Chapter 46 · The Saint's Mask

"Take your hand off my throat, Kane." His fingers tightened just enough to make the point. Not enough to cut off air. Enough to remind me he could.

I drove my knee up.

He twisted aside, caught my leg, and shoved me back against the wall. My shoulder slammed into the metal panel. The room flashed white for half a second.

"That was rude," he said.

"You started it."

"You broke into my command room."

"You locked me in your command room."

"To keep you alive."

"Try saying that without sounding like a prison warden."

His forearm pressed across my collarbone. Warm. Solid. Too close. I could feel the steady beat of his pulse through the space between us, and the stupid contract answered it with a sharp pull under my ribs.

His eyes dropped to my mouth for one quick second.

I saw it.

So did he.

"Don't," I warned.

"Don't what?"

"Pretend you don't know exactly what you're doing."

His jaw flexed. "You're the one trying to rip the power core out of my system."

"Because you put a limiter on mine."

"Because you almost tore through three floors of this building.