The air between them was thick with unspoken words, the weight of their kiss lingering like a dangerous secret neither could afford.
Outside, the world was still hunting them Volkov's men, betrayals lurking in the shadows but inside this warehouse, Dominic Hayes and Alyssa Carter were facing something far more volatile.
"You realize this complicates everything," Dominic murmured, his fingers still ghosting over her jawline, hesitant yet unwilling to pull away.
Alyssa huffed a laugh, but it lacked amusement. "Everything was already complicated." She paused, searching his face, her voice quieter now. "This... just makes it harder to ignore."
Dominic's grip on her tightened slightly. He wasn't a man used to losing control, wasn't someone who let emotions dictate his choices but Alyssa wasn't just anyone.
Their pasts had collided in ways neither of them anticipated. Their futures? Uncertain.
She exhaled sharply, pulling herself back, pacing the length of the dimly lit space. Rain pounded outside, distant sirens reminding them that safety was a fleeting illusion.
"You want me to pretend it didn't happen?" she asked without turning around.
Dominic didn't answer immediately. He was still standing where she left him, hands curled into fists like he was fighting a battle within himself.
"No," he finally said. The admission sounded foreign, like something he hadn't meant to say aloud.
Alyssa turned, studying him this man who had walked into her life with sharp edges and guarded secrets but had somehow carved himself into something she couldn't shake.
"You don't regret it," she observed.
His jaw tightened. "No."
Her lips curled slightly a hint of satisfaction, acknowledgment of the truth neither of them could deny. But then, her expression shifted, something sharper slicing through the moment.
"We have bigger problems," she reminded him.
Dominic stepped forward, closing the distance between them again. "That doesn't mean this doesn't exist."
Alyssa's breath hitched.
She had spent years learning how to outrun emotions, how to bury them beneath layers of logic and survival. But Dominic? He wasn't someone she could escape.
"Then what do we do about it?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
A storm raged outside. Enemies closed in.
And yet, in this moment, all Dominic could think was God help me, I don't want to let go.