Chapter 13 · He Stepped In Again. This Time, I Didn't

Carson stepped into my space again.

This time, I didn't move back.

He stopped before his hands touched me. His palms hovered near my waist, close enough for me to feel the heat coming off them.

He waited.

That was worse than being grabbed. His restraint put the choice in my hands, and I hated him for it.

"Say it," I said.

His eyes stayed on mine. "Say what?"

"Tell me you need me."

His throat worked.

"I need you."

"Not as an engineer." I pressed one finger against his chest. "And not as the woman your contract gets to control."

His jaw tightened.

"I need you alive," he said. "I need you beside me. And I need to get your brother out before my own officers kill him."

The words hit low in my chest.

I put my hand against his coat. Rough fabric scraped my palm. Beneath it, his heartbeat kicked once. Hard. Fast.

"If I say stop, you stop."

"Yes."

"If the vault shows you anything about me, you don't use it against me."

"I won't.