Page 296 of Flirting with Darkness

“I guarantee they wouldn’t be able to follow me.”

He mirrored her, leaning in with those narrowed eyes. They were golden-brown and not that silvery white fire. “Is that a threat, or a promise?”

She couldn’t help her grin. “Why can’t it be both?”

“And how exactly would you manage that?”

Nova shivered, partially from the cold and partially from the flash ofsomethingin his eyes.

She wantedhimto be the one hunting her.

Running her fingers through her hair, she considered him. “In twenty-five minutes, I’ll show you.”

There was that snarky smile she couldn’t stop staring at every time she opened her stupid fucking phone. “Another game?”

“Maybe.” Nova stretched out her legs and then did the same with her arms, taking inventory of her sobriety. It might be less than twenty-five minutes, but she didn’t want him to be right.

When she looked at him again, his eyes were fixated on her chest tattoo.

“Well, since you came here to dance, would you like to dance with me?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Fuck yes, she did.

Nova shook her head and stood, heading toward the bar. She went around to see what they had. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why is that?” Dex asked, leaning on the bar like he’d teleported there. He moved even faster than a shifter did.

She grabbed a bottle of water and uncapped it. Nova studied his face as she drank half of it. “I just don’t.”

“Because I’m not a bear shifter?”

Turning around, she rummaged around for snacks so he couldn’t see her grin. Dex was definitely jealous, and that shouldn’t please her as much as it did. “No.”

Suddenly, his hands were on her hips and they slid forward to span across her stomach. His touch was gentle and gave her the space and time to step away if she wanted to, but Nova couldn’t do it.

Slowly, he pressed her into him, and her heart started pounding. She leaned into him, tilting her head back to rest on his chest. The feel of his arms around her, the gentle way he held her, the heat from his body…

Her eyes fluttered when his lips tickled her ear, and Nova knew she was insomuch trouble.

“Afraid you’ll like it too much?” he asked, flexing his hands to force her body to sway with the beat.

“Yes,” she breathed.

The water in her hand was shaking.

Nova turned her head so she could see his face, and she was mesmerized again by just how tall he was. She was not a short girl by any means. At 5’10” she always felt her height around guys, but not Dex. He made her lookup.

She searched his eyes for something that would help her push him away. Nova couldn’t afford to have a guy in her life right now, especially one who might end up a job.

He held her gaze as one of his hands slid up her chest until that glove was holding her neck so softly, she wondered if he was afraid he’d hurt her earlier.

“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you,” he told her, rubbing a thumb across her lips like he’d wanted to do that all night.

Nova closed her eyes and dug down deep for the strength she knew was there. This shouldn’t be so fucking hard. He was just a guy. A very good-looking guy who turned her on in ways she’d never experienced before, but still. He wasn’t worth fucking up her first mission.

And Nova couldn’t get herself to use him for information.

Seducing him for intel was the easiest option, but she just couldn’t do it. Not to him.

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