The words hung between us, a gauntlet thrown down on the pristine marble floor. For a full ten seconds, Charles didn't move. He didn't breathe. He simply stared, his eyes turning from sharp suspicion to something colder, harder. The mask of the sophisticated CEO was gone, replaced by the ruthless predator I had only seen in fleeting glimpses. The man who had built an empire by crushing anyone who stood in his way.
Then, he moved.
It wasn't a retreat. It was an advance. He closed the remaining inches between us, his body a wall of heat and restrained menace. His hand shot out, not to touch me, but to slam flat against the wall beside my head, the sound a sharp, percussive crack in the tense silence. He caged me in, his face inches from mine, his scent—a dark, furious spice—overwhelming my senses.
"Explain yourself," he commanded, his voice a low growl that vibrated through my bones.
