

Ares grits his teeth, exhaling sharply. He doesn’t pull away from my hand, but his muscles lock up.

I feel it all—the tension, the pain, the shock.

His pale blue eyes snap to mine, dark with a dangerous flicker behind them. He can’t believe I just did that to him. And to be honest, neither can I.

I swallow and remove my fingers. I should back up and apologize. I should do anything but stare at him like I just won some silent battle.

But before I can move, he does.

His fingers wrap around my waist, and before I know it, I’m weightless. The room spins, and a second later, my back hits the examination table hard enough to rip a gasp from my lips. My vision snaps into focus, and he’s there above me, caging me in. Pressing me down. But his hand is on the back of my head, protecting it from the hard surface.

My heart slams as I feel his weight, his scent, his heat everywhere.

He leans in, and I suck in a sharp breath.

“You really like pressing my buttons, don’t you?” His voice is a low, deadly rasp.

A full-body shudder runs through me. I can’t do anything but stare at him, completely, utterly stunned. I feel like I’m seventeen again, but instead of playing it safe, I know I want something reckless. I want to see what’s behind that mask, what’s underneath all that armor he’s built around himself.

“Are you going to do something about it?” I ask, not knowing where that boldness came from. “Or are you going to keep pretending you don’t care?” My voice is breathless, not matching my words.

“You wanna see how much I care, little thing?” The wolfish smirk Ares gives me is nothing short of sinister. And then I feel it. A hardness—thick and big, pressing against me.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh my God.

My breath catches, and I go still. I know he feels it, too. Because his expression changes. Because his arm tightens around my waist, and his fingers curl in my hair. Because his eyes darken in a way that makes my stomach flip.

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