Shadow of Temptation (Asylums for Magical Threats #2.5) by Jessie Donovan

give him a little more information, and she might get free. “I’m close to getting Watkins, but I can’t do it alone. I need backup, and that’s where Juan comes in.”
    “Do you trust him?”
    “With my life.”
    She swore she saw his jaw clench a second, but before she could blink, his face was relaxed again. He raised his knife and tapped the cloth restraints holding her arms with his blade as he said, “I can use all of the help I can get to capture Watkins, so I’ll let you meet with this Juan guy, provided you agree to my conditions.”
    Great. Just what she needed. “They’d better not require me to be naked or for me to turn into your slave, because I can tell you right now that I’ll refuse.”
    The corner of his lips twitched. “As much as I’d like you to be my naked sex slave, I was thinking more along the lines of you allowing me to shadow you to your meeting place to confirm your story. If it pans out, then your friend can help speed up our take-down of Watkins.”
    She knew she should stay focused, but she couldn’t let Jorge’s lip twitching pass. Before she could stop herself, Sabrina asked, “Wait a second—were you about to smile?”
     
     
     
    Jorge had, indeed, nearly cracked a smile at Sabrina’s flippant remark. Truth be told, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt the urge.
    But it was best to ignore her comment since he couldn’t allow her to start liking him again. “Did you hear what I said? If you want free then you’re going to have to let me follow you to the market. Afterward, once we regroup, you tell me what Juan says and I’ll give you information on Yolanda.”
    Her teasing tone was gone. “Just tell me—is Yolanda in any immediate trouble?”
    He suddenly felt guilty that he didn’t have that much information to share with her. “If there were a way to save her right now, I swear to you that I would try to save her. But the information I have isn’t enough for us to go looking for her. At least, not yet.”
    She looked at him for a few seconds and then sighed. “I’m probably an idiot for agreeing to this, but okay. Cut me free, and as long as you keep up your end of the bargain, I’ll keep my promises.”
    He was probably no less an idiot, but the longer they kept butting heads and being stubborn, the greater the chance he would fail this mission. They needed to start working as a team, and this was as good a first step as any. “Fine,” he said and then he took her wrist in his hand.
    Her skin was much softer than his, and he couldn’t help but brush his thumb against the warm underside of her wrist. Part of him wanted to keep her tied up so he could continue to look at her toned thighs, small but firm breasts, and the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. He’d always been attracted to her, and it seemed that despite what needed to be done, and the fact she probably hated him more than ever before, he still was.
    He gently slid his finger under the restraint and cut her free. Rather than give up her wrist, he massaged it with his fingers. He heard Sabrina’s breath catch before she yanked her hand away. “We don’t have time for you to play nice and care about my well-being. Just cut me free, let me use the restroom, and we can be on our way.”
    Her words snapped him back to reality. It was time to face facts—Sabrina would never want him, and fantasizing about her would only distract him from his mission.
    Careful to touch her skin as little as possible this time, he cut her other wrist free and went down to her feet, making sure to face the bed and Sabrina. Good thing, too, since she sat up and started rotating her shoulders. With both of her legs free, he moved back and put away his knife. He motioned to the small en suite bathroom. “I’ll give you ten minutes to clean up.”
    Since they both knew that there was no escaping through the tiny, barred window in the room, Sabrina nodded and he left to go check his phone one last