Page 52 of Stripe Theory

The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch. He crossed to her workstation in three long strides, and before she could think of something scientific to say, his hands cupped her face.

“You’re okay?” The question came out rough.

“I’m fine. You’re the one who?—”

The kiss caught her mid-sentence. His lips claimed hers with desperate hunger, weeks of tension exploding into heat and need. Her hands fisted in his shirt as she pressed closer, breathing in his scent, feeling the barely contained power in his frame. His tiger rumbled approval, the sound vibrating through their contact.

Someone whistled. Maya, probably.

“About time,” Sierra commented weakly.

Alora broke away, face flaming. “We have an audience.”

“Don’t care.” Rehan’s eyes had gone full amber, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones.

“If you two are quite finished,” Jewel interrupted, though her smile was warm, “we do have a crisis to manage.”

Alora reluctantly moved back, though Rehan’s hand found hers immediately.

“The new security protocols are holding,” Hunter reported, tactfully not mentioning their display. “But we intercepted communications suggesting more attempts are coming.”

Maya pulled up fresh data streams. “They’re getting desperate. They’re rushing their timeline.”

Alora moved to study the screens, Rehan a warm presence at her back. His arms slipped around her waist as she worked, and she found herself relaxing into his embrace. How had she ever managed without this?

“The conference is their last chance,” she realized, highlighting transmission patterns. “If we can block their initial attack...”

“They lose their window,” Hunter finished, entering with fresh intel. “Nice PDA earlier, by the way. Rehan owes me twenty bucks.”

“You bet on us?” Alora demanded.

“Please. Everyone bet on you. Even Jewel had money in the pool.”

“Mother!” Rehan sounded scandalized.

Jewel shrugged elegantly. “A mother knows these things. Now, about these distribution patterns...”

They worked steadily through the night, refining protocols and security measures. Rehan stayed close, his touch constant and grounding – a hand on her back as she leaned over samples, fingers brushing, stolen kisses between crisis points that left her dizzy and smiling.

“You’re distracting me,” she murmured after one particularly thorough kiss.

“You like it.” His thumb traced her lower lip.

“Mmm. But I need to finish these calculations.”

He sighed dramatically but released her. “Science before romance?”

“Science then romance,” she corrected. “Lots of romance. After we save everyone.”

“Deal.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But I’m holding you to that.”

Maya made gagging noises from her station. “You two are disgustingly cute. I’d say get a room, but we need the genius brain focused.”

“Like you’re any better around Hunter,” Alora shot back.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really? So that wasn’t you I saw making eyes at him in the security office?”

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