Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)(47)

Grabbing the tubular railing, I whipped my body around the landing like a slingshot. One more flight of stairs and I reached out for the door handle leading away from Knox and his * partner. Just as I cracked the seal of the door, strong arms circled my waist. I hadn’t even realized he followed me. The sound of our lungs sucking in air filled the dimly lit stairwell. Seconds passed. Weighted. Heavy. Then I snapped.

“Get your hands off me,” I said through gritted teeth. I dug my fingernails into his forearms and donkey kicked backward, hitting him in the shin.

“Dammit, Trinity. Just calm down for a second.”

“Calm down?” I screamed. “Are you serious right now? You want me to calm down when my life is coming apart at the seams and I just found out the one person I thought I could trust was using me?” I dragged the palm of my hand down the side of my face. “Sorry. That’s not happening.”

Months of self-defense training wasted, he grabbed my wrists and locked them in one hand behind my back, easily overpowering me.

His teeth scraped along my earlobe. “I’m sorry about what happened in there. Jack was being an ass. I should’ve talked to him before I brought you here. I should’ve explained what was going on.”

I shouldn’t be so angry. Knox hadn’t made a single promise to me about the future. In fact, he hadn’t once brought up the subject of what might happen once this case ended. Stupidly, I deliberately steered clear of the topic of us, not wanting to come across as too pushy or needy.

I leaned my forehead against the door. “Are you using me? Is that what this is about? Is that why you’re letting me stay at your house, sleep in your bed, and…and…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that thought because if he used sex as a tool to persuade me to help him, I’d lose my mind.

I’d done a lot of dumb things in my life like trusting Miles, moving to D.C. with no job and less than a hundred dollars in my pocket, but I couldn’t forgive myself for falling for Knox if I was nothing more than a pawn to him.

He spun me around, his deep blue eyes stormy. “I haven’t lied to you. I told you I wanted to make Miles jealous so he’d pursue you. We discussed this. You agreed to help me get information. I don’t understand why you’re mad.”

I shoved my hands between our bodies and tried to push him away. He didn’t budge. “You’re right. I agreed to your plan, but I thought we’d moved beyond that. I thought we were…” My stomach plummeted as the memory of encountering that woman waiting for Knox outside his door floated through my mind. She wanted more, too. He said he couldn’t give her more. I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying anything further. I’d embarrassed myself enough already.

His eyes softened and he pulled my hand away from mouth. He pressed his lips against mine, but it was too much. I turned my head to the side and squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe he’d take pity on me and leave me alone.

He framed my face with his hands, and I reluctantly pried my eyes open. “I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong.” He leaned his forehead against mine and groaned. “I care about you. I respect you.”

A sharp pain sliced through me. As stupid as it seemed, I believed him. My heart told me he would never intentionally hurt me, but I wanted more than respect from him. I wanted his heart because I had a sneaking suspicion he was well on the way to claiming mine.

I jammed my hands into my pockets, so many thoughts on the tip of my tongue, but I feared if I opened my mouth I’d cry, and I refused to cry in front of him. I had too much pride for that, and I sure as hell wouldn’t scream or beg him for more than he wanted to give me. After all, I was a big girl, which meant I had to take responsibility for my actions. Leslie had warned me not to push the boundaries of my professional relationship with Knox, but I did it anyway.

“Are you going to say anything?” he asked, staring at me with a look so intense that goose bumps showered my arms.

I shrugged, hoping if I feigned indifference, he’d walk away. I was at the end of my rope, and the sooner he walked away, the sooner I could freak out. “There’s nothing to say. We made a deal, and I got caught up in the fantasy of us. I misinterpreted your actions.” I pressed a hand to my breastbone, trying to will away the growing ache. “At this point, I think it’d be best to make a clean break and part ways. I don’t feel comfortable with this anymore.”

“No.” His voice cracked like a whip rushing through the air and his blue eyes blazed with anger.

I cocked my chin to the side. “No? What do you mean, no?”





CHAPTER





TWENTY-SEVEN


Knox



I took a deep breath, searching her angry eyes, darker now than they had ever been, and I was f*cking tongue-tied. I shoved my hand into my hair, tugging at the roots like a deranged lunatic. I didn’t have any experience coaxing a woman to stay in my life. I never cared enough to bother. As a rule, I kept my relationships with women casual, uncommitted and uncomplicated. I didn’t censor my comments or consider how my actions would affect a woman because I never wanted a future with any of them, so nothing I said or did mattered in the grand scheme of things.

But Trinity had crashed into my life and here I was—chasing her down the stairs with a hundred half-baked apologies on the tip of my tongue, my heart thumping erratically inside of my chest from something other than exertion.