With Honor

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  “You could have tried honesty. Apparently you two have a history, a recent one.” Her voice contained an arsenal of accusation. “But that’s okay. This is just your way, right?”

  He gripped his hand on the blanket. Damn, he was done being compared to the man she’d met in Florida. She had no idea who he was. “I pushed her away. If you’d come a second sooner you’d have seen the truth.”

  “Drop it,” she snapped.

  “This is the time to listen to reason.”

  “Reason? That’s rich.”

  “Jasmine, you’re being unreasonable.”

  “Unreasonable? Good one.”

  “Are you going to repeat everything I say?” He huffed. “Why aren’t you working today?” He watched as she grabbed a small suitcase from her closet.

  “I told you before you left that I was leaving today. After my doctor’s appointment.” She began tossing clothes from her drawer into the bag.

  “Leaving?” His heart sank. “And you had a doctor appointment? Why?”

  “You never listen, do you?”

  Frustration skidded down his veins. “Just answer my questions.”

  “The doctor appointment was a check up. And I’m going to see the writer I told you about.”

  “Why?”

  “Is that any of your business?”

  “I’d say it is, to some extent.”

  “You should be happy. I’ll be out of you hair and you can romp around with Ms. Double D’s.” She shut the lid to her case, lifted it and headed past him.

  “Jasmine!” Stomping off after her, he paid little heed to his lack of shoes.

  “Go back inside,” she snapped.

  He reached her before she had the car door open. “You’re jealous. When people are jealous, they see things different.”

  Turning on him, she poked her finger into his chest. “I am not jealous. I have no reason. You made it clear the other day what our relationship is.”

  “No, I wasn’t clear enough.” Before he doubted himself, he brought his mouth down onto hers in a heated kiss. When she parted her lips, he thrust his tongue deep into her, tasting her.

  She moaned as she relaxed into him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her body against his. Spirals of passion escalated through him. Every sweet fiber of his being came alive. He pulled his head up. His heart thumped in his chest and he paced his heavy breathing.

  She opened her eyes and they shone like jewels. “Shane…”

  “Come back in,” he said.

  Hesitation and uncertainty skittered across her features. She pushed her palms against his shoulders and he placed her on her feet. “You know what I find interesting about some men?” Her voice was raspy.

  “What’s that?” He grew harder against the blanket and quickly glanced around the parking lot. If he wasn’t careful, he’d announce to the world what he felt.

  “When they forget the wrath of a scorned woman because they can’t think past the muscle between their legs.”

  “Huh?” He narrowed his eyes. How could she still be angry after that passionate kiss?

  “And sometimes, they need to be taught a serious lesson.”

  Her eyes turned a distinct color that warned him of her inner turmoil. “Jasmine–” He reached out, but she sidestepped him.

  If he hadn’t been so caught up in his sexual need, he could have prevented the next event. Catching him by surprise, she grabbed the corner of the blanket and tugged hard. Standing there, he was naked as the day he was born and as hard as a teenage boy. The cooler air breezed across his woody and it took a nosedive.

  He grabbed for the blanket, but she jerked it out of his reach.

  “Shit!”

  Jasmine’s leer was that of a revengeful woman. No doubt she appreciated the fact that he was naked and vulnerable.

  “Come on, give me the blanket.” He took a step forward.

  Shaking her head, she jetted toward her car door, opened it and jumped in, locking it behind her. With a devil’s grin and a waving of the blanket, she tossed it into the passenger’s side. He stood there for only a second longer before darting back up the sidewalk and into the house. He looked around the neighborhood for good measure. Thank God no one was watching. He could see the incident written in his airman’s record, or worse, getting arrested for indecent exposure.

  He pulled back the curtain at the window as Jasmine drove down the street.

  When she was completely out of sight, he burst into laughter.

  He shouldn’t laugh, but the scene was funny. “Well played, Jasmine. Well, played.”

  * * * *

  Jasmine pulled away from the house and denied herself the enjoyment of flipping Shane off as he watched her drive away. She wasn’t one to lower herself to dirty hand gestures, but the man drove her to loony levels.

  She’d been speechless when she’d walked up to find that bimbo Denise snuggled up nice and cozy against Shane’s naked chest. Jasmine had been bent out of shape, twisted in jealousy, until she’d taken a deep breath and realized Shane had been actually trying to push the other woman away. She’d seen enough to understand the truth, but she hadn’t allowed Shane the privilege of removing himself from the blame…completely.

  Jasmine knew Shane wasn’t still interested, or seeing, Ms. Double D’s. At one time, he’d obviously been. Although it might be none of her business, she wondered how far he’d come up on the womanizing scale these days. Had he changed? Could a man change?

  No way would she share a man, no matter how good he made her feel or how deeply she cared for him.

  In hindsight, removing the blanket may not have been the most mature thing to do, but it’d felt good all in the same. She hadn’t done it in anger. Hell, yes she had. Her emotions were out of control.

  She pushed her fingers through her hair and dropped them to her swollen lips. Shane had kissed her, with unrelenting passion, leaving her questioning what her relationship was with him.

  Relationship? An awfully big word for what little they had.

  She drove off base and toward the airport. Guilt plagued her. She’d left out important information when she’d told Shane her plans of leaving. He’d want to know that her boss headed with her to Colorado to speak to the writer. To her, it didn’t seem a big deal. Her interest for Jason remained only professional, but Shane didn’t like the man.

  Jasmine shook her head. Shane didn’t own her. And the trip was business.

  The chime of her cell sounded from her purse. She reached for it and viewed the screen. Shane had left a text message. Pushing the view button, she read the words.

  I will recover from the incident in the parking lot. That is, if you have some compassion for a wounded man.

  She bit her bottom lip and smiled as she texted back.

  I’ll consider it when I come back from Colorado. That is, if you prove you’re deserving of forgiveness.

  She climbed out of her car, still smiling.

  Chapter 14

  “These are his things from the bank box?”

  Shawn looked across his desk at Pete and nodded. The large envelope was a glaring reminder of his brother’s accident. “Took me forever to track down the bank where he kept his personal belongings.”

  “Have you taken a look yet?” Pete asked.

  “Not yet.” Shawn picked up the envelope and checked its weight in his palm. “Not much in it.”

  “What’s keeping you, bro? Open the damn thing.” Pete encouraged.

  Shawn heaved a heavy sigh. “I’d like to do this alone, Pete.”

  A moment’s hesitation passed until Pete got up. “Give me a call if you need to talk. That’s why I’m here.”

  The door closed behind Pete.

  Shawn turned the envelope over. A smaller white envelope dropped out. He picked it up and saw his name scrawled across the front. His heart took on a frenzied pace as he opened it and took out the paper from inside. He read it aloud:

  Shawn,

  If y
ou’re reading this, that can mean only bad news for myself. I’ve been called to duty and my instincts tell me something ain’t right. I know I can count on you to make this better. Find Jasmine Sinclaire, the journalist. She’ll tell you everything.

  Shane

  His mouth turned dry and his palms sweated. His brain tripped over its receptors as he read Jasmine’s name over and over again, trying to process the idea that it was, in fact, written and not a figment of his imagination.

  Swallowing back bile, he wanted to throw up. What did the letter mean? What did Jasmine know that she wasn’t telling him? Had she deceived him? Doubt inched its way through his mind. None of this made a bit of damn sense.

  One thing did become clear. He had to find her ASAP. His gut warned him that she could be in serious danger.

  Folding the letter, he stuffed it into his front pocket. Forcing his mind to function, he grabbed his cell and darted out the door. He had no clue where exactly Jasmine was, but that had to be his own damn fault. He punched in a familiar number on his phone and it was answered on the second ring. “Pete, I need you to look up an address for me.”

  * * * *

  The day had been long. That was about the only way Jasmine could describe her adventure as she headed up to her room in the luxurious hotel. She had needed the time away, to put her thoughts in order.

  Swiping the key, she heard the beep, pushed open the door, and locked it behind her. First thing she did was slip off her shoes and head into the sizeable bathroom. Her reflection reminded her of the time she had the stomach flu. Dark circles rimmed her shiny eyes and her cheeks were rosy. Her feet were killing her and her back ached. She wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a good night’s sleep.

  Her hand was on the faucet knob when a knock came at the door. Since she’d already undressed, she grabbed a T-shirt and tugged it on, followed by a pair of sweats. Looking through the eyeglass on the door, she saw Jason. She couldn’t imagine what he needed–or wanted.

  Opening the door, she saw he held a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes. “I thought we deserved to celebrate. This trip has been a success.” His mouth curved into a smile that amplified a row of white, even teeth. He was a nice looking man, but he didn’t do a thing for Jasmine, except sign her paycheck.

  “That’s very kind of you, but I was just getting into the bathtub–”

  “Aww, come on. The night is young. We just signed a deal with a writer who will make your name as an editor.”

  Searching for words, she finally managed, “Hmm…I don’t think this calls for a champagne toast.”

  Without her invitation, he swept into her room with his expensive Armani suit and rich Italian loafers. her mouth dropped open. Stuck between confusion and uh-oh, she wondered if the man had boundaries. She closed the door. Mr. Fancy Pants didn’t even notice that she’d slammed it. He was so full of himself he probably didn’t hear anything but his own muses in his mind.

  His gaze slid over her body and he grimaced. “Oh, sweats? Cotton and champagne don’t mix well.”

  Shane had been right. Her boss was a freak. She cooled her temper and settled for a gentle way of letting him down. “I’m not up for a toast, or company. I’m feeling a little ill after the day and I was looking forward to a quiet evening.” After spending all day listening to him push his thoughts and ideas on others, she didn’t have any desire to spend her evening tolerating more.

  “Jasmine, you can’t be serious.” His eyes narrowed. Men like her boss had thick skulls and impossibly lame brains.

  “Yes, I’m serious.”

  “But this is a lovely evening, meant for lovers to enjoy the sights and each other.” He started to open the top of the champagne.

  “You should stop right there.” She closed in the distance between them. “You should leave…now.” She grew sicker by the minute. Swallowing back the heated vomit building in her throat, she wasn’t sure how long she could hold it.

  All smile left his expression, exchanged for one of utter shock. One corner of his mouth dropped and he suddenly showed his age. She couldn’t even guess how old he was, because he’d obviously spent a ludicrous amount on plastic surgery.

  “Am I hearing wrong?”

  “The misunderstanding is that you think there is more between us than a working relationship.”

  He chuckled, not in humor, but complete sarcasm. “No, you’re the one who misunderstood. I thought you realized I brought you here with me so we could take this to the next level.”

  The man had an ego the size of a football field and wasn’t afraid to show it. If she’d been well enough, she would have laughed, but even now she didn’t have the energy. “And I would have told you that I don’t like men who wear more jewelry than I do and are more plastic than a blow-up doll.”

  Anger turned his expression hard.

  “I’d be careful squinting like that if I were you. You will reverse the thousands of dollars worth of surgery.”

  “You bitch.” He spat between perfect white teeth.

  She prepared to unleash her words, but a knock on the door stopped her. Cocking her chin, she said coldly, “You got lucky.”

  Jasmine strode toward the door and swung it open wide. Her breath whooshed from her lungs. Was she in the Twilight Zone? “Shane?”

  Wearing his ABU’s and a hat lowered over his eyes, he had a shadow of a beard and he looked as tough as any man she’d ever seen…and oddly, it melted her. She’d never been happier to see anyone in her life…or as surprised.

  “Hi, baby. I thought we needed to finish our conversation fully clothed.”

  “Yes, I think we do.” She’d almost forgotten that they weren’t alone, until she felt the dragon’s breath on her neck.

  Shane’s gaze moved past her. She knew the second he saw Jason. Jasmine had never seen a jaw turn iron-hard in such a quick time. His eyes turned like a silver bullet looking for a target.

  She needed to buffer the atmosphere. “Shane, you remember my boss, right?” What she really wanted to say was, I’m so glad you’re here. You couldn’t have come at a better time.

  Shane pulled off his hat and held it at his thigh. “Yes, I do remember. I just didn’t expect to see him in your room.”

  As she opened her mouth to explain, Jason gave her no time. “We were busy here. I thought Jasmine and I could end the day with a drink.”

  “But I just explained to him that I’m not in the mood for champagne.” Shee was quick to clarify the truth. The tension was building.

  “I’m surprised to see you here, Shane. Jasmine didn’t tell me she invited company.” Jason certainly didn’t have a filter.

  Jasmine knew Shane had steely control from years of training. He was skilled in combat. But she didn’t know whether in this situation he was capable of preventing his inner turmoil from getting the better of him. He disliked Jason’s arrogance, and now, with her boss’s taunting to boot, it could go nowhere but in the wrong direction. She subtly moved in between the two brawny men and was engulfed by their sizes.

  “Jasmine didn’t know I was coming, obviously.” Shane darted his gaze to her.

  “I wasn’t expecting either of you.” She threw her hands up in irritation. Nausea bubbled warningly inside her stomach. “And by the way, Jason was just leaving.”

  Jason sighed. “I thought we were clear on this.” His whiny voice ripped through her like the non-stop squeal of a piglet.

  “We’re clear, alright. I quit,” she said without hesitation.

  After an expression of disbelief swept over his face, he laughed. “Are you serious?”

  “Oh, I’m serious. And throwing you out of my room will not only prove to you how serious I am, but it will also satisfy my desire to show you that you’re not God’s gift to every woman. Not by a long shot.”

  “Good riddance,” he sputtered. “Good luck on finding another position.” He placed the champagne bottle on the table and shrugged. “Take this as my gift.” He winked at Shane and sho
ok his head. Just as he reached the threshold, Jason turned to Jasmine and said, “I hope you don’t plan to ask for a reference.”

  A gate was lifted on the sick feeling she’d been fighting all day. Hot vomit exploded out of her mouth and spewed all over her ex-boss. His expensive pinstriped suit and leather shoes were covered.

  “What the fuck?” His voice rose to a screaming level. She’d never heard a man reach that high pitch before.

  Jasmine was at a cross between embarrassment and humor. She dropped her hand to her stomach. “By the way, I’m pregnant, and I take it the baby didn’t like its mommy being talked to like that.”

  Jason’s face turned red. He snapped his lips tight.

  Shane wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Man, I hope you don’t mind a bit of advice, but you might want to rinse that in cold water before it stains.”

  Hitting Shane with a narrowed gaze, the other man opened his mouth.

  “And another suggestion, before you sputter another word that triggers my impatience, you should leave.”

  Jason was egotistical, but not stupid. He rushed from the room. Shane slammed the door behind him with his foot. “I’ve never seen a better goodbye in all my life.”

  Jasmine felt her face flush with heat. Another bout of tingly sensation gripped her. She ran into the bathroom and dropped to her knees “Now I understand what pregnancy sickness means,” she whispered. “Throwing up on two people in one’s lifetime is two too many.”

  “Some weapon you have there. Throwing up on your enemy.” He chuckled.

  “So not funny.”

  “What did you eat for lunch?” he asked.

  “Tuna,” she answered

  He chuckled. “Thought so.”

  “Go ahead and rub it in more. I guess these are the not-so-glowing-days of pregnancy.” Dizziness washed over her. Waves of nausea pounded her while sweat trickled between her breasts. She felt Shane’s hand on her shoulder.

  “You need this.” He pressed a cold cloth against her forehead.

  She got up, closed the lid of the toilet, and sat down. She held the washcloth on her skin. “Why are you here, Shane?” The coolness of the cloth made her feel better.