Page 27

“What can I say? I need my beauty sleep.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Linc chuckles and Ryder slugs him in the shoulder as they walk off, Addie and Brighton on their heels.
I hesitate and look over at Knox. “Who’s The Man?” I ask, unable to hide my curiosity any longer.
He shrugs. “I don’t know.”
My brows shoot up in disbelief. “You don’t know? How can you trust him? Orher?”
Because if none of them have ever met their so-called benefactor and master of ceremonies, how can they blindly follow what he says? This is beginning to sound a little familiar and it makes me nervous. Ex Nihilo went through a similar situation with their mysterious handler. And it didn’t end well.
“Addie’s mom told us to trust him. Implicitly. So we do.”
That’s far too simple and naive of an answer to me.
Frowning, I shake my head. “But what if he’s lying to you? What if he sets you up or—”
Knox captures my chin between his thumb and forefinger, sending my pulse skittering. “Sometimes you think too hard, sweets.”
“But how can you blindly trust him?” I press.
“I trust Angel, and she wouldn’t steer us wrong. Whoever The Man is, he’d go down fighting for all of us. I have zero doubts about that.”
He lightly rubs the indentation on my chin and my heart thumps madly.
“You worry too much, Ms. McGrath.”
“I know,” I admit. “I’m a bit of a control freak.”
“I can help you with that.”
“With what?” I ask, my attention dropping to his lips. Gah, they’re perfect. Just like the rest of him.
“Letting go,” he says huskily.
Every nerve ending in my body thrums and I can’t help how much I want him to kiss me. Even though my rational side is screaming to pull away and go to my room, I find myselfleaning in closer. His scent envelops me, that velvet musk laced in amber, and my lips part.
Unable to control the desire firing through my veins, I push up on my toes. He moves at the exact moment, and our mouths crash together. My fingers curl into his soft Henley, trying to pull him even closer.
Am I surprised he’s an amazing kisser? Nope, not even a little.
So far, there’s not one thing this man isn’t good at. Not only is he beyond beautiful, he knows how to make my knees weak by kissing me senseless. No one has ever kissed me the way Knox Beckett does. Deeply, thoroughly, oh-so sensually.
He knows what he’s doing, and the moment I realize that, it’s like someone pours a bucket of ice water on me. How many other women has he kissed like this on a job? How many have been seduced by his promises and captivating words? Am I just a pleasant diversion? A way to pass the time until the heist is over?
I jerk my mouth away from his and take a wobbly step back. He instantly reaches out, grabbing my elbow to steady me. His blue eyes look a bit dazed and he lets out a breath, his firm chest rising and falling harder than before.
“Hunter—”
But I shake my head, pulling my arm free. “That shouldn’t have happened.” I spin around, looking for my duffel bag. “Pretend it didn’t.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
I grab my bag off the floor and try to get my bearings, but it’s proving easier said than done after Knox just kissed me into sweet, dangerous oblivion. My fight or flight kicks in, and I turnaway and bolt down the hallway. I can’t deal with this right now. Knox is nothing but a big complication I don’t need in my life.
“Hunter!” he calls, but I don’t stop, blindly hurrying away as my protective walls shoot up around my heart.
Knox Remington Beckett is a chance I can’t take. I’ve gone down that road and I know exactly where it leads.