Page 13

We collapse together onto the bed, a tangle of sweaty limbs and ragged breathing. I manage to dispose of the condom before pulling her against my chest, her head tucked under my chin, our heartbeats gradually slowing in unison.

"So," she says after a moment, her voice slightly hoarse, "does this mean you're done pretending there's nothing between us?"

I laugh despite myself, the sound rumbling through my chest. "I think that ship has sailed."

She props herself up on one elbow, looking down at me with those too-perceptive eyes. "No regrets?"

I reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, allowing myself the simple intimacy of the gesture. "The only thing I regret is not locking that door sooner."

Her smile is radiant, genuine in a way that makes my chest tight. I pull her down for another kiss, this one gentle, almost reverent.

The reality of our situation hasn't changed. She's still in danger. I'm still responsible for her safety. My brother is still downstairs, probably wondering what's taking so long. But for this moment, none of that matters.

For this moment, there's only Nova and me, and whatever this is between us that feels terrifyingly like something I've spent years avoiding.

Something that feels dangerously like falling.

A sound from downstairs breaks the moment. Cade, moving through the main room.

"We should get dressed," I say reluctantly, running my hand down the smooth curve of her spine. "Cade will be wondering where we are."

"Do you think he'll know?" She bites her lip, looking both mischievous and slightly embarrassed.

"My brother was Delta Force. He notices everything." I press a kiss to her forehead. "But he's also discreet."

She sighs, reluctantly pulling away from me to gather her scattered clothing. I watch her move around the room, struck by how comfortable she seems in her own skin, how unselfconscious in her nudity.

"What?" she asks, catching me staring.

"Nothing. Just..." I pause, searching for words that won't sound ridiculous. "You're beautiful."

A flush spreads across her cheeks, and she ducks her head. "Thank you."

It's such an unexpected reaction from a woman who makes her living being admired that it catches me off guard. As if my simple compliment means more than the thousands she must receive regularly.

As we dress in companionable silence, I try to process what just happened between us. Not just the physical act, but the connection that feels deeper than it has any right to be after only a few days.

I've never been one for casual sex, especially not with clients. But there was nothing casual about what just happened with Nova. Nothing simple or straightforward about the way she looked at me, the way she said my name, the way she trusted me with her body and her pleasure.

Nothing simple about the way I already want her again, even as we're still putting our clothes back on.

"What happens now?" she asks, as if reading my thoughts.

I finish buckling my belt, buying time to consider my answer. "Now we go downstairs and face my brother. Then we continue doing what we've been doing, keeping you safe until the FBI catches this bastard."

She gestures between us. "And what we just did?"

"That complicates things," I admit. "But it doesn't change the mission."

She steps closer, reaching up to smooth my hair where her hands had tangled in it. "I don't want to make your job harder."

"Too late for that," I say with a wry smile. "But I'll manage. But I'd rather not explain this to Cade just yet."

"This?" She raises an eyebrow. "You still can't name it?"

I study her for a moment, this woman who has somehow breached every defense I've built over the years with nothing more than her smile and her stubborn refusal to let me hide behind professional distance.

"Us," I say finally. "I'd rather not explain us to him yet."

Her smile is worth the admission. "Us. I like the sound of that."

"So do I," I admit, surprising myself with the truth of it. "More than I should."

"Good." She straightens her clothes and runs a hand through her hair, composing herself. "Because I'm not going anywhere, Finn. Not until we figure out exactly what this is between us."

"First, we need to make sure you stay alive to do that figuring."

"Always so practical." She sighs dramatically, but the smile doesn't leave her eyes. "Fine. Safety first, scandalous affair with my bodyguard second."

Despite everything, I laugh. "Scandalous affair, huh?"

"Would you prefer 'torrid romance'? 'Star-crossed lovers'? 'Beauty and the brooding mountain man'?"

"I'd prefer to avoid labels altogether." I open the door, gesturing for her to precede me. "At least until we're not actively being hunted by a lunatic."

"Fair enough." She pauses at the doorway, her expression turning serious. "But Finn? When this is over, when I'm safe and we don't have the excuse of adrenaline or proximity or professional boundaries... I'm still going to want this. Want you."

The simple declaration hits me square in the chest. Because I believe her. Because I want the same thing. Because for the first time since I returned to this mountain, I'm thinking about a future that involves someone else in my carefully constructed solitude.

"Let's get through this first," I say, not trusting myself to promise more. "One day at a time."

She nods, accepting this for now as she turns down the hall for the stairs. I follow, watching her descend with the natural grace that's as much a part of her as her stubborn determination or her uncanny ability to see through my defenses.

Nova Wilde. Pop sensation. America's sweetheart. My client. My impossible desire.

And possibly, if we survive what's coming, something I never expected to find on this mountain or anywhere else.

Something real.