Page 14 of Inescapable Gravity

He kissed her.

CHAPTER THREE

This was not what he was hired for.

That intrusive thought was easily swept away when he felt her bite the flesh of his lower lip.

It was a quick spark of pain and then a flood of hot desire rushed through every artery in his body.

Marius felt her lean into his body, her head tipping back so he could claim more of her mouth.

And that's where he stopped it.

He drew back and earned the ire of his heart and other harder, painful parts.

Her mouth was pursed at first as if she was still searching out his kiss.

When her eyes opened and her mouth went slack he saw the confusion and disappointment in her gaze.

"Why?"

She didn’t elucidate beyond that word.

Why did you kiss me?

Why did you stop?

He knew he could ask, but he didn't think he'd get an answer and honestly... he didn't deserve one.

"I'm here, Nix." He shook his head when her new 'name' crossed his tongue. "I'm here to keep you safe."

"Then find someone else to take over. I won't work with you."

She turned on her heel and walked away. Her hair had always ended at her shoulders but it was now longer, almost to the soft swell of her beautiful backside. It swished back and forth as she left the room and disappeared into another part of the house.

Almost as if they were being watched, his phone rang.

He answered the call and wasn't all that surprised to hear Alex's voice in his ear. "Settling in?"

The wry tone of voice and the way he cleared his throat said that they were indeed being observed.

"There's a bit of a snafu."

"Oh?" Again, that knowing tone of voice. "Do tell?"

"Did you know that Heather... Nix and I have a shared past?"

"Does it make a difference?"

Marius ignored the question. It made no sense to answer it. If he didn't know he wouldn't have asked his first question the way he did.

"Do you have any information on what happened to her when she disappeared?"

The silence on the other end of the call didn't help. It also told him that Alex as holding back.

Normally Marius wouldn't really care.

Normally he didn't have a personal connection to his target.

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