Her eyes widen slightly. "Me? Why me?"
"I don't know." The admission tastes bitter. "But this is exactly why you need to stay with me. Work with Yuri. He can teach you how to stay invisible when you're hunting for information." She studies my face, processing. "It sounds like you're building a scenario that might help Yuri and me understand what we're actually after." I cup her face again, thumb tracing her cheekbone. "That is, if you want to work with us?"
Her lips part. She blinks once.
"Are you asking me to work with you?" Something flickers in her green eyes. "You know my father will not be pleased with it."
"You're hacking anyway." I hold her gaze. "Your father hasn't stopped you yet. We knew you hacked into HeartSync, but we didn't find your files. Obviously, there's no stopping you. You're too good."
A smile curves her mouth. The kind that tells me she's about to surprise me.
"In the spirit of knowledge sharing..."
She reaches for her purse on the counter, digs through the main compartment, and pulls out a tampon.
I watch as her fingers twist the bottom, and a micro SD card slides free.
Laughter hits me, unexpected and genuine. The sound fills the kitchen, echoing off steel appliances and marble countertops. Real laughter. The kind that makes my chest ache from disuse.
"Well." I shake my head, still grinning. "The hackers we've worked with are men. They don't hide flash drives in tampons."
She sets the tiny card on the counter between us. Triumph lights her features.
I pull her closer, my hands settling on her hips.
Her hands rest against my chest. I feel her heartbeat through my shirt.
"Seems like maybe you can teach us a few things," I say, and her smile widens, a dimple appearing in her right cheek.
"You know what, I should be furious. You violated my privacy. Went through my files without permission." She draws a breath. "But I'm not. Or I am, but I also feel..." She trails off, searching for words. "Conflicted." Her gaze locks onto mine. "Angry that you invaded my space. Glad that you care enough to check. It's a contradiction, like you."
"When it comes to you, there are no contradictions in my mind or my heart."
My gaze drops to her soft, full lips. Her hand lifts, fingers tracing the line of my jaw. Her touch is feather-light, like she's learning my face through sensation alone.
"You're a hard man to read." Her thumb brushes my cheekbone. "That attracted me to you. The contradiction."
Her green eyes search mine, finding something I didn't know showed.
"You're this deadly force who brings me lilies," she adds. "The grump who's fun. The assassin who worships me like I'm sacred." Her fingers trail along my jaw. "Everything about you contradicts itself."
I catch her wrist gently and press my lips to her pulse point.
"There's no contradiction in my kisses."
I claim her mouth before she can respond. I lean down as my hands slide to her waist, pulling her closer to the edge of the stool, bringing her body flush against mine. Her legs naturally wrap around my hips as the kiss starts, controlled, deliberate. My tongue traces the seam of her lips until she opens for me.
Then control fractures.
I pour everything into the kiss. Every truth I can't voice. Every fear that keeps me awake. Every desperate want that's carved itself into my chest since she walked into my life.
Her fingers thread and pull through my hair slightly. The small bite of pain grounds me, sharpens everything.
I want the sound she's brought into my silence. The thought drives deeper with each stroke of my tongue against hers.
I want to keep the sound of her laughter, her moans, her breathing, her steps.
My phone vibrates against my hip. I ignore it.
