Way of the Shadows (Shadow Agents 8)

His laughter was rough. “They slide all across me. It’s hard to miss them.”

“I think I was distracted by other things,” she murmured, aware her cheeks were stinging.

One dark brow rose.

She tried to pull in a steadying breath. It didn’t work so much. Noelle didn’t feel steady at all. She was nervous. Tense. And...

“We go back to D.C. soon,” she blurted.

He nodded.

“Mercer told me that my job as an FBI liaison with the EOD is done. For now, anyway.”

That news had him frowning. “You’re leaving?”

I don’t want to leave him.

“How often have you watched me?” The question slipped from her.

His hand rose to stroke her cheek. “I don’t want to scare you. I never want to do that.”

She turned her head and kissed his palm. She felt the tension thicken around them. “You don’t.” The darkness that clung to him had never frightened her. The power he possessed just made her feel safe because Noelle knew he’d protect her.

It was what he’d always done.

“I used to dream about you,” he whispered, the words rough. “At first, the dreams were the girl I left in that cabin. You were scared and you were crying out for me.”

Pain echoed in his voice.

“I’m not scared any longer.” She’d worked hard to become stronger.

“Then the dreams changed because you changed.” His hand slid away from her as his shoulders straightened. “I started to dream about the woman you’d become.”

Maybe...maybe Mercer was right. “What do you want from me?” Noelle asked him and she held her breath as she waited for his response.

At his sides, Thomas’s hands balled into fists. “I’m a desperate man. I’ve been that way...too long.” His gaze held hers. “I want whatever you’ll give me.”

I’ll give you everything. Maybe she already had. She moved toward him and eliminated that little bit of space. Her hands curled around his shoulders. Then Noelle put her lips on his.

She was making a choice. Choosing him. Noelle needed Thomas to understand that. Just as she needed him to choose her. Her mouth moved lightly on his, caressing.

His hands rose and locked around her hips. She could feel the strength of his arousal pressing against her.

“I don’t want just one more night.” His words were growled against her lips. “With you, I want forever. I can’t have another taste just to lose you when we leave this place.”

His words broke her heart. Noelle shook her head. “You won’t lose me.” He was what she wanted. The past was done. The ghosts—dead. She wanted to focus on the future, and she wasn’t going to let any fears hold her back.

Mercer had been right on that score.

Thomas kissed her again, and the kiss was harder. Deeper. He took control, and she felt the passion pour through her. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Couldn’t feel him enough.

They stumbled together up the stairs. When she slipped, his grasp on her tightened. He lifted her up, holding her easily.

She kept kissing him.

Then they were in the bedroom. He tugged off her clothes, stripping her quickly, and her hands swept over his shoulders. His chest.

He eased her toward the bed, but Noelle didn’t fall back on the mattress. Instead, she lowered to her knees before him, and her lips skimmed over the scars on his chest and stomach. Scars that mattered to him but not to her. The scars told her how strong he was. How he’d survived.