Cain's Salvation (Passion in Paradise - The Men of the McKinnon Sisters) by Sarah O'Rourke

her
flesh with its intensity and making her pussy weep bitter tears as she’d
steadfastly tried to deny her reaction to him.
    Facts were facts, however.
    Her mind and heart might still have
issues with the sexy man sitting at the back of her bar, but her pussy
recognized its lover instinctively.
    Releasing a shaky breath, she moved to
the chair behind the desk and sagged into it.  Leaning her head back
against the leather and closing her eyes, she willed her heartbeat to slow
down.  She just needed to get her body’s needy reaction to Cain’s nearness
under control, and then she’d go back out there like nothing had happened.
    Hearing the door open, she assumed it
was Patience coming to check on her.  She forced a brave smile to her lips
and forced her body to relax.  “I’m fine, sis,” she said without opening
her eyes, “Believe me, I’m not going to let the jackass get the best of
me.  I just need a second to decompress without his eyes following me
around like some deranged psycho stalker.”
    “The jackass in question is gratified to
hear that.”
    Faith’s eyes popped open in a flash as
that familiar gravelly voice washed over her.  “Cain!” she gasped,
stiffening in the chair as she gripped the desk with one hand to brace herself.
    “Hello, sweetheart,” Cain greeted her
quietly, stepping inside the small room and closing the door behind him. 
“I saw you take off like the hounds of hell were at your heels and got
worried.”
    “No!” She shook her head furiously and
bounded to her feet, infuriated by his endearment and his concern.  “You
don’t get to come in here and do that!” she exploded, her voice high and irate
in the tiny office.
    “What?” Cain questioned calmly, watching
as blood rushed into her cheeks and filled them with a warm, rosy glow. 
Her breaths rose and fell quickly beneath her thin shirt and he felt his own
temperature skyrocket.  “What did I do?”
    “What did you do ?” Faith fumed,
stomping from behind the desk to slam the heel of her hand into his solid
chest.  “Did you actually just ask me that idiotic question?  You know what you did, what you’ve done, and what you’re doing, Cain!  You do not get to march your ass into my office and play dumb.  Don’t you dare! ”
    “I’m not playing dumb, Faith,” Cain
replied carefully, hissing in a sharp breath as the palm of her hand lifted
with the speed of light and cracked against his unscarred cheek.  “Okay,”
he said slowly, lifting a hand to rub the stinging flesh, “I deserved that.”
    Shocked that he’d incited her to
violence, Faith stared into his steady eyes.  “Get out,” she whispered,
gesturing wildly toward the door as she took an unsteady step backward,
catching the edge of the desk with her right hip.  She barely felt the
pain.  All she could concentrate on was getting him the hell out of the
office before she reached for the letter opener and carved out his heart.
 “Get out of my sight before I kill you, Cain.”
    “Honey, I can’t do that,” he replied
carefully, watching as her eyes widened slightly.
    “Don’t!  I’m not your honey or your
sweetheart!  I’m not your anything! Not anymore, Cain.  You made sure
of that six months ago,” Faith choked, silently cursing the tears that rose in
her eyes.
    Watching as those heartbreaking eyes of
hers filled, Cain reached for her involuntarily.  “Faith, don’t cry,” he
begged.  “Please, baby.”
    “No,” she shouted hoarsely, hitting his
chest again.  “I get to cry if I want to.  I’m allowed to cry and
scream and curse and any other fucking thing I want to do. You left ME, Cain. 
In a fucking letter.  You weren’t even here , and you broke my
heart.  What did I ever do to deserve that from you?  Tell me, you
bastard!  Tell me what I did to deserve a fucking Dear Jane letter from
you!”
    “At the time, I thought I was doing you
a favor, Faith.  I was in a bad way,” he tried to explain,