Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4)

by Sharon Kay

  “No.”

  “You hack the police?” Incredulity coated her voice.

  He shrugged. “I think of it as keeping eyes on them. It complements the work we do on patrols. This way, we can target an area instead of running blind. And Rilan does the same thing, but on a magical level.”

  “Oh. My. God. You hack the police.” She blinked then shook her head. “What else do you do?”

  “Well, later I’ll run searches on the name Angela gave us. See if he left a trail somewhere. Most people do.”

  “Like where? Credit card companies?”

  “Yes. And county real estate files, Social Security Administration, airline flight manifests—”

  “Stop.” She held up a hand. “I don’t know if I should know that you do this.”

  He leaned up to kiss her. “Bella, you can know. You’re part of this world, like you said.”

  “I have a lot to learn.” She drew a pattern on the soft sheets.

  “You’ll get there. Miranda will be a big help.”

  “Will Java Genie be in danger?” she asked softly, guilt tinging her voice.

  “Don’t think so. There were a lot of people crowded there, avoiding the rain, so those two Deserati wouldn’t necessarily link you to the store. Unless they were able to read your shirt.” He frowned. The back had no wording, just the front pocket. “Want me to add security cameras, just in case?”

  “You can do that?” Her eyes popped wide. And then she smacked her forehead. “I mean, duh. Of course you can. Or you wouldn’t have said it. Yes. Please set that up. We can pay you.”

  “No.” He folded her hand into his. “No charge. We take care of our allies.”

  She shook her head. A soft, admiring light shone in her eyes. “You take care of the whole city.”

  Hell. The last thing he wanted or deserved was her thinking he was some kind of hero. “I do my job. That’s all.”

  “But you walk into danger all the time.”

  “Yeah. That’s the job. And sometimes I fuck it up.” He shifted his eyes away, not wanting to explain more but not wanting to make her confused. Because when you fuck up, you don’t feel like shouting it from the rooftops.

  “No one’s perfect.” She kissed his knuckles, a gesture so sweet he wanted to roar—and pull his hand away, because he needed a reality check.

  Gods, she wouldn’t look at him that way if she knew about Sinna. If she knew Brenin had needed a healer to intervene so he wouldn’t have permanent nerve and limb damage from his injuries. And shit, he needed to change the subject. He cleared his throat. “I’ll set up the cameras as soon as I can. But it’s best to do it when the shop is closed.”

  “That’ll be great.” A smile played across her face. “You’ll keep tabs on them, right? Because if I try, I’ll be staring at a black screen.”

  He tugged her arm and she snuggled back down next to him. “Of course. But I’ll show you what I see. I’ll have the feeds link to my computers here.”

  She giggled. “If you didn’t do cameras, you could always hang out there all day. You, or one of the guys.”

  He laughed. “Sounds like a rough day.”

  “Why not?” She playfully smacked his chest. “Cops do it all the time right? Hang out in coffee shops?”

  He threaded his hand into her hair. “I guess. But they have to follow state surveillance laws.”

  “Speaking of work…” She yawned. “I have to be up in like, four hours.”

  “Seriously?” He craned his neck to see the clock on his dresser. “Damn it. Can you call in?”

  “No.” She peered at him like he was five. “I was off the day before. Those croissants and muffins don’t bake themselves.”

  “You need an assistant. There are pixies on Torth who kick ass in the kitchen.”

  “Pixies? Like Lisetta?”

  “Exactly. We can see if any want to come over here.”

  She yawned again. “Let’s file that idea away for later. That might be nice.”

  “I’ll send Brenin to hang out tomorrow, though, since I won’t have the cameras in place for your shift. I’ll be tracking the name we got, and I can get faster results from my setup here.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was soft and sleepy and a twinge of guilt manifested at keeping her up. He well knew that she went to sleep early. And today had been a crash course in supernatural events.

  He held her close as her breathing slowed to a peaceful rhythm. His heart beat in time with hers. A sleeping female in his arms, in his bed, after he’d sworn it off, may have felt odd in the past.

  But instead, he only felt a sense of rightness, belonging, and acceptance, topped off with the contented realization that this was exactly where he was supposed to be.

  CHAPTER 26

  “ENZA.” RHYS’S LOW, SEXY VOICE broke into her subconscious. Darkness enveloped her, yet an image of Java Genie’s bright kitchen flickered before her. Where was she? A dream lingered, of Miguel and Kat baking at the shop.

  “We made magic blue cherry muffins!” Kat shrieked in joyful laughter. Miguel high fived her and pulled a tray out of the oven, using no gloves or mitts.

  “Let me see,” Enza murmured.

  “See what?” Rhys cuddled her close, one hand stroking her bottom.

  “Huh?” Enza’s eyes flew open. “I—wait.” She blinked. “I was dreaming.”

  “I want to know what you wanted to see in your dream,” he whispered.

  “Um. Kat and Miguel were baking in my kitchen at work.” She snuggled into him. “Five more minutes?”

  “Five, ten, hell take the whole day.”

  “I can’t.” She closed her eyes, feeling like a truck had run over her.

  “Then go in, but take off early. Come back here and take a nap.”

  “That sounds awesome,” she said. “Why do kids fight naps? All grownups want to do is take naps.”

  He chuckled. “That’s not all I want to do.”

  Oh. Last night rushed back to her. Rhys, moving inside her with an intensity that stole her breath. Had it really only been a few hours since he’d made her come harder than she ever had in her life? Forget a nap-she needed a cold shower or she would never make it to work today. “I should get ready.”

  “Bathroom’s right there. So’s your bag.” He still held her close. “Need me to wash your back?”

  “Um.” She bit her lip, not wanting to offend him by saying no. “Raincheck on that?”

  “I’ll hold you to it.”

  She met his gaze. “I want to, I just—I don’t think we’ll get out of here any time soon if you join me.”

  “Probably right.” He winked. “Then up you go.” He pulled the covers back.

  She sucked in a breath at his hard, muscular body. Even though the room was still dark, and even though she touched and visually devoured him yesterday, she was still entranced. The sheet draped across his waist, tenting over his heavy erection. She tried not to stare, but he tempted her like no one ever had. “I’m sorry, I-I promise… later?”

  “Absolutely.” He nodded at the bathroom door. “Go.”

  She scooted out of bed, grabbed her bag, and hustled to the bathroom, all the time aware that he was staring at her nakedness with that perfect demon night vision of his. She gave him a little smile and then shut the door.

  A glance at her reflection gave her pause. Whoa. She looked thoroughly ravished, and felt that way too. A lingering soreness twinged between her legs, but all she could think about was how incredible Rhys was. And how she couldn’t wait to do it again.

  Taking the fastest shower of her life, she purposely kept the water cool so she didn’t linger. After dressing, she wrapped her hair into a tight ponytail. No point in bothering with makeup, because she never wore any to work. And Rhys had seen her without it now, several times, and didn’t seem to care.

  Opening the door, she saw he was already dressed and checking his phone. He grinned as she emerged. “Feel more awake?”

  “Yes, an
d after an extra-large five-shot espresso, I’ll feel even more so.” She tucked her own cell into her pocket. “Wanna take the bus with me?”

  “Nope. I’ll drive you there. Then I’ll come back and run my searches, and Brenin will be there soon.”

  She nodded and he led her through the quiet house, down to the lower level, and into the underground parking area. They climbed into the black Escalade and zipped down the nearly empty predawn streets. In minutes, they were in front of her shop. “Don’t get out,” she said. “I can make it to the door by myself.”

  He reached a hand out to grab the back of her neck and pull her in for a kiss. His mouth was hot, needy, and his stubble scratched her in the most delicious way. “Okay. I’ll see you soon. Stay awake.”

  “I will,” she whispered against his sexy, naughty lips, and hopped out.

  A cool dark kitchen greeted her when she made it to the back of the store. She went through her routine of turning on ovens, getting out flour and sugar, and butter. All of it was familiar, yet she was fundamentally changed.

  Had it just been yesterday, during that storm, when her power had surged through her with such strong purpose? Not even twenty-four hours. She shook her head and got out her mixing bowls.

  The routine of weighing, scooping, measuring, sifting calmed her racing mind. She’d met werewolves and a pixie. She’d made lightning change course. She’d had sex with a demon.

  And somehow, she was exactly where she belonged.

  The front door creaked and Meena’s quick footsteps moved to the kitchen. “Hey girl. That rain was crazy yesterday.”

  You don’t know the half of it. “Yeah. Did you get a lot more customers?”

  “A few.” Meena bunched her thick dark hair in one hand, then pulled it throught the opening in the back of her Java Genie cap. “How’s Mr. Sexy?”

  Enza’s whole body warmed at the question. She stopped mixing her ingredients, wooden spoon in hand, and met Meena’s curious gaze. “Sexy.”

  Meena’s brows shot up. “Oh my god. Did you sleep with him?” Her voice rose to an excited squeak.

  Enza pressed her lips together, trying unsuccessfully to hold in a grin that couldn’t possibly convey all the things Rhys made her feel.

  “Oh my god!” Meena fist pumped the air. “You did it! How long has it been for you? Wait, was he amazing? I bet he was amazing. He’s so tall, I bet all of him is in proportion, ya know…”

  “Stop.” Enza’s cheeks heated. “He’s perfect.”

  “Oh you gotta give me more than that.” Meena folded her arms.

  “He’s sweet and…” Enza sighed. “His whole body is ripped. His muscles have muscles.”

  Meena squeaked again, this time drawing the attention of Josie, who peeked into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked, eyes huge.

  “Enza can tell you,” Meena crooned, a delighted smirk on her face.

  “What?” Josie turned and glanced over her shoulder. “Darn, we have a customer. I’ll be back.”

  “I’m headed up front too.” Meena gave a quick check of her phone before slipping it in her pocket. “Hope you can still concentrate after a night of hot sex.”

  “Meena!” Enza gritted, but Meena stepped out.

  Concentration wouldn’t be a problem. Baking always put her in a zone, a rhythm of moving items into stages: mixing dry ingredients, mixing wet ingredients, folding, scooping, baking. Then cooling and storing, or presenting.

  She hummed to herself, wondering if Rhys was having any success at tracking the man who had chased them. How long did these things take? She shook her head at her own technical challenges. If she did manage to hack a credit card site, she’d probably crash it.

  Hours passed and the kitchen warmed. The scent of baking dough and cinnamon rolls filled the cheery space. Enza made progress on the day’s items and was about to check the front case to see what was low, when Josie popped her head in.

  “Enza!” Stunned didn’t begin to describe her face. “Where are you meeting these guys and why haven’t you introduced me to any of them yet? Oh my god!”

  “What are you talking about?” Enza wiped the back of one hand across her forehead.

  Josie’s eyes were huge. “There is a guy here who looks like Thor. Freaking Thor. From the latest movie. And he knows you! What is going on with you?”

  “Oh.” Brenin. “Um, he’s a friend of Rhys’s. They um, work together. He was going to stop by sometime today.”

  “Well, he’s here. And, oh my god. Can you introduce me?”

  “Let me come out. One second.” Luckily there was no chocolate to melt this morning, just chocolate chips to add to her double chocolate cookies. She turned off the one burner that was on, and stepped through the doorway.

  Brenin towered over the counter, staring at the selection of rolls and pastries. “Hey, Enza.” He grinned when she came out.

  “Hi, Brenin. Thanks for coming.”

  “No problem. Did you make all of this?”

  “Yeah. There’s blueberry muff—”

  “I’ll take one of everything. An extra-large coffee too.”

  One of everything? Enza blinked.

  “Sure, you got it.” Meena chirped as she rang up the order. “What kind of coffee?”

  “Whatever dark roast you have brewing.” He winked at Meena, who pressed a wrong button and the register let out a shrill beep.

  “Ooops, hang on, my mistake.” She cleared her throat. “We’ll bring everything out to you.”

  Enza grabbed the first item from the case, a slice of iced pound cake. “You can start with this.” She set it on a plate and rounded the counter. “Where would you like to sit? I have a minute.”

  He glanced around, then chose a table near the barista station, and sat with his back to Josie. Enza realized that this way, he could see the door and windows. She set the cake down as Josie hurried over with the coffee.

  “I’m Josie.” She extended her hand.

  “Brenin.” He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Josie batted her eyes and smiled. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Brenin nodded and sat, while Enza took the chair across from him. “Sorry you got stuck babysitting me today.”

  “Hell, Enza.” He chomped a huge bite of cake. “If this is work,” he pointed to the plate and the additional two that Meena set down, loaded with goodies, “sign me up. I get to eat food that you made, on the job.” He chased the cake with a gulp of coffee. “No complaints here.”

  She sat back in her chair. “That’s a positive way to think of it.”

  He picked up a banana nut muffin next. “Seriously. I’ve never had work this enjoyable.”

  Enza paused, remembering what Rhys had said about someone skewering him on the job. And how he’d been stabbed before going through the portal the night they met. And the stash of exotic weapons in their home. The magnitude of what these guys did weighed on her. They really did take care of the whole city, no matter how much they downplayed it.

  Pop music played from the speakers overhead, filtering into her musings, and she realized the shop was quiet. Yet she knew she’d seen the usual yoga mom crowd in here today…she peeked over her shoulder.

  A group of ten women, some with babies or toddlers, clustered around two tables pushed together. And they were doing a terrible job of not staring at Brenin. One was even taking a picture.

  “Oh my gosh, that’s crazy,” Enza whispered.

  Brenin shrugged his massive shoulders. “Ignore it. I do.”

  “You’re handling this better than I would,” she murmured.

  “This is all so damn good.” He finished the muffin and picked up a raspberry cream cheese tart. “You ever think about expanding?”

  “Um, maybe. First we need to show a profit for three years straight. Meena has a whole business plan set u—”

  “Tor.” A tiny voice chimed near her elbow.

  Enza turned to see a boy, maybe two or three years old,
staring at Brenin and brandishing an action figure with familiar long blond hair. Her jaw dropped and she flicked her eyes back to Brenin.

  He gave the boy a half-smile. “No, kiddo. Wrong guy.”

  “Tor,” the child insisted, holding the figure higher.

  “Hey, that’s a neat toy,” Enza said, hoping to distract the youngster. “What can he do?”

  “He gots a hammer,” the boy said.

  “Ohhh.” Enza nodded, glancing to the group of women, willing one of them to claim their kid. “Is this his hammer here?”

  “Yeah. He can wing it hard. Bam!”

  A woman in a tight-fitting pink and black workout ensemble sauntered over and leaned down to her child’s height, giving a clear view of cleavage exposed by her V-neck top. “I’m so sorry. He just really loves comic book characters.”

  “That’s okay.” Enza smiled widely and a little fake, wondering if the woman sent her kid over on purpose.

  The woman ignored Enza and ogled Brenin like she’d never seen a man before. “Yup, this is one of his favorites.”

  Brenin gave a one-second acknowledgment of the woman, then turned to the kid. “Good choice. You take care of that guy, now. Don’t break him.”

  “I like Tor,” the boy said, hugging the figure.

  “Me too,” said the mom.

  Oh my god. Enza didn’t know if Brenin cared, but she didn’t want this pushy woman around, drooling over him while he was stuck making sure no evil Deseratis barged into the store. “Well, thanks for showing us your toy,” she said to the child.

  “Okay,” he said.

  “So nice seeing you. Bye.” The mom picked up her son and walked back to her friends.

  “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry,” Enza whispered.

  Brenin leaned across the table. “Enza, I don’t care. Truly. I’m on the job, and even though this day kicks ass so far, I’m the first line of defense if those assholes walk in the door. There’s no room for distraction, and I don’t let that shit get to me.” He devoured a croissant filled with almond paste. “Like I said, I ignore it.”

  “Thank you.” She studied the stack of nowempty plates on the table, wondering how he managed to pack away all that bakery. “I really do feel better since you’re here.”