Born of Fire

Ooo damn . . .

Just as he’d suspected, her muscles were tight and well toned, and her breasts were made just the right size for a man’s hand.

Of its own accord, his gaze dipped to the mahogany triangle at the juncture of her thighs and . . .

His tongue became terribly thick, and he hoped it wasn’t hanging on the floor.

Or worse, that he was drooling.

Shahara couldn’t move. Those dark, predatorial eyes hypnotized her like a snake’s. He stood so still that he could have been a statue.

Only he wasn’t.

He was a man, flesh and blood. And as she watched him, a slow appreciative smile spread across his face.

Her face flooding with fire, she found her voice. “Get out!” she screamed, snatching her battlesuit off the floor and holding it up to her. “How dare you! You bastard!” She rushed toward him, shoving him back into the front room. “Get out and stay out!”

Before Syn could fully recover himself, she slammed the door shut in his face.

And to think he’d assumed she was locked in his bedroom. Yeah . . . That’d teach him to assume anything.

Then again, that view had gone a long way in making up for the skin she’d clawed off him earlier. He smiled at the thought.

Until he remembered he still hadn’t retrieved his pack from the bathroom cabinet.

Ah, shit . . .

He rolled his eyes as he debated going back into the bathroom for it.

Nah, that would be a mistake. This time, she might kill him. “Better leave it alone and not worry about it.” Cause he had a feeling that if she saw him again right now after he’d embarrassed her, he’d be limping.

More.

Better to get out with all his body parts intact.

Not to mention what Caillen would do if he ever learned of the view he’d just received.

Yeah, he didn’t retreat often, but in this . . . There was no other option.

Shahara fumed as she heard Syn’s deep laughter through the door, making her burn for retaliation.

Her hands shaking, she fastened her battlesuit. Her cheeks stung with heat. How could she have been so foolish? He was a ruthless felon and a liar. She knew that. Why had she bathed in such a man’s home?

Thank goodness she’d been outside the shower when he found her. There was no telling what he might have done had she been trapped inside the shower cubicle.

Once dressed, she decided it was time to teach Syn a valuable lesson about how to treat a woman with proper respect. Throwing open the door, ready for battle, she paused.

The room was empty.

Frowning, she searched every corner with her gaze, but didn’t find a single trace of him.

Cautiously, she entered the room, expecting a trick of some kind.

A sweet, warm aroma greeted her. Something smelled incredible. Since she hadn’t eaten in two days, the delicious smell made her empty stomach ache. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but as she crossed the room, she saw three sacks on the counter.

Moving over to them, she opened the bag laying on its side and smiled at the boxed dinner tucked inside. Her stomach rumbled as she uncovered a steak, vegetables, and a roll. The wonderful aroma of gravy wafted up from the hot meal.

Closing her eyes, she savored the rush of excitement. It had been more years than she could count since she’d last eaten a meal like this. She looked inside the other two bags and saw juice, bread, cold meats, cheese, and a few snack foods.

What was it with this man?

She couldn’t believe a cold-blooded killer would be thoughtful enough to bring her food. Why was he doing this for her?

Too hungry to think about it right then, she reached for the boxed dinner and took it to the sofa. It didn’t take her long to power through the delicious meal and put the rest of the groceries away.

Man, that had been good. She hadn’t been full in so long that she’d forgotten the sensation of it.

Looking around his immaculate home, she frowned. “You are the strangest creature I’ve ever met.”

The hardwood floors beneath her feet were polished to a high sheen that she was sure took hours a week to maintain. Ornate, white and black, plushly woven carpets were set between the two black leather sofas and under the dining table and chairs. The dining suite was made of hand-carved ebony-wood—an expensive luxury very few people could afford.

He had four Chinergov paintings and, unless she was mistaken, they were the originals, not copies, as well as other expensive art pieces everywhere. But the most fascinating thing was the huge white piano set before the windows that looked out on a breathtaking view of the city below.

This was high end.

And next to it was an empty desk. Syn hadn’t been kidding. There wasn’t a computer of any kind here. How weird for such a renowned filch. They usually lived their lives hardwired into network systems.

He must have set it up somewhere outside his home. But even that seemed out of character for someone with his background.