“Do you realize how nuts that sounds? Where the hell did he come from?”
“Most recently? The Interstate over by Medway, according to him,” she said, amused as she recited one of Knox’s cryptic answers. She had to make a little light of the situation, because it sounded nuts to her too. “He told me he’s been on the road for the past several months, going nowhere in particular. Apparently, he’s got brothers living in a Darkhaven down in Florida.”
“Brothers?” Carla wiggled her brows. “Do you suppose they all look like him? If they do, please tell him I and my virgin carotid will happily volunteer as tribute to any one of them.”
Leni groaned. “You’re awful.”
She laughed. “I’m lonely. I’m withering on the vine up here in the frozen North. And so are you, Len.” She tilted her head. “Or are you? Don’t think I didn’t see the way you were looking at your unusual houseguest just now.”
“The way I was looking at him?”
Leni wanted to deny it, but Carla’s shrewd gaze narrowed. “Holy shit. Have you broken your nearly six-year drought with a hot stranger you just met? And a Breed male, besides?”
“No. Of course, I haven’t.” Leni shook her head. “No way. With Riley under the same roof?”
“But you want to.” Her face lit up with conspiratorial enthusiasm. “Holy hell. Yes, you totally do!”
“Shh.” Leni felt her cheeks go red. “It’s not going to happen. And keep your voice down, for God’s sake.”
“Does he know about you? About what you are?”
“Unfortunately,” Leni replied. “I tried to keep it from him when he rescued me from the bottom of the ravine and pushed the Bronco back onto the road. But after we picked up Riley and brought him back to the house, Knox saw my Breedmate mark. Let’s just say he wasn’t happy about it. Then again, he wasn’t happy about a lot of things by that time.”
Carla stared. “Okay, we’re going to circle back to the point about you pissing off two-hundred-and-fifty-plus-pounds of smoking hot vampire in just a second. First, let’s unpack the part about him rescuing you from the bottom of the ravine. What are you talking about?”
Leni sighed, catching her lip between her teeth. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“Girlfriend, school has been out for two days and I’ve just discovered my best friend has a vampire handyman bunking in her attic. I’ve got nothing but time.”
CHAPTER 12
Knox felt Leni’s presence even before he heard her footsteps outside the old garage in back of the house that evening.
She let herself in without asking, bringing with her the scent of crisp snow, nighttime forest, and the sweeter fragrance of her freshly washed hair and skin.
He didn’t know how he could have missed the fact that she was a Breedmate when he first met her in the diner. Every woman born with that symbol on her body possessed her own unique blood scent. Leni’s was cedar and rich cream, an intoxicating mix that complemented the strength and warmth of the woman herself. It called to his senses like a siren’s song, and he greedily breathed it in as she approached.
“It’s cold out here,” she said, her voice husky and soft. Every fiber in his body lit up with awareness as she joined him in the back of the dimly lit outbuilding. She wore a pale gray sweater that looked as soft as a kitten and a pair of black leggings that clung to every inch of her long legs before disappearing into her untied snow boots. “Is that the faucet from the attic bathroom?”
His nod felt as tight as the rest of him. “Yeah. Just making a few small repairs around the place while I’m here.”
Today alone he had replaced several broken tiles in the shower, sealed some bad weather-stripping in the dormer windows, and tacked down a few loose floorboards at the top of the attic stairwell. At the rate he was going, he’d have Leni’s entire house refurbished before the end of next week.
Not that he expected to stay that long.
A few days at most.
Less than that if he could help it. Since she’d made it clear that persuading her to leave wasn’t going to go well, he would have to come up with another solution if things went south with Travis Parrish. One that didn’t require Knox to be in close proximity to the woman.
God knew he was having a hard enough time living under the same roof with her as it was. Every minute was becoming a test of self-control.
Seeing her in the foyer that morning had been yet another test. Only a minute before he’d been punishing his body under a cold shower, attempting to douse his uncooled desire for her. After a restless night spent prowling his quarters and trying to resist the urge to seek her out following their conversation in the kitchen, he had been itching for an outlet for his aggression.
He had almost hoped to find Travis Parrish or his brother on the other side of the door instead of Leni’s friend. He would have welcomed the opportunity to pound his fist into something more deserving than the attic’s old walls.
But it hadn’t been misplaced aggression pulsing through him when he’d heard the insistent rapping on the front door. It had been something deeper. Something more than basic concern for a female he was honor-bound to protect as a member of the Breed.
He would kill for Leni Calhoun, no question. In some rusty corner of his conscience, he had to admit—at least to himself—that he would do anything to preserve the simple, idyllic life she had made for herself and her nephew.
