Page 19 of Synnr's Ride

She needed to pull away. One of them needed to be sane.

Why wasn't it her?

Why did it have to be her?

She leaned into the touch and knew it was all over.

This was a fight that she couldn't win. And why would she want to?

Jori leaned forward and Hanna met him. All she could do was savor the kiss that she longed for, full of teeth and tongue and a gentle caress of lips that shouldn't have felt like home.

His desire was raw and urgent. Her pussy clenched in response, wanting more, craving a deeper connection. That was a madness she couldn't surrender to, no matter how deep the need.

He drew her in and ran his hands down her back, pulling her closer until she felt every inch of him, hard and hot and so very good. The clothes between them now were a delicious torture, and they did nothing to hide the thick, hard length of him.

It wouldn't take anything to reach down, find the clasp of his pants, and free him for her touch.

Nothing but a streak of self-destruction that not even Hanna could touch.

Jori pulled away, and she tried to chase his kiss. His gaze was searching and intense, and she was sure this was the moment it ended.

She tried not to show the wave of despair that washed over her at that thought, but then he leaned forward again, capturing her lips in another searing kiss. This time it was softer, sweeter, and Hanna lost herself in it. His lips were tender against hers, teeth grazing her bottom lip, making her hips jerk towards him in desire. She wanted more and he gave it to her, tongue seeking hers, tasting and exploring the depths of her mouth.

Hanna's whole body was alight with pleasure, desire flooding her senses and scattering all rational thought. If Jori lifted his finger, if he said one word, she would have let him take her right there, consequences be damned. Every nerve ending in her body sparked and hummed with need.

And then he was pulling away, his lips soft and swollen from their kiss.

Hanna reached up and touched her own lips, the move too revealing, even though she couldn't stop herself. The kiss was too much. She was sure every emotion, all of the lust and confusion, and even a startling hint of like was showing on her face. She couldn't look at Jori, couldn't see if he was reading it all.

There was something between them. It had flared to life that first day he walked into the interview room. It grew with every second they spent together.

And it terrified Hanna in a way the war never could. Who was this man to her? Why did he make her feel these things?

How could she make it stop?

She had no idea. And that scared her more than anything else.

But she could lock it down. For a minute. An hour. A day. For long enough to do the job.

She blew out a breath and refused to think about how she could still taste Jori on her lips. "Come on. I'll show you those tricks I was telling you about."

If she didn't mention this kiss, maybe they could pretend it had never happened. Or that it was some kind of mistake.

But ifthatwas a mistake, she never wanted to do anything right again.

7

Jori saw Hannaworking behind the bar of The Docking Station but forced himself not to stare. He offered the short brunette beside her a smile and sauntered up, ordering his drink before finding a table that put him close enough to where Morn Kark held court but didn't make it look like he was trying to ingratiate himself.

The Docking Station was an old relic of a bar, the name a throwback to when this area had been home to a spaceport dock that launched goods up to ships orbiting the moon. There were a few hints to that history in the décor, including a large painting of a Zulir with wings spread wide, floating in the vast darkness of space. But mostly the place was dark and a little rundown. The floor was sticky in a way no mop could clean up, and everything smelled faintly of liquor.

The picture in his file made Kark look like a bruiser. In person, the truth was clear: he didn't just bruise, he broke bones.

Half a dozen men sat around him, some trying to squeeze in but stuck behind more favored members of the gang. At Kark's right was Rexx, his second in command. Jori also recognized Jursor Hansyn. He didn't have names for the others, not yet.

But this was only day one.

The cute brunette came out balancing a tray precariously on one hand. She set the beers down in front of the gang before Kark grabbed her waist and pulled her down to his lap, smothering her in a passionate kiss.

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