Page 105 of Bargain with Fate
I took a step forward and tipped up my chin so that our lips hovered dangerously close together. “Maya August. Believe me or don’t. It really doesn’t matter to me.” My pulse raced like it was finishing the final lap of the Grand Prix.
I didn’t do relationships. Never had and swore I never would. Relationships were too personal. Too dangerous. I wasn’t just risking my heart; I was risking the entire life I’d built from scratch.
But as I gazed into those ice-blue eyes, it was like watching the polar caps begin to melt.
His mouth inched closer. Close enough that our breaths mingled, that the air between us felt charged and fragile, like glass about to crack.
“I looked into you for the same reason I invited you to dinner and into my home,” he said, “because I like the way you make me feel. And I would very much like to keep feeling it.”
Resistance in this moment was utterly futile. “So would I,” I breathed.
He murmured my name first—not even a full sentence, just my name, like it was a question he’d been holding on his tongue from the moment we met. I moved closer in answer, pressing against the length of him.
His hand found my waist slowly, giving me time to pull away.
I didn’t.
Instead, my fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, grounding me.
There was no gentleness involved. No caution. We plunged headfirst into the deep waters we’d been circling.
My mouth parted first. He felt that not-so-subtle invitation—and responded. The kiss deepened, slow and deliberate. His tongue met mine, a gentle glide that sent a shiver through me. A quiet, startled sound escaped my throat, half surprise, half relief.
His fingers spread across the small of my back, anchoring me to him. My hand slid into his hair, holding him there as our mouths moved together—unhurried, savoring.
Hungry.
We broke apart simultaneously, as though separated by an explosion, and ended up on opposite sides of the room. To be fair, whatever this was between uswasexplosive.
“We can’t do this,” Vale said firmly.
“No kidding. Why do you think I’m over here?”
“The door is here.” He motioned to the entryway behind him. “How do you expect to leave?”
“I expect you to leave first, then I leave, then we both pretend this never happened.”
“I’m the Protector of the Region. It’s impossible for us not to interact.”
“You have fifty lackeys at your disposal at any given moment. Assign one of them to be your liaison with me. Gage.”
“No, not Gage,” he said, a little too quickly.
“Then Cowboy. Or Harriet. I don’t care, as long as it isn’t you.”
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Am I that repulsive to you?”
“Obviously not, or I wouldn’t have let you stick your tongue in my mouth, because that’s objectively revolting.” It took my head a minute to catch up with our mouths. “Wait a minute. I know whyIcan’t do this. Why can’t you?”
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence. I started to say, ‘I would very much like to keep feeling it, but I can’t put my people at risk.’ Secrets are dangerous, Maya. They make you an unknown entity.”
My heartbeat finally started to calm the hell down. “Right. Well, glad we’re on the same page.”
“Boss?” Cowboy’s gruff voice broke through our bubble, forcing us back to reality.
Vale’s hands curled into fists. “What is it?” he ground out.
“The cardinal is about to abandon the nest.”
