Page 19 of Vex
Vex moved to the sitting area and began a methodical search of the delicate furnishings. Most of what he found was exactly what he'd expected from a wealthy socialite: expensive trinkets, formal correspondence, receipts from luxury vendors across the galaxy. Then, tucked into the drawer of an ornate writing desk, he discovered something more interesting. Papers detailing a charity Maera ran for orphan girls on Aetis. The documentation was thorough, professional, and painted a picture of a woman genuinely committed to helping the most vulnerable members of society.
The contradiction bothered him. Either Maera Daxkar was exactly what she appeared to be, or she was very, very good at being bad.
From across the room, Luisa let out a triumphant sound. She was peeling back a panel that looked like decorative molding, but which apparently concealed a compact computer terminal. Her hacking equipment emerged from her bag like magic, delicate tools that she connected with the precision of a surgeon.
He didn’t ask her what she was doing. It was clear enough. Her brows furrowed in concentration, and she bit her lip in a way that made Vex think forbidden thoughts. She typed on her tiny keyboard and cursed under her breath until she finally let out a soft sound of triumph that went straight to his cock.
He couldn’t think about her soft sounds.
She looked up at him with a smile. "Come on," she said as she unplugged one last cord. "We need to get out of here."
They slipped from the room as quietly as they'd entered, Luisa's equipment concealed again.
In the hallway, Vex's hearing caught the soft whisper of footsteps approaching from around the corner.
He didn't let himself think or hesitate.
Vex backed Luisa against the wall and covered her mouth with his. She tasted like mint and sugar, sweet and intoxicating in a way that obliterated every rational thought. Her lips were soft beneath his, yielding in a way that sent fire racing through his veins.
It was supposed to be tactical necessity, but it became something far more dangerous the moment their mouths met.
She melted against him like she'd been waiting for this, her body fitting perfectly against his chest. Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders, fingers curling into the expensive fabric of his jacket as if she needed the anchor.
Without conscious thought, he hiked her leg up against his hip, pressing her more firmly against the wall. His cock was hard and insistent, straining against the confines of his perfectly tailored pants. He wanted to take her right there in the hallway, to slide his hands under that silk dress and discover if she was as warm and wet as he imagined.
This was madness. It was everything he shouldn't want and couldn't resist, a claiming that felt as natural as breathing.
He pulled back and could smell the smoke coming off of his skin. This woman made him lose control in ways he hadn't known were possible.
Whoever had been walking down the hallway was long gone.
Luisa was looking at him wide eyed. "That's one way to maintain our cover."
He didn't respond.
He was too busy telling himself he couldn't kiss her again.
10
Luisa hadn't found anything specifically incriminating in Maera Daxkar's documents. The woman was definitely moving money through shell companies. But smuggling luxury goods and skimming charity donations wasn't the same as trafficking stolen dating profiles across the galaxy.
Something was off about the woman.
But thinking about Daxkar was better than thinking of Vex. Of the kiss.
The memory slammed into her every time she let her guard down. The way he'd pressed her against the wall, his body a solid wall of heat and power. His mouth had been demanding, claiming.
For those few seconds, she'd forgotten about the mission, forgotten about professional distance, forgotten everything except the need to get closer to him.
But it was more than just the physical intensity that had her rattled. It was the way she'd responded to him, completely and without reservation. She'd never been the type to lose herself in a kiss, yet the moment his lips had touched hers, every defense she'd built had crumbled. The taste of him still lingered in her memory, smoke and sex and something that made her mouth water.
What scared her most was how right it had felt. How perfectly she'd fit against him, how natural it had been to wrap herself around his strength.
For a heartbeat, standing there in that hallway with his hands on her body, she'd felt like she belonged somewhere.
Dangerous thinking.
She hated him, she thought. She had to. Because if she didn't …
