Page 14 of Shadows Redeemed
She nodded. “I do. I’m the only woman out in the field, so it’s almost like having another group of big brothers. Still, we all look out for each other. Abbie runs the office, and Hayley’s our receptionist.”
“How many on the team, exactly? I mean, your brothers do it with just the four of them.”
She laughed. “My brothers run security for people and events. G.S.I. solves crimes and protects people’s information. We train companies how to be more secure, and we’ve even helped solve some cyber blackmail cases.” She shrugged. “It’s a little more involved than simply security.”
He laughed, bobbing his head as he lifted his drink. “Well, here’s to you being happy.”
She lifted her glass in a toast, but the look on her face didn’t exactly lend credibility to the toast. After she finished her drink, she set the glass on the table. “I should go.”
“What? No, wait.” He reached out and caught her arm as she slid out of the chair. “The conversation is just getting started. One more. Then we’ll call it a night. Promise.”
She stared at him through narrowed eyes for several heartbeats, and he thought she was about to turn him down. Then, finally, she sighed and settled back onto her stool. “Fine. One more drink. But you’re still buying.”
Relief coursed through him as he settled back in his seat, relaxing slightly. “You got it.”
He signaled the bartender for two more whiskeys, and then they settled back on their stools and the conversation continued. As they nursed their drinks, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her, wanting to reach out and take her hand in his. He wondered what she would do if he did. Probably snap his fingers.
As the evening wore on, they talked more about her family, Sage giving him an update about her brother’s business and how her mom had taken up trying to learn the piano just to have something to do, as well as trying to learn French. It moved from there to his parents and the cruise they just took. And before he knew it, they were on their third drink.
When the bartender announced last call, Parker didn’t want the night to end, and still couldn’t believe she had hung out with him for so long. He paid the tab and then escorted her to the elevators.
When he stepped off the elevator with her, she turned to him, one brow raised. “Where do you think you’re going?”
He pointed down the hall. “To my room. When you said you were staying here, I reserved a room for myself, so I could be close while we looked for Jacob.” He then gave a sheepish shrug. “I also asked them to put my room close to yours, thinking it would be quicker. I’m on the same floor, right around the corner.”
She didn’t look like she believed his reasoning, but didn’t argue. Instead, she headed down the hall to her room, Parker hurrying to catch up to her. His shoulder brushed hers as he reached her, sending tingles sparkling along his nerves.
All too soon, they reached her room, and he sighed that it was time to leave her side—the last thing he wanted to do. The night was perfect, even if the reason for her being there was not.
Pausing at her door, she turned to face him, her face wearing an unreadable expression. “Thank you… for tonight. I guess I hadn’t realized how tense I was. The distraction was good. I needed it.”
He had stepped closer to her, not meaning to, but not wanting to back up now either. He aimed for a casual tone, though his heart felt anything but calm. “Anytime. You know I’ve always enjoyed your company. And I enjoyed the night as well. It was a great break during all this bullshit.”
Their gazes locked, tension crackling between them like a live wire. His pulse thundered in his ears as he searched her eyes, looking for any sign that she felt the same way. Slowly, giving her every chance to stop him if he read things wrong, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
For one eternal moment, everything else fell away—his brother, the threat of the Broussards, the entire world. There was only the softness of Sage’s mouth moving with his, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt. He slid one hand around to the nape of her neck, angling her head as he deepened the kiss with a low groan.
Then Sage tore away from him with a harsh gasp, pushing him away from her as she stared at him with wild, reproachful eyes. Before he could react, she fumbled for her key card and wrenched open her door, disappearing quickly into the shadowed interior of her room.
“Sage, wait! I’m sorry.” He moved to catch the door before it closed.
But it was too late. The door slammed in his face, followed by the firm click of the lock engaging. Running a shaky hand through his disheveled hair, he blew out a hard breath. He couldstill feel the warmth of her lips against his, and the fact she didn’t pull away sooner or even slap his face when he tried it told him she had wanted it as much as he did. At least, at first. He didn’t regret kissing her, not with the way she kissed him back.
You’re playing with fire, old boy.But did he really care? If there was one thing he had in common with his brother, it was pushing aside caution when something he desired was close enough to grasp.
He stared at her door, grinning from ear to ear. “One way or another, Sage Silver. You’ll see we’re meant to be together.”
Squaring his shoulders, he practically bounced toward his own room, savoring the memory of her lips on his. He paused at his door, staring down the hallway toward her room, as if he could see it around the corner. Could there be a chance for the two of them? Was he even wrong for wanting something with his brother’s ex?
He sighed as he turned and slipped his key card into the door. If he was wrong, he didn’t care.
Stepping inside, he flicked on the light, already reaching for the buttons on his shirt, eager for a hot—or perhaps cold—shower. However, as he stepped past the bathroom into the main part of the room, he froze, his mouth open, heart pounding as he stared at the man sitting in the desk chair. “Jacob?”
His brother grinned at him. “Hope you don’t mind, but I let myself in.” He held a towel to his shoulder. A bloody towel. “I could really use your help with this.”
CHAPTER NINE
SAGE TOSSED AND TURNED, unable to get to sleep. How could she? Her mind kept replaying the unexpected kiss she had shared with Parker, the warmth of his lips, the softness, the way he…
