Page 40 of Smoke and Shadows

She turned the omelette as she allowed the disturbing thoughts to fester.

“Hey, what just happened here?” Viktor asked sharply.

“What?”

“You suddenly closed off. What did I say, Iz?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Look at me,” he ordered.

She tried to act nonchalant, glancing at him briefly and pasting a fake smile. His eyes narrowed.

Uh-oh.

“Move.” He grabbed the spatula from her and nudged her out of the way.

“What are you doing?” Marissa asked in annoyance.

“I’ll finish this. You start thinking of an explanation for why you suddenly had an attitude adjustment.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“I read people fairly well, Marissa. I lost you right before you flipped that omelette.”

Who the hell is this guy?

“Don’t you dare try your interrogation tactics with me, Viktor.”

He turned off the fire and slammed the pan to the back of the stove, causing her to jump.

“Don’t bullshit me. What the fuck happened just now?” he growled.

“Oh, so you can keep all your thoughts to yourself, but I can’t?”

“Damn it, Marissa. I’m trying here. What. Happened?”

“You. I’m addicted to you!” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. “You turn me on like no other man. My brain turns to mush when I see your . . . your freaking gorgeous body, and even if my joints are screaming in pain, I think of nothing but having you inside me . . . hav—having you sink into me.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Viktor asked incredulously. His lips were twitching.

“It’s not funny!” Marissa wailed. “No man should have such control over a woman.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s funny.” His chest was shaking with repressed laughter, which infuriated her more, but she didn’t resist when he pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. “Would it make you feel better if I say it’s mutual?”

“It is?”

“If we didn’t have so much damned responsibilities, there’s nothing more I want to do than fuck you all day. I never get enough of you, Iz. You’re a distraction. I can’t think straightwhen you’re physically near, and I can’t think straight when I don’t know where you are. I want to fuck you so hard, you’d have trouble walking the next day. Sound like an addiction to you?”

“Yes.”

“We good?”

Marissa nodded.

“Good. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“I hate taking a leisurely breakfast.It’s almost 10:00 a.m.” Marissa said, glancing at the kitchen clock. “I told Allison we’d be tackling the data out of Damascus bright and early.” She hadn’t shared her suspicion about Matthews—that he had betrayed the agency to Shadid—and decided to table that discussion for later. There was just too much information to process from the past few days.

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