Catherine was not pleased.
This… this was exactly the kind of situation she had sworn to avoid in this life.
Her brows drew together. Heat rushed through her veins, anger rising sharp and immediate as she tried to wrench her wrist from his grasp.
Dorian's fingers did not loosen.
His eyes were wide now, his lips pressed into a thin line. There was possession in that hold — unmistakable and raw.
But beneath it…
There was something else.
Anxiety.
As if letting her walk away would cost him something he could never reclaim.
Still, that did not make this acceptable.
This was not the past. Times had changed. No man could claim a woman against her will. Overbearing was not romantic.
It was suffocating.
She pulled again, harder this time. Her heartbeat steadied, anger replacing surprise. Instead of releasing her, Dorian drew her half a step closer. Catherine wanted to see what he might do.
"Dr. Preston, if you're not busy… Dr. Harper wanted to ask you something."
