Page 10 of Vex (Dragon Brides #12)

Luisa hadn't found anything specifically incriminating in Maera Daxkar's documents. The woman was definitely moving money through shell companies. But smuggling luxury goods and skimming charity donations wasn't the same as trafficking stolen dating profiles across the galaxy.

Something was off about the woman.

But thinking about Daxkar was better than thinking of Vex. Of the kiss.

The memory slammed into her every time she let her guard down. The way he'd pressed her against the wall, his body a solid wall of heat and power. His mouth had been demanding, claiming.

For those few seconds, she'd forgotten about the mission, forgotten about professional distance, forgotten everything except the need to get closer to him.

But it was more than just the physical intensity that had her rattled.

It was the way she'd responded to him, completely and without reservation.

She'd never been the type to lose herself in a kiss, yet the moment his lips had touched hers, every defense she'd built had crumbled.

The taste of him still lingered in her memory, smoke and sex and something that made her mouth water.

What scared her most was how right it had felt. How perfectly she'd fit against him, how natural it had been to wrap herself around his strength.

For a heartbeat, standing there in that hallway with his hands on her body, she'd felt like she belonged somewhere.

Dangerous thinking.

She hated him, she thought. She had to. Because if she didn't …

No, better to hold onto hate and hope it didn't become something unmanageable.

It was easy to hate him when Vex was nowhere to be found. They'd spent another sleepless night in the giant bed, not saying a word about the kiss.

She'd lain there in the darkness, hyperaware of every small movement he made. The space between them had felt charged with possibility. With desire. More than once, she'd found herself turning toward his warmth before she jerked herself back to sanity.

He'd been awake too. She could tell from the careful way he held himself, the rhythm of his breathing that was just a little too controlled to be natural. It only made everything worse.

They’d both been lying there, wanting. And reaching for more would ruin everything.

And now his lordship had sent a note, summoning her like she belonged to him.

Which, she sort of did. Given their cover. But still, it was the principle of the thing. If he wanted her on the floor with him, he could ask.

But she wasn't going to put the mission at risk for a temper tantrum.

If Vex wanted arm candy, she was going to kill him with sweetness.

A half hour later, she slunk through the casino like she was built for it. The whisper of silk against her skin was a reminder of the role she was playing, each sway of her hips calculated to draw attention and hold it. Eyes snaked over her. Conversations stuttered.

And when Vex spotted her, his mouth actually dropped open. Only a bit, barely more than if he were taking a breath. But that reaction was all for her. She even saw a wisp of smoke come off his hand before quickly dispelling.

She wasn't the only one affected by the inconvenient thing between them.

The dress was a masterpiece of strategic seduction, emerald silk that clung to her body.

It hugged her curves from breast to hip before flaring into a skirt that was just long enough to be decent and short enough to promise scandal with every step.

The neckline plunged deep enough to showcase the necklace Vex had given her, the gems laying against her skin like a brand of ownership.

Every eye in the casino tracked her movement, but she only cared about one pair. Vex's gaze sizzled in a way that made heat pool low in her belly. The careful mask of aristocratic boredom had slipped completely, replaced by something hungry.

His attention fixed on the necklace at her throat, and a wisp of smoke curled off of him. The gems lay against her pulse point like a collar, a visible statement of possession that everyone in the room could read. The weight of it was warm against her skin.

She was wearing his claim for all to see.

She sauntered over to Vex and draped herself over him, letting her body go limp in all the right places as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She nuzzled against him. "Hey, baby, are you winning?"

He grunted and pulled her close. His arm banded around her waist with unmistakable greediness, hauling her against his side until there was no space between them. The heat of his body seeped through the thin silk, making her skin tingle with awareness. She was practically sitting in his lap.

And now that she was where she belonged, no one was staring at them. This kind of behavior was normal, expected even, from assholes like Vex.

After a moment, Luisa spotted Maera carefully weaving her way towards them past crowded tables. The woman moved like a shark through the crowd, pausing to exchange pleasantries while her gaze kept drifting back to their corner.

And then her past chose that moment to punch her right in the gut.

Maera passed in front of a tall, broad man wearing a casino uniform. At first, he didn't look like anyone in particular, then Luisa's brain, and her survival instincts, caught up.

Brant Tallyer.

Her veins chilled to ice, every muscle in her body going rigid with shock. The years fell away in an instant, leaving her feeling like the desperate data-rat she'd once been.

Tallyer looked older, his face harder, but those cold eyes were exactly the same. Eyes that had watched while his enforcers worked people over for information. And worse.

She didn't realize that she'd stiffened until Vex placed a hand on her arm and shot her a questioning look.

Right. Play the part. Be the mistress.

She let out a vapid little laugh and nuzzled closer. Then she reached for Vex's whiskey and knocked it back like it was her own. The liquor burned down her throat, and it was a welcome distraction from the fear racing through her system.

She wanted another. Or three.

What the fuck was that bastard doing here?

Tallyer had been declared dead in a gang war three years ago.

She'd made sure it was true, had paid good money for confirmation from sources who didn't make mistakes about that kind of thing.

Seeing him here, alive and apparently employed by the Mountain, meant either her sources had been wrong or he had very powerful friends.

Tallyer used to run the roughest crew in the lower city. And to say she was on his bad side was a bit of an understatement.

Aetis ate people alive. You had to do what you had to do to survive.

And Luisa had certainly survived.

She'd crossed lines she'd sworn she'd never cross.

But when the choice was between eating and starving, between having a roof over her head and sleeping in the toxic rain of the undercity, the moral calculations became very simple.

Tallyer's crew had controlled the best data streams, the richest targets, the safest territories.

Working for him had meant protection and steady credits.

Until it hadn't.

Until she'd gotten too good, too independent, and made the mistake of cutting him out of a score that should have set her up for life. The beating that followed had put her in a medical center for two weeks and left scars she still carried.

Had Tallyer seen her?

She needed to tell Vex.

The thought formed automatically, the instinct of a partner who trusted her backup. But the moment it crystallized, everything within her recoiled.

What was she supposed to say? Hey, partner, you know how you need to implicitly trust me to recover this highly valuable data for our employer? Yeah, well, I used to be really good at stealing it.

No.

The confession would end everything. Vex would look at her with those cold dragon eyes and see exactly what she really was: a thief playing at being legitimate.

She chanced another look around the room, but Tallyer was gone.

He'd vanished as completely as if he'd never been there, melting back into the crowd with the skill that had kept him alive in the undercity for so many years.

Maybe he hadn't seen her. She didn't look at all like the data-rat she used to be. A few enhancements here, a different haircut there, and no way in all the hells would the old Luisa have been caught on some rich man's arm in this dress.

If the old Luisa had gotten anywhere close to the jewels around her neck, she would have snatched them and run as far as she could.

"You let her out of bed," Maera said as she finally approached the table.

Luisa jerked back to the present, forcing her expression into the insipid smile that was becoming second nature. She tittered. "You're so bad!"

Vex gave her a look that was so cold it burned. "She knows her place."

She clutched his arm and leaned closer. "Right by you, baby."

A mix of cheers and groans went up as the dealer turned over the final card and pushed a large stack of chips towards Vex.

Another win for Vex.

So why did it feel like she'd just staked all her chips on a losing hand?