Her breath warmed my ear, words sharp. ‘Your bosses lie.’ Her hand grazed mine, deliberate. My pulse jumped, a traitor. Jasmine lingered, her eyes daring me to break. I didn’t. Danger hummed, her truth a blade. She vanished leaving heat in my veins.

‘They’re close,’ she said. So was she.

My apartment, stark. The bird fluttered restless. Betrayal sank in. My employers wanted me dead. Her face soft and fierce haunted me. I needed her alibi, her silence. I needed more. The thought stung, a crack in my armor. I grabbed my gun.

Her door opened, her scent flooding me. Rose, warmth. She stood close, eyes searching. My fingers twitched, craving her skin. ‘You’re back,’ she said, voice a caress. I nodded, words useless. The air thickened, heavy with what we wouldn’t say.

Her dress clung, a second skin. She stepped closer, heat radiating. My hand grazed her cheek a reckless slip. Her breath caught, lips parting. I froze, my code screaming. Want roared. Louder. I pulled back jaw tight. She didn’t flinch. Her gaze a silent dare.

‘I’ll cover for you,’ she said, steady. Her loyalty cut deeper than desire. I wanted to break to claim her to drown in her warmth. Instead, I nodded, my eyes saying what my voice couldn’t. Her fingers brushed mine, a spark. I left. The door’s click final.

The air thickened, heavy with what we wouldn’t say.

The club was dark, her piano silent. I waited, gun ready. She emerged shadow and flame. Her eyes locked on mine bold knowing. ‘You came,’ she said, voice low, stirring my blood. Rain glistened on her skin. I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

She stepped close, her coat falling open. ‘They hired me to watch you,’ she said, lips curling. Her hand brushed my chest, deliberate dangerous. My control frayed, her scent. Jasmine, sin. Pulling me under. I gripped her wrist, pulse racing. She didn’t pull away.

Her eyes locked on mine, bold, knowing.

Her eyes dared me, dark pools of want. ‘You’re doomed,’ she whispered, breath hot. My fingers tightened, her skin soft, electric. I could end her or take her. Desire won reckless. I pulled her close her body yielding. The alley hid us, Paris blind.

Her lips hovered, a promise. My mouth grazed hers, a theft. She pressed closer curves molding to me. Heat surged, my code in ashes. Her fingers dug into my coat, urgent. Danger pulsed, her truth a trap. I didn’t care. Not then.

My mouth grazed hers, a theft.

She pulled back, eyes gleaming. ‘Run,’ she said, voice raw. My hand lingered her warmth fading. I stepped away, gun heavy, heart heavier. Her silhouette blurred in the fog, a ghost of what I’d never have. I turned, the night swallowing me.

Paris hummed, indifferent. My steps echoed, each one a choice. Her loyalty, her fire, her warning. They burned in me, cracks in my soul. I was a ghost, bound to my code my doom. But for a moment I’d felt alive. Her scent clung, a cruel reminder.

Her scent clung, a cruel reminder.

The neon flickered, rain fell. My gun was cold my path clear. I walked into the dark, shadows my home. Her eyes, her touch, her danger, they’d fade. They had to. I was the job, nothing more. But as the city breathed, I wondered if I’d ever escape her.

Hey, my ghost, Every chord tonight was you. My fingers bleed from strumming your name into the noise. This crowd, these lights. They’re nothing. You’re the only pulse in my veins. I’m half-dead out here, counting hours till I can crawl back to your skin. Don’t forget me.