Crap.
Why hadn’t she put on some lip shimmer or something?
Her gaze slowly rose, taking in the traditional leather outfit he wore until she reached his face. The first thought that came to her was that he looked tired. She immediately wanted to tell him to go to bed, but it wasn’t her place to do so. His inky black hair wasn’t pulled back like it had been the last time. Instead, it hung loose down to his shoulders, and she had a strong desire to run her fingers through it.
She saw a hint of amusement enter his dark eyes, and realized she’d been staring at him in silence. When he looked at her with that focused stare of his, she had a hard time keeping any thoughts in her head.
“I’m sorry, did you ask me something?”
Maddox held back a smile as she blinked up at him with clear confusion etched across her lovely face. He knew he’d startled her when he’d walked into the lounge. In truth, he’d stood in the doorway for several minutes before he’d spoken. He’d liked watching as she concentrated on her work, and found her serious expression appealing.
Since she was curled up in her seat, Maddox sat down on the ottoman at the end of her chair and held out the stylus to her. She glanced down at it as if she’d never seen it before. After a long pause, she finally took it and looked back up at him.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He’d felt the heat of her fingertips brush against his, and he’d had to fight the urge to jerk his hand away. He leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “What are you doing in here alone, Mya? Where are your guards?”
“They’re sleeping. You and your brothers said this level was secured.”
“It is,” he conceded. He still didn’t like her sitting out here alone, though. Maddox had seen her leave her room on the security feed, watching her on the monitors in his office while he tried to get some work done.
He’d found himself doing that a lot over the last few days. It distracted him, but he couldn’t seem to help it. He frowned as he studied her. “You look exhausted. You’re too young to have such dark circles under your eyes. You should be in bed, not working.”
His breath caught as her face lit up and she laughed.
By the gods, she was beautiful.
“What can I say to such flattery?” She laughed again. “Honestly, Maddox, your compliments are going to make me blush.”
“You seem to blush quite easily, tava.” The word came out before he realized it. It startled him for a second, but then he realized how right it felt.
Her smile wobbled and her brow creased. “Did you forget my name?”
Exasperated, he said, “No, Mya. I didn’t forget.”
Her gray eyes sparkled with mischief again. “I just thought I’d ask. You know, since you are older than me. I thought I might have to remind you.”
A grin spread across his face. He liked that she’d turned the tables on him, paying him back for his comment about her being young. “Are you implying I might be losing my memory?” he growled playfully. “Do you dare?”
She batted her eyelashes at him and tried to look innocent. “I don’t know what you mean.”
His sharp bark of laughter caught him off guard. “You are an impertinent—”
“If you call me young again, we are going to have words.”
His brow rose at that. “Are we?”
She gave him an exaggerated nod. “Oh, yeah. What does ta—”
Maddox didn’t give her a chance to finish her question. He reached out, wrapping his large hand around the back of her neck. Pulling her close, he settled his mouth over hers and drank in her gasp of surprise.
He used the parting of her soft lips to stroke his tongue inside her sweet heat, groaning at the sheer pleasure of the experience. Her taste was sweet, intoxicating. It made him want more. Made him want to strip her down so he could feast on every inch of her soft, creamy flesh.
He growled low in his throat when she let out a soft, seductive moan. Taking the kiss deeper, he stroked his tongue against hers, coaxing her to respond to his gentle demand. When she moaned again, he felt it vibrate straight through his entire body, right down to his cock that went hard as stone. He wanted to strip her bare and take her over and over again until neither of them could move.
But this wasn’t the time or the place.
