Marked by Her Scent (18+)

He slammed the office door shut behind him, loud enough to make the windows shake.

Then he turned, eyes locked on me like I'd just betrayed him. Like I'd torn something out of his chest.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. I didn't know what I'd done. I truly didn't.

"You think smiling at him was cute?" he snapped. "You think leaning in like that, laughing, pretending you don't notice him staring at your tits like a goddamn pervert - that's fine?"

"Lorenzo.." My voice trembled.

He stepped forward fast. I stepped back faster.

"You want attention that bad?" he spat. "Because let me tell you something, sweetheart - you're not exactly the type men line up for."

I froze. My breath caught in my chest.

"You walk around here, soft in all the wrong places, thinking your stupid little curves make you sexy?" His eyes raked over me like I was something pathetic. Something disposable.

"They're not staring because you're hot, Amara. They're staring because they know you're easy. Because they know they can get in your pants without any fight."

My vision blurred. I didn't even realize I was crying until I tasted salt.

"You don't belong in this world," he said coldly. "Not in this house, not in that dress. You're a joke, walking around like some-some full-figured fantasy, thinking you're irresistible."

He punched the wall beside me - hard. The crack shot straight through the plaster.

I didn't flinch. I couldn't.

Then he pressed closer, so close I could feel the hardness of him against the right side of my thigh.

His breath brushed the side of my cheek - warm, heavy, and almost cruel.

Something inside my chest shattered.

He looked down at me - eyes cold and empty like I was the most pathetic thing in the world.

Without another word, he turned and walked out,
leaving me alone with the pain and the heat he left behind.