Page 22

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“I think a few more things come before you now that I really take a minute to think about it,” he went on, and I punched his arm spitefully. Well, I tried to punch his arm, but he was quick to evade it. “I’m just trying to be honest here, V. No sense in lying to my new partner.”

“Every time you open your mouth, shit comes out,” I growled angrily, nose scrunching when he threaded a needle with some dissolvable string through the open flaps of my skin. While I griped, he made quick work of my arm. “You come here, stake claim on the position as my partner, don’t say anything about who you really are, and then talk out of your ass.”

Phillip’s eyes rose to meet mine, his gentle smile catching me by surprise. “All done.”

“See. I didn’t even flinch.”

“Your nose twitched,” he countered.

My eyes narrowed. “It did not!”

“Right here.” Phillip bopped me on the tip of my nose, his smile broadening. “But you did good. All things considered, you proved I was right about you.”

Words fled when his affectionate smile hit me and took out all my sass. “I...”

“You should be proud of yourself.” Phillip cupped my cheek with his large hand, his body heat practically fire. “I wasn’t wrong about you. You and I are going to be unstoppable as a team.”

When he leaned forward, everything around me disappeared. All I saw was him and his piercing gaze. All I breathed was his scent. And for that moment, I was all his.

I didn’t know for what reason it was happening, only that I wouldn’t say no. Not when I’d fantasized about kissing the Austrian from the moment we met. Not when I couldn’t move my body with his heat on my face.

I shouldn’t want it, but I did.

And when Phillip’s soft lips touched mine, something inside of my body came to life. Electricity swelled and moved across every surface, expanding and retracting, delivering sensation to every place it touched.

Like a piece falling into place, a key unlocking a door, a void of space filling, a mystery finally solved, his kiss was the exact thing I’d always needed and wanted. His lips on mine was the answer to everything I’d ever questioned.

His hands carefully angled my neck, bringing our mouths closer, and I surrendered to it for a second before the taste of blood tore me out of a confused haze. I jerked away and wiped my mouth before staring down at blood coated fingers.

“I’ll explain everything when you wake up,” Phillip said, his voice coming into my ears, distorted and far-off sounding.

My vision swayed and blurred before I collapsed into his arms. Then everything went dark.

5