“Ember.” She somehow managed to choke out, doing her best not to sound as out of sorts as she felt. “Ember Sloane.”
“Interesting name,” he commented with a chuckle, and she found the sound incredibly warm and husky. It was smooth and sexy in a way that seemed easy and natural.
It was a sound that was genuine.
“I could say the same of you,” she countered lightly, finally getting her footing back a bit. She usually wasn’t the kind to get rattled by a handsome man. She could usually hold her own in situations such as this. No matter how edible they were.
“Touché’,” he responded with a wink that had her tummy fluttering.
“Well,” she hedged softly, wanting nothing more than to dash back into the safety of her apartment.
She knew that she had to look a mess. Bed hair, no makeup…and she was pretty damn sure that she had a nice drool mark drying on the side of her face.
She wasn’t too proud to admit that sleeping with her was very much like sleeping with a St. Bernard.
“It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Grant. Welcome to the building.”
“Bader,” he corrected. “Or, Bade if you prefer. Again, I’m sorry if I woke you, I know it’s early.”
“It’s fine,” she said, backing up.
“It means full moon,” he called as she started to ease her door closed.
“Pardon me?”
“My name,” he laughed, those intense golden eyes almost glowing from the light filtering in through the window at the end of the hallway, and she found the sight of it extraordinary. “It’s Arabic for Full Moon.”
“Oh.” She responded, and found herself thinking…how appropriate.
He nodded with an amused grin as his gaze swept over her, “And yours needs no explanation at all,” he observed good naturedly.
Ember smiled in spite of herself, reached up and touched her auburn hair. “No, I guess it doesn’t. It was very nice meeting you, Bader,” she replied before closing the door.
As the lock clicked into place, she swore that she heard him say: “I look forward to seeing you around.”
Ember leaned back against the door and sighed, fighting off the nagging urge to turn back and peer through the peephole. Just to catch one more glimpse of the man. He was just that easy on the eyes.
Instead, she made her way into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. There was no way she was going to fall back to sleep now.
Bade dropped the box he held onto the floor with a quiet grunt and looked around the shabby apartment. Not at all what he was used to, but for the time being it would have to do. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice in the matter.
He ran his fingers through his thick, unruly hair and walked over to the window, looking out over the city. The scattered buildings and hi-rises were a far cry from the thick, dense woods and mountains that he preferred.
Damn Neoma and her frigging favors! He silently seethed. Although, he did have his own motives for agreeing to help her, but he still hadn’t been expecting what would greet him.
He shook his head slowly as the image of said “favor” popped into his head.
Beautiful auburn hair with splashes of coppery fire mingled throughout, framing a perfect, delicate face that hosted huge eyes the color of cinnamon and surrounded by thick, dark lashes. Her body was toned and curvy in all the right places. Womanly, to the point of distraction.
Yes, Ember Sloane was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
He hated that he was going to have to be the one to implode her peaceful little world.
Bade turned and headed towards the bathroom and began to strip off his clothes, dropping them haphazardly onto the floor as he did, thinking to himself that a nice long shower was just the thing he needed before visiting the neighbor.
Ember was comfortably curled up on the sofa, wrapped snugly in a thick chenille blanket, a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other, when there was a gentle rap on her door.
She set her stuff down on the coffee table and threw off the blanket, spewing out a string of very unladylike curses under her breath as she did.
She hadn’t slept well the night before, having been plagued by strange nightmares of dense fog and cloaked figures, and images of Evan calling for help, and now this!
It wasn’t bad enough Man-meat had woken her up at the ass crack of dawn, but now her day of laying around like broccoli and trying to shake off this strange feeling that was nagging at her like a bad tooth, was being interrupted by what would most likely be a solicitor trying to sell lower gas rates or some crap. Ugh!
She threw open the door with every intention of getting rid of whoever it was in record time, only to find herself once again staring into those incredible golden eyes.
Crap.
“Hi,” he husked, and his voice was so low and so stinking sexy that her toes curled right down into the carpet at her feet. With that one word, her knees were weak. “I’m terribly sorry to bother you again, but I couldn’t help but smell coffee, and since I haven’t had time to unpack anything yet, and since I knew you were up, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind…” he trailed off and let the unspoken request hang in the air as a small smile spread across his full, plump, thoroughly suckable lips.
And just what in the ever-loving holy hell did she do?
She stood there and stared at the man with her mouth hanging open as if she were trying to catch flies!
Good Lord!
“Are you alright?” he asked, and she shook herself out of her lust induced stupor long enough to muster up enough brain cells to finally answer him.
“Oh! Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Sorry,” she managed to choke out as she tried desperately to hide her mortification. “I guess I was a bit...preoccupied. I haven’t had enough coffee myself this morning. The brain is still asleep,” she rambled on, tapping her temple with the tip of a finger and feeling like a damn fool. “Speaking of which…please, come in. Of course, you can have a cup.”
She stepped aside and ushered him in, catching a quick whiff as he brushed past her, and sweet baby Jesus…but the man smelled good.
Not just good, but fan-freaking-fabulous!
He had to have just showered, because he smelled of soap and sandalwood and water, and it was fresh and clean and amazing.
Not to mention even more distracting. As if he wasn’t messing with her libido enough as it was!
She glanced down at the old sweats she wore and inwardly cringed, fighting off the overwhelming urge to dash down the hall and into her bedroom and change into something more presentable.
She looked like a bag-lady for God’s sake!
Her thick, unruly locks were still un-brushed and had been hastily piled on top of her head in what couldn’t even begin to pass for even a messy bun, and she didn’t have even a smidgen of make-up on her pale ass face.
Good God! Could this get any more embarrassing?
Her question was answered only a moment later when he turned and caught her staring at his unbelievable backside like a starving man would ogle a fresh ham at the deli counter and she winced once again.
Ah…double crap!
He gave her a quick, knowing grin as he made his way over to the sofa. Sitting down with a soft chuckle, he preceded to make himself comfortable by stretching his long, muscular legs out in front of him as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
She wasn’t quite sure if she should be pissed off or not at his being so forward as to just make himself at home without her actually inviting him to.
Man-meat sure as hell had some brass balls on him, she thought with a slight hint of irritation. Who in the hell did he think he was?
“How do you take your coffee,” she asked between teeth that were just the slightest bit clenched as she made her way towards the kitchen, silently telling herself to play nice.
If there was one thing her mother had always pounded into her head, it was to be hospitable.
Or at least try.
“B
lack.” She heard him reply.
Bade watched her with interest. The gentle sway of her hips as she made her way across the room had his body heating up as if a match had been struck. It was easy and graceful, and he thought once again that she was, indeed, a beautiful creature. Soft, feminine, yet with an edge and strength about her that he couldn’t help but admire. She had been through so much, yet held herself tall and strong. Unbroken. He liked that.
She came back a few moments later, a steaming mug held in her hand. She set it down in front of him before taking a seat in the chair opposite of where he had planted himself.
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t have anything in the house to offer you. I haven’t gone shopping in a while,” she explained with a small shrug, and the smooth, docile tone of her voice washed over him like a warm, summer breeze. It was absolutely enchanting.
“The coffee is more than enough,” he replied, lifting the mug and bringing it to his lips. The heavenly liquid slid down his throat and he fought back the urge to groan. He did love a good cup of coffee.
“So, are you all moved in?” she asked softly, and he knew in an instant that she was trying her best to make conversation. For all intents and purposes, she had a stranger in her home and couldn’t be at all comfortable. He knew he could be intimidating.
He nodded, taking another quick swallow. “I am. Now it’s just a matter of unpacking it all.”
He watched as she fidgeted as if she had something to say, and found himself focusing on how striking she truly was. Flawless.
Too bad he needed to keep things on a strictly professional level.
He found her utterly intriguing; but he sure as hell didn’t relish the idea of the wrath of Neoma coming down on him if he mixed a little pleasure with his business. Just the thought sent a wave of dread rippling up his spine.
Neoma was a damned force of nature, and the woman could be positively vicious when pissed off, and although there wasn’t much that could scare him, he had no desire whatsoever to deal with that temper of hers at this point in his life. He knew all too well how explosive it could be, and if she found out that he had taken his focus off his mission, even for a second, all Hell would break loose.
It would be so much safer to just do what he came to do and be done with it.
Forcing himself to get back to the matter at hand, he set down his mug and gave Ember a quick smile.
“So, do you live here alone?” he asked, trying his best to sound as if he were merely being conversational and not some kind of creeper. The last thing he needed was to scare her off.
“Yes,” she replied easily, and he knew he had succeeded in pulling it off.
So, why then did he suddenly feel…slimy?
“Do you have family near-by?” He asked, trying hard to concentrate on the conversation at hand and not the full, perfect curve of her mouth, or the way her eyes suddenly sparkled with moisture in the sunlight filtering through the window at the mention of family.
He watched in fascination as she took a quick breath and proceeded to force the tears back with a conviction and strength that was damn admirable.
Very impressive.
He knew her story. For hell’s sake…he had been sent here in part because of it!
“My parents are both dead and my brother…” she hesitated a moment, and he watched as she stiffened her spine in an almost defiant movement. “My brother disappeared a few months ago,” she finished softly.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he responded, meaning every word.
“Yeah, well, I guess sometimes we have no other choice but to learn to deal with what life hands us.” The honesty in her words couldn’t be denied, and he knew that he had at least opened up a door between the two of them.
“Yes, I suppose we do.” He responded gently, his gaze not wavering from hers for a moment. “But, that’s still a lot of loss for one person.”
“I guess it is, but I can’t change things. I still hold out hope that my brother will show up at my door one day.”
“If I’m not being to presumptuous,” he responded, “may I ask what happened to him?”
She seemed to study him a moment, almost as if she were sizing him up and deciding whether or not she could trust him.
“I’m sure you know the story.” She replied after a very long pause. “He started hanging around a wild crowd who seemed to want to do nothing but cause trouble, and one day…” she shrugged with a sadness that was almost palpable, “he just stopped answering his phone and returning my calls.”
That’s putting it mildly, Bade thought.
“I’m sure that can’t be easy. Didn’t you ask for help?”
She nodded her head and a tired sigh passed her lips, and he thought it was one of the most erotic sounds he had ever heard. He knew that she hadn’t meant it to be. It just was.
“I went to the police, but they really weren’t very much help. I got the whole - He’s a grown man, perhaps he doesn’t want to be found, but we’ll check into it for you, Sweetheart. Now, two months later…nothing, and I really have no idea where else to turn. I thought about hiring a private investigator, but…that’s very expensive.”
“I can only imagine how frustrating that must be,” he offered, and she shrugged.
He watched her quietly a moment before forcing himself to get up from the couch. For some odd reason, he found that he really didn’t want to leave quite yet, but knew that he had to, he couldn’t force too much at one time.
Baby steps with this one.
“Well, thank you for the coffee, Ember. It certainly hit the spot, but I really should start unpacking.”
He waited until she stood before following her to the door, his eyes once again focusing on the gentle sway of her backside as she walked, and a small smile curved his mouth.
Very nice.
Ember pulled open the door and waited for Mister Sex-on-a-Stick to walk past. That incredible scent of his tickled her nose and she found herself hard pressed not to sniff at the man like a damn bloodhound!
He stopped and turned back towards her, his eyes capturing hers and causing her breath to involuntarily hitch in her throat, and she tried like hell not to start choking on her spit like a loser.
She really was pathetic.
“Thank you again for the coffee. I hope to see you around.”
Ember nodded dumbly, thinking to herself that it had been much too long since she’d had a boyfriend. She was practically foaming at the mouth!
He gave her a quick nod before turning and walking back down the hall, his tight ass a magnet for her gaze.
She closed her door before she started drooling, and went back to the sofa, plopping down like a giant sack of potatoes. She dropped her head in her hands and groaned.
Just what in the hell was wrong with her? She was usually much cooler than that!
Ah, shit.
Ember spent the rest of the day doing nothing at all of any consequence whatsoever.
Every time she had opened the brand-new novel that she had planned on losing herself to, she would find herself reading the same sentence over and over again as her mind flitted back to golden eyes and thick, sexy hair. Hair that her fingers were itching to run themselves through.
Finally, having endured her brain’s betrayal long enough, she went to take a shower, cursing herself all the way to the bathroom.
She needed to get out of the apartment for a while. Clear her head. Away from the distraction that had moved in down the hall.
And fast!
She didn’t know what in the hell was happening to her lately, but the last few days had been anything but normal, and she needed to get her mojo back on track.
She felt at odds for some reason and everything just seemed…off.
She shook her head in disgust when she realized that this restlessness, for lack of a better word, had started when she had walked into that little shop the night before last and it didn’t seem to be getting any better.
In fact, it seemed to be getting worse.
She was fidgety and unfocused, and she didn’t like the feeling at all. It was almost as if there was a storm coming. Like when the air has the electrical charge in it.
And now she had to deal with the Adonis down the hall.
Sometimes life was just cruel.
Chapter Three
Ember grumbled under her breath as she struggled with her bags. She cautiously made her way down the hall, certain that something was about to fall from her arms and to the ground. She just prayed that is wasn’t the dozen eggs she had bought.
She had gone out planning on just getting away from the apartment for a bit. She figured that perhaps taking a nice long walk through the park then grabbing a bite to eat might help to clear her head.
Instead, she had spent the day wandering around like the undead and shopping just to avoid going back home and running into hot guy.
She was just having a hard time with the way her body reacted when he was around. She just wanted to avoid him until she could get a firm hold on her libido and keep it in check before heading back home and making a fool out of herself by doing or saying something stupid.
She set the bags down at her feet as she dug around in her purse, searching for her keys. After a few moments of coming up empty, she groaned as the image of the damn things sitting on the small table beside the door flashed before her eyes.
Damn it.
Ember stood there a moment, gnawing at her inside of her cheek and not having the slightest idea of what to do. Should she call a locksmith? Ugh! That would cost her a small fortune on a Sunday night, and her ass of a landlord was out of the country until the end of the week.
She walked over and knocked on her neighbor across-the-hall’s door, hoping the nice elderly couple could give her some suggestions, but there was no answer and she remembered they usually spent Sundays at their daughter’s house.
The Wolf Next Door ( A Paranormal Romance) (The Anthology Novella Series) Page 2