Page 99 of Adam
My pulse skips, and I grit my teeth. “Will you just let me run?”
He chuckles low, the sound sliding under my skin. “Run faster,” he murmurs, eyes locked on me. “I like the chase.”
My heart slams against my chest, and I don’t think it’s because of the exercise. I turn off the treadmill and step down from it, staring bravely into his eyes.
“What the hell do you want?” I bark.
Lazily, he grabs my chin and cranes my neck to meet his gaze.
“Your attention.”
I finally let my gaze settle on him. The black sleeveless shirt clings to his body, stretching over his inked arm muscles. He’s soaked in sweat, yet somehow, beneath the heat rolling off him, he carries that intoxicating scent—dark musk, maybe. Gosh, it’s maddening. I can’t tell if he’s just begun his workout or if he’s already burned through it. How does a man walk out of hellfire and still smell like sin?
I need to get my shit together.
I slap his hand away. “You know whatIwant?”
“I’m sure we both know the answer to that question.”
“I want you out of here.” I poke his shoulder, causing his brows to rise in surprise. “I don’t want you anywhere near me, threatening people just because they look at me.”
“It’s already too late, little orchid. You cried to your father to keep me, remember?”
“I made a mistake, okay?” I snap, my voice rising. “I never should’ve asked you to be my bodyguard.” I shove him hard. “You stalk around like some rabid dog, just waiting for someone to look at me wrong so you have an excuse to hurt them. Don’t pretend this is about protection. You want violence. You live for it.”
He doesn’t laugh this time. His smug, sly grin has turned into a solemn, unreadable grimace.
“Are you done?”
His calmness fuels my anger even more. I can barely hold myself back. “No, I’m not done!”
“Stop pushing me,” he says calmly, keeping his eyes outside the window.
“Or what?” I shove him again. “You’ll threaten me too?” Again. “Huh?”
In an instant, he seizes my face and pushes me back against the wall, eliciting a gasp of surprise.
“I said. Stop. Pushing. Me.”
His uneven breath hammers against my lips. He’s furious, more than I’ve ever seen him. The calm is gone, replaced with something sharp and dangerous.
His prominent jaw twitches, his nostrils flare, and his brows narrow.
What happened?
I stay quiet. Fear keeps me in place, trying to calm my breathing and remain composed.
His eyes dart between mine, scanning my face.
With a sharp move, he lets me go and takes a step back, his shoulders rising and falling frantically, his eyes still fixed on mine.
“Don’t test me again. You won’t like how far I’ll go.”
I can still feel his hands on my face, the wall at my back. My chest heaves, but I force myself to move, to break the stare first.
Coglione!Idiot!
Without a word, I step past him and grab the pull-up bar. My palms sting against the cold metal as I haul myself up.
