Page 26 of Lethal Threat

“I don’t even know you…” Her words come out between hitched breaths.

“Not right now, but you will. Whether you remember me or you get to know me, you’ll know me.”

A dull knife drags through my heart, splitting me in half.Fucking hell.I should just tell her about the ruse now.

But something stops me.

Greed.

Maybe desperation to have just a few more hours with the woman that owns half of my soul. What’s left of that soul will be rotting after this stunt.

This disaster is going to explode. I just feel it coming.

Chapter Nine

COLE

I made a mistake.Dammit.Shouldn’t have had her on my lap.

When Sierra pulls out of my arms and climbs off, it takes all my control to let her go.

She wiggles across the console and I have to clamp my teeth closed to stop from groaning.

The click of her seat belt buckle echoes like a gunshot.

I know I’m in trouble. I see questions coming from a mile away.

“So, we need to talk about this. What else have you seen me do?”

Enough to make her blush for days.I’m definitely not going there. My willpower isn’t that damned strong.

The car starts with a growl that matches the one building inside me. I fail to hide my grin. “Oh, I’ve seen you do plenty.”

If she thinks we’re getting into all that, she’s wrong.

“That’s all you’re saying.”

“Yep.”

“You’re a hard man.”

I hide a snicker with a cough and glance at her. “I can be.”

Our gazes hold. The heat between us can’t be missed. That earns me a blush that apparently makes her hot enough to roll the window down.

For the next few minutes, she fidgets and while I find it mildly amusing, I know I’m playing with a dangerous fire.

As she loses the heat and rolls the window up she asks, “Did the doctor say I’d be grumpy?”

“Head injuries can cause irritability and changes in temperament. I’ve had friends in the service that have suffered from TBIs and it was a rollercoaster for a while.”

She lets out a little huff. “Great. Not only am I a blank slate, I’m a grouchy one too. I’m trying to be logical, but I feel really emotionally unsteady right now.”

After waiting on a few cars to pass, I turn onto the main arterial road. “I expected it. Not an issue.”

“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this. I’m sure you have other things to do.”

“Look, Sierra. You’re not a burden.”