Page 16 of Hunter's Game
“Why?” She had to ask. “Why risk your cover to help me? Why offer to help now?”
He closed the distance between them. Eden was acutely aware of every detail as Hunter backed her against the wall—the height difference that forced her to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact, the controlled strength in his movements, the slight rasp of stubble against her palm as she traced his jaw.
His body radiated heat as he pressed closer, all hard muscle and barely leashed intensity. Shecould feel his heartbeat accelerating to match her own, his pupils dilating as his gaze dropped to her lips. One hand braced beside her head while the other settled on her hip, thumb stroking over the weapon still strapped to her thigh.
“Because you’re not the only one with a score to settle.” His voice was rough. “And because I haven’t been able to think straight since the first moment I saw you behind that bar.”
Eden’s heart hammered against her ribs. Every instinct screamed that this was a terrible idea. That mixing personal feelings with an operation this dangerous was asking for disaster.
“This is a terrible idea.” But she didn’t move away.
“Probably.” He leaned closer, his breath fanning across her lips. “Want me to stop?”
She should say yes. Should push him away and focus on salvaging her operation. Instead, she fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him down to her.
The kiss was nothing like she’d imagined—and she had imagined it, in guilty moments between maintaining her cover and gathering evidence. It was brutal and desperate, teeth clashing before finding a rhythm that made her whole body light up. Hunter kissed like he fought, all controlled power and deadly precision.
His hands slid down to grip her thighs, lifting her easily. Eden wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping as he pressed her harder against the wall.One of his hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen the kiss while the other kept her pinned in place.
The hardest part of him pressed against the softest part of her, demanding attention, and she was a hairsbreadth away from answering the desperate request when the sound of a car backfiring outside broke the moment. They jerked apart, both reaching for weapons before recognizing the sound for what it was.
Reality crashed back hard.
“We need to move.” Hunter’s voice was still rough as he set her down. “This place won’t be secure for long if Thompson is compromised.”
Eden nodded, trying to slow her racing pulse. “I know somewhere. Off the books, not connected to the DEA.”
“Your father won’t think to look for you there?”
“He taught me everything I know about hiding.” She started gathering her equipment, very aware of Hunter watching her every move. “Including how to disappear when things go bad.”
“Eden.” Something in his voice made her look up. “Whatever’s between us...it doesn’t change anything. We both still have missions to complete.”
“I know.” She met his gaze steadily. “But maybe we have a better chance of succeeding together.”
He nodded slowly. “Partners?”
“Partners.” She allowed herself a small smile. “At least until one of us inevitably betrays the other.”
His answering laugh was dark and promising. “Sweetheart, if I betray you, you’ll never see it coming.”
Her eyes narrowed, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, they were two peas in a pod. “Likewise.” She shouldered her bag, trying to ignore how much she liked the way he looked at her—like she was dangerous and desirable all at once. “Ready to go start a war?”
Hunter’s smile was all predator. “Born ready.”
They slipped out into the night, leaving behind the remnants of their old lives and careful plans.
Eden’s phone buzzed one final time. Another message from an encrypted number, but this one was different. Just two lines: Sarah had a plan. Time to finish what she started.
The message was signed with a single initial: K.
Eden studied the initial, remembering the curator’s careful posture, the deliberate way she moved through museum spaces—always aware, always observing. Katherine Chen had the same coloring as Eden herself, though she wore her dark hair longer, usually styled in a way that projected academic professionalism rather than operational readiness.
There had always been something familiar about her sharp features and analytical gaze, something Eden should have recognized sooner.
The revelation added another layer of complexity to an already dangerous mission. But as she tucked the phone away, Eden felt something unexpected—a strange sense of anticipation rather than dread.
Ahead lay uncertainty, danger, and the growing knowledge that whatever was building between them could either save them both or destroy everything they’d worked for. And now, with this mysterious connection to her mother’s past emerging, the stakes had risen even higher.
