Continuation
I couldn't breathe.
Not just from panic- but because Jade didn't let me. His arm locked around me like a steel band, pressing me to his chest, scarf twisted tight under his grip. His closeness swallowed all the air between us, his breath hot against my skin while mine grew shallow, trapped.
He tugged at the scarf, not ripping it off completely but yanking it down just enough to bare my lips. Cool air rushed over the skin there, shocking, humiliating, leaving me exposed.
Then his mouth hovered- too close, too heavy. He didn't kiss right away. He just stayed there, breathing me in like I was his possession, making me endure every second of it. His lips grazed mine, teasing without closing the distance, and the pressure built until I felt dizzy.
My lungs burned. My chest strained. I couldn't pull in enough air with him pressing so close, his weight a cage I couldn't push off. My hands trembled against his chest, not knowing whether to shove or cling.
Finally, he claimed me. His lips crushed against mine, hot, demanding, no hesitation. Not gentle- never gentle- but fierce, jealous, searing in a way that left no space for thought. His kiss stole what little breath I had left.
Seconds stretched into something unbearable. The burn in my lungs grew sharper, until I squirmed against him, chest heaving, desperate for air. He only tightened his grip, groaning low as though my struggle was proof of his hold.
When he finally pulled back, it was sudden. I gasped, dragging air into my lungs like someone surfacing from underwater, my vision flickering with spots. My lips tingled, swollen, and the scarf hung loose against my chin.
Jade's gaze burned. Dark, triumphant. His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, possessive, as though erasing the trace of someone else who had never touched me.
"You don't let anyone near you," he said, his voice raw, edged with jealousy. "Not him. Not anyone. Only me."
The words landed like chains- heavy, undeniable, terrifying.
I swallowed, throat dry, lungs still fighting to catch up. My scarf sat crooked, baring more of me than I could stand, yet Jade made no move to fix it. His eyes stayed locked on my lips, daring me to pull the fabric back into place.
I trembled. My hands twitched toward my scarf, desperate to shield myself again, but his fingers caught my wrist mid-motion.
"Don't," he murmured. The single word carried enough command to freeze me. "Not after I've seen you. Not after he almost touched you."
His grip wasn't cruel, but it was firm- his thumb brushing my pulse, feeling how wildly it raced under his skin. The longer he held me, the more the heat in my chest tangled with something darker- fear, guilt, shame, want.
"Jade..." My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
"What?" His head tilted, smirk curling back into place, though there was nothing playful in his eyes. "What are you going to say? That you don't want me?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came. My silence betrayed me. His grin widened, low and dangerous, as if he'd already won.
"You can't even lie to me," he said softly.
"I feel it every time you shake when I touch you. Every time you breathe like that when I get close." His lips brushed the corner of mine again, a ghost of a kiss that made my knees weak. "And it drives me insane."
I flinched as his hand lifted, sliding up to my scarved jaw. His thumb pressed beneath my chin, tilting my face up until I had no choice but to meet his gaze.
"That look you give me…" His voice lowered to something rough, almost broken. "It's mine. Don't you dare let him steal it."
My stomach knotted. Max's name wasn't spoken, but it lingered between us, sour and sharp. I couldn't forget the way his hand had brushed mine, the way his voice had dropped soft like a trap. The memory made my skin crawl.
Jade must have seen it in my face, because his grip tightened, pulling me closer until my forehead nearly touched his chest. His breath raked across the crown of my head, hot, unrelenting.
"Tell me he touched you," Jade muttered, jealousy burning in his tone. "Tell me, so I can break his hands."
My chest lurched, horror and heat colliding in me. "Jade, stop-"
"Stop?" He laughed low, sharp, pulling back just enough to search my face. "No. You don't get it, do you? I don't stop. Not when it comes to you."
I shook my head, breath catching again, but before I could respond, he yanked my scarf up roughly- not to cover me, but to fist it in his hand, pulling me against him once more. The fabric tightened at the back of my neck as his lips brushed dangerously close again, slower this time, more deliberate, a warning.
"You're mine," he whispered, his mouth grazing against the edge of my scarf. "Every damn piece of you. Don't forget it."
And then, with that same terrifying ease, he let go.
I stumbled back a step, nearly tripping, hands clutching at my loose books like they could ground me. My scarf slipped half-off my face before I hurriedly tugged it back up, trembling so hard I could barely tie it.
When I looked up, Jade was already watching, hands in his pockets, smirk carved deep but his eyes dark with something raw.
Max was gone. The space he had filled now seemed smaller, suffocating, as though Jade had erased even the air he'd left behind.