Goose bumps peppered my arms as horror gripped me, causing involuntary shivers to race through me. My heart galloped in my chest, making a noise like heavy heels on hardwood. My leg started to jump up and down, joining my heart’s quest to contain my nervousness.
I jumped and released a low squeak of fright when something brushed my arm, sliding across the peppery little bumps that had popped up on the surface of my skin. My eyes trailed up a long-sleeved denim shirt, and kept traveling up, up, and further up his massively tall frame until I found his inexpressive face. He had to have been at least six-foot-five, tall like his brother.
“You looked cold,” he stated, his voice soft and calming. I believed he was attempting not to frighten me any more than I must have looked.
He stood silently in place until I convinced my hand to reach for the shirt he was nice enough to offer.
“Thank you.” A pleasant hint of surprise tilted my lips into a twitchy little smile at his sweet gesture.
“It’s clean,” he added, responding to me staring at the shirt in my hand like the idiot I had already labeled myself. When he turned away to head back to his side of the table, I took a quick sniff at the shirt, finding it fresh, like he had gone outside and taken it from a clothesline. I stood and draped the shirt over my shoulders and shoved my arms into the sleeves as Khane retook his seat.
“I’ll do my best to give you privacy. There are only a few people who know where I live, so you will be safe here. Sam and a few others will always be on guard. You will never see them unless you need them,” he stated before returning to his plate.
“O…kay?” As long as he didn’t have plans to eat me, I was fine with whatever schedule he wanted to keep.
“Where’s Lady….the lady?” I questioned, not caring where she was, but attempting to keep up some type of dialogue.
“She left when I returned last night. She’s security. I sent her in my place when I realized I wasn’t going to make it in time for your arrival.”
Damn. Lady was at least sixty-five, and him calling her security, meant she was a hired gun. Never would have guessed that. She must have been good too, to be associated with this bunch.
A crinkle dented my forehead as I bit into the perfectly crisp bacon. I glanced at the pan of eggs and the biscuits left sitting on the small serving tray.
I pointed at the food and eyed him keenly. “You cooked this?” My brain had just connected after his confirmation that Lady had left when he arrived last night. My chewing slowed as I awaited his answer.
“Yes. Is it bad?” he asked. I didn’t know if it was the short thick beard that covered it, but I was unable to read any discernible expression on his face.
“No. It’s really good,” I complimented. Was that a smile that had touched his lips after my compliment? Him knowing how to cook kind of took some of the sting away from the deranged, people-eating serial killer that he had been labeled.
“I can’t cook. When I try, all I produce is bland or burnt,” I volunteered, hopefully opening the doorway to more conversation.
“It’s only me out here, so I had to learn or starve. And I don’t eat people if that’s what you believe.” His statement was spoken in a manner that he was telling me I could either believe it or not. He didn’t care either way. A whole strip of bacon went into his mouth before he bit off half a biscuit.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you stay so far out? You like being a mountain-man or something?”
My nose ended up planted in the fabric of his shirt again, unable to stop myself from sniffing it. I was like a dog that had caught a scent I liked. It wasn’t just what he had washed his shirt with. I was getting a good whiff of him too, the scent a wild stirring of blackcurrant mixed with hints of fruit. Heady and obsessively potent, it was a combination destined to leave an impression, especially when riding the divine and spicy-sweet musk he produced.
Khane’s smell was manly sweet or more like sweet heat. He caught me sniffing his shirt, but didn’t comment on it.
“I like the quiet. It’s too busy out there.” His faced crinkled like the rest of the world bothered him. He did have a point. Sometimes I wanted to get away, but my idea of getting away was on a tropical island, not on the top of a mountain.
Here, there was no help if a mountain lion decided to attack you, or God forbid, the man you were staying with decided he was hungry for more than food.
A dark current of danger floated around Khane, but I wasn’t repelled by it. It tugged, beckoning me closer while stroking at a desire I pretended I didn’t harbor. I needed to concentrate on something else before I entertained thoughts I had no business thinking.
You’re attracted to him. It was too late. That damn first teasing thought refused to be silenced.
“I’m in love with your house, by the way. Who did all of this?” I questioned, glaring past him to admire the parts of the view that peeked while continuing to fight off my distracting thoughts of attraction.
“Me,” he stated simply.
No way in hell.
The wide stare I held and the indent wrinkling my forehead told him what I was thinking. This time, I did see a smile creep across his lips at my skepticism.
“I collected most of these items over a six-year period,” was all he offered as an answer for a house that was so well designed, I had fallen madly in love with every detail of it.
“Sooo…” I dragged the word out, giving the house another well-respected once over. “What can I do around here for fun?” There wasn’t a television anywhere in the house as Khane was all about his peace and quiet.