Page 46 of Collide
It is a big deal. I’d say no.
Obviously.
Unless I panic. Shit. What if heassumes?
What’s the worst it could be?
“Relax,” Alex adds finally, clearly reading every chaotic thought flashing across my face. His smile softens. “It’s not sex. Unless you want it to be, of course.” He winks, nudging me playfully.
I exhale, mortified.
Cool. Amazing. I am officially the most obvious person alive. I shake off the ridiculous panic, reminding myself to fucking chill out and have fun.
“Okay, I’m game. Hold this.”
I let out a breath, handing Alex my gun as I gather my raven waves into a ponytail, tying it up and out of my face. Careful not to aggravate the small wound on my head.
When I glance back at him, his mouth is slightly parted, eyes locked on me like I was doing something scandalous.
His gaze lingers. Then…
“Hmm.” It’s more a sound than a word. Low. Appreciative.
Heat pulses between my thighs.
I arch a brow. “Eyes on the prize.”
Alex’s smirk deepens. “They are.”
My stomach flutters traitorously.
Before I can overthink it, he hands me back my gun and opens the door, and we step inside.
The second the door clicks shut, we’re swallowed by total darkness.
For a moment, there’s only silence—the kind that prickles with anticipation, thick with the unknown.
Then I feel it.
A cool hand grazing down my back.
Slow. Deliberate.
A shiver courses through me. I freeze. Not in fear, but in the thrilling awareness of him.
His palm rests lightly against the small of my back. Not possessive. Not forceful. Just…there. Reassuring. A touch that shouldn’t feel like a spark catching fire, but somehow, it does.
Instinctively, I reach out, my fingers brushing fabric—his shirt soft beneath my fingertips.
Then UV lights flood the room, neon streaks flaring to life along the walls.
I blink, taking in our surroundings—half-destroyed barricades and stacked bins, creating obstacles in the dimly lit maze.
Alex steps back, and that’s when I see it.
His white shirt, glowing electric blue under the lamps.
Apainfullyeasy target.
