Kat’s gaze met Sawyer’s. In the quiet stillness between them, they seemed to be even closer now. She could feel his breath softly brushing over her skin. Something had changed in the silence and it seemed that he noticed it, as well. It was almost an electricity.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked.
“What do you want me to—”
That’s when his lips pressed into hers and a warm tingle shot down her spine. His heat spread quickly through her veins, making her aware of every feverish beat of her heart. Kat didn’t pull away from Sawyer. She couldn’t even if she wanted to. Her body leaned into him instead, craving more even though it was the last thing she needed right now.
His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her tight against the hard wall of his body. It was then, with every inch of her curves molded against his hard angles, that Kat knew for certain appearances were deceiving. For one thing, Sawyer might look like Finn, but he certainly didn’t kiss like him. His twin might have the reputation of being a playboy, but Sawyer had obviously gone for quality over quantity where women were concerned. As he deepened the kiss, his tongue slid leisurely along her bottom lip as though he had all the time in the world to study every inch of her. It elicited a groan of pleasure deep in Kat’s throat—a sound she didn’t even know she could make until that moment.
This buttoned-up businessman was hiding a skilled lover beneath that boring exterior. And the longer he touched her, the more she wished that it really had been Sawyer Steele in her bed that night three months ago.
But it wasn’t.
The thought that was like a lightning bolt of reality. What the hell was she doing? Kissing Sawyer Steele when she wanted to marry his brother?
It took every ounce of determination she had, but she pulled away from his embrace and stepped back out of Sawyer’s sphere of influence. Once she got some distance between them again, it was easier to control her impulses and regain what little composure she had left.
This was the wrong Steele twin. They looked alike, but they acted very differently, and like it or not, Sawyer was not the one she needed in her life. Finn was her baby’s father. Kissing his brother did nothing but muddy the waters and make an already complicated situation even more so.
Kat covered her lips with her hand, hoping she could somehow wipe away the tingle that lingered there from Sawyer’s kiss. It didn’t work.
“Did I do something wrong?” Sawyer asked, seeming almost startled by her sudden retreat.
No. Somehow he’d done everything right. Yes, Finn was charming, but Sawyer had different powers that Kat couldn’t resist. “No, you didn’t. I just... I think that was probably a mistake.”
She watched Sawyer’s jaw flex and tighten as if he was holding something in. She wished he would just say it, but he didn’t seem like that kind of man. He knew when to use restraint, unlike his twin, who did or said whatever he wanted whenever he liked.
His gaze followed her hand as it dropped protectively to her belly on reflex. Then his eyes squeezed shut for a moment and he nodded. “You’re right. I overstepped.”
“You didn’t. We both—”
“No.” He held up his palm to halt any further argument from her. “It’s my fault. You’re having my brother’s child. There’s no excu
se for my behavior.”
“And my behavior is okay?” she asked. It had been only a moment since they kissed, and her memory still served her pretty well. Whether or not she should’ve been an active and enthusiastic participant, she was.
“It’s not your fault. You were attracted to my brother, obviously. I look exactly like him. I can imagine it’s confusing. It’s an easy mistake for you to make in the moment, feeling like you’re attracted to me when you’re not.” Sawyer stuffed his hands in his pockets and took a step backward.
“I’m not so blinded by desire as to not know who I was kissing. You two don’t look exactly alike,” Kat argued.
Sawyer hesitated a moment and shook his head. “We’re identical twins.”
Kat shook her head in turn. “Maybe genetically, but there are subtle differences. You’re mirror images of each other. Your dimple is on the opposite cheek from Finn’s. And your eyes...” Her voice drifted off. “There’s something there that I didn’t see in him.”
She wasn’t sure what it was yet. He was the more serious, responsible brother, but that wasn’t it. Beneath all that there was a kindness in Sawyer’s eyes. A softness when he looked at her that faded when he looked at anyone else. Finn’s eyes had reflected only desire. At the time, that had been enough. Now that she was hoping for a future and a family with Finn, she wished she would see more when she looked in his eyes.
More like she saw in Sawyer.
That was a dangerous thought. There was no way to go back in time and choose a different brother. No way to go back and stop this whole pregnancy from happening to begin with. She had made her bed, as her mother used to say. Now she had to lie in it. With Finn.
“I’d better go,” Sawyer said, as though he’d heard the thoughts in her head.
Before Kat could say another word, Sawyer Steele turned on his heel and vanished from her shop, leaving her more confused than she’d been when he arrived.
* * *
Well, that hadn’t gone the way he’d intended. It had started out well enough, but kissing Kat was one of the dumbest things he’d ever done. This woman was his nemesis at the District. She was having his brother’s baby through potentially nefarious means. She couldn’t be trusted.