Page 23 of The Gentleman

Hell.

She was MI6-trained, lethal in her own right—he’d seen her work. But logic meant nothing when it came to Kat. The need to protect her lived in his bones, primitive and undeniable.

She shifted, and the friction sent a flaming arrow of need through him, white-hot and undeniable.

Her head dropped back against his chest, her body offering what her words never would.

He pulled back, giving his cock some space. Could she feel what she was doing to him? How his control unraveled when she got too close?

His fingers flexed against her abdomen, sensing the quickening of her breath. If he let his hand wander over the dip of her waist, the curve of her hip, he could pull her back against him, show her exactly how she affected him. Or higher, over the delicate shape of her ribs, the swell of her breast barely a whisper away.

This wasn’t the first time today he’d crossed a line.

His hand on her knee in the car—a gesture of comfort that had ignited something in him he was so unprepared for. He’d snatched his hand back then, but here, in the darkness, there was nowhere to retreat, nothing to hide behind.

Hurry the fuck up, Brock.

His restraint was in tatters. He clenched his jaw. Years of discipline, of keeping her at arm’s length, were unraveling with every second in this breathless, involuntary embrace.

And if he crossed this line, he would lose himself in her. There would be no going back—ever.

A mechanical click from the wall panel broke through his haze of desire. Leo reluctantly loosened his hold as the panel slid open, flooding the space with daylight.

He stepped back into the real world, reluctant to relinquish his hold on Kat for a few more seconds. “You okay?”

She nodded, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright. His gaze dropped to her lips, rosy softness parting.

Not there, Bychkov. Look anywhere but there.

Leo forced his attention to Brock. Nothing had ever felt so damn hard.

“Right, false alarm then.” Brock cradled an enormous gray cat with battle-scarred ears. “Jeff here’s having a laugh with the motion sensors again. Bloody thing’s been playing silly buggers all week.”

Leo rolled his shoulders back to their usual rigid posture, ensuring his control was back in place. He was unused to it. He never let his guard down like this. “Sure. Not like we needed to breathe or anything.”

Brock stroked the cat. “It’s built for one skinny bloke, not two operatives having a cuddle.”

“You don’t say,” Kat muttered, tugging at her oversized shirt—anything to avoid Leo’s gaze. But it was too late. He’d seen the vulnerability in her eyes. How the nearness of him had affected her as much as it had him.

Leo dragged a damp hand through his hair. His body still hummed with awareness, nerve endings alive where Kat had pressed against him. The closet’s darkness lingered in his mind—her scent, her breath against his body.

Brock’s eyes darted between them, and his bushy eyebrows rose. He smirked but, mercifully, kept whatever observation he’d made to himself.

“Brock, I need everything you can dig up on Korolov.” Leo collected his phone from the microwave.

“The Russian has expensive tastes. I’ve heard whispers.” Brock scratched Jeff behind the ears. “Nasty piece of work, that one. Rumor has it he’s been throwing serious cash around Westminster lately.”

“What kind of cash?”

“The kind that buys silence and bends ears in high places. I’ll shake some trees, see what falls out.” Brock moved toward his cluttered workstation. “I’ll have a word with my contact at the Home Office. Little bird there owes me a favor—sorted her old man’s gambling debts before the sharks came calling.”

He placed the cat on the chair. His expression sobered as he turned to Kat. “This bloke doesn’t play nice. My contact at the Platinum says he’s got private security that makes SEALS look like boy scouts. Here, take this burner.” He pressed a phone from the desk into Kat’s hand.

“How long?” Kat asked. Her voice was steady, but Leo noticed she kept a careful distance between them now.

“Give me twelve hours, maybe eighteen, if my main source has done a runner. These types get twitchy when Russians throw money about.”

Kat surprised them both by stepping forward and hugging Brock. He stiffened momentarily, then awkwardly patted her back, shooting Leo a smug smile over her shoulder.

---