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Like I'm under a spell, I move toward her on the bed.

"Kiss me," she whispers.

I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But I lean in anyway, pressing my lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She tastes like the tea she just drank.

When I pull back, her eyes are dark with desire.

"See? The world didn't end," she murmurs.

"It might if we keep going,"

"Maybe I want it to." Her hand comes up to cup my cheek. "Maybe I'm tired of being careful."

I capture her wrist, feeling her pulse race beneath my fingers. "You don't know what you're asking for."

"I think I do." She leans in, her lips brushing my ear.

A growl escapes me before I can stop it. "Don't say that unless you mean it."

"I mean it." She pulls back to meet my eyes.

Those three words snap the last thread of my control. I surge forward, claiming her mouth in a kiss that's nothing like the gentle one we shared moments ago. This is hungry, desperate, and she matches me eagerly, her fingers tangling in my hair.

I push her back onto the bed, covering her body with mine. The bathrobe falls open, revealing her naked form beneath me. I break the kiss to look at her, taking in every curve, and every inch of her smooth olive skin.

"You're fucking perfect," I murmur, lowering my head to trail kisses down her neck.

She arches beneath me, her hands tugging at my shirt. "You're wearing too many clothes."

I sit back on my heels to pull my shirt over my head. Dahlia's eyes widen as she takes in my bare chest covered in scars from years on the job.

"Do you like what you see?" I ask, watching her gaze move across my body.

"I do," she admits, reaching up to trace a long scar that runs along my ribs. "How'd you get this one?"

"Knife fight. The guy didn't want to go to jail."

Her fingers trail down to another mark near my hip. "And this?"

"Bullet. I caught it during a raid."

"You're like a walking battle map," she murmurs.

I catch her hand, bringing it to my lips. "And you're changing the subject."

"Am I?" She smiles at me, her bathrobe fully open now, revealing her gorgeous body. "What subject were we on again?"

"This one," I say, lowering my head to kiss the curve of her breast.

She gasps, her back arching off the bed. "Oh, that subject."

I take my time, exploring her skin with my lips and tongue. I move to her nipple, drawing it into my mouth and sucking gently.

"Fuck," she breathes, her fingers threading through my hair.

I switch to her other breast, giving it the same attention while my hand slides down her stomach, feeling her muscles jump beneath my touch.

"You're teasing me," she accuses, squirming