Page 10 of Vex
He leaned in and nuzzled her neck, speaking close to her skin. "No privacy."
She nuzzled him right back. "No shit."
He pulled back and ran his hand down her side. She sucked in a breath he didn't think was an act.
"I'm going to win some money. Be ready for me when I get back."
He almost kissed her.
The desire bordering on need was there. If she really was his mistress, he'd kiss her. He'd back her up against the wall and drive himself into her until she was panting and breathless and making needy sounds he just knew she'd make when she was being properly fucked.
The thought sent sharp heat through his veins that had nothing to do with his dragon fire. His hands twitched to tilt her face up and taste those lips that had been driving him to distraction since they'd met. The space between them crackled with tension, and for a heartbeat, he thought he saw answering heat in her eyes.
But there were lines you didn't cross.
Professional. Keep it professional.
Vex backed up and left her to her work.
The elevator ride down felt longer than the trip up, giving him too much time to think about the woman he'd left behind. The way she'd fit against his side, the catch in her breath when he'd touched her, the scent of her skin that seemed to linger in his memory.
He was a dragon lord of Vemion, trained from birth in control and discipline. He did not get distracted by pretty humans, no matter how perfectly they seemed to fit in his arms.
But as he stepped onto the casino floor, Vex had the uncomfortable suspicion that this job was going to test every bit of that legendary control.
5
Vex had almost kissed her.
The moment had stretched between them, charged with possibility and danger. His gaze had dropped to her mouth, lingering with an intensity that made her pulse kick against her throat. For a heartbeat, closing the space between them had felt … inevitable.
Luisa's lips tingled with what hadn't happened. Her whole body was on high alert, and if he'd kissed her, she would have kissed him back.
And she wasn't sure it would have ended with a kiss.
Heat spiraled through her chest, pooling low in her belly with an urgency that had nothing to do with their cover story. She could still feel the phantom pressure of his hands on her waist, the way his breath had ghosted across her skin when he'd leaned close.
Professional distance was supposed to be her specialty, but something about Vex made her forget every rule she'd set for herself.
Fuck.
There was something about the asshole lord act that was doing it for her. She didn't like jerks; she certainly didn't date them. But he was …
Magnetic.
Dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with being a dragon and everything to do with the debauched elegance in his movements, the controlled arrogance that suggested he could take whatever he wanted. The contradiction between the reserved professional she'd met in the bar and this strutting lord was giving her whiplash.
Which one was real? And why did both versions make her want to do things that would definitely compromise the mission?
Damn it.
She had work to do.
Luisa forced herself to breathe. The scent of Vex's expensive cologne lingered in the space he'd vacated, making it impossible to forget the solid warmth of his body against hers.
Focus. Credits. Job. Those were the only things that were allowed to matter.
Luisa unbuttoned her coat and looked at the attendant. "No one but my lord sees me naked," she said, letting her voice take on the imperious tone of someone accustomed to being obeyed. The role of a spoiled mistress came easier than she'd expected, all haughty demands and casual cruelty.
