Sky shot up from her seat, her pulse hammering in her throat. “You know what? Not here. I can get a job somewhere else.” Her voice was sharp, panicked, but she barely made it two steps before a firm, unrelenting grip closed around her wrist.

“Sit down.”

Xavier’s voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. It was deep, commanding, and edged with something dark, something that sent a violent shudder through her body. Sky froze, her breath catching as his fingers tightened, not painful, but firm, immovable.

She hesitated for a second too long, and before she could rip herself away, he yanked her back down. Her body stumbled,...