Page 65

She swayed, drawn to him,fokk, wanting him.

This man was just beauty, and she yearned for all of him.

Why, though, given his ire at her, was incomprehensible to her.

His meta eyes glittered at her, and her nipples pebbled when she recognized the same need reflected in his gaze.

‘How long have you been watching me?’

Her husky whisper was unbidden.

His lips twitched. ‘Long enough.’

She took a jagged inhale, tamping down the tension of his never-ending scrutiny. ‘You’re relentless.’

‘Always,’ he said, in a deep rumble, his expression even.

She shook her head at him, exasperated, and he responded with a phantom smile.

‘Do you ruthlessly search for the truth until you find it?’

‘Isn’t that the best and truest nature of a dedicated surgeon and medic? Seek the certainty of what causes our patient’s suffering so we can grant them relief?’

‘So you understand what drives me. It’s not so different.’

‘I’m not so sure,’ he growled, glancing at her ticking chrono. ‘That number resets every time you heal someone. Who has a time bomb on you, and what happens if and when you run out of time?’

She didn’t offer a reply; she just stared at him.

Their chest rose and fell, breaths forming between them in the darkness of night.

He stepped into her, dipping his head with genuine concern.

He reached a lean finger, tracing it past her ear shell.

Over her lobes and her mesmerizing jar-shaped pendant earrings that swirled with luminous red, pink, and gold ions.

His fingertip ended beneath her chin, and he raised it so her eyes met his.

‘See,kidaya, I think you hide your grief, suffering, and a freakin’ burden behind smiles and that bouncy attitude. But I see you, and I believe you’re under somefokked-up duress against your will. Am I right?’

Her mask dropped, and sorrow leaked from her eyes.

She didn’t say a word for a moment, unable to.

Instead, she let his words wash over her. Her heart was thumping so hard that its pulsing was about to overwhelm her.

However, the word he’d used on her anchored her.

As did the endearment he rasped, and the tenderness in his tone gave her a rush of emotion.

Even though she didn’t know its meaning, the fact he’d used one on her left her knees weak and came close to undoing her.

‘Who hunts you?’ he went on, with even more softness she almost melted into him.

She pulled her jaw from him and took a step back. ‘Don’t worry about me, Sable. As you’ve seen, I can take good care of myself.’

He stepped into her, eyes blazing down on her, almost protective. ‘You are extraordinary, and like you said, I will get to the truth of all that you are. My problem is that by not sharing, you might resign the people around you to collateral damage.’