Page 64 of Until the End

“You’re not just a POI. I give a damn about you.” He’d crossed the line from professional to personal—a fine, deadly line, not unlike the wire of a garrote. He suspected that had happened the second he’d let her into his home, against Sanborn’s advice. “You’re not alone. You’ve got me.” The intimate tone edging his voice betrayed him on a different level, implying something beyond physical attraction and comfort. For shit’s sake, what kind of cupcake was he turning into? “Feel better?”

“Yes.” She caressed his mouth with the pad of her thumb, making his groin tingle.

“No more plans to run.”

He was one of the most formidable men he knew—not that he was boasting, but with her pressed against him, every curve on display through the thin, wet dress… If their lips touched, tongues tangling in need again, he wouldn’t have the strength to stop.

“Agreed.” She nodded. “But no more ultimatums. No threats. They send me straight into rebellion mode. If you’re really with me, then you’re with me until the end of this.”

His father had been the king of ultimatums. Castle was ashamed he’d resorted to the same tactic. That wasn’t the type of man he aspired to be. Kit was swimming against a dark tide. The wrong swell would pull her under and she’d drown in this shitstorm. For her to make it through, she had to trust him—a man who represented everything she feared.

“Okay,” he said.

“I’m sorry for not telling you why we were going to my apartment. I thought you would’ve shut me down. I couldn’t risk it.”

He would’ve shut her down cold. As a naive civilian, she had no clue the degree of danger they had been walking into. She was desperate to survive on her own terms and he got that. Respected it. Admired it even.

He let her go and held out his palm. “Passport.”

She gave him a death stare. “No. I’m not giving up my passport.”

His heart raced as he geared up for another fight. Why did she have to challenge him at every turn?

Lucky for him, Castle had never been able to resist a challenge. “If you don’t plan to run, you don’t need to hang on to it.”

“That’s not the point and I think you know it.”

She needed to feel as though she had some control, that they were a team instead of her being a hostage.

“Trust is a two-way street, Kit-Kat. I’ll let you hang on to the passport that you have no intention of using, and you do something for me in return.”

Confusion crossed her face, followed by suspicion. Her chin tipped high in defiance, but she said, “Okay. What?”

He walked over to the four-by-six-foot storage unit built into the wall of the garage and entered a code. A beep resounded, then the double doors opened. She gasped at the sight of his emergency weapons stash, but that was not what he was after. He took out a small gunmetal-gray case, flipped it open, and removed the bio-injector gun. “GPS microchip. Smaller than a Tic Tac.”

“And what do you plan to do with that?”

“Two-way street, remember?” He’d planted a tracker in her jacket and messenger bag without her knowledge, but now they were at a crossroads of trust. Whether or not she’d willingly accept one would speak volumes about which direction they were headed. “I could use this on you forcibly, but I won’t. Only with your consent.”

Perhaps it was that he’d asked rather than demanded. Perhaps it was that he’d accepted the intense attraction burning between them, regardless of the consequences coming down the pike. He wasn’t sure which change had done it, but for once, she didn’t fight him.

“Will it hurt?”

“You’ll feel a slight pinch for a second. There’s a local anesthetic that’ll block the nerve signals to the area.”

“Where do you want to stick me?” Her lips curved into a sexy half grin.

He enjoyed her flirty nature too damn much. It was an effort not to get sidetracked around her. “Anywhere will work, but I’d suggest someplace meaty. Your hip.”

She lifted the hem of her dress, revealing a dangerous amount of skin and more feminine curves than necessary.

Gripping her waist, his thumb found the band of her lacy thong, and his palm tingled with an almost painful awareness. Her skin was moist and cool, so soft a terrible yearning tightened in his groin.

She relaxed against him, the tension in her muscles surrendering to his touch. The invitation to explore her was unbelievably erotic. He let his fingers glide across the sweet line of her high, round ass and his mouth watered to taste her.

“Are you going to give it to me, big boy?” She wiggled her all but bare bottom, making thoughts of precisely what he wanted to give to her, do with her, fire in his brain and crackle through his body.

She was teasing him but had no idea how close he was to the edge of losing control.