Page 62 of Steel Vengeance

Tonight had only confirmed what she’d been dreading for a while now. That she was hopelessly attracted to him.

The shower kept going, and she tried not to imagine his rock-hard body under the water, his muscles rippling, that chiseled back like a damn marble statue. She tried not to picture that perfect, firm ass just begging to be gripped, or those powerful thighs she couldn’t stop thinking about. Was he leaning forward, head down, his strong arms braced against the wall? Was he thinking about her?

She lay down, squeezing her eyes shut, tears burning their way down her cheeks.

Tears of shame. Of want. Of pure, aching desire.

That kiss had only left her craving more. It was all she could think about as she curled up and tried to fall asleep.

The shower was still running.

She exhaled hard, trying to force herself to relax.

After a while, the deep sleep she’d been in before he’d woken her with his mumbling started to creep back. Her eyelids grew heavy.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she heard the shower finally stop.

But before he came back to bed, she was asleep.

CHAPTER 23

Stitch left the hotel early the next morning. Blade wasn’t arriving until eight, but he needed some space to think. He grabbed a taxi to the airport and got a coffee from one of the pop-up stands outside. As the caffeine hit, he started to feel better. It’s what he needed after a restless night.

How could he have done that to Sloane?

How had he confused her with Soraya?

The CIA agent was messing with his subconscious, playing tricks on his mind. And now his mind was playing tricks back.

But damned if she didn’t feel good.

There was no denying the intensity of that kiss. The way her body had molded to his, her pelvis pressing into him in all the right places.

That soft moan—that’s when he realized she wasn’t Soraya.

Fucking hell.

He checked the digital clock above the Arrivals board: 07:57.

Almost time.

Sloane had still been asleep when he left, thank God. Not only couldn’t he face her after what had happened, but the airport wasn’t safe—too many cameras, too many prying eyes. They’d be monitoring every entry and exit point, watching for her.

He tossed the empty coffee cup in the trash and headed to Arrivals.

The more he tried not to think about last night, the more it gnawed at him. He’d come onto her in his sleep, kissed her in his dream…

And she’d kissed him back.

That’s what really threw him. She hadn’t pushed him away, hadn’t slapped him, hadn’t even told him to stop. She’d kissed him back, like she meant it. Soft, sensual kisses that had stirred his blood.

Up until now, she hadn’t shown any sign she felt anything for him. Their relationship was strictly business—follow Omari, find out what’s going on. At least, that’s what he thought. But she’d kissed him with the same passion he’d had for Soraya. What a mess.

What was he going to say to her when he got back to the hotel?

He checked the time again. At least Blade would be there, offering a distraction. They had to focus on finding Jeremy, anyway. That’s why they were here.

No need to bring up his stupid mistake.