That had to change.
Fast.
Worse—she’d let him kiss her.
Worse still, she’d do it again.
* * *
What the fuck…
He didn’t breathe until the door shut behind her.Her scent lingered, keeping him hard.Tearing away from Sable was not rejection.It was survival.
Bracing his hands against the wall, he exhaled hard.Try as he might to reject the memories, they pressed in: Sable laughing on warm nights, her dress slipping off one shoulder.The defiant tilt of her chin, the way she leaned into him with equal parts surrender and challenge.Her mouth, soft, demanding, unforgettable.
Was recovery even possible?
No matter how many times he told himself it was just physical, they weren’t saints and had healthy appetites—he’d never found another woman like her.
No one came close.
CHAPTERSEVEN
The opulence of her stateroom failed to capture Sable’s attention, though she listened politely as the steward enumerated its many features, ending with “I trust everything is to your liking.”
His tone suggested that walking the plank was the option if she found fault.“It’s perfect.Thank you.”She didn’t have a clue, and it was a relief when the door closed behind the steward.
She scanned the room for cameras.Old habits die hard.It also gave her a chance to get her head straight after the encounter with Elijah.
Easier said than done.
What the hell was wrong with her?She was here to enlist Elijah’s help, not shag him senseless.
With the camera scan and listening device check complete, she flopped onto the bed.Now she allowed herself to appreciate the stylish decor.Soft neutrals, clean lines, everything she liked.The bed, dressed in crisp white linen, was huge and inviting.A console across the room held an array of freshly squeezed juices, together with still and sparkling water.
Plus bar nibbles.
She could use a bite.Leaving the bed to explore what was on offer, she chose a fat, juicy olive and wandered out onto the private deck.Nice.There wasn’t much to see at night, other than the bow of the moon and a scattering of stars, but it was quite an experience to be safely housed on a luxury vessel cutting through rolling black water at speed.
Leaning over the rail, she scanned the ocean, fathomless and impenetrable like Elijah.She touched her lips.Still swollen.Still his.
Get your head straight, dumb klutz!She’d be working with the entire Blood and Thunder team, not just Elijah.She’d be meeting them for the first time, and first impressions mattered.Distraction wasn’t an option.
But she’d be in the same space as the man who’d kissed her senseless?—
Tough shit.Suck it up.
* * *
The atmosphere shifted the moment Sable walked in.She might be tiny compared with the formidable-looking men at the top of the Blood and Thunder team, but she had a presence that commanded everyone’s attention.For the right reasons.There was nothing frivolous about Sable.
She picked a seat between Cesar and Alexei, possibly the two most unfriendly-looking men, and didn’t seem to notice their suspicious stares.Cesar, possibly Cuban, who the hell knew, was definitely dangerous and unknowable to everyone but his life partner, Mica, a Krav Maga specialist who would be joining the team for this mission.Alexei, a Russian oligarch known for ruthlessly dispatching anyone foolish enough to go up against him, was married.Would he trust him around Sable?Not a chance.He wouldn’t trust either man where Sable was concerned.
Why should he care?
Apparently, he did.
Male ego and testosterone speaking, he concluded, giving the nod for Sable to begin.
