Page 38 of Toxic B!tch

"What about her?" My voice is calm, even, but there's something sharp curling under it, something deadly.

Malik shifts, uneasy. His gaze flicks to the floor.

"She made me feel… less."

Less.

The word lands like a blade in my ribs. Malik, who carries entire buildings on his back. Malik, who moves through the world like he belongs, like everything belongs to him. Malik, who belongs to me.

And this bitch made him feel less?

Oh.

Oh, I’ll kill her for this.

"Elle doesn’t know you," I tell him, stepping closer. My fingers graze his forearm, gentle, coaxing. "She has no idea what you’re capable of—what you’ve built for yourself."

Because I know how men like Malik work. He says he knows, but the damage is already done.

The seed has been planted.

And seeds?

They grow.

Unless I rip them out by the fucking roots.

His eyes stay downcast. Hestilldoubts. And I? I want to burn the world for him.

So I do the only thing I know how to do. I get close, press my body against his, let him feel me. Let him feel what’s real, what’shis.

"Let me show you just how good enough you are."

His breath hitches. His hands twitch at his sides. His eyes finally lift to mine, and there it is—hunger.

Good. That’s my Malik.

I trail my fingers along his jaw, feeling the tension coiled beneath his skin. My touch moves lower, skimming his throat, pressing lightly over his pulse.

Then I kiss him, hard.

The impact is a collision ofmine, mine, mine. A brand. A claim.

And he takes it.

His arms wrap around me, pulling me in, his grip firm, his mouth devouring. He kisses like he wants to drown in me, and fuck if I don’t want to let him. My fingers dig into his broad shoulders, feeling the heat of him, the power of him, and still—still—all I can think about is her.

Elle.

I pull away just enough to bite at his lower lip, to whisper against his mouth, "She’s wrong, you know."

Malik groans, deep and low, his forehead pressing against mine. "I know."

But does he?

Does he know that if Elle was still trying to dig her nails into him, I’d rip them out one by one? That if she so much aslooked at him the wrong way, I’d make sure she never looked at anything again?

Because that’s the thing about me, baby.