Hedrags me closer, caging me entirely against his side in the middle of the crowded mountain dive bar.Thefrantic hacker inside me completely surrenders, letting theNomadsecurely anchor me to the ground.
10
DANIEL
Theheavy steel door of the loft clicks shut, echoing like a gunshot in the silence.Ithrow the deadbolt, followed by the second lock, and key in the code to engage the magnetic seal.
Theworld outside ceases to exist.Onlythe hum of the servers remains, accompanied by the steady thrum of cooling fans and the blink of blue status lights in the darkness.AndKaila.
Kailastands in the center of the room, still wrapped in my oversized leather jacket.Theheavy sleeves swallow her hands while the hem hits her mid-thigh.Herslight frame masks a brutal resilience.Mymind flashes to her dismantling a firewall in ten seconds flat with a gun pointed at her head, and walking into a room full of bikers without blinking.
Myboots hit the industrial carpet, muffling my stride asIwalk toward her.Herdark eyes track me like a radar system, tilting her head up to meet my gaze.Shenever backs away.
"You'requiet," she observes, her voice gravelly from the adrenaline crash of the last forty-eight hours.
"I'mthinking,"Igrunt, stopping inches from her.
"Aboutthe code?"
"Aboutyou."Reachingout, my fingers brush the cool leather of her collar.Itrace the line of the zipper down.Thesound of the teeth separating echoes loud in the quiet room.
"I'mthinking about how you look in my cut,"Irasp, my voice dropping to a low register.Herbreath hitches. "Everyman in that bar tonight stared at you.Noneof them will ever get to touch you."
Atremor ripples through her body.Myhands pick up the subtle vibration instantly.
"Youmade that pretty clear staring down the guy who tried to buy me a drink," she murmurs, a smirk playing on her lips. "Ithought you were going to break his arm."
"Iconsidered it."Pushingthe jacket off her shoulders, it slides down her arms to pool on the floor with a heavy sigh of leather.Thesoft gray tank topI'vestolen from my own drawer clings to her curves, outlining the swell of her breasts and the nip of her waist.
"You'reviolent,Daniel."
"I'mprotective."Iwrap my hand around her throat to hold her steady, feeling the pulse fluttering wildly beneath her skin. "There'sa difference."
"Isthere?"
"Violenceis chaos.Protectionis precise."Steppingcloser,Icrowd her space and force her to tilt her head back further.Mythumb strokes the line of her jaw. "AndIam very precise."
Theloft air remains cool for the machines, yet heat radiates off her skin.Herscent hits my senses—citrus, mint, and the faint, musky slick of her wetness.Thecombination strikes me harder than the whiskey we've ignored at the bar.
Aclawing, desperate hunger has been building sinceIfirst spotted her in that freezing cabin.Givingup the road for her is effortless.Erasingher name from the global database and rewriting my entire life in the span of twenty-four hours guaranteesIkeep her.
Now,Ineed to seal it.
"Geton the desk,"Icommand.
Kaila’seyes flare wide before her gaze darkens.Turningaround, she hoists herself onto the wide, reinforced workbench where we've spent the last week fighting a cyber war.
Sixmonitors glow behind her with streams of green code from the automated defensesI'veset up to watch over us.Theblue light paints shadows across her face, making her look like a digital goddess made flesh.
Istep between her thighs, pushing her knees wider apart until she is fully open to me.
"Youknow whatIdid today?"Iask, sliding my rough palms up her bare thighs.
Shenods breathlessly. "Youerased me."
"Irebooted you."Leaningin,Ibrace my hands on the desk on either side of her hips to trap her in place. "KailaReyesis a ghost.Therunning stops here."
Loweringmy head, my lips brush the sensitive skin just below her ear. "KailaGunnarbelongs exactly where she is."