Page 25 of Noel
The taste of her—chai tea, nerves, the faintest sweetness beneath it all—burns away everything else.
When I finally pull back, I rest my forehead against hers.
“You’re okay,” I whisper.“I’ve got you.”
She nods, breath unsteady.
“That wasn’t, um, protocol.”
I almost laugh.
“No.But it worked.No more panicking.”
“No more panicking,” she echoes—like she trusts me.And that does something to me inside.
Outside the door, radios crackle, boots echo.Reality slams back in, and I straighten.
“My team’s got statements coming in.I need to check the footage.”
She catches my sleeve before I move.
“I get it.But, um, don’t apologize for that,” she says softly.“For whatever that was.”
I glance down at her hand on my arm—small, firm, stubborn—and that same something in me settles.
“I’m not going to,” I tell her.“Because Holly?I’m not sorry for kissing you.In fact, I think we’re just getting started.”
“You do?”
I nod.
“But it also means I can’t afford to fuck this up.”
And I mean every word.
Becausethisfeels personal.
Becausethis womanis under my skin in a way nothing else ever has been.
And for the first time in years, the mission doesn’t feel like enough.
I step outside, knowing she is safe for now, even though I don’t like leaving her.
But I have to.I’ve switched from adrenaline to autopilot.
Studio B is locked down with Holly inside—Kai, Ego’s twin brother and another member of my team, stationed at the door, per my order—and I’m back in the temporary security hub the hotel cleared for us.
A wall of monitors flickers, depicting feeds from every angle of the ballroom and service corridors.
The hum of equipment is the only thing steady enough to drown out the sound still echoing in my head.Her voice when she said, “Or kiss me”.
I drag a hand over my face.Focus, Kane.
Jack rounds the corner first, tablet tucked under his arm, coffee in the other hand.
Ego—not his real name, but no one bothers to even ask anymore—follows close behind, broad-shouldered and stone-faced.
They both straighten when they see me.
