Sins of the Past (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

under her breath.
    On autopilot, she finished her sandwiches, grabbed two beers out of the fridge, and tucked a bag of chips under her arm. It wasn’t until she got to the living room and set her dinner on the coffee table that she realized she had made enough for her neighbor as well without even thinking. She frowned, more confused than angry at her actions. Lorna never did anything without consciously weighing the pros and cons before making her move. Now, here she was making dinner for a man whose name she didn’t even know. If she had to admit it to herself, she was actually looking forward to dinner with a guy who hopefully knew nothing of her reputation yet and hopefully didn’t expect anything from her.
    “Is there something wrong?”
    Lorna was snapped out of her thoughts by her neighbor’s question. “No, nothing’s wrong. Why would you ask that?”
    “You looked like you were contemplating you next move to take over the world or something.”
    Lorna laughed. “You don’t even know my name, yet you already know me so well. World domination can wait though. Even evil villains have to eat and I guess I can share my dinner with you since you’re already here.”
    “You’re still willing to share with me even though I almost ruined your plans with my smooth moves?”
    “How do you know dinner doesn’t come at a price?” Oh my God! Am I flirting? There was something about her neighbor that sucked her right in. For the first time since her Uncle John had died, Lorna actually cared what someone thought of her and it was a man that she knew nothing about. She had to admit, though, she was enjoying his sense of humor.
    “Something tells me it is a price I’m willing to pay. I’m Jacob, by the way.”
    Lorna couldn’t tell if it was her imagination or if his voice had actually dropped an octave or two when he made his last statement. Either way, his deep, husky voice sent shivers down her spine and directly to her lower half. She took a sip of her beer to add some moisture back to her dry mouth. “I’m Lorna,” she responded, ignoring his comment altogether. No need to prove the town rumors true before she even got to know him.
    They both dug into their sandwiches in comfortable silence and Lorna watched Jacob out of the corner of her eye. Whatever injury the man had, he was still recovering from and she could tell it had taken a toll on him. His face was pale, as if his color was washed out. His lips were pinched and white around the edges when he wasn’t chewing, letting her know he was in pain at the moment. The way he nibbled at the food told her he had probably lost quite a few pounds since he had been injured. That was saying something because Jacob was still huge. Lorna couldn’t imagine how big he would be when he was healthy. Still, the thought of him in pain and not eating right went straight to her heart.
    “You know how I got injured.” Lorna pointed to her throbbing nose that she had no doubt was swelling at the moment, then to his leg. “What happened to you?” She didn’t think Jacob would answer at first because he was quiet for so long, but he finally sighed and spoke.
    “I was shot in the knee on my last mission. I had to have it completely replaced.”
    Yep. My very own James Bond. Lorna liked the fact that his answer was straightforward and to the point. He didn’t try to sugarcoat it as if she couldn’t handle the truth. She had a feeling he didn’t want to talk about it, so she didn’t ask any more questions. He proved her feelings true when he quickly changed the subject.
    “So, that’s a pretty sweet car you have out there.”
    Lorna smiled with pride and decided she liked her neighbor even more. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Jacob.”

Chapter 4
     
    “Hey, J.”
    “What’s up, Cole? How are things?” Jacob settled back against the headboard of his bed and sighed. He had headed straight to his bed when he got back from Lorna’s. He was in pain and all he wanted to do was take some pain meds and sink into oblivion, but he had to talk to his friend first.
    “Well, while you’ve been having a nice, relaxing vacation, some of us have been working. I almost got my ass shot off today,” Cole joked. “Seriously though, I’m glad you called. I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?”
    Jacob popped a pain pill and chased it with a glass of water. “You have about ten minutes to tell me both before I’m