Innocent cravings

Chapter 19 – The Claim

Alice's POV

By the time I dragged myself out of the diner that night, my legs felt like lead. My apron still smelled of coffee and fried eggs, and my hair was sticking to my forehead with a thin sheen of sweat. Sophie had already gone home after helping me through the madness of the day, and for a second I regretted insisting I could close up alone.

The streets were quiet, save for the low hum of a few cars passing in the distance. I hugged my bag closer, telling myself I could make it home just fine.

Then, of course, headlights cut across the sidewalk, slowing down until a sleek black car rolled up beside me.

I didn't have to look twice.

Brian.

Of course.

The window slid down, and his deep voice poured into the night like warm velvet.

"Get in. I'll take you home."

I stopped walking and folded my arms. "I can walk."

His eyes caught mine, dark and sharp, even under the glow of the streetlamp. "Alice. You've worked all day. You're exhausted. Get in the car."

I hated that part of me thrilled at the sound of him saying my name. I hated even more how safe I felt when his gaze pinned me like that.

So naturally, I straightened my spine and shot back, "You don't get to boss me around."

His mouth curved, not quite a smile, more of a dare. "Maybe not. But I'm not letting you walk home at this hour."

Something in his tone left no room for argument, and before I knew it, I was sliding into the passenger seat, muttering under my breath about stubborn men and their control issues.

The car smelled faintly of leather and something distinctly him, clean, warm, intoxicating. The ride was quiet at first, but I could feel his gaze flick toward me every so often, like he was checking to make sure I didn't vanish.

Finally, I broke the silence. "You don't have to keep showing up like this.

"Yes, I do." His response was immediate, firm.

I turned to him, bristling. "Why?"

His jaw tightened. "Because you won't take care of yourself unless someone makes you."

The nerve. The audacity. And yet... the truth of it stung more than his tone.

We pulled up in front of my place, and I reached for the handle before the car even fully stopped. But of course, Brian was out first, circling around to my side.

"I can walk myself to the door," I said flatly as I stepped out.

"I know," he replied, following anyway.

I fumbled for my keys, desperate to end the moment, to put a wall back up between us. But just as I turned the lock, a hand closed gently but firmly around my wrist.

"Brian"

"Enough." His voice was low, controlled, but there was something raw simmering underneath. His eyes burned into mine, and I suddenly couldn't breathe.

"I'm done watching you push me away," he said, stepping closer, his presence swallowing the space between us. "You're mine, Alice. Whether you admit it tonight or tomorrow, I'm not letting you go."

My heart skittered wildly, my body torn between running and leaning in. "You can't just..."

But then his mouth was on mine.

It wasn't gentle. Not really. It was claiming. Demanding. A kiss that stole the air from my lungs and replaced it with fire. His hands cradled my face, tilting me exactly where he wanted, and though I pushed against his chest, my body betrayed me. My lips parted, answering him, hungry and desperate, until the world fell away and it was only him.

When I finally broke free, I was gasping, dizzy, furious at myself and at him. "This-this can't happen," I whispered.

Brian's gaze never wavered, his breathing heavy but controlled. "It already did."

And with that, he stepped back, leaving me pressed against my door, shaken and burning. He walked away without waiting for me to argue again, sliding back into his car with an infuriating calmness.

The engine roared to life, and before I could gather my thoughts, he was gone, taillights vanishing into the night.

I pressed my trembling fingers to my lips, hating the way they still tingled.

God help me, I wanted more.

Brian's POV

Her taste still lingered on my lips as I drove away, a storm coiled tight in my chest. I'd waited long enough, let her hide behind excuses and stubbornness long enough. Tonight had changed everything.

Alice belonged to me.

I'd known it from the first time I saw her, but the kiss? That was confirmation. The spark, the fire, the way her body gave in even as her words resisted, it was all I needed.

Clarissa? A distraction. Convenient, loud, and temporary. I'd let her play her games because it was easy. But Alice... Alice was the real thing. And I wasn't about to let some clingy habit keep me from what I wanted.

She thought she could fight me. She thought pushing me away would work. She didn't know me at all.

Already, plans were forming. I'd end things with Clarissa cleanly, cold, final, no room for misunderstanding. Then I'd focus every ounce of myself on Alice. Breaking down her walls, forcing her to see the truth between us.

She could hate me for it now. She could slam her door, pretend I didn't shake her to her core. None of it mattered.

Because the moment my lips touched hers, she became mine.

And I wasn't the kind of man who ever let go of what was his.

I pressed harder on the accelerator, a smirk tugging at my mouth.

Alice thought she could fight me. But she was already mine. She just didn't know it yet.