Читать книгу With Honor - Rhonda Lee Carver - Страница 5

Chapter 1

Jasmine Sinclaire tapped her booted toe, more from agitation than the upbeat tune playing on the jukebox. She glanced around the bar skeptically. Tonight she didn’t have much interest in the songs about cowboys, infidelity and beer.

Squeezing the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, she hoped to stop the nagging headache from progressing into a migraine. Her patience thinned. Her trip here hadn’t been for pleasure. Otherwise, she might have been on the dance floor with the other patrons boot scootin’ to the popular songs. Good times just weren’t on her agenda at the moment.

With her headache not cooperating, she dropped her hand onto the table and blew out a long breath through tight lips. She tugged the hem of her shirt farther down her hips in irritation, hearing threads break. Glancing at the slender gold watch on her left wrist, she sighed. Ten-thirty PM. Definitely not night-owl hours, but she sure felt the effects of driving from Florida to Texas. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Jasmine could hear her friends now. “What were you thinking? Have you lost your mind?” The thought made her cringe. What had she been thinking by coming here? Maybe she should have thought over her actions with a realistic view.

The irrational and impulsive moves she’d made before hadn’t been as serious as this one. A few months ago she’d decided on a few things that had changed her life. Truth was, coming to Lackland hadn’t been easy and she’d given it a lot of careful thought. Deciding to put it all on the line and see where the future would lead her had taken weeks.

Throwing caution to the wind and having a one-night stand had been rash–also crazy and immature. Even as a teen she’d never had spontaneous sex. Two hours of charm from a stranger had lured her to bed. How could she have been so easy? Shame made her cheeks warm. The temperature seemed to rise to an unbearable degree. Damn! She had nothing to be ashamed of. People made mistakes. The consequences of some mistakes just lasted longer than others.

She glanced around the dimly lit open space. Stress caused her stomach to roll. The headache that had been hanging around inside her head for days had spread deep into her temples. A bitter taste rose in the back of her throat, but she managed to control it. Running wasn’t an option, although her emotions reeled and her palms were sweaty. Setting matters straight became top priority. Her stubborn streak was alive and well.

“Hello, darlin’.”

The rich Texas accent brought her head upward. She’d never met the man before and wasn’t in the mood for introductions. “I’m not interested.”

Her stop-in-your-tracks response didn’t deter the man in the too-cheap cowboy hat and too-tight Wranglers. “You’re too purty to be sitting over here all alone,” he said with a wink. “A thought crossed my mind to help you out. Mind if a fellow joins you?”

Jasmine blinked. “A thought crossed your mind?” That must have been a long, painful journey, she thought.

Pushing his hat back on his forehead, he smiled. “I’d like to get to know you better.”

“Sorry, but I’m sort of expecting someone.”

“Sort of? Sounds like you’re not sure.”

“I’m sure you’d do better by finding a woman who is looking for companionship.” Being mean wasn’t her intention, but at the moment, she had other things she needed to think about.

“Suit yourself,” he snarled. This man definitely had an easily-wounded ego.

“Thank you,” she said.

“What a waste of good looks.” The pitiful man waved a hand through the air, then went back to the table across the room. From his seat, he still stared at her, but at least he was out of her personal space.

The kitchen door swung open. The smell of pulled pork and grease billowed out. Bile rose in her throat and beads of sweat moistened her upper lip. She hadn’t eaten a decent meal since leaving home two days ago. The savory smell of barbecue didn’t do anything but promise her an up close and personal view of the bottom of a toilet if she ate.

Bringing the cool glass of water to her lips, she emptied its contents. Doing so immediately settled her queasiness. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could take the smell of stale beer and the thumping of loud music. Sleep had been MIA for the last month. As soon as she’d drift off, nightmares of inconsolable cries and body deformities crept in.

Her life, up until recently, had been uneventful.

Sighing in frustration, she tapped her foot one last time. Sitting at the table in the shadowed corner for the last two hours, she was unrewarded. Neither hide nor hair of Shane Conner. He’d told her every Friday night he and the guys played darts at Musky Joe’s, the popular country and western bar a few miles off base. There was only one Musky Joe’s in Lackland.

Setting the glass down with a thud, she scooted her chair back, determined to put the fruitless night behind her. The bed back at the hotel called her name.

The door opened. Sitting back in the chair, she focused on the man and woman who stumbled in. They were laughing and clinging to each other like butter and toast. The man, dressed in military uniform, had his face nuzzled in the blonde’s neck, hiding from Jasmine’s view.

Craning her neck, she wished the woman would move. Anticipation slithered up Jasmine’s spine until finally the man turned his cheek. A mixture of disappointment and relief eased over her. It wasn’t him. Thank goodness. No need to break up a cuddle session.

Disappointment edged its way through her. She’d come too far, geographically and mentally, to admit defeat.

Grabbing for her purse, she started to move from the seat but the door opened again, pausing her. This time, it was a group of men, all similarly dressed in green ABU’s, close cut hair and boots. She scanned each masculine, clean-shaven face and felt her heart drop–Shane wasn’t one of them. Another man came in, trailing behind. Through the dimly-lit room, she watched. He was a tall man, chisel-featured. If only she could see his eyes. Then he looked at her. Her breath caught in her lungs. It was him. Anticipating his greeting, her heart sank when he walked right by her.

She followed him with her interested gaze. There was something different about him. Heavier, broader maybe? Definitely Shane, though.

Jasmine didn’t take her gaze off him as he crossed the room toward the bar. He greeted the bartender with a handshake and a buddy slap on the arm. The two men laughed, as if they’d shared a private joke. Shane’s smile beamed. That smile had attracted her in the first place. And those eyes. They were like magnets penetrating her logical reasoning and turning it to mush. His sex appeal had drawn her in. Not that he was the dictionary version of handsome. More rugged than good-looking, he wore his toughness like a brand, a challenge. Seeing him now, she knew immediately why she’d come all this way. Coming had been the right thing to do.

Remembering to breathe, she sucked in air for her parched lungs. She scanned his features again, wondering what exactly had changed about him? One night, most of it with the lights off, didn’t make her recollection the best.

Jasmine followed the lines of the green uniform. Even under the loose fitting fatigues his body spoke volumes about his capabilities as a soldier…broad and muscular…all the attributes of masculinity. She knew his competence. The area between her legs hadn’t forgotten either. Her panties moistened now as proof of muscle memory. Enough of those thoughts.

Twisting in her seat, Jasmine reflected on the one night they’d spent in bed. Hours of hot sex. Her skin heated. Thinking about what they’d shared was useless because she certainly wouldn’t fall into his charm–or his bed–again. Their night together had been only physical. As a journalist for the magazine Razor Hot Topic, she’d been assigned to do a piece on sexy military bachelors. Shane had agreed to a reveal-all interview. His stories of valor weren’t the only thing that interested her. When he’d shot her with his alluring smile, she’d been lost, even if she’d known he wanted only one thing. During the last few weeks she’d asked herself over and over how in the hell she had allowed herself to sleep with him. Looking at him now, the answer was obvious.

Her cheeks burned. She’d walked square into the sex-with-no-strings, eyes wide open and body willing. He’d never manipulated her into believing he wanted more than a one-night fling. She’d been game, even when he asked to go back to her place. Loneliness had gotten the best of her. After a few rotten relationships had burned her, she guessed she just wanted a no-commitment good time.

Dragging her thoughts back on track, Jasmine reminded herself why she’d come. Not because of loneliness this time. Her brain was in charge now. Oh yes, indeed.

The bartender handed him three buckets of bottled beer. Shane then joined the group of men sitting together at one long table close to the jukebox. The men grabbed the beers and tossed them around into awaiting grips. A tall, scantily-dressed blonde walked by their table and several men whistled. Shane laughed.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes. Had he come tonight in search of another lonely heart?

Overcome with a strong, revengeful urge to march up to his table and re-introduce herself to Sergeant Conner, fighter pilot extraordinaire, she remembered to think rationally. Causing a scene wasn’t her style, and he probably wouldn’t appreciate it. Most men didn’t like their asshole mistakes thrown in their face, especially in front of their friends. And it might not be fair. After all, he hadn’t forced her into sex.

Shane had made no commitment to her, and neither had she wanted one. So why did she feel slightly jilted? He’d written a note saying:

I had a wonderful night, but duty calls. Last night was great. Thank you for the memory. Take care. Shane

Being thanked for sex had felt more like a slap in the face. She’d rather that he’d left without saying anything. Wasn’t that what people did after one-night stands? Especially when they had little in common besides sexual attraction. She’d known this once he started talking. He was a self-made bachelor and he definitely wasn’t family material. Her stomach twisted.

If only she’d dreamt him up. A figment of her imagination. A moment of insanity brought on by bitterness and loneliness.

He certainly wasn’t a dream. Here he was. In flesh and blood.

His laughter faded. Something about him, in his eyes, made him seem sad. The tense set of his jaw and the lines on his forehead made him appear almost distant or preoccupied. What was he thinking?

Jasmine shook her head. His thoughts and emotions were none of her concern. There could be no emotional connection. That would only make her next step more difficult. Time to speak to him. She contemplated how to approach him. Would he respond with anger when he saw her? He had looked at her earlier, but ignored her. Had he not recognized her?

If she got him alone, they could talk in private. Yet, how could she do that? Fate took a turn in her favor. He left the table and headed for the back hallway. Now or never. Getting up in haste, she knocked over the empty glass. The clang drew a few stares, but Jasmine hurried after him. Her breathing grew heavy as she realized what she was about to do. Not by choice, but necessity. Emotionally, she was in an upheaval and physically exhausted.

He disappeared inside the men’s restroom. Looking from side to side for bystanders, she saw it was clear. Pushing through the heavy wooden door, she barely had time to click the lock behind her when his deep voice echoed off the walls.

“I think you’re lost, sweetheart.”

With a deep breath, she turned to face him. Caught by the clearest, bluest eyes she’d ever seen, she went wobbly in the knees. Somehow she didn’t remember them being so blue, almost jewel-like. There were a lot of things she didn’t recall. He was taller than she’d thought, at least a head taller than her.

Staring was about all that she could do. He remained silent. His eyes lit up, as if he found this humorous. Wasn’t he the least bit bothered that she’d cornered him in the bathroom? She cursed the fact that he seemed calm while her insides quivered. Her heart beat fast and hard against her ribs. Every nerve ending came alive. Her life was about to change, again.

Back straight, she hoped she caught him with her best stern look. “No, I’m not lost,” she said.

His face went blank.

Time seemed to stand still, until finally he gave a nonchalant shrug. He turned to the urinal, unzipped his pants and continued with his business, all while she kept her eyes on his broad back. Disbelief and anger shimmied up her spine. How dare he!

Finished, he turned and crossed the small distance to the sink. Arrogantly, he kept his gaze on her while he washed his hands. “Well, help yourself then.” He nodded toward the white basin. “It might be a tad uncomfy though, with those heels.” One corner of his mouth lifted in wry humor.

“I didn’t come in here to use the bathroom, thank you. I like your wit, though. Too bad I’m not interested in playing games.”

The area between his brows wrinkled. “Then what? Since I can’t entertain you with my games, what can I do for you?”

She slid her fists to her hips and cocked her chin to the right. “What do you mean by that?” Did he think this was funny?

Finishing washing his hands, he flicked off the excess water and grabbed for a paper towel, still keeping his ice-blue gaze securely on her. And then, to send her irritation through the roof, he started laughing and nodding his head. “Okay, okay. I get it. Did the guys put you up to this? How much did they pay you to come in here?” He tossed the used paper into the wastebasket and then closed the area between them. “What’d they ask you to do? Seduce me? Is this a gift or a joke?” His eyes slowly slithered down her body. “At least they have good taste.”

“What?”

Reaching into his pocket, he produced a wallet and opened it.

She watched in horror.

“I’ll pay you double.”

Her gasp echoed off the ceramic walls.

Shrugging, he said, “Or triple, but that’s as high as I will go. Even a hot woman like you isn’t worth more than that, when all I plan to do is send you back where you came from with a goodbye and sincere good luck.”

“How dare you! I came in here to talk to you.” Her palm ached to slap him senseless. He deserved it. Anger boiled her blood. Her teeth clenched until she heard a gritting noise warning she’d break a tooth if she didn’t relax.

* * * *

Looking down at the woman who stood glaring at him, he wasn’t sure what to think. She looked like she could pop a vein. Her lips were pinched and her steely green glower nailed him with the intensity of a gun. Shuffling through his brain, back and forth, up and down, he tried figuring out whether he knew her. Nope, he’d remember if he’d ever met her. A woman like her, with her long, dark hair, pretty green eyes, and petite curvy body, would be unforgettable–even if she seemed a bit loony. Maybe she’d tipped the bottle a little too much that evening. He could understand that, although he hadn’t been drunk in years. Once he’d hit his thirties he’d had no use for getting drunk. “Did you say ‘talk’?” he asked.

“You’re lucky I don’t scream.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Without a doubt, this woman was crazy. He didn’t need drama. He’d had enough over the last few months. Instinct told him he needed to cool off the situation before it got out of hand.

The strange woman’s face grew redder with each passing second. Did she mean him bodily harm? Not that he feared a five-foot, one hundred-pound woman, but he did wonder. In fact, he found it somewhat entertaining, although he didn’t dare laugh. Hell, he guessed she’d flip her lid and he didn’t want any part of that. “Can we please cut the drama? Can you just tell me what I’ve done, or said?”

Pointing her finger into the middle of his chest, she said through tight lips, “You’re unbelievable.”

“Okay.” Now he was totally lost.

“Are you going to stand there and pretend that you don’t know me? What type of man are you? And you call yourself a soldier? I have a few words I can think of to describe you. You might think this is amusing, but I assure you there is nothing about this situation that you’ll find worthy of a smile.”

Closing his wallet, he pushed the leather trifold back into the side pocket of his ABU pants. He sighed in growing irritation. If he found out his men had put this woman up to this as a joke, he’d kick their asses. “Look, lady–”

“Lady? Lady?” She all but screeched the word.

“Okay, sorry.” What piece of information was missing here?

Her mouth fell open. Her eyes teared up. Would she cry?

His heart sank. He could think of nothing worse than a woman in tears. Somehow he knew this wasn’t going to be a winning situation. Instinct told him he had just taken a front seat on a roller coaster of horror.

“You slept with me. Remember? Jasmine Sinclaire? Do you understand? Apparently it’s true. Men think with their parts…” Her attention dropped to his zipper and then back up. “Not their brains.” Her jaw cocked. She looked like she would puke or release a pent-up demon. He didn’t want any part of either one.

Confusion growing thicker, he leaned back against the sink, crossed his legs at the ankles and tucked his arms across his chest. “Jasmine…” Nice name. “That’s a flower, right?”

“A flower and a name…my name,” she snapped.

“A beautiful flower,” he murmured. Some of the tension released from her jaw and he got a better look at her. She was beautiful, no doubt. And because he felt a manly twitch in a lower part of his anatomy, he decided to roll with the conversation a bit longer. It’d been a while since he’d been with a woman. He’d only been back from Iraq for a short time and the opportunity for sex hadn’t presented itself. He’d been busy and not exactly in the right mind. If he’d had to choose between watching a pretty woman or listening to his buddies talk about cars, women and proving who had the biggest cajones, he’d choose the former each and every time without hesitation, even if that particular woman had lost her mind.

“I’m at a little bit of a disadvantage here, Jasmine. I believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” He felt sorry for the poor soul she looked for, because the man would have rip marks from head to toe after this woman finished with him. He’d like to be witness to that. A man getting his balls busted was always entertaining as long as it wasn’t his jewels in a sling.

“Sergeant Conner, right? Stationed here at Lackland, thirty-nine years old, served in Iraq and Afghanistan? A fighter pilot for the Air Force. Mother Jean, father Jarold.”

Had she just read his obituary? The woman did mean him harm.

How’d she know all that? Yeah, he had to admit, those stats caught him off guard. But then he realized that information was public record. Anyone with half a brain could look up those details. “Sorry, but those aren’t deep secrets.” He shrugged, ready to call it a finale.

“You grew up in Ohio, on a farm, where you used to skinny dip in a fishing pond. When you were ten, a group of girls caught you buck naked, and I’m sure a little embarrassed. Considering it was chilly coming out of the water, and we know what cold does to certain sensitive parts, you were nicknamed Tiny.” Her gaze dropped with precision to his zipper before nailing him again. “After that, you swam only if you had shorts. And then people wondered if the name Tiny held any truth.” She laughed.

Sadly, he knew the story…but it wasn’t his story.

Oh fuck. Suspicion and concern mingled through his veins. He went on hyper alert. What else did she know? “For the last time, did my men put you up to this? I’m through with the games.”

“Do your men know about your tattoo?”

“Tattoo?”

“The one on your ass.” She shook her head and her hair bounced around her shoulders.

All oxygen left his lungs. Her accusations suddenly were coming together to form a big case of misunderstanding, one he didn’t need at this moment in his life. Saying the next words hurt. “A cross?”

She nodded. Her eyes narrowed. “Do your men know about the cross, or is it possible I do know you? We slept together. As pissed as I am that you don’t remember me, I think I’m more pissed because I drove here and wasted my time. But since I’m here–”

“There has been a mistake–”

“You bet there’s been a mistake.” Her eyes were glossy and wide. “I lowered myself to sleep with a man who apparently is a big loser. I bet you’re a real charmer to all the women, aren’t you? I bet you stack them up and watch them fall like dominoes. I’ve seen your type.”

“Where did I meet you?”

Crossing her arms, she snorted. “You did the piece in Razor Hot Topic.” Her brow popped up in accusation. “Are you high? On drugs? Have I crossed over into the Twilight Zone?”

The error came together all too clearly now.

She’d confused him as his brother. Identical twins, he and his brother always had been mistaken for each other. In fact, as teens, they’d taken each other’s spots on dates just to see if they could get by with it. They’d done everything together, including getting matching tattoos when they joined the Air Force.

A lot had transpired since his brother did the piece for the magazine. Shane had been deployed for secret duty, disappearing in days, suspected of foul play. After pleading with higher ups, Shawn was brought in to cover as Shane. Shawn had left deployment, come to Lackland, and took up as Shane.

Shawn didn’t believe for a second that his brother had been involved in any illegal activity. Reports said he’d taken a trip off course and then crashed. He hadn’t been heard from since. Shane had also been blamed for stealing secret maps and information from the government. Shawn knew Shane as well as he knew himself, and both of them bled red, white and blue. Neither if them would ever do anything to hurt their country.

And now, coincidentally, this strange lady showed up with a story of how Shane slept with her. How could he trust that this woman told the truth about the circumstances? How could he trust anyone right now? He didn’t know her. Yet, she knew private details about his brother.

Maybe he should tell her that he wasn’t Shane. But he couldn’t possibly, even if she deserved to know. The best he could do was try to convince her to chalk the experience up to a lesson learned and move on. Then he could get back out with the boys and see if any of them had any pertinent details.

Before Shawn could open his mouth to persuade her to leave, a loud thud sounded at the door. “Hey in there!”

Jasmine didn’t move a muscle. She just stared at him. Whatever his brother had done, he’d definitely burned his bridge with this woman. Shawn decided the knock might just be his savior. “Are we going to hold the toilets hostage much longer?”

She shrugged one arm of her sweater down her shoulder, giving a subtle, but enticing view, of cleavage. Shawn had an arcane thought. He’d have liked to meet her under different circumstances. Too bad he didn’t have the time now, and she’d met his brother first. Shane had the natural ability to draw women in just to piss them off when things turned sour. This wasn’t the first time Shawn had gotten stuck fixing a mess.

“You tell me, Shane. I’m more than willing to occupy this space for as long as it takes.” She tapped her heel against the tiled floor. The loud popping sounds echoed off the walls.

He pushed away from the sink. “As long as it takes for what?”

Pound pound pound. “Conner, what the fuck you doing in there? I gotta piss, man.”

Shawn recognized the voice. “Hold your horses, Johnson.” He kept his gaze steady on the feuding woman. Shawn didn’t like getting wrapped up in feelings, or his brother’s relationships, but a part of him felt sympathy for this woman. “How about you list me as an ignorant son-of-a-gun, count your blessings that it was only one night, and head back home,” he urged in his gentlest tone. Sure, he’d never been the best person to comfort anyone, but when her bottom lip trembled he had a feeling he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear.

She glanced around the room as her pert nose wrinkled. “This is not a place I’d have chosen to tell you. But how choosy can I be? I wasn’t too choosy when I met you.” Her eyes narrowed down his body.

“Tell me what?” Again, the door rattled under Johnson’s wrath. Shawn ignored it. What was the holdup with what she had to say? What was so hard to tell him? He didn’t have all damned night.

Her long lashes fluttered against her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it. Finally, she blurted, “Why would you renounce the interview I did for you?”

His heart skipped a beat. Another mystery. “I guess I thought it was best.”

“You sent a letter to the editor of the magazine saying you felt the interview depicted you unfairly and inaccurately. The editor nixed the interview because you didn’t respond when our researchers tried to call you.”

His chest tightened. “I’m surprised you didn’t go ahead and run the story.”

Shaking her head, she sniffed loudly. “No. As I had told you, but I’m sure you can’t remember, our magazine got a lot of bad reviews after we were accused of falsifying information about a certain political figure. The editor didn’t think this would improve our reputation.”

Shawn buried his forehead in his palm. When one thing failed, all else tended to follow. He wasn’t sure if the article and then the recanting had anything to do with his brother’s disappearance, but he sure couldn’t rule it out. “You came all this way to tell me this?”

She hesitated. “Not exactly–”

“I’m gonna break this fucking door in,” Johnson bellowed.

“Not exactly? What do you mean–” The room shook under his feet, literally. The mirrors clanged and the soap dish on the sink vibrated and fell to the floor, cracking into pieces.

“I didn’t expect that reaction,” Jasmine whispered.

“This’ll teach you a lesson not to hold a man hostage in the bathroom.” The room continued to shake from an earthquake, unless her temper had literally raised the roof. Grabbing her by the elbow, he tugged her behind him and shoved her against the wall. He braced his large body against hers to protect her if the roof should come tumbling down. Who knew if the building could withstand a tremor? “First freaking earthquake in who knows how long and it happens at a time like this.” He gritted his teeth.

His intention wasn’t to get personal with her, but he did notice how good her petite frame and full breasts felt against his chest. His cock stiffened. Damn. Under the circumstances, that wasn’t nice. He felt embarrassed…almost.

Her amazing eyes came up and she looked at him. “Uhhh…is this your way of getting fresh?” She pressed her hands against his chest and gently pushed. “I’d never fall into that trap again.”

He looked down at her, waylaid by the sweetest scent he’d ever smelled. “Yeah, this is my MO. I planned with Mother Nature ahead of time for an earthquake so when a beautiful woman came along I wouldn’t have to come up with a jazzy pickup line.” So much for protecting her. “I’m being a gentleman and keeping you safe. Who the hell knows how sturdy this building is?”

“Beautiful?”

“Nice. We’re standing here in the men’s restroom, amidst a tremor and the only word you picked up in an entire paragraph is the part where I called you beautiful.”

Her eyes warmed and her lips parted slightly. The look could give a man a serious hard-on, if he didn’t already have one.

“You could be a little more concerned about your well-being than trying to sleep with me again.” He partially teased.

The icy stare returned. “Let me ask, does it take a lot of work to be a cold-hearted snake, or do you think this makes you more attractive?”

“Lady, you’re the one who took me hostage in a bathroom. I’d call that overreacting. We could have sat down over coffee, with Xanax for you.”

Her jaw tightened. “Of all the low-down, pathetic things I’ve ever heard. If anyone needs a pill, I believe it’s you.”

“Wow, you’re so mean,” he stated sarcastically.

“You think you’re gentleman enough to wear that uniform with confidence and pride?” She dropped her gaze down his body as if to drag her words home. “The government must be getting desperate, to allow jerks to wear uniforms and carry guns.”

“Very funny. This ‘low-down pathetic’ man, as you call him, should have left your ass to fend for yourself in the middle of an earthquake.” Anger was a hard emotion when her scent and warmth made him hungry, and not for food. What in the hell had come over him? Not only did she treat him like he was the devil’s best friend, but she accused him of being a womanizer. Well, she wasn’t exactly blaming him. Just his brother.

That put Shawn between a rock and hard place.

Shawn couldn’t allow anything to get in the way of the investigation into his brother’s disappearance. There were two sides to every story. He had to prove his brother’s plane going down wasn’t an accident. Although Shane’s body hadn’t been found, instinct warned him that his brother wasn’t alive. Shane would have contacted him by now, if he could. His brother had been an ace pilot in the Air Force and had given his life in the line of duty. That, Shawn knew as fact.

Back to the problem at hand. Was Jasmine Sinclaire trustworthy? Why did he suspect the woman hadn’t come all this way just to rip his brother’s ass for bailing after sex? Or nixing an interview.

“Are you having fun?” One slender eyebrow popped up as a cunning smile curved her pale pink lips.

“Fun?”

“The shaking has stopped. You can leave me to fend for myself now, unless your memory is coming back.” Her eyes lowered to his erection.

Shit! His pants tented with a stiffy. With a growl, he pushed away from the wall and inhaled sharply. Might as well be a damn teenager, the way he was acting. Another knock came on the door. “Yeah?” he called out a little too roughly.

“You okay in there, Conner?” Some of the roughness had left Johnson’s voice.

“Everything’s just fine.” At least on some levels. He hadn’t had a hard-on since he left for Iraq. He’d come back when news came that Shane’s plane had crashed in Costa Rica. Why in Costa Rica, Shawn wasn’t sure. There were a lot of things Shane did that Shawn could never understand. On the aspect of being a red-blooded male, it was good to know some things still worked like a well-oiled machine.

“Great…” A chuckle sounded from the other side of the door. “So do you think it would be okay if I use the shitter now? I know you like your privacy, but ain’t this taking it a bit too far?”

Jasmine’s eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. “He can’t see me in here with you.”

Scrubbing his chin, he hesitated. “Did he see you come in?”

She shook her head. “He’ll think we, well…” Her cheeks turned the perfect shade of rose. “You know…”

Did she think he would make this painless for her? “No, what do you mean?”

“Your friends will think we were in here together. Intimately.”

“Is that so bad? After all, we’ve been there and done that, remember?” He couldn’t deny he got pleasure from her mortification.

Planting both hands on hips, she looked up at him with a smirk. “Interesting that when it’s in your favor, you’ll admit that you remember me.” Those words were said with a saucy toss of her hair.

“Don’t get all cocky. You came in here of your own free will and locked the door behind you. What? Did you think we’d be the only two people in the whole place that’d need to use the restroom? It’s a bar. What do drunks have to do frequently when they get wasted?” Erection deflated, he could think clearer. He took her hand. Even when she tugged, he held on. Seeing question in her eyes, he explained, “Don’t worry, honey, it’s only for looks.”

The action may have only been for appearance, but he felt a strange tug in his chest. He was fully aware of the softness of her palm against his calloused one. The way her fingers threaded between his, comfortably, even when she looked petrified. There would come a point when he’d really have to think long and hard on what was wrong with his libido.

Throwing open the latch, he came face-to-face with Johnson. “All yours, buddy.”

“’Bout time, Conn–” The words froze on Johnson’s lips. His eyes opened to the size of saucers as he looked at Jasmine.

She buried her face into his shoulder as if she was the good schoolgirl caught with the bad boy doing naughty things.

Johnson stood there like a dummy.

Shawn sneered. The man needed to pick his tongue off the floor and reel in his senses. Hadn’t he seen a beautiful woman before? “Something wrong, Johnson?” Shawn met the man’s gaze head on.

Sputtering, Johnson finally managed, “Uhh, nope, not a thing. Didn’t see nothing, either.” The other man rushed past Shawn into the stall and closed the door.

“Coast is clear. You can pull yourself out of my ass now,” Shawn said to Jasmine.

She backed up and darted a glance down the darkened hallway. Smoothing her hands down her waist, she sighed in what seemed like relief. “You and I have lots to talk about.”

Dragging a hand across his buzz cut, he wondered if he could outrun her. Of course. So why didn’t he? The less he said to her, the less chance he had at revealing his true identity. On the other hand, he didn’t like the idea of taking blame for something he hadn’t done. “This isn’t the place to have that talk.”

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Then where?”

“Are you staying in this area?” He didn’t know where the lady came from. Shane had called him the night before he left and said he had taken a bit of time off to play in the sand after he did an interview for a magazine. Well, apparently he meant play–literally. But he hadn’t mentioned a woman.

A couple came barreling down the hallway, their drunken laughter vibrating the walls, and Shawn’s ears. He glanced at his surroundings and caught the exit sign over a back door. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” When they stepped into the alley behind the bar, the cool air felt good to his shaken senses.

Jasmine didn’t look so good. Her pale color worried him.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t argue. “I’ll meet you at your room tomorrow.”

“Oh no, I get where this is heading.”

“Huh?”

“I tell you where I’m staying, you show up, and one thing leads to another. Before either of us knows what hit us, we’ll end up getting into something we shouldn’t have gotten into in the first place.” She breathed in deeply.

His eyes were tired. He rubbed them, but it didn’t help. After an exhausting day, this was the last thing he needed. Coming into the bar hadn’t been his idea in the first place, but after a lot of coaxing from the men, he’d finally agreed to grab a beer with the group. It was the one bar in town where they could come in their ABU’s, and straight from work, and not catch hell for it since the owner was a retired airman. Damn, he wished he’d followed his first instinct and gone home and crashed. “Look, Jasmine–” He lifted his hands in defeat. How could he make this easy? “I know you came here tonight dead set on raking me over the coals, but give me a break. I was only half of that one-night stand. I’m assuming you drove a long way to tell me you felt used. Maybe I felt a bit used too.”

The muscles around her eyes twitched. “Are you finished?” Her face turned a greenish color.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask her if she needed something, her eyes widened. He didn’t have time to react. She spewed all over his uniform. Shawn swallowed back his own urge to vomit. With doe-eyes, she stared back at him. Damn, he could almost feel sorry for her, but the fact was, he felt sorrier for himself. He wore her puke.

“I’m sorry,” she said through her fingers covering her mouth.

“How much did you drink, woman?” He stared down at the murky brown stain on his jacket. The thick chunks dripped onto his boots. “Ahh, shit!”

“Not a drop.” She dug inside her purse. Looking for a weapon? She might be drunk. Or worse, jacked up on drugs. She didn’t seem to be either, but he couldn’t guarantee it. Then she pulled out a wad of napkins. Dabbing her mouth with one, she stuck out the rest for him. “Here.”

Glancing at the tissue, he huffed. Was she joking? “What will that do?”

Hesitating, she said, “I’m staying at the Oxford Inn.” She pointed to the motel next door to the bar. “You can use my bathroom to clean up.”

“Are you sure you’re not afraid that I’ll jump your bones?” Which wouldn’t happen, he mused. Beautiful woman that she was, insane he wasn’t.

“Sex is the last thing on my mind.”