Chapter 31

THIRTY-ONE

I n one of the offices in the building, Natalie perched on a desk while Emily cleaned the flesh wound on her arm. Marcus prowled like a caged wolf, his tension radiating off him in waves.

“Will you stop pacing?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re making me dizzy, and I haven’t even lost that much blood.”

“Not funny.” But he paused long enough to brush a kiss across her forehead.

“A little funny.” She caught his hand before he could resume his pacing. “Come here. I need my big bad alpha to distract me from the sting of antiseptic.”

Emily, suppressing a laugh, finished bandaging her arm. “All set. Ready to go. I’ll see you in the other room.” She waggled her brows at Natalie.

“Thanks.” She waited until they were alone to tug Marcus between her legs. “Now, about a distraction...”

“You’re impossible.” But his hands settled on her waist, thumbs stroking bare skin where her shirt had ridden up. “You could have died tonight.”

“But I didn’t.” She traced the worry lines around his eyes. “I’m right here. Safe. Though I should point out that statistically speaking, the likelihood of-“

He silenced her with a kiss. His mouth moved against hers with desperate intensity, as if he needed to physically verify she was alive and whole. Natalie wound her arms around his neck, pressing closer despite her minor injuries.

A throat clearing from the doorway made them jump apart.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Jax didn’t look sorry at all. “But Liam’s ready for questioning.”

Marcus growled low in his throat. “Give me five minutes.”

“Take ten,” Jax said. “God knows you need to work off some of that tension before interrogating him.”

“Out!”

Jax’s laughter echoed down the hall as he retreated. Marcus turned back to Natalie, his expression softening as he took in her disheveled appearance.

“You should rest.”

“I should help question Liam.” She straightened her shirt, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at her arm. “My research is at the center of this. I need to know what Tomlinson is planning.”

“Natalie-“

“Don’t argue.” She hopped down from the desk, swaying slightly as fatigue hit her. Marcus steadied her immediately, his touch gentle despite his obvious frustration. “I’m fine. Just tired. Nothing coffee won’t fix.”

“You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

“Lucky you.” She stretched up to kiss his jaw. “Now, are we going to stand here arguing, or are we going to go interrogate your traitor?”

His sigh held equal parts exasperation and fondness. “At least let me get you that coffee first.”

“See? You’re learning.” She grinned. “Though I should note that the correlation between caffeine intake and cognitive function suggests-“

“Natalie?”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking about science and kiss me.”

She happily complied, letting him pull her close for a proper kiss that left them both breathless. When they finally separated, his eyes had darkened to smoke.

“Later,” he promised roughly. “When this is over...”

Heat pooled in her belly at his tone. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Both.” He tucked her against his side as they headed for the elevator. “Now let’s get coffee and deal with Liam so I can get you alone again.”

“Motivation. I like it.” She leaned into his warmth. “Though from a psychological perspective-“

Marcus’s growl of frustration echoed through the hall, followed by Natalie’s laugh. They had a traitor to question and a conspiracy to unravel, but first, they needed coffee.

And maybe one more kiss. For science, of course.