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The computers fall silent with them while rain rattles against the windows, and a few seconds later emergency lights spill through the hallway, washing the room in soft amber.

I glance up at the ceiling. “I’d like to file a complaint.”

Bane looks over with the ghost of a smile. “With the weather?”

“With whoever thought this was good dramatic timing.” I laugh, and the sound carries farther than I expect in the darkened room.

He glances toward the conference room door. “I should check whether the generators kicked in.”

“You should.”

Neither of us heads that way.

Instead, we stay by the windows, drawn by the rain racing across the glass and the lightning flashing over the skyline.

My shoulder brushes his, and neither of us bothers to create the space that should still exist between us.

“I should…” he murmurs, though the words fade before they become a sentence.

Another crack of thunder rolls through the building.

I turn toward him at the same time he turns toward me, leaving us standing so close I can see the question in his eyes and feel the warmth of his body through the few inches separating us.

My fingers find the sleeve of his jacket at the exact instant his hand settles against my waist. The distance between us disappears.

His mouth finds mine with enough force to steal every coherent thought from my head, and I kiss him back just as fiercely, rising onto my toes as his arms wrap around me.

Years of stolen glances across crowded rooms, conversations that lasted longer than they should have, accidental touches neither of us wanted to examine, and every reason we’d clung to for keeping our distance falls apart the instant our lips meet.

His fingers disappear into my hair while mine tighten against his shirt, pulling him closer because close still doesn’t feel close enough.

Ring… ring…

The shrill sound cuts through the room.

We break apart so fast I almost lose my balance, both of us breathing hard as we stare at each other in stunned silence.

Ring… ring…

Bane blinks, runs a hand across the back of his neck, and reaches into his jacket without taking his eyes off me.

Ring… ring…

CHAPTER EIGHT

Bane

MARCH 21ST

I glance at the screen.

Theo.

Of course.

I scrub a hand over the back of my neck before answering. “Hello.”

Theo doesn’t bother with a greeting. “Why do you sound like you’ve just sprinted up twenty flights of stairs?”