Then Rudkowski had made his grand entrance. Drex had sensed his arrival even before he could be heard chewing out the patrolmen for letting Mike and Gif leave. Learning that they had gotten clear before Rudkowski descended on them had made Drex smile.

Talia and he had tensed when Rudkowski and Locke came into the study. It had put additional strain on their already strained muscles, but Drex was glad he had gotten to hear the game plan.

Of course he’d wanted to rip out Rudkowski’s jugular with his teeth over the crude comment, not because it was an insult to him, but to Talia. It had made him feel better, knowing that Locke and Menundez had accurately sized him up. They hadn’t even wanted to share a meal with him.

After their footsteps had faded to nothingness, Talia whispered. “Have they gone?”

“Let’s give them a few more minutes before chancing it.”

“Chance sneaking out?”

“Chance searching the house before they return with the warrant.”

“Oh. Then what?”

“Then we chance sneaking out.”

“Will we be able to?”

“That’s the hope. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

When she gave a small nod, her hair brushed against his cheek. He thought strands of it got caught in his scruff.

“I was afraid my stomach was going to growl,” she said.

“You should have eaten your doughnut.”

“It was a matter of principle not to touch it.”

“Because I’d given it to you?”

“Exactly.”

“Next time, you’ll know better than to let pride get in your way.”

“Next time.” With those words, she drooped, as though the prospect of what they still faced sapped her strength. “I’m scared, Drex.”

“Fear is healthy.”

“It’s draining. Exhausting. I’m so tired.”

“Lean against me.”

She did.

God, he was going to die. “Just a few more minutes, then you can stretch.”

“No, I meant I’m so tired of living the way I have been.”

“How’s that?”

She took time to choose her word. “Watchfully. For a while now, I’ve treaded very carefully around Jasper.”

He thought on that. “I want to hear about it. Everything. Later. When we’re out of here. All right?”

Again she nodded. Again he thought strands of her hair were caught in his whiskers, and the thought of that alone, in addition to their proximity, sent heat rushing to his center.

He tried to stay focused. “Say it out loud. ‘All right.’”

“All right. I’ll explain later. For now, I’ll just say thank you.”

“What did I do? Other than cram you into a closet.”

“You forced me to acknowledge what I had intuited about Jasper but refused to accept. I feel unburdened, liberated from my own denial, by your browbeating. I realize you were only doing your job, but you have my gratitude anyway.”

“Talia.” He bent his head lower and nuzzled her just below her ear. “This isn’t only doing my job.” He caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth.

She stirred and whimpered his name. He followed the soft expulsion of breath to its source, her parted lips, and covered them with his. Her mouth was hot and wet and receptive when he pressed his tongue inside.

Unlike when he’d kissed her before, this time she didn’t turn her head aside and angle away. Instead she leaned into the kiss, not just with her mouth but with her body.

They shifted instinctually, matching up parts that had been created to complement each other. Still, it was a tease to what it could be. He had believed there wasn’t room enough to reposition themselves, but he discovered there was, as he curved his arm around her waist.

In doing so, his elbow knocked against the wall. The giveaway sound would have alarmed him earlier, but now he disregarded it and focused only on splaying his hand over Talia’s ass and pulling her closer, up, onto him. She responded by arching up even higher until—God!—the fit stole their breath. Until then they hadn’t broken the mad kiss, but they did now, gasping in unison.

A heartbeat later, their mouths fused, and, again they were governed by carnal instinct. His palm followed her shape from her waist to the top of her thigh, caressing bare skin that felt like warm silk against his hand, although he didn’t even remember sliding it inside her pajama bottoms.

He couldn’t say when she had raised her hand to his head, yet her fingers were imbedded in his hair, urgently tugging on it to pull him closer.

Beneath his circling thumb, her nipple was hard, but how had he found it beneath her pajama top? He didn’t know, but he loved the feel of it, of her, of her excitement, and knowing he had kindled it.

He hadn’t thought to thrust against the welcoming V between her thighs, but he was, and it was killing him not to be inside her.

These incredible sensations coalesced in an instant of clarity, and he realized that if he didn’t stop now, there would be no stopping.

He lifted his mouth away from her hungry kiss and clasped her head between his hands. “Talia, Talia.” With his forehead pressed to hers, he kept repeating her name on gusts of breath until she stilled against him. “God knows I want to,” he groaned. “But I can’t. Not under his roof.”

He let go of her, fumbled behind his back for that son of a bitching handle, and flipped it up. The wall popped open behind him. He ducked his head and stumbled backward out of the enclosure and into the room. Reaching for her hand, he guided her out of their hiding place.

The house was silent and, he sensed, empty save for the two of them. It was another gray day. The blinds were partially shut. The room was dim. He thought it was probably best that they couldn’t see each other clearly. She couldn’t have missed his erection. He’d never been this hard without having a woman under him or straddling him or sucking him.

In her dishevelment, Talia had never looked so sexy. Her lips plump and damp. Hair a mess. One side of her shapeless robe was hanging off her shoulder. Her nipples were peaked beneath her pajama top. She looked ravishing. Ravished. If only. Jesus, was he crazy?

No. He’d been right to stop.

“I had to,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I would never have gotten over being with you here. In his house.”

She swallowed with apparent difficulty and drew her robe back into place, then crossed her arms over her front. “I understand. I do. I probably would have hated myself afterward, too. I shouldn’t have let it go that far.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face.

“Right. And besides all that, I’ve placed us in a serious situation. It’s not too late for you to change your mind. You could stay here, wait for Locke and company, tell them that I had talked you into splitting but then you saw the light.”

“No. I’m going with you.”

“I have your trust now?”

“It was hard-earned, but yes.”

He took a deep breath, dropped his head forward, and for several seconds stared at the floor. When he raised his head, he spoke with unmitigated gravity. “Also trust this, Talia. If given an opportunity to kill him, I’m going to.”

“I hope so,” she said gruffly. “Because if you don’t, he will surely kill me.”