Page 129 of Villainous Rise

I leaned back in my chair, running my hands over my face. The trail didn’t end at Nexus Innovations, it just got murkier and whoever commissioned the modifications knew exactly how to cover their tracks.

With a few keystrokes, I set my system to work. My program would dig through the digital underworld, searching for connections between Nexus and any potential clients. It would take time, but my system doesn’t sleep, doesn’t get distracted, and doesn’t miss details.

I compiled everything I’d found so far into a clean report for Annie to take to Havoc. The modified shield generators, the repurposed designs, the kill mechanism, all of it sanitized just enough to protect my identity while giving them actionable intelligence.

My eyes burned as I stared at the screen. The last few weeks had been a blur of work, League obligations, and Annie. Sleep had become a luxury I’d increasingly neglected and even with my enhanced physiology, I was pushing my limits.

I looked over at Annie again, peaceful in my bed.

Part of me wanted to keep my connection to all of this to myself. The smart play would be to distance Cipher from this investigation entirely. But the last time I kept secrets from her about her work, she had nearly died.

I remembered the exact weight of her blood on my hands.

I would never make that mistake again.

I’d tell her the devices were modified versions of my old designs and explain how I recognized my own work while keeping that carefully edited out of the report for Havoc.

Annie shifted in her sleep and the sheet slid down to expose her breasts.

I hardened instantly.

I could cross the room right now and pin her wrists to the mattress. I could wake her up with my teeth at her throat. I wanted to drag my mouth over every inch of her and leave more marks.

The urge went far deeper than basic lust. It was a need to consume her. I wanted to absorb her into my own body so she could never walk away from me again.

I forced my hands flat against the edge of my desk and breathed. She needed rest. We both did, but her especially.

I stood and headed for the bathroom. A cold shower might help, though I doubted it. There was nothing that could dampen my desire for her.

I turned the shower on, cranking the temperature as cold as it would go. The water hit my skin like needles of ice, and I hissed through my teeth, bracing my hands against the tile wall. It should have been enough to calm my dick the fuck down, but my body refused to cooperate.

All I could think about was Annie. Annie beneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist. Annie above me, her head thrown back as she rode me, her breasts bouncing with each movement.

“Fuck,” I growled, wishing I could make the water even colder.

It was no use. My cock was painfully hard, demanding attention. I’d never wanted anyone the way I wanted her. The constant need was maddening. I could be buried inside her, completely spent, and still want more.

I gave up the illusion that cold water would solve my problem. I wrapped my hand around my shaft, closed my eyes and let my mind fill with images of her. The way she arched her back when I hit that perfect spot inside her. The soft, breathy moans she made when she was close. The flush that spread across her chest just before she came.

I stroked myself harder, water sluicing down my body as I chased release. I imagined her mouth, hot and wet around me. The way she looked up at me through her lashes when she took me deep. The feel of her tongue tracing patterns along my length.

My muscles tensed, my breathing ragged and uneven. I pictured her face as she came, that moment of perfect surrender when she let go completely, trusting me to catch her.

I braced one hand against the shower wall, the other still working my cock as I pumped cum onto the tile. My jaw was clenched so hard it ached and a strangled groan escaped through my teeth.

For a moment I just stood there, letting the freezing water wash away the evidence of my weakness. Because that’s what it was—weakness. The constant, overwhelming need for her. I’d never wanted someone so badly that just the sight of her sleeping could drive me to this.

I shut off the water and grabbed a towel, roughly drying myself. My reflection in the mirror caught my eye. Silver eyes stared back at me, pupils still dilated with desire despite having just come harder than I had any right to alone in a shower.

I padded back into the bedroom and slipped under the covers beside Annie, careful not to disturb her.

Thank fucking god I took care of things in the shower, because the moment I settled in, she turned toward me in her sleep.

Her naked body pressed against mine, soft curves against hard planes, and her breasts flattened against my chest. I had to fight the immediate urge to roll her onto her back and wake her with my mouth between her legs.

“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath, willing my body to calm down.

She made a small noise in her sleep, something between a sigh and a moan, and nestled closer. Her leg slid between mine, her thigh dangerously close to my cock. I gritted my teeth and stared at the ceiling, counting prime numbers in my head to distract myself.