I kissed her like a man possessed, the fiery chemistry between us driving me close to madness. Nothing in this world was sweeter than Allie giving herself to me, her breathy little gasps against my lips as her tongue tangled with mine.
“Hey!” The exclamation was sharp with rebuke. “This is a library. Go find somewhere else to make out.”
The wash of heat to Allie’s cheeks kissed my face with a pulse of tantalizing warmth, and my fingers flexed against her back to hold her closer. I wanted her sweet shyness all to myself. I wanted all of her. My Allie.
She jerked her head to the side, forcibly breaking our kiss. Her shaky gasp wracked her delicate body with a tremor, and my arms firmed around her to offer support.
She shoved against my chest, pushing away from me. A low growl slipped between my teeth before I could bite it back. I didn’t want her to push me away. I didn’t want any distance between us. Nothing felt more right than having Allie soften and sigh in my arms. I wasn’t ready to lose this. Not again.
“S-sorry,” she exhaled, the apology to the guard hitching slightly. Her cheeks were rosy beneath the constellations of freckles, and her stunning eyes were shielded by lowered lashes. They were still damp from her tears. “Let me go, Max.”
It wasn’t until she released the tremulous demand that I realized I had her pinned between my body and the bookshelf at her back. She couldn’t get away if I didn’t want to let her go. She was so small in my possessive hold, so soft and warm.
The guard cleared his throat. “Leave.”
I released Allie with a sharp curse, sanity crashing back down on me. I was practically grinding against her in public, where anyone could see us. There were probably security cameras that’d caught us in the act. If her father decided to follow up on her whereabouts for any reason—the man was paranoid when it came to his precious daughter—there would be a clear record of my stalking.
And my dark craving for her.
I’d be dead if Fitzgerald ever saw that footage.
I took a step back, finally severing our connection. Allie sucked in a sharp breath and darted away from me, practically bolting in mortification. My sweet Bambi was spooked, and she was running.
My fingers captured her wrist before she could escape.
“Max,” she warned, tugging against the iron shackle of my much larger hand around hers.
Something like a growl slipped between my teeth. My shoulders were too tight, and I felt the security guard’s narrowed eyes on us like an itch beneath my skin.
Her pale green gaze flashed once as she shot a nervous glance at the guard. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, and she pulled against my hold again. I didn’t release her. Having Allie’s hand in mine calmed me in a way that should’ve alarmed me if I could think straight. But all I could think about was how good it felt to have her with me again. To have someone look at my face and see me, not a twisted monster.
She stopped struggling and turned to face me. Her spine straightened, and her chin lifted with determination. Those gemstone eyes flashed with warning as her steady gaze clashed with mine.
“We’re in public, Max.” Her voice came out low and steady, as though she was speaking to a cornered animal. “You can’t be here.”
The words were a knife to my chest, and I recoiled from her as though she’d delivered a physical blow. The pain of her rejection lanced me with reason, the sharp reality of our situation coming into full focus.
No, I couldn’t be here. Not with the mayor’s beloved daughter.
I knew that, but I hadn’t been able to release her. Now, the last of my madness rolled off my shoulders, ebbing away in the wake of her steady, warning stare.
I couldn’t be anywhere near Alexandra Fitzgerald. Because if I was near enough to touch her, I clearly couldn’t resist the pull between us. I was powerless when it came to Allie, and I’d been a fool to follow her here today. My possessive rage at witnessing her kiss with Nikolai had driven me to this insanity.
Just the fleeting thought of his hands on her made my muscles coil tight, and I clenched my hands to fists to prevent myself from reaching for her once again. The impulse to imprint myself on her skin, to erase the taint of his touch, was almost overwhelming.
The guard cleared his throat again. I shot the man my nastiest glower, giving him a good look at my twisted face. He paled and swallowed hard, his resolve wavering.
I bit out a frustrated curse and tore myself from Allie’s warmth, stalking away from her before I could lose control again.