Page 9 of Unburied

He’d been too busy stripping Virginia out of her clothes to worry about that worthless cheating guy.

“Have you gotten anything else so far?” Knox asked.

“Caught him making out with the secretary in the parking lot of their building.”

“Keep at it. I’ll touch base with Mrs. Morrison and let her know. All right,” Knox continued, “let’s break for lunch.”

He dipped his head in acknowledgment, and his brother, Miles, leaned in. “Looks like Morrison’s getting plenty of action. What about you?”

He fought the urge to react, the memory of the woman from the bar Saturday night flashing to the forefront of his mind. “Why?”

Miles shrugged. “You were in a hotel bar. Figured you’d have picked up some chick in town for the night, shown her a good time.”

He kept his face neutral as he nodded. “Maybe.”

His hand automatically went to his shoulder, and he rubbed the spot where her teeth had left small crescent marks in the flesh. Just thinking of her made him hard.

“Come on,” Miles needled as they stood and made their way to the door. “You’re seriously gonna hold out on me? Was she that good?”

He bristled at the question. It had been that good; that was precisely why he was keeping his mouth shut. Even though she was probably thousands of miles away at this point, Virginia was his and his alone. He wanted to keep those memories locked up in his mind where he could play them back over and over.

His brother could read him like an open book and smell his lies from a mile away. He drew on all his acting skill, letting out a derisive laugh as Miles pushed open the door that led into the lobby. “You know how it is. It’s not exactly hard to pick up women when they’re practically begging for it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the hairs on the back of his arms and neck lifted. His head snapped toward the reception area at the front of the lobby, and his body went hot then cold as his gaze collided with a familiar pair of eyes.

Eyes that had stared into his own as he’d been with her long and hard the other night in the hotel.

Eyes that were soulfully deep and dark—and full of fury.

CHAPTER

FIVE

The guy she’d hooked up with Friday night—and early Saturday morning—stood across the room, those intense golden eyes fixed on her. It was no consolation that he looked just as shocked to see her as she was to see him. The jerk had called her a bar slut.

Anger simmered in her veins, and her fingers twitched to grab up the scissors in the top right drawer of her desk and cut off the manhood he was so proud of. She was really starting to commiserate with the blonde from the hotel bar. Apparently, everything she’d said was true. He was a prick who used women and discarded them like tissues. All of her thoughts and wishes from this morning dissipated like dust in the wind.

She broke their gaze and turned to Miles, who was currently draped over the counter. “Off to have fun?”

He winked. “Not as much fun as I’d have with you.”

She’d first met Miles when he helped Knox and her move her things into Ellen’s place. He flirted shamelessly, even knowing that there would never be anything between them. She started to roll her eyes, then thought better of it. She refused to let the man know he’d hurt her. “What kinda trouble are you gettin’ into today?”

“The usual.” He turned and waved the new guy over. “Mason, come meet Vivi.”

She gritted her teeth as the jerk—Mason—approached. Forcing a smile to her lips, she held out a hand like we’d never met before. “Nice to meet you.”

His gaze narrowed as he took her hand in his, giving her fingers a little squeeze. She snatched them away. His face darkened further, but she dismissed it a moment later when Miles’s words penetrated her fog of anger. “Vivi, this is my brother, Mason.”

His brother? What in the name of all things holy was happening right now? She stood there slack-jawed for a moment, her brain spinning. “Your brother?”

“Yep.” He grinned. “I’m the good looking one, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Her response was half-hearted as her gaze darted over Miles’s shoulder to Mason, who looked ready to kill. She couldn’t freaking believe it. Miles had never once mentioned his brother’s name, and besides⁠—

“Wait.” She snapped her gaze back to Miles. “She thought you said you were a twin.”

“Yep. Fraternal,” he added helpfully.