Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Kane studied me for a long beat. Then, dry as sandpaper, he drawled, “Ready to order a vest?”
“Fuck off,” I growled, shooting him a glare sharp enough to cut.
He smirked. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
I snatched the card off the desk, tore it in half without looking at it, and tossed it into the trash.
“Helix,” I muttered. “What the fuck kind of a name is that? Did his mother know he’d be a pussy from the moment he was born?”
Kane huffed a laugh as he returned to his seat. “Go.”
“Where?” As if I didn’t know.
“Where you’re already headed.” He reached for a pen like the conversation had already ended. “Keep her close till we figure the rest.”
I lifted my chin, then stalked out without another word.
Every step down the hall was wired tight with one thought.
Lark.
I needed to see her. Now.
6
LARK
Stacks of tech checklists and event rosters covered the table, columns of names and numbers I’d been double-checking for the past hour. I told myself I was proud of how quickly I’d settled into the work and how I was already pulling my weight for the team.
But it was a lie. I wasn’t focused at all.
Every few minutes, my mind drifted back to last night. To Jaxton.
The kiss I shouldn’t have wanted. The way his hand had wrapped around the back of my neck, dragging me close like I belonged there. My lips still tingled when I let myself think about it too long, and my chest tightened with the memory of how hungry he’d been for my mouth.
I never expected my first real kiss to be so intense. Or forbidden. Getting close to someone meant I either had to lie…or break every WITSEC rule and spill my secrets.
Shaking my head, I pressed my palms against the conference room table as though it would erase the thoughts circling in my mind.
I didn’t know Jaxton. Didn’t trust him. Couldn’t afford to when my life was literally on the line.
And yet…
I blew out a shaky breath and picked up my pen again, scanning the next line on the roster. If I just focused enough, I could push him out of my head. I had to.
Then the door opened.
I looked up, ready to greet whoever had walked in, but the words died in my throat.
Jaxton filled the doorway, silent and still, the air in the room shifting under the pressure of his stare. My pulse spiked, and my tongue swept out to wet my lips. His gaze locked on my mouth, and a muscle jumped in his jaw.
“Do you need something?” My voice wavered, betraying the steadiness I tried to fake.
He pushed off the doorframe without answering. Each step was slow and deliberate, like a predator closing in. My pen slipped from my fingers and clattered to the table, loud in the quiet room.
“Jaxton?” I whispered.
Still nothing.
He reached me in two strides, his hand wrapping around my wrist with a grip that wasn’t painful but made it clear resistance wouldn’t matter. The heat of his skin branded mine as he tugged me to my feet.
“What are you—” The question cut off when his eyes dropped to my mouth again. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as he turned and pulled me toward the door.
“Jaxton, wait. I have work to—”
My protest died when his head tipped just enough for me to catch the determination in his steely gaze. Whatever he wanted, there was no stopping him.
He didn’t loosen his hold, not until we were down the hall, and he shouldered open another door. The room was an unused office with a long table shoved against the wall. He hauled me inside, shut the door with a decisive click, locked it behind us, and finally released me.
My pulse was so loud in my ears that it drowned out my own thoughts. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to catch my breath. “You can’t just drag me—”
“I know.”
I froze, my throat dry. “Know what?”
His eyes locked on mine, sharp and unrelenting. “Everything.”
That one word was all it took for my breath to catch.
“I know why your file was too clean. Why every line was perfect. Why nothing fit right unless you knew where to look.”
My pulse thudded in my throat. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” His tone was absolute, cutting off any denial before it left my lips. “You’re in WITSEC.”
My stomach dropped, and the room tilted. My fingers tightened around the edge of the table behind me like it could anchor me. “You can’t—”
“Already did, baby.” He closed the distance between us in a single stride, crowding me back until the hard edge of the table bit into my hips. His hand came up, palm flat against the surface behind me, caging me in. The other gripped my hip.