Page 8 of His to Burn

Then there was the slight change in temperature that told me I crossed into the older wing of the building. From what I had seen, this wing wasn’t connected to the main HVAC system, so it would always a touch colder or warmer than the rest of the building depending on the weather outside.

I saw and felt it all.

When I reached the elevator, I was surprised to see Asia standing there.

I couldn’t stop myself from noticing her striking figure. She was a few inches shorter than six feet I guessed, and everything from her posture to her curves struck a perfect balance of power and femininity.

She could also bend time and space, it seemed.

I looked past her, trying to figure out where she came from.

It must have been the judge’s chambers.

In those few short moments, I had memorized the floor’s layout, and there was no path that would have allowed her to get to these elevators without me seeing her.

Shut that shit down, Thorne.

I left the military on purpose, but my mind hadn’t quite accepted the whole retirement idea yet. An unfortunate side effect was that my mind never rested, even when I wanted it to.

I returned my attention to the lawyer. She hadn’t even looked up from her phone and still didn’t when the elevator doors opened.

She stepped on, and I followed, my gaze glued to her ass.

At least the day hadn’t been a total disaster.

THREE

Asia

“Not today,” I grumbled as I smacked the Down button and prayed the elevator would finally move.

It didn’t, and it took everything I had to hold back my growl of impatience.

Instead, I settled for a deep sigh and pushed the button again.

I made sure to keep my movements deliberate, not wanting to betray my rising irritation.

After all, I’d only put in an eighty-hour week defending the rights of the county’s citizens. Why should I expect the courthouse elevator to work?

Suddenly annoyed at my own increasinglydour mood, I glanced back at the other occupant of the elevator.

I’d seen him earlier, in the hallway outside of the courtroom.

At first glance, I almost coughed as hard as Bridget, my friend and a court reporter. She had an excuse—her allergies were going haywire, and I had tried to reassure her that it wasn’t the mysterious virus that was all over the news.

Ihad no such excuse.

And a man, no matter how he drew my eye, should not have caused that kind of reaction.

Yet, as I looked at him now, I had the same response.

That low, hot twist in forgotten places.

A unnameable pull, twinged with something like fear, a feeling that was intense as it was confusing. He commanded my attention effortlessly, and while I was no weakling, something told me this man might be more than I could handle.

He was tall, several inches taller than my own almost six feet, and every inch of him looked carved out of granite. He had dark brown hair, and green eyes that were both alertand calm. His features were harsh, almost cruel, and only softened by surprisingly plush-looking lips.

He wasn’t what I would call classically handsome, but he possessed a masculinity that was undeniable.