Chapter 97

• Charlotte's shove, her "LEAVE" still ringing sharp in the cabin's charged air. Pride flared into something primal; he didn't retreat—instead, he advanced with slow, deliberate steps, a predator closing in. Charlotte tensed at the open door, hand gripping the knob, but he moved past her swiftly, bruised knuckles brushing wood as he slammed it shut with controlled force—lock clicking like a gavel.
• In one seamless surge, he spun her around, pinning her back against the door—his towering frame caging her completely. One powerful hand planted high beside her head, forearm corded with tension; his other hand snaked to the back of her neck, fingers threading into her hair, pulling her sharply closer. Their lips hovered millimeters apart, breaths mingling hotly, her vanilla-citrus scent overwhelming. Charlotte's eyes widened in shock, pulse thundering under his grip. His gaze bored into hers—a dark, unyielding, possessive storm—split lip curled faintly, jaw bruise blooming purple under stubble.
• "You're my wife," he growled low, his voice a sharp blade cutting through silence, leaving no room for rebuttal. "Contract, forced by Grandfather, whatever this marriage is—it changes nothing. Until that ring comes off, I have full right to you." His hand shifted from her neck to seize hers in a vise grip, yanking it up between their faces—the diamond wedding band gleaming mockingly on her finger, a symbol of their tangled fates. "No one touches what's mine. Not Carman. No one touches Howard Carter's wife."