turned her over to Bridgebane yet? Why hadn’t he gotten his money and finished it?
Tess had almost reached his hiding place, and Shade felt himself start to sweat. He needed to close the deal on this one. Make a damn choice.
But nothing about this sat right with him. When he looked at Tess Bailey, he saw what he wanted the galaxy to be like, not how it actually was. He used to dream about joining a crew a lot like Tess’s, about putting up a fight. He’d have done it a long time ago if he hadn’t had the responsibility of an urban empire to run.
That thought drove into him like a rusted nail. He wasn’t running it, was he? Scarabin White was doing that.
The sudden, low vibration of an engine made Shade stiffen. He flattened himself against the wall, darting a look back. A Dark Watch patrol had just turned the corner and was zooming up from behind him, doing a sweep of the streets in an open hovercraft.
At the speed they were going, they’d reach the intersection not long after Tess. He’d already heard her steps.
Adrenaline dumped into his system. If she spooked and ran, they’d chase. If she kept her cool, it might be okay.
Shade’s pulse pounded as his decision time narrowed to mere seconds. He despised having his hand forced. Only an idiot made important choices without reflection—he’d learned that the hard way—and he hadn’t yet determined what to do with Tess himself. But if the Dark Watch brought her in now, he’d lose his chance.
He slipped around the corner just as Tess was bolting away from the engine noise. Her hair nearly whipped his face as she took off in the other direction at a dead run. He lunged and grabbed her wrist. In a blink, she broke his hold, spun, and came at him with a closed fist.
Shade ducked and used his shoulder and weight to plow her toward the wall. She grunted when her back hit, and he caught her head in his hand just before it thumped the building. She struggled against him, her whole body tensing to fight.
“It’s me, Tess,” he whispered next to her ear.
“Shade?” she breathed out.
“Good reaction time,” he said. “Sloppy attempt at a hit.”
She huffed in surprise, and then, damn him, she completely relaxed. Her whole body softened, and she lifted her head. Their cheeks brushed. Her exhale warmed his jaw, and those fingers that had been trying to shove him away only seconds earlier suddenly curled into his shirt and held on.
“Dark Watch patrol.” He settled one hand on her hip and slid the other into her hair. “Gotta make this look real.”
Somehow, Tess understood exactly what he meant. Her nod was so slight that he might not have noticed it if their heads hadn’t been touching. But then, before he could line up their mouths, she slid her parted lips all the way across his cheek in a sexy-as-fuck move that sent hot blood rushing through his veins.
“Kiss me, Shade,” she murmured, pulling slightly back before their lips could touch.
Her eyes flicked up, meeting his. His heart slammed so hard inside his chest that she could probably feel it thundering against her palms. He didn’t think he’d ever had a woman in his arms who was this honest. Oh, she’d lied about a ton of shit, but there was almost more honesty than he could take in the way she looked at him right now, and how her breath hitched.
Knowing he’d started this and needed to follow through, Shade tightened his hold on Tess’s head and hip, drawing her in to him. Their bodies lined up perfectly, and he ate up her little gasp when it feathered across his mouth.
Tension crackled between them like an electrical charge, almost drowning out the sound of the hovercraft turning the corner next to them. Angling his head, Shade both fought and desperately wanted what he was about to do. He had a sense of honor, and right now, he was deliberately kicking it to the curb. He’d also been dying to taste this woman since the moment they’d met.
Shade molded his lips to hers, desire sparking even more powerfully at the contact. She kissed him back without hesitation, and his mind blanked to tactics, to the Dark Watch, and even to his docks. Everything seemed to condense into a tight little ball of him, Tess, and so much heat and pressure that a supernova had nothing on the