Page 4 of Sentinel's Kiss

“It’s the VIP lounge. You’re a VIP now. How does that feel?” He mocked the first question she ever asked him.

“Why do they call you Sentinel?” She craned her neck to take in all the bar regulars who were trying not to stare at her. He had never brought a strange woman up here before. They were curious to see who the newcomer was and if he was going to share.

Not a fucking chance.

“You can keep calling me Josh,” he said. All of his lovers did.

“Why Sentinel, though?” she asked, as he closed the door of the boardroom behind him.

The room had a large table and comfortable leather chairs around it. There was also a pullout couch and a kitchenette. He hoped the cleaning crew had changed the sheets. He didn’t think he’d be able to make it back to his apartment with Ashley.

“Because I’m just a soldier.”

“Not anymore you’re not. You were honorably discharged.”

It pleased him that she remembered, but then again she was a reporter. It was her job to remember details.

“Once a soldier, always a soldier. Can I get you a drink?” he asked, not wanting to get into any more details about him. She was too good a reporter not to sniff out a story there. He had followed her career. When she was on television, he made it a point to watch her. It was the least he could do after fucking her and then never contacting her again. She couldn’t be in his world. No matter how much he sometimes wanted her to be. Two years and countless women later, he still remembered how perfectly her body moved under his.

“Club soda would be great.”

He had been hoping she’d ask for something alcoholic to lower her inhibitions a bit, but from what he remembered she had been pretty wild even without the booze. He opened up the fridge and poured her a glass of lemon club soda over ice.

“What do you do here?” she asked, thanking him as he handed her the drink.

“As little as possible,” he said. “I own the place with a buddy of mine.” Sentinel didn’t have the patience for small talk. Either they talked about Sarah or they could start shedding their clothes. He took a deep breath to clear through the lust and managed to paste on what he hoped was a safe smile. “It’s been a while, Ashley. What brings you to me?”

If he hadn’t seen her with Stan this morning, she’d already be undressed.

She took a gulp of the soda and straightened her shoulders.

Here it comes. Suddenly he no longer wanted to hear what she had to say. If he kissed her now, she wouldn’t talk about his sister. He could make her forget everything but the way he made her body feel. And more important, Ashley could make him forget everything too. For a bit. But then reality would reassert itself and they would be right back to this moment. Better to get it out in the open now so they could enjoy themselves later.

Sentinel braced himself to hear his sister’s name and to hear the new evidence Ashley supposedly had in Sarah’s case.

“I’m doing a story for the two-year anniversary of your sister’s death.”

“Why?” That came out more viciously than he’d expected, but he didn’t backtrack or apologize.

“There’s been renewed interest in the case.”

“Why?” Sentinel managed to be nicer that time.

“Because of the serial killer.”

He wasn’t often flummoxed. “What are you talking about?”

She tilted her head at him and placed her hand on his arm. Her touch sent a jolt through him. “I’m sorry. I’m doing this badly. I figured you had been following the news.”

“Not usually,” he said. Ryder usually kept them up to date with anything relevant and Ashley hadn’t been on television lately.

“In the past two years, three other women have been reported missing by their husbands or significant others, only to be found in their trunk after their vehicle had been driven into a body of water.”

The lust fled his body as a cold sweat came over him. The same way Sarah had been killed.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and guided him into a chair. “Can I get you something or call someone?”

“I just need a minute,” he said.

---