“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 he
r 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.
With Honor Page 2
