Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (32 page)

Her voice softer now, “I believe
you. I should have locked it. Now go away so I can
dress.”

“But I need a shower.”

“I know. I can smell you from
here.”

Can she? I sniffed my arms. Okay.
So she was right.

“Almost done.
Now back away from the door so I don
’
t have to face you after being
naked.”

Saying naked
coming from her mouth even behind closed doors
wasn
’
t helping matters. I backed up into my bedroom,
our
bedroom. That didn
’
t help my thoughts
either.

I heard the door creak slowly. I
waited three counts of ten and started for the door trying to be a
gentleman. This girl would have me—

Crack! The door
was against my face. I took a flying leap backward to see her
standing in the doorway with wet hair hanging down soaking into her
t-shirt and jeans. Bare feet and all the way back to her face, I
didn
’
t hide my unfiltered tell-all eyes.

Man, she was beautiful. Not an
ounce of makeup. The familiar buzz in my chest when she was facing
me took over control.

“You look...
” I swallowed my
tongue.

“Like a wet dog.
I couldn
’
t dry my hair because I only had a small hand towel. And
someone interrupted me.”

She angered
really easy but I could still feel her draw to me so I
didn
’
t worry much.

“Are you really
that mad at me? I didn
’
t mean to open the door on you,
Emma.”

She blew out a
long breath that made her hair fan out a little even while wet. Her
cheeks were pink. “No, I
’
m not mad. I just
didn
’
t want the guy I li—

Her cheeks lit on fire like a hot
burner. The level headed ladies man in me knew how to react to this
kind of talk.

“The guy you what?” I forgot how
bad I smelled and took a step closer daring her to speak what I
really wanted to hear.

“The guy...” she looked at her
feet, “The guy I think is a good body guard.”

Oh, I wanted to guard her body
alright. “No. The word you were going to say started with an
L.”

She fiddled with the doorknob
showing me her hands were shaking.

“I
understand,
” I told her letting her off
the hook but strutting with the “guessed knowledge” she did
like
me too. All but
confirmed. I had to solve this curse thing.

She told me again to take a bath
while watching her prance right past me as I retreated to the
bathroom a happier man.

We needed a plan. I waited till
Ames was long out of the shower, dressed, and smelling way too good
to approach the next step. The warm buzzing feeling moved through
me when he sat on the sofa next to me and his hand landed behind me
on my shoulder. I would not think clearly with his hand touching
me.

We discussed strategy and
remaining hidden until it all dies down.

That night I
couldn
’
t sleep. I awoke sometime in the dark and felt the unusual
cold that had been absent lately. His warmth affected the way I
slept, but I
’
d never tell
him.

My pillow
crinkled reminding me of my hidden reminder of the day
I
’
d
met Ames. He didn
’
t know I had it. I took a second
to move it somewhere safer, but read it first in the moonlight. The
words that he
’
d covered with some kind of
illusion, but I knew were real. My eyes were not like the sun and
my hair wasn
’
t golden either. I still wondered
what he meant by it as it creased so easily from the wear and tear.
His handwriting was inscribed in my brain now. I think I would
recognize it anywhere.

I looked around
in the dark not seeing him and heading out of the room to check. He
wasn
’
t in the house. Curious, I looked out the back door where a
large pine wooden deck was built.

He was there, lying back in the
lounge chair looking up at the sky.

Of course, the
door creaked open making him lunge off the front of the chair and
face me where I stood totally forgetting what I had on. I
didn
’
t remember this yet, as I was fully aware at the moment of
what he was not wearing.

A shirt.

Scanning every
inch of his chest and memorizing each muscle might just become my
favorite pastime if I
’
m ever allowed the privilege
again. His tattoo screamed secrets I already had an inkling to.
When I finally forced my eyes to his face, his eyes were down, down
on my legs. I wasn
’
t wearing the sleep pants
I
’
d
been wearing. The last two nights I
’
d been all wrapped up in them and
twisted in the covers to the point the blood was cutting off
circulation. So I ditched them.

Instead, I had my sleep shorts
that were packed at the bottom of my duffle bag.

Hoarsely I
asked, “Can
’
t sleep
either.”

He fisted his hand causing an
angled pose with muscles flexing.

Oh, gawd. I needed to look away!
When I looked back, he was seated again. My breath hitched
hopefully silent enough as I sat down in the chair beside
him.

“I met you once when you were
seven. I was ten.”

So he was only a few years
older.

“I thought when I met you...when I
was sent to bring you to my—to Joshlin, that you would be hateful,
spiteful once you knew who you were. It was a prejudgment on my
part based on how Joshlin and his cohorts run around every day. I
am sorry for that.” He raised a glass and took a drink.

Was it water? I heard the ice roll
around and fall back down when he finished off the last of
it.

“No biggie. I prejudged you as a
sexist pig that lacked brains cells, resembled the typical jock hot
stud, and focused on gaining the attentions of the entire female
population of Johnson City High.”

His hair fell in his eye to the
side as a smile slid up at the corners. “Hot stud?”

Oh boy! “Well, you know...you
are...never mind what you already know.”

He chuckled
under his breath then added, “Only to you.” He pushed the hair that
fell back up out of his face. I didn
’
t get how it could do that. Fall
perfect across his forehead all sexy and then straight up all messy
and sexier! He had the perfect guy hair.

“Not hardly. And
you
’
re just trying to make yourself look humble. Sooo not
working. Besides, you
’
re more than just
that
. You have a great
heart, and a fierce protector badge.” I couldn
’
t say
hot
again in front of
him.

“You are the first one I have ever
heard give me any type of description in that way.”

“Maybe they never really saw
you.”

“Maybe.” I
sighed too heavy knowing the conversation couldn
’
t get better if she
knew more about me. “I know that you are uncertain about what you
want for your future, but I would like you to consider staying here
with me.”

I know I sounded
like a desperate idiot, but I didn
’
t want to see her leave or go to
humans again or be taken by the other realm. She
didn
’
t know what it would mean to see her not in my
home.

When she was silent too long, I
started to shut down. “Or...”

“Yes. Yes. I will
stay.”

I looked over
again now feeling stronger seeing her soft smile. Her eyes kept the
same timid glow that held me to her. And I
couldn
’
t wait any longer.

Stepping to her chair, I held out
my hand.

His hand was in
front of my face, but more noticeable, was the naked man chest with
the strangely familiar tattoo I
’
d avoided days ago in the
bedroom. He was no teenage boy the way his body was built. That
scared me to death.

Worse, the tattoo was a personal
familiarity to me. A small circle with nothing around it was an odd
tattoo for someone to choose.

I really
didn
’
t see how I could avoid his hand no matter how nervous
he
’
d
know I was once he took it. Standing close enough our body heat
mingled, I was completely startled when he pulled me against his
chest. Where I tensed, he seemed to lose tension.
Funny.

I knew as soon as I looked up what
might happen. Was I ready for that?

Nevertheless, I did.

His eyes, lips, stubble were all
waiting. Without meaning too, my hands went to his chest where the
darkened circle the size of a dime hid just beneath my hand. I
thought it was a strange tattoo for two people to share. But
stranger was the mark matched my own that had remained hidden from
all, but thankfully not across my chest. Not even my family knew it
was there.

He leaned in and
I fervently hoped he hadn
’
t heard the enigmatic sigh that
escaped my lips. He was so close, so I my hope was
wavering.

I bridged the
gap deciding right then it was what I
’
d wanted the
most...him.

Snap!

Ames flipped
around and covered me with his body. I so did not pay attention
that his rear was up against me. Nope! I didn
’
t
notice.

“You heard that too?” he asked me
in a deeper than usual voice.

“A trap?”

“Mmhmm!”

He
wasn
’
t moving and I was considerably trapped against the corner of
the chair.
“Inside.”

Guessing that was an order, I
scooted in the second he moved. I let him worry about the sound for
the seconds I needed to regain my composure that I was about to
kiss Ames Cahn.

“What are you
going to do?” I knew I should be alarmed like him, but I
wasn
’
t feeling it.

“Wake up the guys and meet me at
the front door in three minutes.” He returned to me and looked down
with a smirk. “With clothes on.”

Harrumph. For some reason that
smirky smile made my heart jolt. And he needed a gosh dern
shirt.

We searched the
perimeter. Four traps were closed with nothing in them but Sycamore
branches and grass. Trigger laughed at me since first arriving that
the “
old-fashioned
” bear trap would
just be a nuisance.

Guess again. I
just knew an animal didn
’
t set them off by the fact that
not one animal was caught in four traps. What
’
s worse, four traps
most likely meant someone or something was toying with us. Knew we
would know. Waiting to pounce.

We took turns on
watch while Emma slept through the night. She
’
d insisted on taking a
turn, but fell asleep propped up beside the back door. I picked her
up and moved her to the bed not letting my mind enjoy the idea of
what I touching to mover her. I took turns watching her and the
woods.

At one insistent
clicking noise that wouldn
’
t stick with a solid meter, I
walked to the wood line to find the culprit. A rabbit or squirrel
or something.

“All you goblin
men have violence on the brain. You think it is a solve-all, but
you
’
re wrong.”

She woke up.

“Maybe we goblin men have more
than violence on our brain when something important to us lies
close enough we vow to die before anything would get near
her.”

I loved the way her face just
paled and she had no reply. My point was well made then.

Neither of us found sleep again
and we had at least three hours before sunrise.