Page 64 of Red Flagged
“Callum, what the fuck?” she snapped. She planted her feet, jerking her arm away, but I was stronger and faster.
“You already agreed to drive with me,” I told her, forcing her to face me. “No going back on that now, love.” I smiled enough to flash my dimple. Just enough to make herwantto slap me. Or kiss me.
She scoffed, lips curling into a sneer. “That was before you tried tosteamroll—non, bulldoze—fuck, whatever this is!” she snapped. “You don’t get to do the nice play now after you man-grabbed me!”
I blinked, then burst out laughing. “The nice play?Man-grab?”
“Manhandle! Just—shut up! You know what I mean!”
I forced myself to rein my amusement in. Even furious, she was fucking perfect. But underneath the sass, I heard the crack in her voice, the hurt she was trying to hide.
“Auri, if you’re trying to make me regret manhandling you, maybe don’t say it while pressed against my car.”
She hissed. Actuallyhissed. I froze, then grinned, heat curling in my gut.
“Jesus, you really are unhinged. What do you want? For me to tame you, or chase you into the dark and fuck you against the pavement?”
“Neither. Both. Putain,whatever!” she spat, shoving at me again. “You think this is romantic? Just because you’re—” her hands waved wildly at me “—hot and feral and know how to whisper things that short-circuit my nervous system?”
Her voice broke at the edges. Sheloathedthat I could still make her feel this way. That was the worst part: shewantedto stay mad, and I was ruining it.
I had her. Fuck, Ihadher, and she hated that.
“You’re this mad,” I said slowly, knowing it would irritate the hell out of her, “but you still think I’mhot and feral?” She squinted at me and crossed her arms. She looked adorably pissed off. I tilted my head. “Be honest with me, baby, how soaked are you right now?”
Her jaw dropped.
“You know what? Don’t answer. I’ll find out soon enough.”
She scoffed, cheeks flushed. “Tu es tellement chiant,” she muttered.You’re so annoying.
“Don’t flatter me with your dirty talk until we’re alone,” I retorted with a wink.
A clap of thunder broke the moment, reminding me that we were very much in public and too many sets of eyes were on us.
Shit.
Our friends were watching with way too much amusement, standing by their chauffeured car.
“We’ll meet you guys at the restaurant,” I shouted to them, catching Marco’s gaze over the hood of the car. He winked at me, a nefarious grin on his face as he leaned down and whispered something in Ivy’s ear that made her face turn beet red before they climbed into their car.
I opened the passenger door and moved Aurélie closer with one firm hand at her hip. She blinked up at me, hazel burning like autumn leaves on the verge of a storm. I knew that look, that tension. I wanted to drown in it.
“Get in the car, baby, before I decide I’d rather have you for dinner instead.” The gravel in my voice was downrightpossessive. I grabbed her hips and ground my cock against her. I wanted her to feel how goddamn hard I already was. That despite the anxiety, I wanted her—this,us—more than anything else.
She gasped but didn’t move away. Her hands curled into my dress shirt. “Merde…” she whispered, breath stuttering. “You’re—this is—no. I amnot?—”
I hummed. “Your tongue always gets tangled when you’re flustered, baby. You forget your English. Forget yourFrench.Almost as if you can’t decide what language to fight me in.” My hand moved to her throat, justclaimingas I pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her lips. “Want me to remind you what language yourbodyspeaks?” I dragged the flat of my tongue along the edge of her jaw. “I can translate the way you tremble, baby.”
Her breath hitched—barely—but Ifeltit. Her muscles tightened, her throat bobbed, and her knees wobbled for just a heartbeat before she caught herself.
Then her hands pushed at my chest. “You don’t get to have me after that.”
I crowded closer, letting her feel just how much restraint I was holding onto. My pulse was a fucking war drum in my ears. My body wasaliveagain—every nerve on fire, every instinct screaming to mark, to claim, totake.
“You can hate me later, Aurélie,” I murmured, dragging my knuckles along the sharp edge of her jaw. “Right now, you’re going to do as you’re told.”
Her glare sharpened. “Sex isn’t going to fix this, Callum! We have bigger issues—” She cut herself off with a scoff, letting go of my shirt, tears glittering in her eyes. “Youfucked up.” She poked my chest with a perfectly polished finger. “You stood there and talked about your future like I didn’t exist in it. Like I was just…temporary.” Her voice broke, and she leaned back against the car, putting space between us that I hated. “You made it sound like you had a whole life planned without me. Like I was just a chapter you were ready to close.”
