Page 59 of Covert Desires

I feel the heat of his body as he grabs me closer, onto his lap, his hand resting on the small of my back.

There's an urgency in the way he kisses me, a desperation that matches the pounding of my heart. It's as if he's trying to erase all the pain of our pasts with this single act. And for a moment, I let myself believe he can.

The thought of losing him is fueling the intensity of the moment. Our movements become more hurried, more intense as the endless kiss picks up speed, enveloping my entire universe in Nico’s scent, his taste.

Biting his bottom lip between my teeth, I finally pull away, my breath ragged and uneven—panting.

I lean my head against his chest, trying to catch my breath.

When he wraps his strong arms around me, I let him, closing my eyes to enjoy the intimate moment amidst the pending doom.

There is so much to say, but I say nothing at all.

Oh god, this won’t end well.

But I no longer care.

Because for the first time in too long, maybe even forever, I feelsomething, something real. And I’m not letting anyone take that away from me—least of all myself.

“How long do we have?” Nico asks when we finally part.

“A couple of hours. Three tops. Nothing but clear skies today, sadly.”

He goes quiet, calculating, before he speaks. “This airstrip can’t handle the jet, so my brother will take the smaller plane. There will be six of them, max, excluding the pilots.”

“Your shoulder will probably slow you down…”

“It’s feeling a lot better. But you’re right. We’ll have to be smart.”

“They don’t know about my background. That’s our one big advantage. We can draw them out, and I can surprise them.”

“You don’t have to do this for me,” Nico says.

I run my fingers through his messy hair, rearranging it, “I know. But I want to.”

Nico cocks his head to the side as he asks his usual, “Why?”

I smile, kissing his forehead. “Because…you may be an infuriating brat, but you’remybrat.”

Chapter eighteen

Action

(Nico)

Whentheykickdownthe door, shaking it on its hinges, I’m ready.

There is no fear, no anxiety, no hesitation—only a focused resolve.

This ends today, one way or another.

Just as we planned, Kiah hides in the closet, waiting, while I remain seemingly tied to the wooden chair. Hands behind my back, facing the door, they can’t see that the ropes Kiah dragged from her secret room are not fully knotted at the back.

She even made me put on my clothes for this part, the ones I arrived in that first night. Freshly washed and ironed, the materials feel uncomfortable against my skin; foreign.

Almost as weird as the empty space around my neck. For some reason, I miss the comforting grip of that collar. There was something grounding about its constant deadly threat.

But there is no time to ponder its loss for long.

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