Page 54 of Hidden Attraction

“Christ, you’re gorgeous. Fuck me, baby. That’s it. Take what you need.”

She threw herself into the moment, her mind sparking with lust and her heart…oh god, her vulnerable heart was never going to recover from this man. When she hopped that plane to New York, she never expected to meet someone like Julian, let alone fall for him.

She rocked. He twitched his hips upward, shoving deep.

Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto the mattress. Her mind barely caught up before he was hovering over her…fillingher with every inch of his hard length.

She wrapped her thighs around his hips, riding him, trusting him to give her what she needed and to bring her back down to reality in the best possible way.

His hard biceps bulged with the force of his rocking thrusts, and he churned his muscular hips. She lost herself to the sensation building in her core. The thrum of her release swelled, and she parted her lips on a silent scream as her orgasm hit full force.

In one more thrust Julian let go too, plunging and filling her with heat. Her fingers found the bristle of his jaw, and she yanked him down for a kiss.

He kissed her like he was starving, like she was the only thing that could satisfy a hunger he’d carried for far too long. Their mouths clashed in a mix of heat and tenderness, the connection between them stronger than anything she could have prepared for. His hand cradled the back of her head, holding her close as if afraid she might slip away.

When he finally pulled back, he stayed close, their breaths mingling in the scant space between them. His thumb caressed her cheekbone in a touch so reverent it made her chest ache. She ran her palms down the slick warmth of his back, memorizing the strength that had held her together when the world felt like it might break her apart.

“You’re dangerous,” she whispered against his lips, teasing even though her voice shook with emotion.

“Only for you,” he murmured back, a lazy smile curving his mouth before he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose—a gesture so intimate and unguarded it made her heart crack wide open.

They stayed tangled together, skin to skin, savoring the silence. The world outside—the danger, the lies, the mission—could wait just a little longer. Right now, here in the safe cocoon of his arms, nothing else mattered but the steady rhythm of their hearts beating as one.

Their mouths fused in a tender exchange that stole the last shred of her heart. She gave it up to this man who would most certainly disappear from her life when this was all over.

Still, she didn’t care. What was the old saying? Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

She’d always thought it was such a crappy sentiment but now, it was one she held on to as he brought them both down from their high.

In this moment, her heart belonged to Special Operative Julian Chase. Tomorrow, anything could happen. For now, she would hold on tight to the moment and savor the stillness before the strike.

TWELVE

The first pale streaks of dawn filtered through the narrow cracks between the window shutters, brushing faint gold over the rumpled sheets tangled around Chase’s legs. He lay still, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on the warm spot where Alyssa had been just moments ago before she’d slipped away.

He still felt her everywhere. In the heat clinging to the air, in the faint scent of her shampoo on the pillow, in the harsh ache in his chest that no mission could scrub away.

Last night hadn’t been about scratching an itch. It hadn’t been about adrenaline or proximity or the danger pressing at their backs. It had been...different. Heavy and necessary and real in a way that unsettled him far more than a mission ever could.

Chase let out a breath and scrubbed a hand down his face. He couldn’t afford this. Not now. Maybe not ever.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, slicing through the haze of his thoughts. He grabbed it without thinking.

“Yeah,” he answered, voice raspy.

Dante’s voice came through, full of amusement. “Well, well. Sleep well, Romeo? Turn in early?”

Chase scowled at the ceiling. “Don’t know where the hell this is coming from, but I don’t need your input.”

There was a bark of laughter on the other end. “Relax, man. I’m not concerned with what’s going on in your personal life. Right now, we’re talking about the chopper.”

Chase swung his legs off the bed, grounding himself.

Focus. Mission first. Always.

“What do you got?” He stood and dragged on his pants one-handed.

“Finally got what we were waiting for.” Dante’s voice shifted into the clipped, serious tone that came with critical intel. “The base commander’s clean. We triple-checked his computer and his private life—no weird bank accounts, no off-the-books meetings. He wasn’t part of the sabotage. Guy’s record is boring as hell but airtight.”

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