He slammed the door behind us, and I flinched.
"What did I tell you?" His voice was quiet, but rage simmered beneath every word.
"You said to stay away from you. Not your brother."
"Don't be clever. It doesn't suit you." He prowled toward me. "John is off limits."
"He asked me to lunch. I didn't think refusing would be wise."
"So you went. You spent the afternoon with him. Alone."
"It was just lunch."
"Just lunch." He laughed harshly. "Do you know what my brother is? He's a player. He goes through women like they're disposable. And you just made yourself his next target."
"I can handle myself."
"Can you?" He was in front of me now, his presence overwhelming. "Because from where I'm standing, you can't seem to handle anything. You show up drunk in my bed four years ago. You run away like a thief. You come back and wiggle your way into my company. And now you're cozying up to my brother."
"I am not cozying up to anyone!"
"Then what were you doing?"
"Having lunch! That's it!"
His hand shot out, gripping the back of my neck. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to hold me in place. "You're lying again."
"I'm not."
"Then look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing when I touch you."
My breath caught. His face was inches from mine, his silver eyes burning with something I couldn't name.
"I feel nothing," I whispered.
"Liar."
And he kissed me.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't sweet. It was possession, pure and simple. His mouth claimed mine with a ferocity that stole my breath and made my knees weak.
And goddess help me, I kissed him back.
My hands fisted in his shirt. My body pressed against his. Four years of trying to forget him melted away in an instant.
He tasted like winter and wildness and danger. When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
"You feel nothing?" he asked, his voice rough. I couldn't answer.
"That's what I thought." He released me and stepped back, adjusting his shirt. "Stay away from John. Stay away from me. Do your work and nothing else."
"You kissed me," I pointed out, my voice shaking.
"And it won't happen again." But his eyes said differently. "Get out of my office."
I left on trembling legs, my heart racing, my lips still tingling. What was I doing? I couldn't let him get close. I couldn't risk him finding out about Cody. But goddess, I'd forgotten how he made me feel! Alive. Terrified. Wanting.
I had to be stronger than this. I had to protect my son. Even if it meant denying the pull I felt toward the one man I should run from.
