Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers, #1)(40)

He frowned deeper and rocked back in her office chair. “Yes. At a coffee shop. You were wearing a blue yoga outfit that showed off your ass.”

Josie snorted out a laugh. “The day we met.”

“Yeah.” Shane focused on her face, his smooth Southern drawl deepening. “Some guy was bothering you. I asked if you needed help.”

“I said yes.” She wrinkled her nose. “I felt like such a wimp. But you helped.” Her hero. Right from the first moment. He’d stepped in and dragged the jerk outside. Then he’d come back inside and bought her an iced coffee. “You said I was smart, not wimpy.”

“I remember.” His gaze ran over her face. “Your hair was shorter and you had a tan.”

“It was California. You had a darker tan, too.” And biceps that made her want to take a bite. So maybe now he could explain why he’d been stalking her before that day. She cleared her throat. “Remember anything else?”

“Not yet.”

But he would. What would happen then? “Did you find anything about your past?”

Shane kicked back in her chair, overwhelming the gray leather. “Not really. My military record is good; lots of missions dealing with problems on our soil. A couple of biological problems from factories.” He frowned. “There’s more. I know it. But I haven’t gained access yet.”

“What about your brothers?”

His face turned to stone.

Josie studied him. He seemed like one cold bastard. But he wasn’t. Fire burned hot through him, so hot he forced ice into himself. To keep control. God, she used to want to make him lose it. Completely. Just with her. Only with her. She licked her lips.

Sparks flashed into his eyes in response. His gaze dropped to her chest.

Her nipples hardened to sharp points. She licked her lips again and swallowed. Her nerves fired. Oh man, this was a bad idea. “Shane. Stay focused.” Her voice came out breathy.

“That tone. I remember it.” His voice lowered to a rumble that wrapped around her heart. “Sexy as hell. Almost as if you’re whispering, your breath heating my cock.”

Jesus. The way he talked. Husky. Male. He used to whisper her name in her ear as he came. As if she was the only tether he had to this life. As if she was everything he needed.

Desire slid to temper. She wasn’t everything he needed. He’d left. “Knock it off. It isn’t going to happen.” Liar. The word echoed through her head. She was such a liar.

“Yes, it is.” His eyes darkened until nearly black. “Maybe not right now. I’ll wait until we figure this out.” He leaned forward, forearms on her desk. “But make no mistake. It is going to happen.”

Her sex clenched. “What did you discover about your brothers?”

“Nothing. Not a thing.” Anger tightened his jaw. “I found a couple military academies with pictures; nothing like the place I saw in my dreams. I searched their names, my name, hospital records. Death records.” His eyes swirled with emotion at the last. “Nothing.” He threw a pencil on the desk. “That’s not all.” Rising, he extended one hand into the kneehole of the heavy oak desk and casually lifted it a foot from the floor. “I’m seriously strong.”

Josie stood. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Nobody should be able to lift the desk so easily. “Apparently.”

He let the desk drop with a thud. “Did you know that about me?”

She tried for a nonchalant shrug. “I knew you were strong. Not that strong.” Apparently the guy had hidden more than his past from her. Who the hell was he? Anger began to slide through her veins. What was she doing even thinking about trusting him again?

“Close your eyes. What do you hear?”

She kept her eyes open. “The hum of the heating unit.” Other than that, silence echoed through the night.

Shane shook his head. “A block away a couple is having a spat about the tip the man left at dinner.” He stalked around the desk. Toward her. “The elevator has gone up twenty-three times in the last couple hours; gone down twenty-seven times.” His hands reached out to grab her forearms. “I need thirty-three steps to walk from here to the elevator. There are three exits from this building where I wouldn’t be seen.” His gaze dropped to her neck. “Your pulse rate increased when I grabbed your arms. I can hear it.” The large hands tightened around her biceps. “And you’re a liar. When you say it isn’t going to happen, you’re lying.”

He tugged her into masculine hardness, into incredible heat.

His palm slid up her neck until his fingers tangled in her hair—slowly, deliberately. He tethered her in place, his eyelids dropping to half-mast.

Goosebumps rose on her skin. Caution warred with desire. She jerked her head back—or tried to. His hold tightened, holding her where he wanted her. She couldn’t move. Shock and then flames licked through her.

His lips took hers, firm and determined. Her thighs dampened. He groaned low, bending her back, his hunger igniting hers.

Josie’s mind spun. He wasn’t asking. Gone was the care with which he’d always treated her. Pure, raw passion replaced thought.

Everything inside her melted as desire lit her on fire. While he’d always been passionate, this was new. Intense and dangerous, his hold showed no mercy.