He drained it and then set the glass down on the bench before meeting her eye. “We should both try and get some more sleep … it’s still early.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anymore tonight,” Jenna replied, pulling a face. “I’m wide awake now … I can’t stop thinking about the mission, about everything that’s at stake.”
“We might fail,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving hers. “You do realize that?”
She swallowed. Her first instinct was to disagree with him, but there was little point in arguing against what they both knew to be true.
“I do,” she whispered. “But I have to believe we’ll succeed.”
His mouth curved. “Nothing defeats you … does it, Jenna?”
Her pulse started to flutter in the base of her throat. Gods, she loved hearing him say her name.
“Not while you’re with me,” she replied huskily.
Their gazes fused then, the moment drawing out.
Jenna’s heart started to buck against her ribs, sweat beading on her upper lip. Wis, Seer of Truth, give her strength, it was no good. She couldn’t hide from this any longer.
She wanted this man, body and soul.
She didn’t want boundaries between them any longer. She wanted to wake up to his voice in the mornings, and to feel his arms around her as she drifted off to sleep at night. She wanted his hands on her. She wanted him buried deep inside her. She wanted to lose herself in him.
Without being able to stop herself, Jenna reached out, placing the palm of her hand upon his chest.
Time stood still.
The heat of his skin seared her palm, and the intensity of those violet eyes engulfed her.
“I don’t want to be alone tonight, Malik,” she whispered.
The beat of his heart quickened under her hand, and when he answered, his voice held a rasp. “Neither do I.” He raised a hand, placing it over hers. He then stepped close, bringing up his free hand to brush his knuckles across her cheek. “I’ve always been alone, Jen,” he murmured, “But it never really bothered me until a few days ago … until fate threw you and me together.” His throat bobbed then. “When we’re apart, I feel your loss.”
Jenna’s throat started to ache. “You do?”
He nodded. The pad of his thumb swept across her lower lip, and the sensual gesture made her shiver, heat pooling between her thighs. She drew in a deep, shaky breath. It was difficult to concentrate with him standing so close, with him touching her like this—but his words emboldened her.
“I know what it’s like … to feel lonely,” she said, her voice turning husky. “I’ve spent my life surrounded by people, but no one’s everseenme … not like you do.”
Malik’s gaze held her fast. “There was a day, nearly a decade ago now, when I was patrolling one of the recreation decks in the tower … and I saw you standing on a viewing platform, looking south,” he admitted, his thumb brushing across her lower lip once more. “The sun created a halo behind you, making you look like a handmaiden to the Gods. You were so regal, untouchable … and I just stood there, watching you, when I should have been working.”
“You did?” Jenna inclined her head. She’d had no idea the Captain of the Lord’s Watch had noticed her all those years ago, wanted her. Malik had always seemed as untouchable as the stars.
His expression turned wry. “You’ve been my obsession for far too long. I should have known you’d one day be my ruin.”
Jenna sucked in a deep breath, her heart hammering in her ears. “I don’t want to be your ruin,” she whispered. “I just want to be yours.”
Malik’s breathing hitched. A second later, he drew her to him, his mouth claiming hers. The kiss consumed her. The taste of him, the feel of his tongue sliding against hers, and the rasp of his stubbled chin against her cheek ignited a hunger inside her that couldn’t be denied.
No, her senses weren’t impaired this time. She’d thought the Horn Punch had addled both their wits, but instead, all it had done was tear down the reserve between them.
The honesty between them was raw. Need scorched the air.
Jenna stepped into him, her hands coming up to link around his neck. The next thing she knew, he’d walked her back against the wall, and their bodies were pressed flush.
Jenna writhed against his hard, muscular body, her legs parting to wrap around his, to draw him closer. She felt his erection, straining through the material of his shorts, pressing urgently against her core. She wanted to tear the two layers of fabric that separated them apart so he could plunge into her, so she could lose herself. She forgot where they were, or that Vic could walk in on them at any moment.
But fortunately, Malik still had his wits about him.
