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“What the hell did I do that was so wrong?” She pushed at my hand on her forearm, but my fingers wouldn’t budge. “I was just walking by and heard him in pain. He dropped something and got cut, and I was helping him clean it off.”
I didn’t care.
As I towed her after me, forcing her toward the elevator, I vowed to let all her words go in one ear and out the other. She couldn’t be right, that I was overreacting. I hated the possibility that she had this much hold over me to thrust me into a jealous fit because of her helping someone who’d been hurt.
“Maxim!” She slapped her hand against my chest as the elevator doors opened and I shoved her inside. Catching her hand, Iwalked her all the way in the metal car until her back smacked against the mirrored wall.
She panted, breathing so hard and fast as she scowled at me. Even like this, she was gorgeous. Radiant. So full of sass and fire that she was impossible to resist.
Fuck.
She was too much. She was coming to matter way too damn much.
“What is wrong with you?” she demanded, stubborn and strong, not flinching or shy at all.
Women who came into my life for no-strings sexnevertalked back to me. Not even the Ivanov soldiers or staff members would dare to raise an opinion against me. Only my brothers, father, and grandmother could take that kind of scolding tone with me.
But hearing Sloane speak to me like this pushed my buttons.
“What’s wrong with me?” I growled as I pinned her to the wall as the elevator car lifted. Her eyes, open wide with alarm, were on me. Her lips, pinched in a defiant frown, didn’t change as she tipped her chin up.
She wouldn’t back down.
Deep inside me, my dark soul rejoiced that she could handle me like this. I craved her resistance. I wanted the fight so that the moment I tamed her and got her submission, it would be all the sweeter.
“I’m furious that another man would touch you when you. Are. Mine.” I punctuated those last words with pushes of her against the wall.
Still, she maintained that hot glare.
“And I’m taking you upstairs to remind you of that.” I stepped back as the elevator reached my floor. Pulling her with me, we exited as I glowered down at her. “You said you’d be a good girl,” I reminded her.
“I—”
“You said you’d be a good girl, Sloane.” I released her with a shove, letting her backpedal through my apartment as I chased her toward the bedroom. As I stalked her, I began to roughly pull at my jacket and tie, shedding my clothes as I steered her to where I’d show her how she belonged to me. No one else. “I didn’t expect to come home and see your hand on another man.”
“I was helping him with a cut!” She growled, furrowing her brow as she backed up further. “I wasn’t groping him!”
“It doesn’t matter. You are here forme. You are here to give me an heir and to be here formealone.”
She snarled as I put my hand up and reached over her shoulder to slam the bedroom door open.
“I don’t belong to you,” she argued as we entered the room, facing each other off. “Not like that. Not where you’ll be a fucking caveman about my helping someone on your staff when they’re hurt.”
“Want to bet?” I taunted as I grabbed the waistband of her skirt to tug her flush to me. I wasn’t waiting for a reply. I crushed my lips against hers and muffled her with a brutal kiss.
27
SLOANE
He’s insane.
He is completely insane.
As that strong thought circled in my mind, I didn’t make a move to tell Maxim that he was unhinged. No, instead, contradicting myself and surrendering to desire, I kissed him back.
If I didn’t, he’d still plow forward and force me into the bedroom without a pause. Charging toward me, he pushed me with his hard chest against my breasts. Traitors again, my nipples were hard and peaked with this instant arousal he spiked within me.
He’s crazy.