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‘I’m still a little woozy from the explosion,’ she whispered, eyes canted to his much taller presence, darting to his mouth, then back to his molten gaze.

‘Or is it me?’ he rasped, voice rough velvet, threaded with sardonic heat.

It was him.

Fokk, it was him.

But she wasn’t going to admit it, not out loud.

‘Are you scared of me?’

She jolted at his husky rasp and locked eyes with him.

What surprised her was the vulnerability she saw in his amethyst depths, which shook her to the core.

Without thinking, she reached a hand to touch his forearm.

‘Nada. If you meant me harm, you’d have done it already. What you are is fascinating, but not anything I’m scared of.’

His lips pursed, emotion pulsed deep in his eyes, and she again jolted, unable to look away.

‘You’re very beautiful,’ he murmured.

Flustered, she parted her lips to fire back a deflective retort, but her gaze dropped to the glint of battle scoring on his armor, the scorch marks, the singe near his collar.

Her breath grew shallow, and she blinked. ‘Who the hell are you?’

He smirked, taking his time. ‘The man who just saved your ass again. This time from a minefield.’

He moved from her, sitting back in his chair, arms crossed over his massive chest, gazing into her eyes.

She almost moaned at the loss of his heat and strength.

‘I understand that, but who -?’

She faltered when his jaw clenched.

Her voice dropped. ‘Who placed the mines in the debris field?’

The air snapped tight again.

He went still, like a predator scenting danger.

‘Who else? Twas a littlefokk-off gift from the Lombardis.’

He leaned forward, hands resting on his thick, muscled thighs, his essence shifting gear into a darker realm.

He seemed to bristle with an energy that appeared to dance in and out of sight around him in violet flashes.

Fascinating.

‘You, of all operators, should know, they don’t play fair. They’d never allow remnants of their ships or stealth tech weapons to get into your hands. Let alone leave debris clear for you to sift through. They meant to blow up whoever came looking for answers.’

She said nothing, she just flushed, subdued by his well-aimed chastening.

Her heart was still pounding, but her voice came out raised, clipped. ‘Where are you from? Are you stalking me?’

The man didn’t flinch. He didn’t rise. He turned his head, slow and deliberate, and locked eyes with her.