Owned (The Year Of The Snake Collection)

Chapter 1

MARYAM

Chinese New Year at the Watanabe compound is no joke. My besties, Nia and Tessa, weren’t kidding when they said their family goes all out. Paper lanterns and fairy lights everywhere, amazing smells coming from multiple food stations, traditional decorations mixed with modern touches. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

“Take it easy with those dumplings,” Nia laughs, nudging me with her elbow. “There’s a lot more to try.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help grinning. “Girl, let me live my best life. These are amazing,” I mumble around a mouthful.

“Oh, wait till you try the noodles,” Tessa adds from my other side.

My smile dies as every cell in my body suddenly comes alive. A tall figure moves onto the terrace and my world tilts on its axis. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

He’s a goddamn fantasy come to life. Over six feet of pure male perfection. Broad shoulders and powerful thighs stretching a tailored suit, and an aura of raw dominance that makes my knees go weak. His face is all sharp angles and dangerous beauty - high cheekbones, firm jaw, and full lips. But it’s his eyes that capture me completely. Dark and intense, something in there pins me in place. Just looking at him sends heat rushing through my body.

“Who is that?” I breathe out, unable to tear my eyes away.

“That,” Nia says with a knowing smirk, “is Riku Watanabe. Another cousin.”

“They call him The Serpent,” Tessa adds, watching my reaction with her own teasing smile.

“The Serpent?” I manage to croak out.

“Mmm…” Nia shakes her head. “Girl, you’re in trouble.”

“Good trouble or bad trouble?”

“Both,” they answer in unison.

I can’t look away as he scans the party with lethal grace. Everything about him screams power and control. When his gaze locks on mine, electricity zips down my spine. My heart pounds as his dark eyes rake over me. The hunger in his stare makes my body throb in places it definitely shouldn’t at a family gathering.

Nia sighs. “Now, you’re in for it.”

“What? I’m just looking.” But even as I say it, heat floods my face. Because the way Riku’s looking back at me is anything but casual. He’s staring at me like he wants to devour me whole.

“Sometimes trouble finds you,” Nia says. “Especially in this family.”

I try to focus on my friends, on the party, on anything but the weight of his stare that I can still feel burning on me. But it’s like there’s a magnetic pull drawing my attention back to him again and again. Every time I glance his way, he’s watching me with that same intense focus.

“I’ve never seen Riku look at anyone the way he’s looking at you right now,” Tessa says with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Stop it,” I protest, but my heart speeds up, anyway.

“She’s right,” Nia agrees. “The man usually acts like he’s carved from stone. But right now? He looks ready to—”

She’s cut off by sudden shouts and commotion coming from inside the mansion. Security guards start rushing around, voices raised, shouts in Japanese and English. Kenji, Nia’s husband and the head of the family, appears, barking orders.

And before I can process what’s happening, a strong hand wraps around my arm and I’m pulled against a hard chest. I look up to find Riku’s face inches from mine, his dark eyes fierce.

“Stay close to me,” he orders in a deep, rough voice that sends shivers down my spine.

Oh boy. Looks like trouble did find me.

* * *

RIKU

The second I step on the terrace, it’s like I fucking feel her. My eyes immediately lock on her - all lush curves and smooth brown skin, looking good enough to eat in a red dress that hugs every delicious inch of her. She’s with my cousins’ women, laughing and eating like she doesn’t realize she’s the most beautiful thing in the whole fucking world.

Then she looks up, and our eyes meet.. Those big brown eyes hit me like a punch to the gut. I watch them widen as she stares back at me, and my cock hardens instantly. MINE. The word thunders through my mind.

I barely register Ken and Ryu’s knowing smirks or the sounds of the crowd. My focus is entirely on her. The way she moves, how her full lips part slightly when our eyes meet again, the slight tremble in her fingers as she tucks a loose curl behind her ear. Every little detail just makes me want her more.

I’m about to go claim what’s mine when one of our men bursts on the terrace, face tight with tension. He whispers something about an expensive pendant that was exposed for visitors and now is missing, but I barely hear him. All I can think about is getting to my woman before the chaos erupts.

The next few minutes are a blur of motion and shouted orders. Security protocols kick in. But while everyone else is focused on the theft, my only thought is keeping her safe. I cross the terrace in quick strides and pull her against me, feeling her soft curves mold perfectly to my hard body.

“Stay close to me,” I growl, fighting the urge to just throw her over my shoulder and carry her somewhere private. Somewhere I can keep her safe and make her fucking mine.

She stares up at me with her beautiful eyes, a mix of surprise and heat in her gaze. “I don’t even know you,” she protests weakly.

“I’m Riku. And you’re staying with me till this is sorted.” My tone leaves no room for argument.

“I have a name, you know,” she says with a hint of sass that makes my dick throb. “It’s Maryam.”

“Maryam.” I test it on my tongue, loving how it feels. Fucking perfect, just like her. “Now, come.”

I wrap my arm firmly around her waist as I guide her through the crowd. She fits against my side like she was made to be there. And now that I’ve found her, I’m never letting go.