Salt Kiss – Episode 20
Time did not make the kiss easier to dismiss. For two days, Tristan and Mark spoke only about schedules, security, and the continuing credential investigation. Their professionalism was flawless enough to become its own form of tension.
Tristan caught himself watching Mark with clients, studying the controlled distance he maintained. Jealousy was an emotion he had no right to feel, yet it tightened whenever someone knelt before the man who had taught him to choose the same position.
Mark noticed, of course. He noticed everything and commented on nothing.
A break in the investigation finally forced them together. Camera footage showed the stolen credential being used by a masked intruder near Mark’s private residence inside the club.
“This isn’t about the vault,” Tristan said. “They were mapping your movements.”
“Or yours,” Mark replied.
The possibility chilled him. Someone could have watched him arrive, fight the attackers, and become part of Mark’s routine. Intimacy had distracted them from a threat still operating inside the Lyonesse.
Tristan ordered Mark to move to a secure suite until the building was cleared. Mark complied, but only after insisting Tristan remain with him.
Inside the suite, the silence of the previous days became unbearable. “You said I wasn’t interchangeable,” Tristan said. “Did you mean it?”
Mark faced him. “Yes.”
“Then stop pretending nothing happened.”
“You asked for time.”
“I’m asking for the truth now.” Tristan closed the distance. “Was that kiss just another lesson?”
Control slipped from Mark’s expression. “No.” The single word carried hunger and warning in equal measure. “It was a mistake because I wanted it to happen again.”
Tristan’s pulse accelerated, but he did not retreat. “Then order me to leave.”
“I won’t make that choice for you.”
The answer returned responsibility to Tristan, exactly as Mark always did when the stakes became personal. Tristan reached for him first, choosing a second kiss without drugs, restraints, or excuses.
A warning sounded from Tristan’s earpiece before their mouths met. Someone had breached the secured corridor outside the suite. Desire vanished beneath training as Tristan drew his weapon and moved in front of Mark. Their private surrender would have to wait; the enemy inside the Lyonesse had finally come for them.