I froze in place, my heart pounding in my chest as I turned and found
Sean standing there, his frame blocking the doorway. His sharp eyes
locked onto mine, and I instinctively took a step back, pressing myself
against the dresser as if it could shield me from whatever was about to
happen.
“Where were you sneaking off to?” he asked, though his lips curved into
a smirk that only made my pulse race faster.
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. My throat was dry, and my mind
scrambled for an excuse, but I knew it wouldn’t matter. The faint scent
of Tristan still lingered on me, and I could see the way his nose twitched
as he pieced it together.
“You went to see him, didn’t you?” Sean stepped forward, closing the
distance between us.
I didn’t respond, but my silence seemed to be answer enough.
His smirk grew, though there was no humor in it. “I should’ve guessed.
You keep running back to him like a moth to a flame. Tell me, Mia, does
he make you feel safe? Loved?”
“Sean, move,” I said firmly, trying to sidestep him.
He moved faster, blocking me with ease. “Not so fast. You think you can
sneak around and come back like nothing happened? Like you don’t
belong here?”
His words sent a rush of anger through me, but before I could respond,
he stepped closer, his hands braced on either side of me against the
dresser. His closeness made my breath hitch, and I hated the way my
body reacted-how the bond pulled me toward him even when my mind
screamed to push him away.
“You’re ours, Mia,” Sean murmured,”No matter how much you fight it,
no matter where you run to. This bond-it ties you to us. To me.”
I tried to back up, but the edge of the bed pressed against the backs of my
thighs, leaving me nowhere to escape.
His lips curled into a knowing smirk. “You don’t need to look so scared,
Mia. You know I won’t hurt you.”
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. “What are you doing here, Sean?”
He stepped closer, his hand brushing a strand of hair from my face, the
lightest touch sending shivers down my spine. “We’ve never really been
alone, have we?” His voice was low, almost a purr.
I tried to look away, but his fingers tilted my chin back toward him.
“Stop avoiding me, Mia. You feel it, don’t you? The way your body reacts
to mine. The pull of the bond.”
“It’s just the bond,” I managed to say.
His smirk deepened as he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. “If
that’s what you want to tell yourself, go ahead. But we both know it’s
more than that.”
Before I could respond, his lips captured mine, firm and demanding. I
gasped against his mouth, my hands instinctively coming up to push
him away, but the strength in his kiss stole every ounce of resolve I had.
Sean’s hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him. The heat
of his body seeped through my clothes, and I hated how my body reacted,
melting into his touch despite my mind screaming for me to stop.
His lips moved against mine, coaxing and teasing until I couldn’t think
straight. His tongue brushed against my bottom lip, and I parted my lips
without even realizing it, letting him deepen the kiss.
My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, half trying to steady myself
and half pulling him closer. His hands roamed over my back, his touch
possessive and firm as if he was claiming every inch of me.
He broke the kiss for a moment, his lips trailing down the side of my
neck. “You’re mine, Mia,” he murmured against my skin, his voice dark
and filled with raw intensity. “Every part of you belongs to me.”
A shiver ran through me as his teeth grazed the sensitive spot where my
neck met my shoulder. My breath hitched, and I felt his smirk against my
skin.
“You’re trembling,” he observed, his hands sliding down to grip my
hips. “I can feel how much you want this, Mia. How much you want me.”
I shook my head, my thoughts a tangled mess. “This… this isn’t right.”
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his gaze locking onto mine.
“What’s not right? The way your body reacts to mine? The way you melt
when I touch you?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but his lips were on mine again, silencing
me with another searing kiss. This time, it wasn’t just demanding-it
was consuming, pulling me under until I couldn’t think of anything else
but him.
His hands slid under my shirt, the heat of his palms branding my skin as
they roamed upward. My breath hitched as his fingers brushed the edge
of my bra, his touch both teasing and confident.
“Sean,” I whispered, trying to pull myself back to reality.
But he didn’t stop. His lips moved down to my collarbone, his teeth
grazing my skin as he murmured, “Tell me you don’t want this, Mia.
Look me in the eye and tell me to stop.”
I couldn’t. My body betrayed me, leaning into his touch, craving the heat
and the intensity he offered.
Just as his hands slid further up, reality slammed into me like a cold
wave. I placed my hands on his chest, pushing him back with more
strength than I thought I had.
“Stop,” I said firmly, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
“This isn’t real. It’s… it’s the bond. That’s all it is.”
Sean’s lips curled into a smirk, but there was something dark behind his
eyes, something that sent a shiver down my spine. “You really think
that’s all this is?” he asked, stepping closer despite my warning. “The
bond?”
I took a step to the side, trying to put some distance between us, but he
moved with me, his movements slow and deliberate. “Of course, it’s the
bond,” I shot back, my voice gaining strength. “What else could it be?”
He stopped then, his eyes boring into mine, and for a moment, I thought
he might laugh. But instead, he leaned in closer, his hand bracing against
the wall beside me, caging me in.
“It’s more than that,” he said firmly. “You can lie to yourself all you
want, Mia, but you feel it. You felt it just now. And whether you want to
admit it or not, it’s real.”
I shook my head, my hands trembling as I pushed him away. “No. This…
this isn’t real. It’s the bond, Sean. That’s all it is. It’s messing with our
heads, making us feel things that aren’t true.”
He caught my wrist, his grip firm but not painful, and for a moment, I
saw something raw flicker across his face. “The bond might have started
this, but it’s not the whole story. You’re mine, Mia. And nothing-no one
-is going to change that.”
My heart raced, a mix of fear and anger coursing through me. “Yours?” I
spat, yanking my hand free. “You’ve done nothing to deserve me. You
and your brothers have done nothing but hurt me, treat me like I’m some
burden you’re forced to deal with. And now you think you can just claim
me? That you have some right to me because of the bond?”
His jaw tightened, and he took a step back, running a hand through his
hair. “I don’t expect you to understand, Mia. But the bond is
unbreakable. You’re mine, and I’m yours. That’s how it works.”
“No,” I snapped, shaking my head. “That’s not how it works. You don’t
get to treat me like this-like I’m some possession you can control. The
bond doesn’t give you that right.”
He exhaled sharply, his frustration evident, but he didn’t try to argue.
Instead, he took a step closer, his expression softening. “You can hate
me all you want. You can fight this as much as you want. But I’m not
letting you go, Mia. I won’t.”
His words sent a chill down my spine, and I pushed past him, putting as
much distance between us as I could. “Get out,” I demanded, my voice
trembling. “I don’t want you here.”
He hesitated, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer before he
finally turned toward the door. “This isn’t over,” he said quietly, that
made my stomach twist.
As the door clicked shut behind him, I sank onto the floor, my hands
trembling as I tried to steady my breathing.
I hated how my body had reacted, how I had almost let myself get swept
away in the heat of the moment. But more than that, I hated how his
words lingered, planting seeds of doubt in my mind.
Was it the bond? Or was there something more?