Page 55 of Silence and Surrender

“Dance with me,” I said suddenly, loud enough to be heard.

Isabella’s step hitched slightly. “What?”

“Trust me.” I turned her into my arms, one hand settling on her waist while the other caught hers. The string quartet was playing something slow and classical, and other couples still moved on the dance floor despite the earlier chaos.

“Eight armed men,” she reminded me, though she fitted herself against me perfectly. “This isn’t exactly the time—”

“We need to get closer to that alarm,” I murmured against her hair. “Dancing gives us cover to move.”

We moved across the floor, each step bringing us closer to our target while maintaining our cover. The guards couldn’t intervene without causing a scene—exactly what we needed.

“Now?” she asked as we neared the alarm.

“Not yet,” I dipped her slightly, using the movement to check our flanks. “When I step away from you, move toward the service door. Don’t run. Don’t look back.”

“And you?”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

We turned again, my hand spreading across her back as she followed my lead. Despite the danger, despite the guards watching our every move, I couldn’t help but enjoy every second I got to hold her against me.

Focus, I told myself again. Focus on the mission, not on how her breath caught when my fingers traced her spine. Not on how her pupils dilated when I pulled her closer. Not on how much I wanted to kiss her again and again until every single person in the entire fucking world knew she was mine and mine alone.

The song ended. Perfect timing. We joined the polite applause, then I stepped away from her, moving toward the champagne table near the alarm while she casually drifted toward the service corridor we’d identified.

I caught a waiter’s attention, making a show of selecting a glass. Twenty feet away, Isabella had reached the service door, her hand on the handle. The guards were still watching, but hadn’t moved in yet.

Now.

I “accidentally” bumped into another guest, sending champagne flying across his expensive suit. As he shouted in outrage, I used the distraction to smash the glass panel on the fire alarm.

The effect was instantaneous. Sirens blared throughout the building, emergency lights flashing. The sprinkler system activated, sending water cascading down on the presumed priceless artwork and designer clothing. Pandemonium erupted as wealthy patrons shrieked and scrambled for the exits.

I made my way quickly through the chaos toward Isabella, who held the service door open for me. The moment I was through, she slammed it shut, and I jammed a chair under the handle.

“This way.” I pulled her through a hidden door, into a narrow maintenance tunnel. Old pipes lined the walls, and the air was thick with decades of dust. But it would take us where we needed to go.

We moved quickly through the darkness, my hand never leaving hers. The sounds of pursuit grew fainter as we descended deeper into the hotel’s maze of service corridors. When we reached a junction of tunnels, I pulled her into a small alcove, listening for footsteps.

I knew the service corridors well, I had memorized them during my initial security sweep. This particular section connected to a locked maintenance area that required keycard access. Only hotel staff could get through, and they’d be distracted by the fire alarm and sprinklers. The heavy fire doors we’d passed through would slow any pursuit, allowing us safety.

Her breathing was quick but controlled, her body pressed against mine in the narrow space. The memory of what we’d discovered was etched in both our minds now, but all I could think about was how she’d felt during that dance, how perfectly she’d followed my lead, how right she’d felt in my arms. Her perfume filled my senses and it mixed with the heat of her skin, making my head spin. I was drunk with desire. Spinning out of control, ready to surrender to my baser needs.

“Colton—” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it held the same need I felt burning through my veins.

Our kiss was explosive. This encounter was fueled by sheer need, pure instinct driving us both. Her hands fisted in my jacket as I pressed her against the wall, lifting her slightly. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I groaned at the feeling of her heat against me. The silk of her dress slipped against my palms, and our heartbeats collided, each pulse answering the other.

This was absolute madness. We were being hunted. Had evidence that could destroy an international trafficking ring. Every second we stayed was dangerous. But with Isabella’s breath hot against my throat, her body pressed against mine, none of that seemed to matter.

“Wait,” she gasped as my hands slid under her dress. “We should...”

“Should what?” The words came out rough against her throat. I couldn’t stop touching her, tasting her, memorizing every inch of skin I could reach. My carefully maintained control was slipping away like water through my fingers. “Wait? I can’t, Bella. I can’t wait anymore. I want you, my gorgeous masterpiece.”

“Protection,” she managed, though I could tell my lips were making it hard for her to think. Her head fell back against the wall as I found a particularly sensitive spot, and the sight of her—flushed, breathless, completely undone—nearly broke me.

“I’m clean.” I pulled back enough to meet her eyes in the dim light. Even here, in the shadows of the maintenance tunnel, I could see how her eyes had widened with desire. I could see the trust there, mixed with wanting. “And you?”

“Of course, but—”

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