Chapter 4

The metallic blast from the elevator shaft vibrated through the floorboards, rattling the heavy crystal glasses on the wet bar.

​Before Maya could react, Julian was in motion. In a single, fluid move, he grabbed her by the waist, lifted her off her feet, and hauled her behind the thick marble kitchen island. The sheer speed and brute force of his movement took her breath away, her cheek pressed flush against the crisp, starch-scented linen of his dress shirt.

​"Stay low," Julian ordered, his baritone a quiet, vibration-rich rumble against her ear. "Do not move until I tell you to."

​"Julian—"

​"I need you quiet, Maya," he whispered, his face inches from hers. His large, calloused hand rested against the back of her neck, his thumb brushing tenderly—almost unconsciously—along her racing pulse point. For a fraction of a second, his storm-gray eyes softened as they searched her face, mapping her fear with a fierce, possessive intensity. "I am not letting anyone lay a hand on you."

​The heavy steel elevator doors shuddered under a second charge. Sparks showered into the entryway as two armed mercenaries in tactical gear forced the doors apart, weapons raised.

​Julian didn't hesitate. He leaned over the marble counter, his firearm barking twice in rapid succession. The heavy, deafening cracks echoed in the vaulted ceiling. The lead attacker collapsed instantly; the second scrambled back into the smoking shaft to take cover.

​"Perimeter compromised at Shaft A!" one of Julian's guards shouted from across the room, laying down suppressive fire. "They used commercial breaching charges!"

​"Seal the inner corridor!" Julian commanded, stepping clear of the bar and firing three precise rounds down the hall.

​Maya peeked over the top of the counter, her blood running cold as two more operatives burst through the service stairs. One of them spotted her green coffee shop apron, pivoting his rifle directly toward her.

​"Maya, down!"

​Julian didn't just throw himself into the line of fire—he shielded her completely with his body. He slammed into her, taking her down to the carpeted floor beneath the overhang of the island. The deafening crackle of automatic gunfire ripped through the air, shattering the glass panels above them into a sparkling rain of deadly fragments.

​Maya gasped as Julian’s full weight covered her. She braced for the pain of a bullet, but instead, she felt the sheer, solid warmth of his body pinned against hers. His arms locked around her like iron bands, his heavy frame absorbing every bit of the falling glass and debris.

​A sharp gasp escaped Julian’s lips, his jaw clenching as a stray fragment sliced through his shoulder blade.

​"Julian!" Maya cried out, her hands instinctively wrapping around his neck to pull him closer into the recess of the island. She felt a damp, warm patch spreading across his dark shirt. "You're hit!"

​"It's nothing," he grunted out, his eyes locking onto hers with a dark, blazing heat. He was panting slightly, his face so close she could feel the hot drag of his breath against her lips. Despite the chaotic exchange of gunfire echoing through the penthouse, the rest of the world vanished.

​His eyes scanned her face, checking every inch of her skin for injury. "Are you hurt? Look at me, Maya. Did they touch you?"

​"I'm fine! You idiot, you took the glass for me!" Maya's eyes welled with adrenaline-fueled tears, her stubborn defiance melting into frantic concern. Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders, feeling the rigid tension in his broad frame. "Why would you do that?"

​"Because you're mine to protect," Julian growled softly, his voice dropping into a raw, dangerous confession that sent a surge of heat straight to her core. His gaze lingered on her mouth for a terrifying, intoxicating beat before he broke away, turning over his shoulder to aim his weapon around the edge of the marble.

​Two quick, lethal shots ended the firefight in the foyer. The remaining security operatives moved in, securing the elevator shaft and clearing the stairs.

​"Sector clear, sir!" the head guard called out, his breathing heavy. "Backup team is coming up through Shaft B. The entry point is secured."

​The deafening silence returned, thick with the acrid stench of cordite and ozone.

​Julian slowly shifted his weight, allowing Maya to sit up, though he didn't move his hand from her waist. He pulled her flush against his chest as he rose to a kneeling position, keeping his body positioned between her and the hallway.

​Maya looked at him, her chest heaving, her hands still resting on his broad chest over his racing heart. Her fingers were stained with a smudge of his blood from his shoulder, but Julian didn't seem to care about his wound at all. He was staring down at her with a look of fierce, unadulterated possessiveness that made her breath catch far more than the gunfire had.

​"They know you're here now," Julian murmured, his thumb reaching out to wipe a smudge of soot off her cheekbone. The gesture was surprisingly tender, completely uncharacteristic of the ruthless enforcer he projected to the world. "The game has changed."

​"You could have died," Maya whispered, her voice trembling as she leaned subtly into his touch, her eyes searching his cold, handsome face.

​"I don't die easily, Miss Harrington," Julian replied, the ghost of a wicked smirk touching his lips as his fingers trailed down to cup the back of her neck, pulling her just a fraction closer. "And especially not before I see you take what belongs to you."

​The intense, suffocating pull between them was undeniable. Forced into his shadow, Maya realized the danger wasn't just coming from the mercenaries outside—it was coming from the overwhelming, dangerous man holding her like she was the only thing in the universe that mattered.

​"Sir," the lead guard interrupted, stepping over the broken glass with his weapon lowered. "We need to patch that shoulder before the board meeting prep tonight."

​Julian’s eyes never left Maya’s as he gave a single, curt nod. "Prep the medical kit in my private quarter. Miss Harrington will be attending to it personally."

​Maya’s jaw dropped slightly, her heart leaping into her throat. "I will?"

​Julian stood, extending a strong, calloused hand down to her. "You broke my rules, Maya. Now you get to take responsibility for the consequences."