Page 35 of Veil of Secrets

“Vince said you like lost causes,” she says.

“I don’t.”

“Then what’s this?”

“I don’t know yet.”

She steps closer. Not aggressive. Not flirty either.

Just near.

Her eyes land on my hands, then my chest, then my face.

“You always stare at people like that?”

“Only when they do things I don’t expect.”

“What’d I do?”

“You walked in here.”

Her mouth twitches. “You’re hard to pin down.”

“So are you.”

She exhales, sharp.

I reach out, slowly, and hook a finger through the chain around her neck.

I don’t pull.

Just hold it between us.

“You keep this on like it’s armor,” I say.

“It is.”

“You ever take it off?”

“No.”

She steps in until our bodies are almost touching. The air between us feels charged, like metal catching sparks.

Her voice is quieter now. “You think you get me, Drago?”

“I think I get what matters.”

She lifts her chin. “Then tell me what this is.”

I answer the way I know how.

I kiss her.

Her mouth meets mine like she’s been holding back since the alley. It’s not gentle. It’s not sweet. It’s rough. Honest.

Her lips part. She exhales hard into my mouth, grabs my collar like she wants to rip it. I press her back against the car. She doesn’t fight it.

She kisses me like she’s angry at herself for wanting this—like it means giving up ground she swore she wouldn’t.

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