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He never should have gone near her that night, but she’d peered up at him with such defiance, he’d practically wrapped himself around her in a bid to intimidate her At least that’s what he’d told hi in the sparkle in her eyes, the sultriness of her scent, the feminine curves of her body

And the kiss? He had no excuse for that It was the stupidest thing he’d ever done He’d known it then, and he really knew it now Especially since his desire to have her had been so consu cared

He’d burned her shirt, had nearly burned her skin, risking her safety, his own Even his freedom

No one at AIR knehat he could do, and that’s the way he wanted it to stay Because if anyone ever found out, they’d either lock him up and toss the key or feed him the barrel of a 22 And he would deserve it!

Even still, he would never allow anyone to lock hie, laughed at, starved, bruised and broken after being forced to fight other disposable kids, tiain

Most had been picked up off the streets, but so for a quick buck Parents who’d pit their own children against each other, while adult men and women bet on the winner and the condition of the loser

Hector had worked hard to free hi the way Soht not be fun or easy, but he made his own choices Made a difference in the world Helped those who suffered as he once had He had purpose

Thankfully, Noelle hadn’t noticed the glow Had she, she would have said so

You’re good to go, but if you keep this thought process up, you won’t be Concentrate on the here and now On whatbut that kiss

The trainees had been roused frootten two hours of shuteye before that, soit was time to rise and shine, they’d had five minutes to dress, do whatever they needed to do, and line up outside

Noelle had ehtest pair of pink shorts he’d ever seen, and an equally tight white tank top She should have looked like any other feodda world had an ass like hers Toned, curved, perfect Biteable

Don’t go there

Her hair was anchored in a ponytail on top of her head, and the length swung back and forth, back and forth with every perky step she took Perky steps that bordered on lascivious because of the red lace winding up her combat boots

Yeah That’s why

Her face was scrubbed clean ofher a fresh, dewy appearance And with the rising sun behind her, fraes, and pinks, she was everylife

A fantasy That’s all she could ever be to him So he’d just have to pretend he didn’t notice that her nipples were hard froainst his chest And oh, sweet Jesus, there were goose bu around the band of skin seductively revealed between the hem of her shirt and the waist of her shorts Her navel dipped so exquisitely, it would be a playground for his tongue

Don’t you dare go there, asshole A plea fro," he shouted to the twenty-four recruits re at the camp Two had already dropped out due to injuries, two had been kicked out for finishing last, and one short, effe in the fely, Noelle hadn’t been a the out-for-the-counters "And don’t stop until you’re told," he added "You do, you go horoup shot into action so quickly their ister Desperate for a distraction--one that would actually work--Hector kicked into gear, determined to run this bitch of a course himself

This was his last day here At least until next month Like the others, he was supposed to stay, but because of his ability, he’d gotten pere Not that his boss knew the truth

When Hector first joined AIR, he’d lied about a medical condition A skin disease that demanded his coworkers reloves, and soony" became too much, that he stay hohed about the second, and on rare occasions, a few of theht him chicken noodle soup because of the third

Now he had less than twelve hours until he adiosed, which et rid of Noelle He should have fought Mia when she’d said, "Treirl with initiative She stays" Instead, he’d juet her

All the way there, he’d told hi for hi a trainee was unethical, but his " and the rest had ceased to matter He’d told himself that, if he ever talked her into bed, she would consider hih about their encounter for years to coed on the words "lay" and "co ways to taste her

Shit

Botto

Yeah, she was iven her credit for, but you needed more than smarts to succeed at this job Hoould she react at the scene of a gruesome murder? Vomit? Pass out? Probably both

He’d clearedout here, and all of theer had fought a Teran teenager, and neither had walked away, leaving a bloody mess The Teran’s claws had slashed the hu otherworlders were judged harshly and sootten, the Teran had killed himself rather than spend the rest of his life in AIR lockup

Kids, man Theirelse ever had They hadn’t yet truly lived, and they didn’t know there was so better out there

Noelle had only ever been pa?

And her arrests? He still wasn’t buying Not to that degree If she lived through caent, she’d be ripped to pieces on the streets More than that, she would hinder whoever was unlucky enough to be paired with her Guaranteed, she’d conta to her

Last night, she’d h the tunnel Actually, he didn’t kno she’d done it She wasn’t talking, and neither was anyone else And because he couldn’t prove any rules had been broken, Mia had once again put her foot doith a s, "She stays!"

Hector never would have known about the contraband if not for Dallas, as always hungry and had followed his nose like a hound And Hector, thinking the shithead just wanted a peek at Noelle in the shower, had followed the agent What he’d found: the trainees huddled together, ripping meat off chicken bones as if they were at the Last Supper

That’s what this fifteen- outside for the next month

Punishment was a bitch

Still Hector didn’t think the location change would break Noelle She’d say so is fun, and twirl So it was time to step up the toroodhim back to the course "So, allow , Hector"

He aloddamn feet Honest to God, she’d said his naent Dean to you," he snapped Not with anger, as he should have, but with le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>