Burke shook the snow out of his hair and slipped off his boots. Something smelled amazing. He dispensed with his outerwear and stepped into the kitchen. Warm light cast a dreamy glow over the beautiful blonde swaying back and forth in front of the stove.
Evidently she’d managed to get some laundry done because denim incased her long legs. Tight denim. And since her sweatshirt had been ruined, she’d found one of his sweaters. It hung down, hiding her backside from his view. Her long hair was clipped loosely at the nape of her neck and he had the strongest urge to walk over and plant a kiss just below her right ear. Slip his arms around her waist and pull her back against him so he could soak up the feel of her lush body.
Had it really been forty-eight hours since she’d stormed into his life? She looked so natural there, standing in his kitchen in his clothes. Like she belonged in his home.
But then she turned toward him and her face lit up.
Wow. So this is what he’d been missing his whole life?
He strode slowly toward her, not trusting himself or the beast snapping its teeth for release. Shoving his hands into his pockets he offered her a smile. “Smells good.”
He spied a steak on the grill and felt the burn of admiration that she’d overcome her aversion to meat long enough to fix him a hearty dinner.
“Have a seat. It’s almost ready.” She jerked her head toward the dining table where two place settings sat at opposite ends of the table.
Suddenly he felt sweaty and in need of sprucing before he sat down at that table. “Give me a minute to wash up.”
He returned five minutes later, refreshed, showered, and wearing sweat-free clothes. By the slight grin on her face as she placed a plate in front of him, she caught the change in his attire.
“Here you go.” Steak, potatoes and plenty of vegetables. He didn’t comment, but ate them, grateful to have something warm in his belly.
All day he’d tried to ignore the beautiful woman sitting across the table from him. More importantly, he tried to ignore the desire to pull her into his lap and kiss her until they were both breathless. He was lucky he hadn’t cut his hand off earlier since his thoughts had constantly wondered back to the cabin and the woman in his bed. The woman who’d fit against him so perfectly that morning. The woman who’d been so responsive last night.
But kissing her wouldn’t solve anything. It hadn’t solved anything. Not his desire. No, it only made him want her more. He had to stick to the rule. No humans. Ever.
A while later he brought up a topic he’d been thinking about off and on for most of the afternoon. “Glad I got the driveway plowed this afternoon. Might be able to get you to a doctor tomorrow.”
She wrinkled her nose. Damn she was cute. And sexy. A rare combination in his opinion. “I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m fine. Practically healed.”
“You were shot,” he countered.
“But I’m alive. Thanks to you. Sure, I’ll have a scar, but scars are sexy, right?”
He frowned. Wasn’t she worried about an infection? Lasting issues?
“We’ll talk about it later. How about dessert? There should be a pie in there.”
The D word hung in the air between them and he could see her mind churning. Her cheeks took on a rosy hue and her breathing seemed to shallow. He imagined the table melting away between them, and an invisible force pulling them together so he could claim the dessert he truly wanted.
“No. Thanks. I—I think I might take a bath, if that’s all right.”
“Of course. The water heater is gas so it should be plenty warm.” Now if he could just manage to not think of her, naked and wet in his bathtub. “I’ll – ugh – check on the fire. Thermometer seems to be stuck at five degrees today.”
He followed her into the bedroom and put the last log on the fire. “That should do it for a while.”
She stopped in front of the bathroom door and smiled back him. “Thanks.” That was his queue to move. To leave her. So why was it so damn hard to turn away from her and go get more firewood? It wasn’t as if she was going to invite him to join her.
Never mind that the oversized tub was plenty big for the both of them…
Spurred into action, mostly out of desperation that she didn’t see the hard-on forming behind the fly of his jeans, he rose and pivoted toward the door. “I’ll leave you to it.” Maybe it was time for another cold shower. Or a run in the snow.
Damn he wished he could get in touch with Laurent. He needed an ass kicking, if only verbally, because he couldn’t seem to control himself around his house guest, no matter how many times he reminded himself that the situation was only temporary. And more importantly, she was a human.
He pulled the door closed behind him and dropped his head back against it. Gin popped his head up from behind the coffee table and Burke heard the telltale sound of the dog’s tail tapping against the floor. The snow had died down, leaving a cloak of white shimmering in the moonlight. Maybe a late night romp in the cover of darkness was just what he needed.
Burke sank into the knee-deep snow as he gazed down at the sleepy valley. The night was still, calm, crisp. Beautiful and yet biting cold. Overhead, stars winked from the heavens. And below…
The master bathroom light blazed in the darkness.
Don’t look. Don’t you dare look, Deveraux.
But his eyes had a mind of their own. He couldn’t stop himself from searching her out.
She was exactly what he didn’t need. A woman who made him lose himself. A woman who made him forget the past and all the painful lessons he’d learned. She was like lime juice on an open wound. Bright, fruity, colorful, exotic, and yet, she burned like hell.
Kendall stepped to the tub in front of the massive window. She obviously had no idea anyone was watching her. At this altitude, with half a mountain between him and his nearest neighbor, he’d never felt the need to install curtains in the bathroom. And the bastard in him was far too happy with that decision right about now.
Her hands moved to the top button of the shirt he’d lent her. He sucked in a steadying breath. With the top button undone, she reached for the faucet. Her hands moved to the second button. Then the third.
Dieu.
Annabelle had been right about him. He was an animal. And the animal inside him wanted to lick Kendall from head to toe.
The fourth button slipped through the hole and the shirt hung open, revealing dreamy breasts, a sexy waist. She shoved her jeans over her hips, displaying a triangle of blonde curls.
Despite the cold, heat sizzled through him. He took in a lungful of icy air. Why was he torturing himself like this? Watching her undress made him rock hard and there was nothing he could do about it.
Annoyed with himself and his lack of control he called for Gin and headed to the side of the house where his firewood was stacked. Arms laden with dry logs he made his way through the patio door and stomped off his boots. He’d just managed to twist open the bedroom door when the generator cut out, casting the house in darkness.
“Burke?” Kendall’s alarmed cry shot straight to his heart.
“It’s all right,” he called, dropping the wood next to the fireplace. Then he stepped to the bathroom door. “The generator went off. I’ll bring you some candles.”
“I feel like a jack-in-the box,” she said a few moments later when he brought a trio of candles in and placed them on the vanity. “Jumping at every little sound.”
Somehow he managed not to glance her way, nor look at her reflection in the mirror as the candles flickered to life. The room glowed.
“Better?” he asked, his gaze fixed on the golden flames.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Too bad he didn’t have any whiskey left. He could sure use a glass or ten right now. He headed for the dining room. Scotch would have to do.
A strangled cry tore from Kendall’s lips as the hot water hit her wounded shoulder.
“Stupid—“ she exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes.
“You okay in there?” Burke asked from the doorway.
“I’m an idiot. Was trying to wash my hair.” Dernit that hurt.
Burke sighed. She couldn’t blame him for being annoyed with her. She was annoyed with herself. And the whole situation. If she could just turn, she’d be fine. Healed.
But it was no use wishing for things that would never be.
Then why do you keep daydreaming that this is your house and Burke is your mate? A little voice whispered through her mind.
“Need some help?”
She wiped at the tears in her eyes, so tired of having to depend on Burke’s generosity. Sick that she had no way to repay him.
“Thank you sounds so weak,” she said.
“I’ll be right back.”
He returned less than a minute later with a large plastic cup. As if he’d done this a thousand times, he settled himself on the edge of the tub and reached for the shampoo bottle.
“Might want to hold your hand over the wound,” he said.
Suddenly feeling a little shy, she clamped her hand over the wet bandage and bit her lip. Moonlight illuminated his face and she saw the look of utter concentration there.
“You’re such a gentleman.” The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“I’m trying to be.” He dipped the cup into the water and then stopped, hands frozen in the air above her.
“You all right?”
“Yeah.” But his voice was a little shaky and unconvincing.
“You don’t have to do this you know. I can just take a shower tomorrow or something.”
She saw the muscle over his jaw tense.
“Are you gay?” she blurted. She didn’t think so, based on his reaction earlier, but she had to know. It didn’t matter that he was a human and she wasn’t and that they had no hope of anything everlasting. She just had to know.
“What?” The incredulity in his tone said it all.
“I take that as a no.”
“Damn straight,” he said, snatching back his hands.
“It’s okay if you are.”
“I’m not.”
“Okay.”
“Why the hell would you think I’m gay?”
She chewed on her lip, upset that she’d agitated him. “I’m sorry. I – just—I get it now. I’m not your type.”
His head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. And for several long, excruciating moments he said nothing. She looked away.
Tell me I’m wrong, her heart cried.
“You’re right. You’re not my type.”
She pursed her lips, nodding as her heart broke into a thousand tiny pieces. Dernit, she hadn’t even known how attached she’d grown to him until that moment. She blinked back a fresh wave of tears.
“Hold still,” he said before dumping a glassful of water over her head. It was probably a good thing because the water washed away her tears. “Sorry. First day on the job,” he said lightly.
She tried to smile at that and failed miserably. If she could just hold still long enough it’d be over. Part of her wanted to tell him to go, but she couldn’t. He’d know then that she had feelings for him. And how pathetic was that? She’d known him for two days.
Or worse, he’d think she was taking a bath, claiming her shoulder ached just to get his attention.
But as he squirted shampoo onto the palm of his hand, rubbed them together and then proceeded to massage it into her scalp she realized that it’d never be over. The bath yes, but not the memory of him. Not her longing.
She closed her eyes and tried valiantly to ignore how erotic it was to have a man wash her hair.
Not just any man, the voice whispered. This man.
His fingertips caressed her skin, sliding through her hair. And forever more when she smelled coconut, she’d think of him.
“Thanks for doing this,” she managed to say as he began rinsing out the suds. She didn’t look at him though. Couldn’t. She stared straight ahead.
“Tilt your head back,” he instructed gently.
Which meant looking up at him. She could hardly stand it. She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears.
The old lady in town had been wrong. Yes, she’d found shelter up the mountain. But with her heart breaking more each second, she no longer considered herself safe.