The aftermath of their passion lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating. Ana lay beneath Hayden, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath, as his body hovered above hers, still pressed against her. He had taken what he wanted, just as he always did, and yet it felt like he had taken much more than that.
There was a rawness between them now, a vulnerability Ana couldn't ignore, though she was too lost in him to admit it. The heat of their bodies mingled, their tangled limbs a messy reminder of the chaos they had unleashed in one another.
Hayden's breathing was steady, but his eyes remained closed, his jaw clenched as if fighting to control something much darker than the physical pull between them.
"You should leave," Ana said, her voice soft, almost weak. It was the last thing she wanted, yet it was all she could bring herself to say. She couldn't handle this feeling—this connection, this need—and she was terrified it would consume her whole.
But Hayden didn't move. He wasn't going anywhere.
"You think this is just about sex?" His voice was low, dangerous, as if the very air between them could snap at any moment. "You think I'd let you walk away after this?"
His words were a challenge, but they were also a warning. There was something darker in them, something possessive that unsettled her to her core.
"No," Ana whispered, her throat dry. "I didn't think that."
The weight of his gaze was like a physical force, and when he finally looked down at her, his eyes were full of something she couldn't quite name. It was hunger, yes, but there was more to it than that. It was *ownership*, as though the very essence of who she was had been marked by him, consumed by his presence.
"I don't *let* anyone walk away," Hayden murmured, his lips brushing against her forehead in an almost tender gesture. But it was a tenderness that felt like it could turn into something much more dangerous in an instant.
Ana's pulse quickened, but not from fear. She wasn't afraid of him—not in the way she should have been. No, the truth was she was afraid of herself. Afraid of how easily she had given in. Afraid of how badly she wanted him to take more, to push her further into this dark, twisting abyss where no boundaries existed.
"I never wanted this," she breathed, her hand coming up to touch his chest, fingers lightly grazing the hard muscles beneath his shirt. "I never wanted you."
Hayden's lips twisted into a wry smile. "You think I care about what you wanted?"
He leaned down, his lips brushing across hers once more, soft but insistent. His hand moved to her waist, his touch scorching against her skin. The heat of him was suffocating, intoxicating.
"You wanted this the moment you let me in," he said, his voice like a low growl. "I knew it the moment I saw you. You can't hide it. You can't run from it."
Ana's breath caught as his lips moved to her neck, the sensation of his teeth lightly grazing her skin making her shiver with anticipation.
"I'm not running," she whispered, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop them. The confession felt like surrender, but it was also the truth. She wasn't running. Not from him. Not anymore.
Hayden pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers, as though testing her resolve. His expression darkened, and the smirk that had played on his lips faded, replaced with something far more serious, far more possessive.
"You're mine, Ana," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it was no less powerful. "And whether you admit it or not, you always have been."
The words were like a brand on her skin, leaving a mark she couldn't escape, couldn't erase. He had claimed her in more ways than one, and she couldn't deny the pull that had always been there between them. It had been building ever since that first moment, the one where their paths had crossed, forever changing both of them.
Her body reacted to him again, her pulse racing as the raw tension between them flared up once more. The air was thick with need, with desire, and Ana found herself unable to resist it any longer. She didn't want to.
She wanted him.
*God, she wanted him.*
With a breathless gasp, she grabbed him, pulling him down to her once more, this time more urgently than before. The kiss was frantic, hungry, as if they were both starved for something deeper than just the physical pleasure they had shared moments ago.
Hayden responded in kind, his hands moving to her waist, pulling her closer, his body pressing into hers with a possessive force that sent sparks through her veins. She could feel the weight of him, the strength of his frame, and it made her ache for him in ways she couldn't even begin to understand.
"You're mine, Ana," he repeated, his voice thick with emotion. "And I won't let you forget that."
Ana's chest tightened at his words. There was something dangerous in the way he spoke, something that made her feel like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, teetering on the precipice of something she couldn't control. But as much as she wanted to fight it, to push him away, she couldn't.
She didn't want to.
With a final, almost desperate kiss, Hayden pulled away, leaving Ana breathless and wanting more. His hands, still holding her tightly, were the only thing keeping her grounded in this moment, keeping her from falling completely into the chaos he had created between them.
"You're mine," he said again, his tone unwavering, his eyes dark with something unspoken. "And you always will be."
Ana's breath hitched as he climbed off the bed, his gaze never leaving hers as he straightened his clothes. His movements were fluid, effortless, as though he were reclaiming his space, asserting his dominance over her once more.
But this time, Ana didn't fight it.
She didn't want to.