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As long as Morgan was safe and I never had to watch her life endangered again, I could live with any other outcome. Nothing compared to the risk of losing someone you love.

My head snapped up, water spraying from my sudden movement.

Love.

The realization hit me like a bludgeon. I loved Morgan. I, who had been trained to keep everyone at arm's length, who had cultivated detachment as a professional skill, and who had prided myself on never forming attachments that could compromise my duty, had fallen in love.

For one wonderful moment, happiness tore through me wildfire. Then reality crashed back in, dousing the fledgling flame.

Could I afford to love her? Could she afford to be loved by me?

She was still a cadet, brilliant and promising, with her whole career ahead of her. And I was a Shadow, an operative who moved between worlds, who lied for a living, and whose very existence was classified. I would always operate in darkness and always carry secrets.

I had told her who I was, yes. But did she truly understand what that meant? What my life entailed? How it would alter hers if she chose to share it? She deserved better than half-truths and midnight departures, better than wondering if each mission would be my last.

I’d told her that she would make a good Shadow, which was true. But did I want that life for her? Could I, in good conscious, recommend a job that would put her life at risk? Could I survive the worrying and the wondering?

A sound from the bathing chamber doorway made me stiffen instantly. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, muscles tensing, senses sharpening. The debriefing officercouldn't have arrived so soon, could he? And even if he had, he wouldn't simply enter my private quarters without announcement.

I started to step out of the shower, when Morgan appeared in the doorway. She was tossing aside the last of her clothing, and her hair fell loose around her bare shoulders. Despite her boldness, there was a shyness in her stance.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "To save water, of course."

I was unable to speak as she sauntered naked toward me and stepped into the shower enclosure. She splayed her palms on my wet chest, sliding them up to my shoulders and down my arms, letting one fingertip trace the lines of my tattoo. Water droplets clung to her eyelashes as she looked up at me with a wicked grin.

"I've always been one for prudent resource management," I managed to stammer.

Her smile widened, and as I drew her closer, I allowed myself to forget all my doubts.

Chapter

Forty-Three

Morgan

Ihadn’t planned any of it.

I’d only meant to hop from my balcony to Tivek's so we could talk, but when I'd heard the shower running and glimpsed him through the partially open bathroom door, all thoughts of conversation had been forgotten. The sight of water glistening his muscles and the ink etched into his arm had made all rational thought abandon me.

Tivek's hands moved slowly up my sides, leaving trails of heat that had nothing to do with the water temperature. His chest pressed against mine, slick skin meeting slick skin as he backed me gently against the smooth stone wall. The contrast between the cool surface at my back and his warm skin sent a delicious shiver through my body.

"You're trembling," he murmured against my neck, his lips tracing a path that made my knees weaken.

"Just cold," I lied, knowing he could feel the truth in my racing pulse.

"We should fix that."

His mouth found mine, and I allowed myself to sink into the kiss and into the sensation of water sliding between our bodies. I ran my fingers through his wet hair and down the stubble on his jaw that rasped against my palms. Water splashed between us, as hands grasped and bodies arched.

Even though barely any time had passed since we’d left the ship, I was desperate for his touch. Running my hands down the length of his body, I slid my fingers around his rigid cock and savored the slick feel of it beneath my skin.

Tivek groaned and the sound bounced off the stone. “What if?—?”

But I didn’t care what he thought might happen. I only cared about feeling him inside me again. I released my grip and turned around so that my bare ass bumped his cock, pressing my palms flat against the wall and craning my neck to give him a teasing smile.

Without another word, he fisted his cock and dragged it through my wetness, notching the crown at my entrance before hesitating. But I couldn’t wait. I pressed back, taking his broad crown him inside me and sighing.

Tivek ground out a desperate moan as he gripped my slick hips and thrust fully into me, water splashing between us. My eyelids fluttered as pleasure coursed through me and our bodies slapped against each other over and over.