Bound by Obsession

Chapter Eight

The door to Alexander Knight’s penthouse shut with a quiet, decisive click, but the silence that followed was anything but calm. It was loaded, thick, charged like the air right before a storm breaks.

Alina Monroe leaned back against the door for a second, her chest rising and falling as if she had run a marathon, though she hadn’t taken more than a few steps. The night had been suffocating. The gala, the whispers, the curious stares, and then Alexander’s possessive hand at her lower back all evening like she belonged to him, like he dared anyone to even look at her.

And now, here in the darkened luxury of his home, she could still feel that same possessive energy radiating from him.

Alexander didn’t say a word at first. He dropped his jacket over a chair carelessly, his dark shirt still clinging to his broad shoulders, the top two buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of the power carved into his chest. His jaw ticked as his eyes stayed locked on her, pinning her in place like prey caught in the sights of a predator.

Alina swallowed, her hands clenching into fists against her dress. “You’ve been glaring at me all night,” she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of his silence. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

That was all it took.

In two strides, Alexander was in front of her, his hands braced on the door at either side of her head, caging her in. He leaned in close, his lips just a breath away from her ear. “Something to say?” His voice was a low growl, rough and cutting straight to her bones. “You think I spent the whole damn night watching every man in that room eye you, wanting you, and I don’t have something to say?”

Her pulse kicked hard. “You’re overreacting”

He snapped his head back to face her, his dark eyes blazing. “Overreacting? Alina, if I hadn’t been there, half of those vultures would have devoured you with their eyes alone.” His fingers dragged down the length of her arm, slow, deliberate, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “You were mine tonight. Mine. And you’ll learn what that means.”

The raw, obsessive intensity in his tone made her knees weaken. She wanted to push him back, wanted to resist, but her body betrayed her, leaning into his warmth.

“Alexander…” she whispered, her voice a plea she didn’t fully understand.

He didn’t give her a chance to step away. One hand slid down to her waist, gripping tightly, pulling her off the door and flush against his hard chest. His other hand threaded into her hair, tugging her head back so she had no choice but to meet his burning gaze.

“You don’t get it yet, do you?” he muttered, his thumb brushing her lower lip with dangerous softness. “I don’t share, Alina. Not your smile. Not your attention. Not your body. And tonight, every damn second you breathed in that gown drove me mad.”

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. “It was just a gala”

“Nothing is ‘just’ anything when it comes to you,” he cut in, his voice harsh, possessive. His lips hovered over hers, so close she could taste his breath. “I wanted to drag you out of that room the second I saw the way they looked at you.”

Alina’s own restraint snapped under the weight of his obsession. She didn’t know if it was anger or need clawing inside her, but her hands pressed against his chest, not to push him away, but to anchor herself. “You’re insane,” she whispered.

“Insane for you,” Alexander shot back instantly, his tone edged with a madness she could feel in her bones.

And then his mouth was on hers.

The kiss was nothing gentle. It was raw, hungry, punishing his lips crushing hers, his tongue forcing her mouth open as if he needed to claim every inch of her. His hand tightened in her hair, pulling hard enough to sting, while the other hand roamed down her back, gripping her like he wanted to fuse her body to his.

Alina gasped against his mouth, her body arching into his despite the voice in her head screaming to resist. But there was no resisting Alexander Knight. He kissed like he owned her, like he could bend her to his will with sheer force and obsession alone.

When he finally pulled back, her lips were swollen, her breath ragged. He stared down at her like she was the only thing keeping him alive.

“You’re mine, Alina,” he growled, pressing his forehead to hers. “Say it.”

Her eyes widened, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “You don’t own me.”

That defiance sparked something darker in him. He laughed, a low, dangerous sound, and without warning he scooped her up in his arms. Alina let out a startled gasp, clutching at his shoulders as he carried her across the living room toward the bedroom.

“You’ll learn,” he said, his voice rough, each word vibrating against her. “You’ll learn what it means to belong to me.”

He kicked open the bedroom door and set her down on the edge of the massive bed. The city lights bled in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shadows across his sharp, chiseled face.

Alexander stood before her, loosening his shirt with deliberate slowness, his eyes never leaving hers. “You think I can spend the whole night keeping my hands off you and let you sleep untouched?” He shook his head. “Not a chance.”

Her lips parted, her breath catching as he stepped closer, towering over her. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, could see the raw hunger burning in his eyes.

“Alexander…” she whispered, her voice trembling with equal parts fear and desire.

“Say my name like that again,” he demanded, his tone sharp, commanding. “Say it when I take every last piece of you.”

Her pulse thundered, her thighs pressing together involuntarily. The air between them was molten, ready to ignite, every second dragging them closer to the edge of no return.

His hand reached out, gripping her chin, tilting her face up toward his. His thumb traced her lip again, and he leaned down, his voice a dark promise against her mouth.

“You’re not sleeping tonight, Alina. Not until I’ve had you the way I’ve craved you from the second I saw you in that dress.”

Her breath hitched, and just as his lips crashed onto hers again,

The sharp buzz of his phone split the room.

Alexander froze, his jaw tightening, his hand still tangled in her hair. The sound was jarring, slicing through the storm of heat and hunger between them. His gaze flicked toward the nightstand where his phone vibrated, lighting up with an incoming call.

Alina, her chest heaving, whispered shakily, “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

His eyes snapped back to hers, burning with feral intensity. “Not a damn chance.”

He pushed her back onto the bed, his body covering hers in an instant, his mouth descending to claim her again

The phone buzzed a second time, louder, insistent.

And this time, Alina caught the name flashing on the screen.

Just before she could ignore it, there was a knock on the door.