Chapter 25 Under His Spell

• Sara***
• Max’s arms wrapped around me before I could even protest, lifting me effortlessly from the ground. His grip was hard, unyielding—terrifying and comforting in the same breath. I struggled for only a moment, my hands weakly pushing against his chest, but the instant I met his gaze, everything stopped.
• The night swallowed us whole as he carried me back to his villa, the darkness pressing in around us, an unspoken presence that mirrored the tension between us. My head rested against the firm muscle of his chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart echoing through me like a maddening lullaby. My body trembled—not from the cold, but from the way his presence consumed me, devoured every thought, every ounce of resistance.