Alexander's POV

I trail my hand up her back, curling my fingers around the nape of her neck, lifting her chin until our eyes lock again. My grip tightens on her rounded hips, fingers digging in as if to brand her, to claim her body as mine. I want to leave a mark—something permanent that says, "She belongs to me."

Her eyes widen, glossed with something that could be need or hesitation. They flicker between my lips and my gaze, her bottom lip caught gently between ...