Maximus's POV

Her lips were soft against mine. So fucking soft. The kind of softness I had no right to touch, no right to claim.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, and my tongue brushed against hers—hot, desperate, demanding. For a moment, I let myself drown in her warmth. For a moment, I pretended I wasn’t the monster lurking beneath this skin.

Her sigh melted against my mouth, sending fire straight through my veins. My arms tightened around her waist, dragging her closer until there was no space between us. My chest hammered with a rhythm I hadn’t felt in years—not rage, not hunger, not power. Something...