Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 64938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
The rest of the apartment was dark except for a low-watt bulb over the stove and the golden lights encased in the wet bar in the living room.
That was where he found Grace. At the window, his shadowy gaze scanned the cityscape. He had a snifter of brandy in his left hand and his right propped against the glass.
Mirage approached him, his heart pounding but his gait easy and smooth. An invisible thread pulled him closer until he was where he belonged.
Covered by Grace’s sweet-scented darkness, Mirage pressed his chest against Grace’s back.
Their unique connection was dramatic but always comfortable.
He cleared his throat. “Dinner was amazing. Thank you.”
“Mm,” Grace answered, taking another sip of his drink.
Mirage pressed closer, wanting Grace to feel the deep pulsing in his heart and the emotions pouring from it.
Feelings he’d never lost because he hadn’t been willing to allow them to be stolen.
He only wished he could’ve altered Grace’s serums as well. But he’d taken a big enough risk with diluting his own.
Mirage eased one arm under Grace’s and wrapped it around his waist.
His sudden breath wasn’t audible, but Mirage felt it.
“We shouldn’t be… Fuck, what are we doing?”
Mirage glided his other hand up the center of Grace’s back until he was at the base of his neck.
He pressed the tips of his fingers against the Jianjing muscles to release the tension that’d been lingering there for days.
Grace’s growl melted into a sexy groan as Mirage dug deeper.
Grace bowed his head with a soft sigh.
Mirage caressed Grace’s spine and asked, “How do you win every battle you fight but can’t win the war within yourself?”
“I don’t know, Mirage.”
“I think you do. Turn around and face me.”
When Grace hesitated, Mirage held the back of Grace’s neck and turned him.
“Look at me and tell me what you see.”
Grace was a man of no words. But every now and then, Mirage needed him to speak.
Grace stared at his face, his forehead, his eyes, his lips.
It made Mirage’s blood flow south.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“I see you, Mirage.”
Grace gazed down on him through soulful, vulnerable eyes, exposing himself with silent expressions Mirage read like his favorite mystery book.
You have all the answers you need, love.
Grace
Mirage’s words, his focus on him, slowed Grace’s pulse and softened the killer that lurked inside.
Grace honored the rule of the Ravens—to put his country over all personal gratification—but they were alone inside his sanctuary. No one could discipline him for his insubordination if they never saw it.
Only the city lights and the sprinkling of stars were witnesses to their passion, silent observers that would never tell of their forbidden touches.
Grace’s thoughts went to the ecstasy he’d witnessed through those dusty skylights on Valentine’s Day.
He wanted to feel that, and so did Mirage because it was written all over his face.
But first, Grace had to know where those feelings arose from. When had the switch turned back on for Mirage? Most importantly, how was it so strong?
He uttered one word that required an extensive answer. “Explain?”
Mirage seemed to know exactly what he was asking.
“I’m a scientist, Grace. In the beginning, I decided to alter and adjust the levels of my serums. Not the ones for enhanced strength and concentration…but the ones that would eliminate my parents or deny me my feelings for you.”
Grace frowned.
Mirage stared him down, challenging Grace to say it was wrong or deceitful.
But he didn’t say a word.
“In Saigon, Vietnam, I studied the properties of natural serums, antitoxins, ways to prevent diseases and to cure them. I did it so I could help soldiers that were exposed to toxins while trudging through the brush and sleeping in swamp-infested lands.”
Grace had few details about his partner’s background, but he knew their pasts were no longer of consequence. Only now mattered.
Mirage slid both hands up Grace’s arms until he cupped his face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs, deliciously scraping the bristly hairs covering his chin.
Graced closed his eyes.
Mirage’s hands were rough and callused from mastering combat knives.
“I don’t remember any of this, Mirage. Kissing, touching…sex.”
It was an embarrassing confession, but not more so than kissing like an inexperienced teenager.
Mirage didn’t laugh at him, didn’t even crack a smile.
“It’s just like firing a grenade launcher,” Mirage murmured against his throat. “Once you do it, even if it was a decade ago…it’ll all come back to you once it’s in your hands.”
This was Grace’s first intimate touch from a man, and he was glad it was with Mirage, a man he respected more than anyone in the world.
Need reared in his groin and dominated all else.
Grace shuddered with excitement at what was about to happen.
Mirage held the back of Grace’s neck and pulled him close until their mouths were an inch apart.
The world slowed, leaving only the two of them.
Mirage’s breath was minty, his lips parted, blowing puffs of anticipation against Grace’s chin.