DEREK

I looked at the heavy door, then back at Leila. A voice in my head tried to dissuade me. The badge on my belt felt like a branding iron, hot and heavy, trying to snap me back to be the rational man I was. But the fire in my veins was hotter.

I knew the protocol. I knew the oaths I’d sworn. But I also knew the way Leila tasted when she was desperate, and right now, the air between us was thick with a chemical longing that made the law feel like a distant, polite suggestion.

I drew in a long breath and made my decision.

"I need...