Page 17 of Vex
What exactly did this woman know about dragons? Or was she just fishing?
That was when Vex appeared in the doorway.
His expression was thunderous. All controlled fury and aristocratic arrogance as he strode into the room like he owned it.
"There you are." His voice could have cut glass.
What was he doing here? This wasn't part of the plan.
He crossed the space between them in three swift strides, his hand closing around her wrist with unmistakable possessiveness. The touch sent heat racing up her arm, but his eyes were icy.
"I told you to wait for me." His voice carried the kind of authority that expected immediate obedience, the tone of someone accustomed to being the most dangerous thing in any room.
Luisa's shock was only half-acting. She hadn't expected him to appear, hadn't anticipated the way her body would respond to his sudden presence. The careful control she'd maintained during her conversation with Maera cracked slightly under the intensity of his gaze.
"I told you to be in the suite when I needed you." The grip on her wrist was firm but not painful. He was playing his role. For some reason.
And Luisa had to play along.
"You need reminding who you belong to."
The spa staff had taken several discrete steps backward, their professional training warring with obvious fascination at the display unfolding before them. Even Maera was transfixed, her calculating gaze moving between Luisa and Vex like she was watching a sporting match.
Heat flooded her cheeks. Part embarrassment, part something else entirely. The possessive edge in his voice did things to her that had nothing to do with their cover story.
"I was just getting to know Maera," she managed, looking towards the woman with a sorry glance.
Maera's expression was bland … or calculating.
Vex had no mercy. "You can get to know her later. We're leaving."
His hand slid from her wrist to her waist, his fingers splaying possessively across the silk of her dress. The gesture looked casual to anyone watching, but Luisa could feel the controlled strength in his touch, the way he held himself like a barely restrained predator.
As he guided her toward the exit, she caught Maera's expression in one of the mirrors. The woman was no longer bothering to hide her interest, her gaze sharp and speculative as she watched them leave. Whatever game they were playing, Luisa had the uncomfortable feeling that Maera was several moves ahead of them all.
When they reached the elevator, Luisa realized her hands were shaking.
She wasn't entirely sure why.
9
"What the everloving fuck was that about?" Luisa demanded, wrenching her arm out of his the moment they were safe behind the door to their bedroom.
It didn't feel safe at all. The massive bed dominated the space like a promise, reminding him of the night spent so close to her and yet an entire chasm of a bed apart.
The memory of it crashed over him. Hours of lying perfectly still, listening to her breathing, fighting every instinct that screamed at him to roll over and pull her into his arms.
The scent of her hair on the pillow beside his. The way she'd curled into a tight ball on the far edge of the mattress, as if she could somehow make herself small enough to disappear entirely. He'd wanted to reach for her, to smooth the tension from her shoulders and whisper reassurances until she relaxed against him.
Vex didn't cuddle.
He didn't do entanglements or emotional complications that interfered with duty. His life was structured around service to the crown, around maintaining the careful balance of power that kept Vemion stable and prosperous. He didn’t get to want.
"Your datapad alarm went off. It seemed urgent." To his own ears, his voice sounded cold. Forbidding.
Her sneer cut right through it all. "I was on the job and—" She plucked the pad up and pursed her lips. "Did you read the warning?"
"I did."
