Viper slid his hand up, curling his fingers around the back of her neck, and he kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle.It was desperate, rough, the kind of kiss that spoke of too many sleepless nights and too much restraint.
Mara’s gasp broke against his mouth.For a second, shock froze her, then something inside her gave way.She fisted her hands into his shirt, pulling him closer, returning the kiss with a hunger that startled even her.
Every unspoken thing between them, the glances, the tension, and the long nights in that too-small room came pouring out.Viper slanted his mouth over hers, and kissed her deeper, thrusting his tongue down her throat.He tasted like danger and need and she liked that.Mara sucked on his tongue.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing hard.Viper rested his forehead against hers, his hand still on her neck.
“I’m glad you’re safe,” he murmured, voice low, roughened with emotion.
Mara’s heart was pounding so hard she could barely think.“You scared the hell out of me,” she said.
He gave a small, humorless laugh.“Yeah.Me, too.”
She looked up at him, searching his face.“Viper, what are we doing?”
He didn’t answer.Just brushed his thumb over her jaw, slow and possessive, as if memorizing the shape of her.
For a moment, it felt like the world had narrowed to just the two of them.Then someone coughed from the doorway.
“Uh ...Mara?”Jase stood there awkwardly, clearly having walked in at the worst possible time.“Phone’s ringing.”
Mara stepped back fast, cheeks flushed.Viper turned, glare sharp enough to make Jase retreat instantly.
“I’ll, uh, get it,” Jase muttered, vanishing.
Silence fell again.
Viper sighed.“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Viper said.
“No,” Mara said softly.“But it did.”
He looked at her then, and the expression in his eyes was conflicted, dark, and possessive.That look made her chest tighten.
“You should get back to work,” he said finally.
As he turned to leave, she watched him go.Viper looked tall, dangerous, every line of him coiled with the same restrained intensity that had just burned through that kiss.
She pressed her fingers to her lips, still feeling the rough scrape of his stubble, the way his hand had cupped her neck like she was something precious he couldn’t quite bring himself to break.
For the first time since she’d met him, she realized something that scared her more than the men chasing her.Viper wasn’t just her protector.He was the one man who could truly undo her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop him.
