Wolf's Desire (4 page)

Aiden
turned with his bags and waited outside near the door.

***

Keira wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand before the tears had a chance to spill. Every moment that she spent mourning could be better spent on finding out why Jamison was murdered.

Aiden Price’s job was to protect her while she took investigations into her own hands.
She’d been a little surprised. She’d never seen or spoken to Aiden before today. The scouting of the security firm where Aiden worked had been left up to her lawyer. What she expected was someone older, bulkier, and grittier looking. But what she got was the handsome man waiting right outside the door.

He couldn’t have been over forty. Some
thing about the youthfulness in his eyes and vigilance in his gait demonstrated that. He was fairly tall. Taller than most men she knew. And lean. Even the black blazer he wore over the white shirt didn’t disguise the muscle and tone in his physique. Despite the hint of a five o’ clock shadow on the lower part of his face, he was considerably well groomed.

Keira swung her legs over the window seat and slipped her feet inside her flats. Swallowing the bout of hesitation that had suddenly risen up in her throat, she met
the handsome Aiden Price in the hallway.

Aiden regarded her momentarily, his dark gaze sweeping across her body. Had she blinked, she would have missed the way the corners of his mouth turned up into
a smile for one split second. The attention didn’t make her feel uncomfortable, but it did send a surge of hope through her.

“I’ll give you a tour of the premises. Why don’t w
e start with your room so you can drop off your bags?” She started off down the hallway, and he followed. “Next we’ll move out to the grounds and then work our way back inside.”

As she
led the way further down the hallway near the guest room where Aiden would be staying, she could feel his stare directly on her. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but somehow his presence made her at ease. Of course it did. He was her bodyguard.

“This is where you’ll be staying.” She turned the doorknob and swung the door open. “Right next to the master just as you requested.”

Aiden walked inside and dropped his bags into the chest near the foot of the bed. He peered around the room, observing the interior from top to bottom.

“There is an attached bath off to the right so you have your privacy.” She walked over to a window on the far end and pulled back the curtains. “Sometimes it gets a little hot in the mornings with the way the sun rises and the location of the room. Guests have told me that if they sleep with the ceiling fan on or the windows open that it helps a bit. If you find that you’re uncomfortable, we can move you to the smaller guest room two doors down and adjacent to the other bath.”

“No,” he said, quickly. “This will be fine.”

“At what times do you have your meals?” she asked.

He entered the adjoining bath and peered around in it as well. “The same time as you.”

“I…ah…I kind of have them sporadically throughout the day.”

He gave her another complete once over before saying, “Then we have something in common.” The muscles in his arm rippled as he closed the door shut behind them. “I’m usually up at the break of dawn.”

She smiled. “Early to rise and early to bed?”

His smile was quick—and just like that—it disappeared. “More like early to rise, and lucky if I make it to bed before it’s time to get up again.”

“A hard worker, I presume?”

He nodded. “I try to be.”

“Well, let’s hope you get
better sleep this time around.”

After showing him
the various rooms in the house, they moved outside. He took everything in with a cautious stare. There was something about his observant nature that she found quite peculiar. At one point, their gazes met for longer than usual. She noted the mix of colors—greens and blues—around his irises. The kaleidoscope of hues made it difficult to pinpoint what color his eyes truly were. Cerulean, maybe.

“Do you mind me asking you how you came to live in this town?
Do you have any ties to it?” she asked. Had he known about the tragedy that happened here a year earlier? It had been headlined in almost every newspaper in the country, or so it had seemed that way.

Ellis Import Owner Murdered
At His Estate,
it had said.

“
I live wherever my assignments take me…until recently.”

“What do you mean…
until recently?”

“Prior to accepting this
job, I retired from the profession.”

Keira waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. It seemed that he was more concerned with checking out the outdoor shed they’
d just entered. “How is it that you’re still working right now?”

Aiden turned to look at her, but his expression did not change. “There are many reasons for accepting an assignment. Sometimes for the money. Sometimes for the challenge. And sometimes because no one else can or will do the job.”

“And for which reason did you accept this one?”

“Neither. I found your case to be unordinary.
I’m here because I wanted the assignment.”

Keira bit her lower lip.
She had to respect him for telling the truth. She’d known that her lawyer requested only the best and most skilled bodyguards, but it was also good to know that someone hadn’t forced Aiden to be here against his will. “You look awfully young. Most retire in their sixties, and you look nowhere near that number.”

He grinned. “I’m not like most.”

Before she knew it, they were across the field heading toward the grape orchard. A cool evening breeze brushed against her face, and the smell of ripened Concords swept up with the wind. It had been a while since she’d ventured out here. The place had always been somewhere to enjoy time away from the house in nature and in peace and quiet.

Jamison used to love it, especially for reading in the afternoons.

“How old are you?” she asked. He did look young, but the maturity in his eyes told her that he’d seen much more life than she had.

“Thirty-five.”

“Thirty-five is very young. You’re lucky that you don’t have to work until you’re old and gray.”

“For me, retired
doesn’t mean you never should work again.”

This statement gave her pause, and she looked at him questioningly.
“Then what’s the point of retiring?”

He seemed to hesitate before saying, “This career is not my only responsibility.
Retiring from this one ensures more time to dedicate to the other.”

“What else do you do?”

Winds gushed by again wiping at her back as they walked through the fields and past the pergola and wrought iron benches. Several butterflies skirted along the row of flowers beside the path.

“I’m one of about a handful of board members who oversee the operations and finances of a
n organization…so to speak.”

“So to speak?”

Aiden smiled. “You ask many questions. I’m here to assist you, thus should I not be asking the questions.”

“Depends.”
She shrugged.

“On what?”

“Should I not know the man who will be guarding me for the next four months?”

“
I’ll answer your questions to the best of my knowledge, but be careful what you ask.”

She wondered if that
was a real warning, and if she should leave the discussion about his mysterious organization alone.

“Where are the peaches?” he asked as they headed back toward the house.

Keira stopped along the stone path leading up to the backside of the wrap-around porch. “What peaches?”

“I’ve seen the grape orchard, but do you grow peaches nearby? I can smell them.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know anyone around here that grows peaches.”

“It’s you then…”

“Excuse me?”

“Your perfume smells like peaches,” he said.

She laughed softly. She couldn’t help it. “I don’t wear perfume. I haven’t in a long time. Jamison had allergies. Maybe peaches are on the menu for dinner tonight. Which reminds me…dinner will be served at six thirty tonight? You will join me then so we can finish the discussion about your organization?”

“I wasn’
t planning on missing it.” Aiden followed her up the steps. “But ideally the topic of discussion during our first official meeting should be you.”

Keira turned, and found herself literally
inches away from Aiden. He was more than a few heads taller than her. She had to lift her chin sharply to meet his gaze. The air around them was fairly warm, which was expected for the beginning of the summer weather. But his body heat radiated around them, increasing the temperature even more.

“I’m not al
l that interesting, Aiden Price,” she whispered.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge
of that, Keira Ellis?”

True to this word Aiden literally stayed no
more than one room away at all times. Even when Keira was getting ready for dinner, he stood outside of the master bedroom and waited.

She
couldn’t remember the last time someone paid her this much attention, but then she had to remind herself that this was his job. He was getting paid to do it. It dawned on her that he didn’t even have to like her.

Before she could fold the cloth napkin out over her lap, Aiden
left her side and retreated to stand near the dinner hutch near the door. He took a stiff stance next to the wall and stared straight ahead. Was this what he did at all his jobs?

Keira cleared her throat. “What are you doing?”

He looked at her, his eyes drawn together, as if confused. “I’m standing in your dining room.”

“I know that, but
wouldn’t you like to eat dinner?”

“I can eat once you retire to bed.”

“Okay,” she said, slowly. “Maybe you misunderstood, but I had a formal dinner prepared specifically for your arrival. I know you’re here to work, but you’re still very much a guest in the home.”

“You don’t need to arrange such formalities for me.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.

His gaze swept over the table, but he didn’t say a word.

“Please come join me,” she urged.

A
moment of pause followed, and she thought he would decline, but then there was a slight shift in his demeanor before he came to take a seat across from her.

As it had been doing most of
the day, Keira’s stomach grumbled. She pushed her coyness aside, pulled the salad plate closer, and poured on a good helping of Italian dressing. The first bite roused her taste buds and she was more than halfway done with the hearty chef salad before she realized that Aiden hadn’t even touched his fork. He was eyeing her, with a bit of amusement marking his face.

Her cheeks
heated, and she dabbed at the corners of her mouth with the napkin. “I’m so embarrassed. I was just very hungry. I’m sorry.”

He smiled. “No need for apology.”

“You don’t like the salad?” she asked. “I can have them bring something different.”

“The salad is fine.” He scooped up a hefty portion and began to eat.

His jaws moved slowly and meticulously, and she couldn’t help but be drawn to examine him as he’d been doing with her since he’d arrived. With only a few feet separating them across the round table, there was no way she could hide her observation. As he bowed his head slightly to devour the rest of the salad, heavy eyebrows framed his face, thick eyelashes hooded his eyes giving him a mysterious guise.  His facial features were prominent, the jawline strong and refined. The hint of stubble along his face gave him an edgier look. His dark brown hair was cut short and neat as though he’d only just left the barber.

S
he wondered just how much danger he encountered on a daily basis. Her contact had ensured her that they had hired one of the best, but had they told him about the events surrounding the reason for her request? The manner in which Jamison died? The threats on her life? The recent break-in? Was he prepared for her troubles?

“How long have you been a bodyguard?”

“Fifteen years,” he said.

“Impressive.
What made you choose that profession?”

“I had an uncle who was in this line of work.
He taught me everything he knew.”

They both cut into their salmon, taking a few bites. Aiden seemed pleased with the food. Keira couldn’t remember the last time she had a guest or had invited anyone to dinner
after the tragedy. The neighbors that came over in the past when Jamison had the urge to entertain were still rattled by his murder. Some of them even shunned her reminding her that the community had once been a safe place to live before that night.