Page 88 of Hard Wired

“Yeah.”

Sylvie thought of Ethan back home. The Syndicate knew who she was, even if they didn’t know she’d modified their code and used it against them. They knew she was here right now and that she and Dominic were sleeping together.

Sandford had threatened her. Did that mean they might go after her cousin, too? Maybe she should tell Ethan to stay at Luis’s for a few days.

For the first time, Sylvie had fully come out from behind her computer screens. She didn’t have her anonymity to protect her. She’d never had to worry before about her loved ones being hurt because of her work. But it was something Max had been through. She didn’t know how he could stand it.

She was afraid of what might be coming. But she also knew Dominic was worth it.

He set the phone back on the dresser.

Sylvie glanced at the time. It was nearing eleven o’clock now. Only a handful of hours left. “We should get some sleep.”

“I’m not ready.”

“Just pack enough for a few days. I’m sure someone can come get the rest later.”

“I’m not worried about clothes. I’m not ready to leave you. I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” He sat on the edge of the bed. Dominic circled his arms around her waist, pulling her closer until she stood between his knees. “Or when I’ll be able to touch you.”

“Probably not for a while. You’ll be surrounded by Bennett Security bodyguards.”

“Then we’d better make tonight count.”

They undressed each other, one piece of clothing at a time. Sylvie ran her hands over his smooth chest, the defined ridges of his abs. But Dominic seemed just as enthralled with her body as she was with his. He picked her up and laid her on the mattress, touching and kissing and licking her everywhere. Under her breasts, just above her hipbones, the inner hinge of her elbow. Like every part of her was worth cherishing.

He turned her over and ran his finger across her back. “I haven’t spent nearly enough time studying your tattoos.”

The ink spanned the top half of her back, spilling across her shoulders and down her arms to her elbows. She wasn’t sure how many more she wanted to get. When she looked in the mirror, she still saw an unfinished project, slowly being filled in toward the edges. Someday, she figured she’d be done, but she also didn’t know what that would feel like.

“You said this was your newest one, right?” He pointed at the heron on her left shoulder. “When did you get it?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“Before the first time we met? Or was it after?”

“I think…after.” Definitely after.

He put his lips against her ear and whispered, “See how its neck is outstretched? That’s not a heron. It’s a crane.”

“Is not.”

“Maybe you didn’t like me then, but your subconscious did.”

“How conceited are you?” She tried to turn over, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, Dominic spread his body over hers until he was completely covering her. His warm weight pressed her into the mattress, and his erection lay snug against her rear. She had her head turned to the side, just able to see his face in her peripheral vision as he kissed her neck. The feeling of him was extravagant, over the top. She didn’t ever want to move from this spot, yet she also wanted even more of him. All of him she could get.

“I need you.”

“I need you, too.”

“I mean, I need you inside me.” He’d told her before he’d been tested. “We’re both clean, and I’m on the pill. You don’t have to use a condom.”

He kissed the heron tattoo. Okay, the crane tattoo. “You’re sure?”

“Very.”

He reached down to grip one of her thighs, spreading her wider, then did the same on the other side. His fingers stroked between her legs. She tilted her pelvis to give him better access, though his body still held her down.

He lifted off her a bit and slid his hand beneath her stomach to raise her higher. She felt his tip against her entrance, and he pushed his way in. The sounds she made were needy and desperate.

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