I never take my eyes off his face as he inches closer and closer. Just when I think he’s going to kiss me, his path diverts and his lips land on my ear. The touch is faint, but it’s effect is resounding. I feel it everywhere. Trickling over my skin, seeping into my pores and coursing through my veins until the sensation settles in my bones.
“Come home with me,” he whispers commandingly, his tone speaking to an intrinsic part of me.
I lock my knees together to keep from falling into his arms.
Come home with me.A cycle of unwanted thoughts start to violate my mind. Violate the moment. I remember why I’m here and the assignment I’m supposed to execute.
I place my hands on Baz’s neck solemnly. I want to trail my fingers up and tangle them into his hair. I want to kiss him like no woman has ever kissed him before. I want to be the one he remembers. Who he compares all future kisses to. But the tragic truth is Baz doesn’t have a future, because I’m here to kill him.
“I can’t,” I regretfully tell him.
He jerks his head back and looks at me bewildered. “Why not?”
Because if I come home with you, it will be your very last night on this Earth.
And for some reason, that notion breaks my heart.
I have never thought twice about ending someone’s life. About what I do or who I am. But staring into the green, vital force of Baz’s eyes, the world suddenly seems like an alien place.
“I think it’s time for me to go.” I slip away from him with a disenchanting ease.
“Stevie.” Baz grabs for my arm. The fight is there. The want. The demand. It makes me feel alive inside. But I can’t stay. And I can’t give in.
“Baz, please.” I jerk my arm away with more force than I mean. God, the disappointment on his face. When did I sprout feelings? They were never there before. “I have to go.”
I fly to the bar to retrieve my jacket and don’t even bother to slide it on until I get outside. The clean night air helps me to breathe. To find some clarity. The gravel parking lot crunches under my boots as I hurry to my truck. I know he’s behind me before I even reach the handle. The guy is persistent. I’ll give him that.
“Stevie.” Jesus, my name on his lips, it’s like kryptonite. Too bad I’m no Supergirl. I turn to face him, knowing I’m in store for a world of regret. “Were you serious about hiking to a spring?”
Um, okay. I wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes.” My lie is shaky.
“Can I take you to one? Tomorrow? It’s not on any maps. Locals only.”
Ho-lyyyy shit. That was like an invitation to his own funeral. Me and Baz, alone, in the woods?
“I don’t think—”
“C’mon,” he presses. “I’m not a serial killer, if that’s what you’re worried about.” It takes all my restraint to stop from screamingbut I am!“I really want to see you again.” He flattens both hands against the sleek black truck, trapping me in. “Ineedto see you again.”
Say no, say no, say no! Get your ass in the truck and drive away!
“What time do you want to go hiking?” I crumble like freaking pie crust.
The triumph in his eyes tells me he thinks he just scored a second chance.
Too bad what he really scored was a front row seat to a bullet between the eyes.
“Is seven a.m. too early?”Excruciatingly. “The sunrise over the mountains is killer.”
Killer. Right.He has no idea. “Seven a.m. I’ll be ready.” I smile sweetly.
“So will I,” Baz promises fiercely. My entire torso burns from his response. It’s so hot it feels as if someone doused me in lighter fluid from my neck to my navel.
There’s also a throb. A throb between my thighs I’ve been trying desperately to ignore. But when Baz is this close, begging to be intimate, the sensation synthesizes.
“Where are you staying?” he asks as I maneuver into the truck. I need to escape.Now.
