Page 31 of Sloth
“Yeah. Well, it seems like Barry has the same sin-signature. He must be the one I felt.”
“What does this mean?”
“It means he’s not happy working for the You-Know-Who. He had something to do with that animal attack and he feels bad.”
Max rubbed his chin. “We might be able to turn him to our favor.”
“Exactly.”
Impressed, he looked down at her with a sense of pride. A small smile tilted his lips. “So, what now?”
“You’re not going to convince me to stick to their plan?” She tugged on her hair.
Their plan, meaning Parker’s plan to gather Barry’s biometrics surreptitiously. Max pondered the opportunity presented. There was always the risk that Barry’s guilt wasn’t strong enough to supersede his loyalty to his employer… but if Sloan had a strong feeling about it, he had to trust her. This was what she was made for, besides, he was a cover-all-bases kind of guy. If they turned one of the Syndicate’s lead scientists, it would be a major turning point for the Deadly Seven. “I trust you. You got this.”
A small hitch in her breath drew his gaze downward. She looked at him as though she didn’t know him. Some unnamed emotion passed over her features before morphing into something he hadn’t seen in a long time: hope. It was only for a fleeting moment and then her guard went up, shuttering. She turned away, eyes intense in the direction of her brothers.
Had that flicker of hope meant what he thought it did?
A raging inferno sparked inside his chest and every feeling he thought locked away came rushing to the surface. She was all he could see and scent. Fruity and musky at the same time. It was as though she climbed inside him and unfurled herself, warming his every cell. Enamored, he couldn’t look away. Her delicate nose. Red, juicy lips.
Kiss those lips.
Licking his own, a yearning like no other captured his soul. Unbidden, his fingers lifted to trace her smooth jaw with a feathered touch. She shuddered, full body, but didn’t pull away—she leaned into him. That little movement told him more than words. He lowered and breathed deeply. Her musk grew stronger until arousal washed through him. Hot, heady and drugging.
Cupping her nape, he tilted her head back and like a moth to a flame, his mouth dipped to hers and hovered. Somewhere, a part of him bellowed—what am I doing?—but it was distant, and the moment her lashes lowered, fanning her cheeks, he no longer heard a single protesting thought. He craved her in every cell. His body was all in.
“You miss us,” he whispered against her lips. Wanting. Hoping. Begging. “Admit it.”
Those lips pressed together.
Stubborn. So stubborn.
Hemissed her. He wanted to roar, to shout and scream it. To show her that he’d never stopped thinking about her, never stopped missing or wanting her in his bed. His one true love, she had been. His confidant, his best friend, and the woman he still fantasized about in his dreams.
“Do you remember what I said you’d do to me if you ever wore red lipstick?”
A low moan slipped from her lips. Her hot breath tickled his face. Oh yeah, she remembered. And she wanted it, too. At least her body did. Unmissable hard nipples pushed at the fabric of her dress. Together with the pulse rabbiting in her neck, the flushed tinge to her cheeks, and her quickening breath… there was no denying it.
But she shook her head, and it cut his heart like a knife.
“This isn’t you,” she breathed. “Your behavior right now is my fault.”
He opened his mouth. Shut it. “Sloan?”
“It’s the pheromones.” She shook her head again. “Later.”
Right. Later. Confused, he stepped back, putting some distance between them. The lust-filled haze that had drenched his mind cleared a little. Bloody hell. He’d been so distracted. They were on a mission.
“What do you need me to do?” His voice came out low, rough.
“I’m going to talk with Barry. Feel him out. You need to get his glass for the fingerprints, just in case.”
Then she pushed off the wall, and walked away, hips swaying seductively. That cute new haircut brushed between her shoulder blades, drawing his gaze down to her perfectly round ass. He liked that she had some curves on her and his fingers itched to explore. He blew out the breath he’d held and tugged his collar for air. The minute this mission was done, the second they were alone, they’d sort this thing out between them.
He wasn’t done with her.
Nine
