Page 65 of Blind Prophet

“But you believe in me? You believe the source is wrong?”

The pads of his fingers climb my arms. My skin prickles. Golden brown, all-seeing eyes penetrate mine, and my breath catches as he seeks confirmation that I believe he’s not a monster.

His vulnerability breaks through my reluctance.

With one shaky confirming nod, his lips close in on mine. I close my eyes to revel in the feel, to both remember and be present.

He nips at my lip, and his tongue presses to the seam. I open for him, returning the exploratory kiss, allowing myself to be in the moment.

What the hell am I doing?

He’s always been the one who mangles my thoughts. Who robs me of reason.

But I can’t. I can’t do this. Not now, not with so much at stake, not when it would be way too easy to slip again.

I break the kiss and brush a finger over his lips.

“We can’t,” I say, ever so softly. The pain. The constant ache. I can’t go through that again.

But his thoughts aren’t akin to mine.

His lips curve into a tender smile, and that little dimple appears, shooting my heart well past the moon.

CHAPTER15

DORIAN

“Don’t leave today.” The words rush out, uncontrolled. Her kiss confirmed there’s a chance. “Please, Cara. Stay the weekend.”

It’s a plea. And yes, I’m purposefully using her nickname, hoping the intimacy the name implies weakens her resolve.

“I’ll send you back on the corporate jet. The G650, since I know you don’t like small aircraft.”

The wreckage behind us is still cooling, hydraulic fluid contained by the deployed emergency barriers. We nearly died; the tail rotor failure could have sent us into an uncontrollable spin. I didn’t share how close we came, how one wrong move during the autorotation landing could have meant the end. I hadn’t lied when I said my flight instructors would be impressed with my landing.

We nearly died. I don’t expect my nervous flier to board a small plane anytime soon, if ever. Forget helicopters.

Her fingers tangle in my hair, but she shifts, and instead of pulling me to her, she toys with my ear, then her fingers glide along my jaw. I ache to crush my mouth to hers, rip her clothes off, and rediscover every inch of a body I once knew better than my own.

But I want more than one more time. I want her back in my life. It’s a truth I know with a deep, residual certainty. I’ve been a dead man walking for years. Lifeless.

I don’t know why I couldn’t get over her. Why I couldn’t move on.

A range of emotions washes over her unforgettable blue irises. Lust? Uncertainty?

“If I come back with you, will you answer my questions?”

A smirk threatens.

“Not as a game,” she hastens. “What I’m working on is important. I need answers. We know about your alliance. We have questions.”

A small white plane whooshes above us.

Caroline’s brow crinkles. “Is that plane big enough for us to ride in?”

The fear in her voice would be comical if we hadn’t almost died in a crash.

“It’s a Cessna. It’s the scout plane I mentioned. He’s assessing our location.”

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