Page 61 of Duty Unbound

“That was…” Words failed me.

He smiled, brushing hair away from my flushed face. “Yeah.”

I reached for him, fingers tracing the obvious hardness straining against his pants. “Your turn.”

His breath hitched, but he caught my hand. “Later.”

“But—”

“Believe me, I want nothing more.” He pressed a kiss to my palm. “But I don’t want to rush this. Next time, I want a proper bed. Time to do this right.”

Despite the lingering haze of pleasure, desire stirred again at his words. “My room has a very nice bed,” I suggested, voice husky. “And I’m pretty sure we could find what we need in the hotel gift shop.”

The heat in his eyes intensified. “You head up. As soon as my shift ends, which is in twenty minutes, I’ll be there with?—”

His comms unit crackled to life, Jace’s voice cutting throughthe moment. “Boss, we’ve got movement on Nova’s floor. Security system shows unauthorized access to the restricted elevator.”

Ethan’s entire demeanor shifted instantly. The lover vanished, replaced by the security expert. His expression hardened, eyes sharpening with alert focus.

“Details,” he demanded, already moving to the monitors.

“Three individuals, two males and a female, exited the service elevator on Nova’s floor. Not wearing hotel uniforms or badges. Moving toward the east wing.”

Ethan was pulling on his tactical gear, checking his weapon with practiced efficiency. “On my way. Alert the team. Full lockdown protocol.”

I scrambled to dress, fingers clumsy with the lingering effects of pleasure and the new rush of adrenaline. “Nova?—”

“Ty’s stationed outside her suite,” Ethan assured me, his voice calm but urgent. “She’s covered.” He studied the monitors for another moment.

“Stay here,” he instructed. “Lock the door behind me. I’ll send someone to escort you to your room.”

He pressed a quick, hard kiss to my lips. “To be continued,” he promised against my mouth.

Then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

I sank into his vacated chair, legs still boneless from the most intense orgasm of my life, mind reeling from the whiplash of passion to panic.

The monitors glowed in the dimly lit room, a cruel reminder of reality. This was our life—stolen moments of connection, interrupted by danger and duty. As long as Nova was being threatened, as long as I remained tethered to her world, there would be no simple path forward for Ethan and me.

Yet despite the complications, despite the fear now churning in my stomach, I couldn’t regret what had just happened between us. For those precious minutes, I hadn’t been Nova’ssister or manager. I’d been a woman, desired and valued for myself alone.

Ethan had given me two incredible gifts tonight—the paints that acknowledged my passion, and the pleasure that honored my needs. Both said the same thing:

I see you, Mel Rivers. I see you, and you matter.

Chapter 19

Ethan

The morning sun beat down on my neck as I stood outside the WLTZ television station, scanning the crowd that had gathered since news had broken that Nova Rivers was inside doing an interview. Logan stood beside me, his posture relaxed but his eyes constantly moving—the mark of a professional who never truly let his guard down.

“How much longer?” he asked, checking his watch.

“Should be wrapping up now.” I adjusted my earpiece, hearing Ty’s confirmation that they were in final questions. “Five minutes, tops.”

My mind drifted back to last night—to Mel on that desk, her skin flushed, her breath coming in short gasps as I tasted her. The memory was vivid enough to make my pulse quicken. I’d wanted her since that first kiss in her suite, but after last night…

“You look like you could use more coffee,” Logan observed, interrupting my thoughts.