“Freckles. Millions of them.”
“Ehh,” Emerson said. “I hate the little bastards.”
“I don’t,” Dash said.
Emerson’s gaze whipped up to his.
Dash fought a smile. “When I was younger, I wished I had them. I thought they’d make me less plain looking.”
“You’renotplain looking.”
Dash scoffed. “Come on. I’ve got a boring face. No scars. No crook in my nose. No marks. Nothing that stands out.” He trailed his finger to another freckle on Emerson’s chest. “Nothing that makes me memorable. It’s what made me a good agent. I blend in with the crowd.”
“If you’re not memorable, how have I been unable to stop thinking about you for months?”
Dash’s gaze flew to Emerson’s.
“I’m sorry,” Dash whispered. “I didn’t want you to go that night.”
“I know. That’s what made it even more painful to leave.”
Dash dragged in a breath, struggling for air. “I didn’t mean to cause you pain.”
“I know,” Emerson whispered. “And I forgive you for it.”
His breath caught. Staring up at Emerson, he realized that even though they’d been apart, he’d grown more attracted to the alpha somehow. Maybe that was all in his head. Fantasizing couldn’t cause affection, surely—yet there was no other way to explain the pounding of his heart when he looked into Emerson’s eyes.
One night together wasn’t enough to make him fall. Could it?
He’d seen just how protective Emerson could be. He’d proven to be an intelligent, quick-witted man who’d gotten them out of danger. After, he’d been a slow, generous partner who’d been careful not to hurt him during his first time bottoming. The strong, powerful man who’d tossed him about with ease could’ve done real damage, but once again, the protective hero had whisked him away from danger and kept him safe.
Emerson was a man he could fall head over heels for. A man Dash could stop pretending to be something he wasn’t when they were alone.
Too bad society made a relationship between them illegal.
“We shouldn’t have done this,” Dash whispered.
“Why not?” Emerson asked.
“We’re not done yet—but I already know one night isn’t going to be enough.”
Emerson grinned. There wasn’t a speck of gloating in it, just what appeared to be delight.
Dash shook his head. “The more we do this, the more we risk being caught.”
Emerson’s smile faded. “We can be careful.”
Dash held Emerson’s gaze. “I’ve brought down men who broke the law, all of them sure they were too careful to ever be caught. They were all wrong.”
“But they didn’t have what I do.”
Dash scoffed, laughing. “And what’s that?”
“An ex-Black Guardsman who I sense iswaysmarter than me and will know how to cover our tracks.”
“I didn’t do so well tonight.” Dash sighed.
Emerson’s hand lifted. He cupped Dash’s cheek. Dash told himself to pull away, but he couldn’t resist the gentle caress. Not after all the years he’d denied himself the simple pleasure of another man’s touch. He leaned into it instead, pressing his cheek into Emerson’s palm.
