Chapter Four
The tiny bungalow was painted a cheery yellow with white trim.
A white picket fence enclosed a tiny front yard.
Greenery filled cheerful window boxes, with a few late-blooming flowers giving it a pop of color.
It was quintessential small-town America and spoke of permanence and pride of ownership. It suited her.
“I’ll get the key.” Georgia pushed open the gate and headed up the stone walkway. “You can head over to the garage.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind waiting.” She’d been trying to get rid of him since he’d shown up back at the bakery. Perverse soul that he was, it made him want to stick closer. Besides, she was part of his assignment.
“Fine.” The single word was curt. He was pushing his luck. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be bunking in the depressing motel on the edge of town.
The walk from the bakery was a pleasant stroll. Not having to take the car to work was a definite perk. In California, he drove everywhere. This was most definitely a change of pace.
She unlocked the front door and shoved it open.
He remained on the porch but peeked inside.
The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.
He was cognizant that he was a big man and basically a stranger.
Yes, her cop friend had checked him out, and she knew of his brothers, but she’d known him less than a day.
She glanced over her shoulder at him hovering on her doorstep and sighed. “You might as well come inside.” The invitation was grudgingly given. He noted that her phone was in her hand, her thumb hovering over a contact number, likely the local police officer’s.
“I’m fine outside.” As if to mock him, the dark clouds overhead opened up and rain began to fall. He hunched his shoulders forward and ducked his head.
Georgia sighed. “For heaven’s sake, come in out of the rain. We were alone at the bakery and will be again. This isn’t any different.”
He noted that she sounded as though she was trying to convince herself more than him.
He stepped inside and closed the door. Other than the hum of the refrigerator, the place was silent.
There was no sign of a cat, or even a goldfish.
With the hours she worked, there was likely little time for a pet. He could picture her with a cat.
Like the outside, the interior was well-kept. Hardwood floors ran through the small living and dining area. Bookshelves filled one wall, housing the television, books, pictures, and other memorabilia. The sofa was gray. The chairs were a bold blue.
“We can go out the back.” She was already in the galley kitchen rummaging through one of the drawers.
“Nice place.” The entire house would almost fit into the living room of his condo, but there was something appealing that drew him in much the same way she did.
“Thanks. When my parents decided to retire to Arizona, I bought it from them.” Her tone businesslike, she held up a single key. “Follow me.”
The rain had eased up by the time they stepped into a backyard. Kieran glanced upward, wondering if his father was somehow responsible for the unexpected shower. He shrugged off the idea. The old man wasn’t likely to do anything to help him along.
The garden was no larger than the front but was as well-kept and tidy. It held a small deck with a table and chairs. The garage would hold one car. It wasn’t large, but it was adequate. The outside stairs were narrow but sturdy.
The pants she wore landed just above her ankle and weren’t tight, but he couldn’t help but notice her heart-shaped bottom as he walked up the stairs behind her. He’d been right about her work apron hiding some serious curves.
She had to jiggle the key in the lock, but it finally opened. “I haven’t been up here for a while. I stayed here when I first came back to Redemption.”
It was hotter inside than it was out. The entire space was visible at a glance.
“There’s no air-conditioning.” She shoved open the window above the sink in the kitchenette area. “The couch folds out into a bed. The bathroom is here.” She pointed at one of the two doors. He assumed the other was a closet.
He grimaced when he noted the size of the shower. It would be a tight squeeze. It’s not for long, he reminded himself. “It’ll work.”
She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I can return your money, and you can go to the motel.”
“I’d rather stay here.” Some invisible force he couldn’t explain or understand was pulling him toward her.
Georgia was intelligent, but he’d known many clever women in his time.
She was beautiful, but he’d crossed paths with some of the renowned beauties of history.
Back in L.A., he could pick up the phone and have dinner with any number of famous celebrities.
But it was Georgia Baker with her sunny hair in a messy braid, expressive blue eyes, and curvy figure who had his mouth watering and every muscle in his body tight.
Many of the pleasures of life had grown stale over time.
It was one of the reasons he was drawn to food.
Wherever he traveled, which was often, there were new cuisines to sample, new tastes to enjoy.
Sex was something he indulged in on a more controlled basis.
It wasn’t as though he could allow any woman to get close to him.
With Georgia, he felt alive, all his senses humming in a way they hadn’t in a very long time.
It was intoxicating. It was also dangerous.
He was immortal—for now.
The reminder of what was on the line should have cooled his ardor. His life, and those of his brothers, were at stake. The only things standing in his way were Georgia and the two women his stubborn siblings were involved with.
For millennia, he’d cultivated a pleasant but detached demeanor.
It intrigued women and made men cautious.
Two of the words used most often to describe him were “secretive” and “superficial.” They weren’t wrong, but those traits seemed to have deserted him.
He’d lost more than his preternatural abilities on his arrival in Redemption.
On one hand, it was reassuring to realize he could feel something real and not simply a manufactured emotion suitable to whatever situation he found himself in.
On the other, this was not the time to lose the sense of detachment that had kept him alive and relatively sane all these years.
There was too much at stake. No matter that he liked and wanted her, Georgia’s death was inescapable.
Death always won… Except when he didn’t.
It was unprecedented, but two women had managed to slip beyond the grasp of the Grim Reaper.
Even more perplexing, his father hadn’t immediately set things right.
There was a delicate balance in the world that needed to be kept.
That had been drilled into all of them from his earliest memories.
Whatever his brothers had done, he wasn’t about to make the same mistake.
Georgia was watching him intently. Shit, he’d gotten lost in thought. “Sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Long day.”
She held out the key. “The hot water tank isn’t large, so you might want to shower fast unless you want a cold one.”
That didn’t sound too bad right about now. Not only was he sweating—something he wasn’t remotely used to—the longer he spent alone with Georgia, the more his body responded to her.
He took the key and slipped it into his front pocket. “I’ll be fine.”
“I should go.” The soft, husky sound of her voice washed through him. They stared at each other, neither of them moving.
Don’t do it. Ignoring the inner warning, Kieran hooked his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him.
Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips, but she didn’t tell him to stop.
“This is a mistake.” He wasn’t sure which of them he was trying to convince.
“It is.” Her breath was warm on his face.
Anticipation had his heart racing. The scent of coffee and vanilla wafted from her skin, an aphrodisiac that made his mouth water. He had to taste her. Closing the slight gap, he brushed his lips over hers, barely grazing them.
A bolt of molten desire shot straight to his groin.
Giving a groan, he dragged his tongue over her bottom lip and then along the seam, slipping inside when she gasped.
Sweet warmth welcomed him. A warning bell clanged in the depths of his brain, but it was drowned out by the raging need pounding through him.
Using his hold on her neck, he angled her head slightly and deepened the kiss. Making a sound of pure pleasure, she rose up on her toes and took control, becoming the aggressor. The top almost blasted off his head.
Sex held no mysteries for him, but this was beyond any of his experiences. He tugged off the elastic band holding her hair and sifted his fingers through the thick locks until it fell freely around her shoulders.
Their tongues tangled, advancing and retreating until they were both breathless. It was a good thing there was no readily available bed, although the sofa was mighty tempting—if way too short. There was always the floor. Or the wall. A gnawing hunger ate at him. A yearning burned in his soul.
He released her and took a step away, only to have to grab her arm when she swayed.
This had to be some kind of trick or test on his father’s part.
There was no other explanation. There was no reason to crave her like he did.
Unwilling to fall victim to some ploy, he pulled his unruly body under control.
It was next to impossible with her watching him, her lips slightly swollen from their kisses, her eyes half closed and sultry, and her cheeks tinged a pale pink.