Chapter Nine
With his arm thrown over his face, Kieran lay in bed and listened to the sound of the shower. Georgia was naked, soap slicking over her soft skin. His dick jumped to attention. He thought about joining her, but then figured she could use the alone time. Or maybe he was the one who needed it.
Last night had gone beyond lovemaking, spectacular as that had been. They’d eaten dessert in bed, discussed their love of food—something they had in common. She was easy to talk to, which was dangerous. His secrets had to remain just that—secret.
The night was over, and in the harsh light of morning, his responsibilities came roaring back.
Swearing, he sat up and reached for his jeans.
No point in lingering if she wasn’t with him.
It wasn’t like the bed was actually comfortable for a man his size.
Standing, he pulled on his pants and scrubbed a hand over his face. Gods, he was stiff and sore.
Sunshine streamed into the room. Georgia’s phone was on the bedside table. He gave it a quick check. They were running late, but they’d both needed the rest. After yesterday, he doubted anyone expected her to open this morning.
He rolled his shoulders, ignoring the ache in his back.
He’d all but forgotten his injuries last night in the haze of sexual desire.
This morning, they were making themselves known.
They weren’t serious, but they were a reminder of his changed circumstance.
It was up to him to ensure it didn’t become a permanent one.
The water was silenced. He turned and faced the door, easily following her actions by the sounds coming from the bathroom.
Imagining her rubbing a towel over her entire body raised his core temperature and caused his jeans to become uncomfortably tight.
He reached down and rearranged his dick, but it didn’t help.
He should go back to his apartment, but his feet were glued in place.
The hairdryer came on next. He could picture her brushing out her thick hair and pulling it back for the day.
She wouldn’t bother with makeup, maybe moisturizer.
After what seemed an eternity, but was likely no more than ten minutes, the door opened. As he’d suspected, her hair was in a neat bun, and the only sign of cosmetics was a slick of gloss on her lips.
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.” Her fingers tightened around the towel she had wrapped around her. It covered her but gave a hint of cleavage and left her sexy shoulders and shapely legs exposed.
As though pulled by a magnetic force, he went toward her. “I didn’t want to leave without this.” Bending down, he brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips tasted faintly of vanilla.
Giving a sigh, she leaned into him. Her hands went around his neck. He gave a fleeting thought to taking her back to bed but resisted. They both needed to get back to normal this morning. It took more willpower than it should have to make himself pull away.
Her towel slipped when she released him. He caught a glimpse of her breasts before she grabbed it. “Ah… I need to get dressed.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“Do you mind if I take a quick shower? Yours is bigger than mine.” And it gave him an excuse to stay near her.
“Go right ahead.” She waved toward the bathroom.
With the door shut behind him, he peeled the bandages off his body, stripped off his jeans, and cranked on the cold water.
He was so hot, steam should have risen off his body.
As it was, his erection remained undaunted by the frigid blast. He soaped, rinsed, and toweled off in record time and was pulling his jeans back on in under five minutes.
New clothes were a priority today. He’d already been here longer than he’d anticipated, and he couldn’t put it off any longer.
There was no sign of Georgia in the bedroom. He stuffed his feet into his boots and went in search of her. He’d hit the living room when the doorbell chimed.
“Who in the world can it be at this hour?” Georgia hurried to the door.
Kieran fought the urge to step in front of her. From here on out, non-interference was the rule he had to live by. No matter how distasteful it was to him, her destiny had to play out. Arms crossed over his chest, he planted his feet and glared when he caught sight of the early-morning visitors.
“Sorry to disturb you, Georgia. We knocked on Kieran’s door, but he wasn’t there.”
A rosy blush covered her cheeks as she held the door open. “Ah, good morning, Sam. He’s here. Please, come in.”
Sam and Alex stepped inside, both of them giving him a pointed glare. Screw them. They were in no position to judge. They’d failed their assignments and left him to clean up the mess.
“I’m Alexiares Blackwell. Please call me Alex. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Sam gave her a nod but didn’t offer his hand.
“Georgia Baker, and it’s good to meet you too.”
“What’s this about?” Kieran moved behind her. His hands hovered over her shoulders before he thought better of it and let them drop back down by his sides. Both his brothers noted the possessive move.
Sam held out a bag. “We heard what happened yesterday. Figured you could use some clothes.” He eyed Kieran’s bare chest and smirked. “Can’t have you running around half naked.”
Georgia grabbed her purse from a chair by the door. “You three should talk, and I need to get to work.”
“I’ll come with you.” Kieran’s stomach churned at the thought of letting her out of his sight. It was his job to be there when her time came. With his abilities on lockdown, he couldn’t depend on any advance notice of her death.
She patted his arm. “I’ll be fine. If I go in now, I can open before lunch.”
Ignoring his brothers, he caught her hand in his. “After yesterday, you shouldn’t be alone.”
Her smile was sad but resigned. “I’m used to it. Besides, you’ll be gone in a few days. You came here to see your brothers. That’s what you need to do.”
The reminder was a lead weight in his gut, but she was right.
If he didn’t get his brothers on board with his plan, all of them would pay the price.
While he appreciated where they were coming from, there was one point he did agree with his father on—balance must be kept.
Three women in this town were destined to die.
Unlike the demise of a reaper, a human transitioned to Heaven and could be reborn.
They’d all have another chance. The same couldn’t be said for him or his brothers. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Actually, Georgia, we were hoping you and Kieran would join us at Susie’s Diner for breakfast. Adrianne and Cilla are waiting outside.” Sam waved at the two vehicles parked at the curb.
When she hesitated, he added, “We can stop and put up a sign at the bakery. I know it’s an imposition, but it would mean a lot to all of us.”
She glanced at Kieran, her eyes confused and questioning.
He shrugged and nodded. He was unsure what game his brothers were playing, but if it allowed him to stay close to her, he wasn’t about to protest. “I suppose I could manage an hour. I do need to put a sign up that I’ll be opening at eleven,” she said.
“Here.” Sam tossed the bag he’d brought with him at Kieran.
Kieran caught it and set it on the sofa.
There was a pair of jeans, a stack of T-shirts, and packages of new socks and underwear.
Enough clothes for four or five days before he had to worry about laundry.
“Thanks.” He hadn’t expected this, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
It saved him having to shop. He grabbed a light-gray T-shirt and pulled it on over his head.
“I’m ready.” His jacket was at his apartment, but it was warm enough that he didn’t need it.
After locking up, they trooped down the walkway. “Adrianne and I will meet you there,” Sam said. “There’s not enough room for you in the truck. You’ll go with Alex.” Order given, Sam climbed into the vehicle.
A pretty woman with brown eyes and curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail leaned out the open truck window. “Morning, Georgia. Sorry for the early intrusion, but there’s no slowing these guys down when they get an idea in their minds.”
Georgia laughed. “Morning, Adrianne. Having spent time with Kieran, I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s a family trait.”
The truck began to pull away, leaving Adrianne waving out the window. “See you there.”
“Sam’s still giving orders, I see,” Kieran said to Alex.
His brother shrugged. “Some things never change.”
“And some do.” It was a reminder of their altered circumstances.
“Sometimes for the better.” With those soft words, Alex opened the back door for Georgia. Frustrated with himself for not doing it first, Kieran inserted his body in front of his brother and got in alongside her.
An attractive—in a girl-next-door way—woman twisted in her seat. “I heard what happened yesterday. I’m glad you’re both safe.” Bright-green eyes, hair the color of a new copper penny, and a sprinkling of freckles made him think of fairy tales he’d read as a child.
Not in a million years would he have pictured his brothers with either of the women they’d chosen. Intrigued, he held out his hand. “I’m Kieran.”
“Cilla Wainwright. You sure you’re both okay?”
“I’m not sure what would have happened if Kieran hadn’t been there.” Reaching over, Georgia squeezed his hand. “He saved my life.”
Alex glanced at him in the rearview mirror. Kieran scratched his nose with his middle finger, subtly flipping his brother the bird. Alex grinned and started the car.
This might be the best idea ever—or the worst. Whatever happened, he was oddly glad to have the opportunity to spend time with his family.
…