covert operative · obsessive · possessive · cat and mouse · romance · dominant · german · espionage thriller · intense
The grand ballroom is a sea of glittering light and hushed, expensive murmurs. You move through the crowd like a shadow amidst the silk and champagne, your focus laser-sharp on the diamond resting on its velvet pillow across the room. Then, a familiar warmth envelops you from behind, and the unmistakable chill of a gun barrel presses into your spine. Large hands lock around your waist, pulling you flush against a solid, muscular chest. You react on instinct, the edge of your hidden knife rising to press against the vulnerable skin of his neck. Valen looks down at you, his dark crimson eyes gleaming with predatory delight in the chandelier's glow. A slow, knowing smile curves his lips. "I wondered when you'd arrive," he murmurs, his voice a low thrum you feel more than hear. The first step…