Brighter Than the Sun

She smirked. “Your security system sucks.”

Sean rubbed a tired hand over his face. “What’s really going on here, Rusty? And why are you . . . naked . . . in my bed?” He almost choked over the word naked.

“If I have to spell it out for you then there really is no hope for you.”

He sat on the end of the bed, torment and clear indecision reflected in his eyes. He suddenly seemed so unsure when he was always nothing if not certain of himself.

“What is it you want?” he asked softly.

“You,” she said bluntly. “We’ve been dancing around each other for years, Sean. I refuse to believe my attraction is one sided. And it’s obvious you aren’t going to make the first move, so I did. This seemed to be the best way to get your attention, and judging by your reaction, I’d say it worked.”

“You know this can’t happen, Rusty,” he said gently.

“Do I? Do you, for that matter? Your words say one thing but your eyes say something quite different,” she said quietly.

“You’re a beautiful woman, sweetheart. No man with a dick is going to ignore you.”

“Except you, apparently,” she said, suddenly feeling the need to yank the covers back over her. But she’d be damned if she’d back down now. “You kissed me, remember? Because I remember every second of it. I’ve never forgotten it, Sean. Did you? Can you look me in the eye and tell me you forgot? Maybe it meant nothing to you, but it meant everything to me. And I never got to kiss you.”

She crawled to the end of the bed, ignoring the alarmed look on his face, focusing instead on the blaze of desire that sparked in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, noting the rigidity with which he held himself in check. Then she pressed her lips to his and sighed, melting against him, her breasts pressing to his hard, muscled chest.

He let out a groan that sounded like a mixture of protest and raw desire, and she took the opportunity to trace the inside of his mouth with her tongue. To slide the tip over the rough edges of his. For one glorious moment, he gave in and took control of the kiss, and the mastery in it made her quiver from head to toe. Then he abruptly grasped her shoulders, setting her firmly away from him, his expression hard. A quick glance down confirmed he was hard elsewhere too.

“This can’t happen, Rusty. Damn it. Just stop.”

“You can’t deny your response to me,” she whispered.

“I think it’s safe to say that I’d have the same reaction if any beautiful, naked woman wrapped herself around me,” he snapped.

She flinched as if she’d been slapped, recoiling and ducking her head to hide the sudden surge of tears. Never had she felt as devastated as she did in this moment. Not the torment of her childhood. The humiliation heaped upon her by her mother and then her stepfather or the constant mockery and shame leveled at her in high school.

She’d sworn when she was little more than a child that no one would ever see her cry again.

“Rusty, honey,” he said gently.

“I’m nothing to you, not good enough for you,” she said tonelessly. “You’ve made that abundantly clear for years. I guess I’m just too dumb and too fresh from the trailer park for someone of your standing. Apparently I needed someone to beat me over the head with it. Well, you just did. Congratulations. I get it.”

Sean swore long and viciously. “Goddamn it, Rusty, that is not what I meant. Would you listen to me, please? The last thing I want is to hurt you.”

“Too late,” she said, choking back tears.

She wrapped the sheet around her and then scrambled to retrieve her clothing, ignoring his repeated pleas for her to listen. She was done subjecting herself to rejection and being treated like a fucking charity case. Sean Cameron could go fuck himself because she was finished putting herself on the line when he was too big of a coward to do the same.

Sean’s cell rang and he swore as he picked up his phone.

“Cameron,” he clipped out. “What?”

The way he said what sent a prickle of apprehension down Rusty’s spine.

“I’m on my way. I’ll get Rusty and bring her. Give me five minutes.”

He closed his phone, his face a wreath of concern. “Get dressed,” he said tersely.

“Sean, what’s wrong?” she asked, hating the fact that her voice trembled.

“Zoe’s gone missing and it doesn’t look good. You’re going with me because it would seem you’re the only one who has any real answers.”

She went pale and her lips trembled. “Oh God,” she whispered. “No. He couldn’t have found her. He couldn’t have,” she moaned.

“Save it for Joe, who’s out of his fucking mind,” Sean snapped. “You’ve got a hell of a lot of explaining to do, like the he in question finding her, but none of which entails me finding you naked in my bed.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Sean. I’d never humiliate myself any more than I already have. You have my promise that will never happen again.”

CHAPTER 21

THE last of the testing had just been completed and Allie was visibly stunned that every single KGI member had not only passed but had done so with speed and accuracy she clearly wasn’t expecting. She also seemed surprised that there seemed to be little doubt among her team members that they would pass so easily. She’d fully expected them to rub it in her face, but she’d been wrong about that as well. She was puzzled by the entire situation.