Kiss of Midnight_ A Midnight Breed Novel - Lara Adrian [861]
The thought jarred him as soon as it entered his mind … since when had he been the type to think about having a mate, let alone place Alexandra Maguire anywhere near that scenario? At best, she was a temporary obstacle in fulfilling his mission for the Order. At worst, she was a security risk for the entire Breed nation—one that he was duty-bound to silence, the sooner the better.
But none of that mattered to his drumming heart, nor to the crackle of awareness that coursed through every vein and cell of his body as she finished her work not a few inches from him. Behind her, far in the distance, the green light of the aurora borealis was joined by a rising ribbon of red. The color framed Alex as she pivoted her head to look at him now, and he wondered if he’d ever seen anything quite so beautiful as her face haloed by the frozen magic of the Alaskan wilderness. She didn’t speak, just held his gaze with the same wordless intensity that he felt coursing through himself.
Kade switched off the flashlight and set it down on top of the now-closed engine casing. He took off his gloves and reached for Alex’s bare hand, warming her cold fingers between the press of his warm palms. He held her hand in a light grasp, giving her the power to pull away if she didn’t want his touch. But she didn’t resist.
She entwined her fingers through his, looking up into his eyes with raw, searching intensity. “What do you want from me, Kade? Please, I need to know. I need you to tell me.”
“I thought I knew,” he said, then gave a slow shake of his head. “I thought I had it all figured out. God, Alex … meeting you has changed everything.”
He freed one hand to cup it along the curve of her cheek, slipping his fingers between the hood of her parka and the velvety warmth of her face.
“I can’t read you,” she said, frowning as she gazed up at him. “It makes me uncomfortable that I can’t figure you out.”
He touched the tip of her nose, gave her a wry smile. “Too much gray in your black-and-white world?”
Her expression stayed serious. “It scares me.”
“Don’t be.”
“You scare me, Kade. All my life, I’ve run from the things that frighten me, yet with you …” She released a slow, uncertain sigh. “With you, I can’t seem to stay away.”
He stroked her cheek, smoothed the pads of his fingers over the light creases in her brow as she looked up at him. “There’s no reason to be afraid when you’re with me,” he told her, meaning it completely.
But then he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers, and the kiss meant to be tender reassurance ignited into something wilder as Alex kissed him back so openly, teasing his mouth with the tip of her tongue. All of the heat that had leapt between them the night before in Pete’s parking lot sprang to life again now, only swifter, more intense for the hours of longing Kade had known in between. He was on fire for this female, dangerously so. Kissing her was risky enough; desire already had his fangs stretching from his gums, his vision going sharp with the flood of amber light that would soon fill his irises.
Seducing her had not been his goal here, no matter what his mission for the Order was, or how badly he wanted to unravel Alex’s secrets to satisfy his own personal curiosity.
He drew back, his head held low, face turned away from her to hide the changes he could not let her see. Changes that would startle her.
Changes that he would not be able to explain.
“What is it?” she asked, her soft voice husky from the kiss. “Is anything wrong?”
“No.” He shook his head, still cautious to keep his face shielded as he willed his lust to cool. “Nothing wrong at all. But it’s too damned cold to be standing out here. You must be freezing.”
“I can’t say I’m feeling any chill at the moment,” she replied, making him smile despite the war raging inside him.
“We should go inside.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he walked around to the passenger side of the plane. “I just need to grab my gear. Go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you.