Vicki nodded and then glanced to the side. “Hi ya, Tom.” She winked at Josie and headed toward the elevators.
Tom nodded absently and stalked into the room to drop into a guest chair. A rip marred the work shirt which he filled quite nicely. The guy was religious about using the building’s gym. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Josie nodded. They’d had this discussion via telephone several times during the day. “Yes. I told you, Shane left town.” The lie fell easily from her lips. Growing up in foster care, she’d learned to lie early and well. Just to keep people happy. “Detective Malloy is setting me up somewhere safe until we know for sure.” Another lie.
Tom kicked his legs out, crossing scuffed work boots at the ankles. “Why are you at work?”
“I can’t hide. Plus, I need to fix these books.”
Tom’s grin brightened the room. “I’m pretty sure that didn’t come out right.”
Josie laughed, her shoulders relaxing for the first time that day. “Good point. I didn’t mean that, and you’re above accountant jokes.”
He shrugged. “It was an easy one. Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier—rough day. I’m bidding on three different jobs right now.”
“I know what you mean about having a rough day.”
Tom glanced at his watch, a frown settling on his handsome face.
“Do you need to go, Tom?” He had to go. Shane would be there soon.
Tom frowned. “I have a meeting with a pain-in-the-ass client who might want to build a fast-food restaurant, but I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“Why is he a pain?” Josie stretched her neck.
Tom flushed. “She. She’s a pain.”
“Oh?” Josie bit back a grin. “Is she flirting with you?”
“Yes.” Tom cleared his throat. “The woman is all hands.”
“Do you like her?”
“Maybe.” His eyes warmed. “Though I’ve been waiting for you.”
Josie shrugged, unease filtering down her spine. “I’m a mess. Don’t miss out on something because of me.”
Regret flashed in his eyes, followed by humor. “Good enough. So, when will Malloy be here?”
“He’s on his way.” She hated lying. “Also, Johnston’s office is just down the hall. He’s always the last to leave.” Which was usually the truth. But today he’d gone to meet with the board of directors of the biggest bank in town. Gaining the bank as a client would be huge for the accounting firm.
A phone buzzed. Tom grabbed his cell from his pocket, reading the screen with a frown. “Okay. I have to go. Call me tonight so I know you’re safe.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Darn it. She’d really screwed up his life. The guy had been knocked out last night. Josie sighed. Why couldn’t she have fallen in love with a great guy like Tom?
“I’ll call. Good luck with your client.”
He nodded and hustled toward the door, running into Daniel.
“Hey. I was just going to head to your floor and see if you wanted to go for a drink,” Daniel said. He’d shucked his fancy coat and had rolled his monogrammed shirt up to the elbows. Even his Burberry tie looked askew.
Tom shook his head. “I have a meeting with a client. Plus, we have a basketball game tomorrow night.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “Drinking doesn’t affect my game, Sally.”
Tom snorted. “See you tomorrow.” He hurried down the hall.
Daniel rubbed his clean-shaven jaw, glancing at Josie. “You’re working late.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’m trying to keep up with you. Rumor has it you got the school district account on the golf course.” Apparently playing golf with the superintendent led to business.
“Yes. A lot of business deals are made on the golf course.” He frowned.
“I don’t play golf.” Especially with men. Life sucked.
Daniel exhaled, exhaustion dimming his eyes for a moment. “So you don’t play golf with the guys. Many women own businesses in the area—join the chamber of commerce and meet some. Join women’s groups like the PTO and meet some. Use what you have, Josie.”
Why was Dan giving her ideas? She lifted both eyebrows. “That’s actually good advice.”
He shrugged. “I like the playing field level. Simple as that.” He turned on his Italian loafer and disappeared from sight.
Interesting. Maybe Dan didn’t suck as much as she’d thought. Josie grabbed her calculator, adding and reading the figures on the spreadsheet before her for Agers Hardware. Why wouldn’t they match up? She bit her lip, grabbing the rest of the file from the bottom drawer.
Her door closed.
She hissed out a breath, pushing back from the desk. “Shane. I didn’t hear you.”
He shrugged. “Good. Hopefully nobody else did, either.” A click echoed. He’d locked the door. Prowling forward, he stood next to her chair, his hands dropping to knead her neck. “There’s a patrol car out front, no doubt watching for me.”
Josie lowered her chin to her chest. Heaven. The man had magic fingers, and she should really move away. “Yeah. The detective didn’t buy my story.” She fought a groan as Shane worked out the knots in her neck.
Her thighs began to soften.
Warmth lit her abdomen.
She cleared her throat and pushed away, swiveling the chair to face him. “So, what now?”
Shane slid his hands into the pockets of well-worn jeans. A dark T-shirt covered his thick chest and brought out the deep gray flecks in his eyes. “Now I borrow your computer.”
With a shrug, Josie relinquished her chair, taking her notebooks to the other side of the desk. “What are you looking for?”
Shane sat, punching keys on the computer. “First I want to hack into my military records. Then I want to find my brothers.” He frowned, dark gaze shifting to her. “I had a dream. I saw them. Matt and Nathan—if I had to guess, I’d think they were both older than me. We were at some type of camp—maybe a military one?”
Intrigue sped up her heart. She’d never even known their names. “How old were you?”
Shane shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe eight?”
Josie wrinkled her nose. “A military camp at the age of eight? Seems young.” She cleared her throat. “When you had the nightmare about losing your brother, you yelled out the name Jory.”
Shane’s jaw hardened. “Jory. Yeah. Mattie mentioned that name in the dream.” Shane rubbed his chest. “Jory.” He turned his focus back to the computer.
Josie returned to her files, working through deductions for Fuller Labs. Her favorite client. Always paid on time, always kept good records. Since they had labs all over the United States, she’d been able to keep the client as she made the move to Washington. Why couldn’t all clients be this good?
She ordered a pizza and met the pizza girl at the elevator, bringing the large pie into her office and shutting the door.
Shane looked up and smiled. “Do I like pizza?”
How odd not to remember. Josie returned the smile, placing the box on the desk and flipping open the lid. “Yes. You like pizza with pepperoni and pineapple.”
Shane frowned, his gaze on the colorful pie. “Really?”
Surprising humor bubbled through her. “Well, kind of. You like pepperoni, and I always wanted pineapple, so we learned to compromise the first month of our marriage and order it this way.” She handed him a piece.
“Thanks.” He took a bite, slowly chewed, and then smiled. “All right. The combination works for me.”
“I remember.” She took a bite. They’d been happy as newlyweds. She’d moved into his apartment, immediately repainting the walls a homey tan with white trim. Away from the base, so they had privacy. “We got married in Las Vegas.”
He squinted, a smile playing on his face. “Just the two of us?”
“Yes.” She took another bite, the pineapple cooling the pepperoni on her tongue. It’d been two years since she’d enjoyed the combination of flavors. “Y
ou were on leave, and as a new accountant at the firm, I only had one day off.” The memories rushed through her, bringing both pleasure and the pang of eventual loss. “You bought me a dress.” He’d already taken her heart, but with the white dress, he’d stolen her soul. The white silk had been perfect, better than she’d ever dreamed.
He inhaled. “I can’t wait to remember that day. While my brain is fuzzy, my emotions are clear, Josie. I know I loved you.”
A tingle started at her heart and spread through her entire chest. She pushed the feeling aside. He couldn’t make such a claim without his memories. No matter how badly she wanted to believe him. Even if she did learn to trust that the love was real, he’d still left her alone. She cleared her throat. “So how’s the research going?”
He gave a short nod, letting her off the hook. “Not great. But I’ll find what I need.”
“Good.” They needed answers before another attack came. Josie pushed the pizza box aside and grabbed the file on Agers Hardware, a small hardware store whose owners weren’t as good at record keeping as some of her other clients. Good thing she knew her job. She’d find the deductions the young couple needed to pay the IRS less.
Shane went back to typing. Hours passed. Finally, Shane looked up at her and frowned thoughtfully.
Did she have pizza sauce on her face? “What?”
He studied her, his eyes the color of a stormy sky. Not moving an inch, he kept his focus entirely on her, as if she were the only thing in his world. Tension thickened the air around him, his predatory stillness a warning that he’d soon lunge.
Memories assailed her. She’d forgotten the feeling of being everything. Her heart picked up its pace, and heat slid through her veins like a fine whiskey. Desire slammed into her abdomen. With just one look from him, electricity zipped through her body to pulse between her legs.
His nostrils flared. “I remember you.”
Chapter 12
Josie struggled to stay calm as she stared at Shane. “You remember me?”
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.
He slammed her against the desk, the hard length of his body sliding against hers. He cupped the back of her head, his mouth moving over hers. A sharp nip triggered her to open her lips in protest, and he dove in, his body pinning her in place.
Hunger ripped through her veins.
His tongue stroked hers. The desk pressed into her back and she stiffened. He lifted her and plopped her atop the desk, her knees on either side of his hard hips, the skirt pooling up. Heat filled her sex. Her core rubbed against his erection.
“See what you do to me,” he rumbled against her mouth, giving her a reprieve to breathe. “From the first second I saw you in that coffee shop, you’ve done this to me.”
She clutched on to his hard forearms to keep herself upright. A p
rotest caught in her throat when his head rose so he could pin her with a look. Danger glinted in those dark gray eyes. Possession. Promise. A hard flush covered his rugged face. “Say yes, Josie.”
“Yes.” The word came out before she could think.
He didn’t wait for a qualifier, not that her mind was working fast enough to invent one. Reaching past her, he swept files and papers to the floor. Broad hands circled her wrists, and he lay her back. He flattened her knuckles on either side of her head, palms up. “Keep your hands here.”
Her fingers curled until nails bit into her palms.
His gaze slid to the buttons of her shirt. He quickly flipped them open, smoothing the shirt apart to reveal her plain cotton bra. Hunger flared in his eyes.
So much she couldn’t speak. She could barely think.
“Ah, Josie.” He flicked open the clasp and the material sprang apart. “Finally, something I remember. You and us. This. The prettiest pink nipples in the world.” His hands dropped onto hers, holding them against solid oak as he lowered his head toward her breasts.
Fire. He engulfed one nipple in the heat of his mouth. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she pressed up against him. She’d forgotten. How had she forgotten how warm he could be? The inferno in that dangerous mouth? So unreal. Enhanced like his strength? She lifted her legs to encircle him, pressing her feet into his ass. Pressing him harder against her. Her hands ached with the need to touch him, and she tried to tug loose.
He kept her in place.
His mouth wandered to the underside of her breast, where he nipped before taking the other nipple in his mouth. A low hum of appreciation echoed against her flesh.
“Shane,” she moaned, moving against him.
“Let me play.” He placed wet, open-mouthed kisses up her chest to her throat. “If I remember correctly… there’s a place right about here…” His tongue flicked at the base of her neck. The hollow near her shoulder. She shivered. “Yeah. I remember right.” Heated lips closed over her flesh and he suckled.
His idea of playing had always destroyed her. In a seriously good way. The Southern drawl he’d let loose flashed craving through every nerve she owned. “Please. Let go of my hands.” The plea came unbidden. She needed to touch.
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