Chapter 19
Lark woke with her fingers pressed against her lips. For one glorious, disorienting second, she couldn’t remember why. Then she did.
The kiss.
Her heart gave an enthusiastic little leap. She stared at the ceiling, replaying the moment for what had to be the hundredth time.
It had been explosive. Not just a kiss. Not even close.
She’d kissed Bradley plenty of times. Those kisses had always felt like something she was supposed to do. Part of being his girlfriend. Part of playing the role her parents had arranged for her. She’d tolerated them because she’d believed that was what was expected.
Cormac’s kiss had been nothing like that.
There had been no obligation. No expectation or calculation. Just want.
His mouth on hers had ignited something inside her she’d never known was there, and she’d wanted more. So much more that it should have scared her. It didn’t.
That was the strangest part. For once, someone wanted her. Not the daughter of wealthy parents. Not the woman connected to the Whitmore family. Not a potential political or social advantage. Just Lark.
There had been no ulterior motive hiding behind Cormac’s kiss. No bargain. No expectation that she’d become someone else to deserve it.
Just desire. And, apparently, she was very much here for that. A smile tugged at her lips.
Then the memory of the nightmare returned. Her smile faded.
Poor Cormac. He’d carried that nightmare for years. Eight years of hearing Bullet’s final word as a plea. Pray.
She could still see the expression on his face when she’d suggested it might have meant something else. Shock. Then devastation. It was obvious he’d never considered the possibility that Bullet had been trying to warn them.
What if he had? What if that single word had been the beginning of something he’d been trying desperately to tell them?
Lark had no idea what it meant. But she knew one thing. Cormac needed answers. And she wanted to help him find them. She just didn’t know how.
Eventually, she dragged herself out of bed and got ready. When she stepped into the living area, she stopped.
Cormac was awake. He sat on her tiny couch, fully dressed, one ankle resting over the opposite knee. His brown hair was slightly damp, suggesting he’d already showered.
But that wasn’t what caught her attention. It was the glasses. She blinked.
The enormous, intimidating former SEAL who could probably break down a door with his bare hands was wearing reading glasses perched on the end of his nose while studying something on his phone.
It was... ridiculously adorable. And somehow, incredibly sexy.
She leaned against the doorway. “Well, this is disappointing.”
His eyes lifted. “What’s that?”
“I was under the impression you were some sort of superhuman.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Disappointed?”
“A little.” She pointed at his glasses. “You wear readers.”
He looked completely unimpressed. “Apparently.”
“That’s adorable.”
She could’ve sworn his cheeks reddened a bit. “They help me see,” he muttered.
“That’s what makes it adorable.”
His mouth twitched. “I can take them off.”
“No,” she blurted, then laughed off her enthusiasm. “Keep them on.”
He shook his head and returned his attention to his phone. Lark headed for the tiny kitchen.
“Coffee?”
“Please.”
“Food?”
“Whatever you’re making.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Careful. That’s how you end up with something involving vegetables.”
“I’ll risk it.”
She smiled. As she started breakfast, she kept stealing glances at him. The glasses changed him somehow. They made him seem less like the larger-than-life man she’d imagined after learning he was a SEAL. More human. More ordinary.
Not that she thought there was anything ordinary about Cormac. She’d seen what happened when he was on alert. She’d seen the way he could move without making a sound.
But sitting on her too-small couch wearing glasses while waiting for breakfast? That was different. That was just a man. Her man?
The thought startled her, so she quickly focused on the eggs. Not yet. She wasn’t going to scare herself away from something that felt this good.
A knock sounded at the back door at the bottom of the stairs. Cormac immediately straightened. The transformation was instant. Glasses off. Phone pocketed. Alertness snapped into place.
Lark couldn’t help smiling. “Back to superhero mode?”
“Something like that.”
He opened the door and returned with Spark following carrying equipment. Eggs was behind him with several boxes.
“Morning, kids,” Eggs said.
“Morning.”
His gaze shifted toward Cormac. Then toward Lark. Then back to Cormac. A slow grin appeared.
“No,” Cormac barked.
Eggs’ grin widened. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was going to say, nice couch.”
“Sure you were.”
Lark looked between them. “Do you guys always communicate like this?”
“Pretty much,” Eggs said.
They brought the equipment inside, and within minutes, the apartment was filled with tools, wires, sensors, cameras, and enough technology to make Lark wonder whether she was securing a storefront or a small military installation.
She watched as they installed cameras at the entrances, reinforced the locks, added motion sensors, and connected everything to a central security system.
“You’re going to be able to monitor everything from your phone,” Spark explained while showing her how the app worked.
Lark glanced at Cormac. “So this is what your company does?”
“Among other things.”
“You’re really terrible at explaining your job.”
His blue eyes met hers. “I’ve been told that too.”
She smiled. Maybe there were still a lot of things she didn’t know about Cormac, his past and work being the biggest. As well as whatever connection existed between him, Calloway, and the strange symbol she’d found on the island.
But she knew something else now. She knew what it felt like to kiss him. And she had a feeling that was going to be very difficult to forget.