Page 71 of Eternal
But I couldn’t afford to fail on this mission, not with her.
And yet, there was this nagging feeling. What if I wanted to know more about her? Not as the target, not as the mission, but as the woman in the seat beside me?
I shoved the thought down, harder this time, there was no room for that kind of attachment, no room for her in my mind.
But it kept creeping in.
She shifted again, and I naturally glanced at her knee, the restless tapping more violent now, like she couldn’t settle. Without thinking, I reached over and placed my hand on her knee, firm enough to stop the movement.
“Stay still,” I said, my voice cold, my touch even colder. “You don’t need to be so alert, not when I’m here.”
She froze, her body stiffening beneath my hand, for a moment, I thought she’d pull away, but she didn’t. Not yet.
I know it was stupid, that small touch, it was unnecessary, and it felt like a claim. I didn’t pull my hand away immediately, didn’t retract it like I should have, my fingers pressed against her harder, barely enough to feel her warmth through the fabric of her pants.
She looked soft like this, under me.
It was nothing crazy, simply my hand on her knee, and yet it felt like something insane.
She was still, almost too still, I could sense her confusion, her thoughts racing behind those cold and pretty eyes.
What was I doing?
What was I thinking?
And why did it feel so natural with her?
Her gaze shifted to me, and I met it, not with the usual coldness, or playfulness, but with something I couldn’t even understand.
She didn’t say anything, neither did I.
She breathed softer now, and her knee was calmer, so I pulled my hand away first, slamming it back on the wheel, suddenly aware of how much I had let slip.
She’s a target, nothing more.Stay detached. Stay in control.
But the whisper of doubt lingered, it was always there, always waiting for her to give me anything to fuck up the mission.
The car jolted to a stop after a few more minutes.
My hand was already on the door handle, ready to step out, but I paused, I glanced at her, her eyes focused on the surroundings.
I opened the door for her without a word. “Come on,” I said way too softly for my liking.
She shot me a look as she stepped out of the car, her long ponytail fluttering slightly in the night air. “How many?” She asked, gripping my chest like she was hugging me only to look behind me and make it look seamless.
I liked it, us this close, I really liked it. But she was just playing her role, it wasn’t because she wanted me this close.
A sharp smirk tugged at my lips as I looked around to see if there were other men than these hidden somewhere. “From what I see, four of them.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, dark and calculating, but her face was inches away from mine, and hiding my smile would be impossible. “Okay, good.”
She moved ahead and I followed, not breaking my stride.
A few seconds after we reached the meeting spot, the low hum of engines greeted us, two black SUVs were parked side by side, their headlights off.
Nikolai’s men.
Three of them stepped out of the first vehicle, and one stayed inside.
