Chapter 17
"COME ON up," Ken said as he shifted the squad car into Park. "I'll just be a few minutes, and you can say hello to Crash."
Georgia hesitated, then realized she was being silly. Ken Medlock, superhero, was completely trustworthy. Besides, she was curious to see his living space. The apartment building was retro-cool and tidy. She followed him up two flights of stairs, then stopped at a nondescript door. She toyed with her hat, unable to completely ignore the intimate implications of entering his apartment. He, on the other hand, seemed fully at ease as he swung open the door. Georgia wondered briefly if he entertained female guests on a regular basis, then walked inside.
She hadn't expected a tasteful, comfortably decorated, clean apartment with live plants and pictures of his family studding the built-in bookshelves. "Nice," she said.
"Something to drink?"
She shook her head, suddenly nervous, then fanned herself. "Gee, and I thought my apartment was the warmest place in Birmingham."
"Sorry," he said with a shrug. "The A/C is old and can't keep up in this heatwave. I've called the super twice, but I guess he's busy. By evening in here it's almost too hot to sleep."
His words sent an erotic thrill bolting through her. Her thighs quickened. During his bouts of insomnia, did he ever lie awake thinking about her? She couldn't drag her gaze from his thick arms, imagining them around her. She used the tip of her tongue to remove the film of perspiration on her upper lip. The tension hung heavy in the thick air.
"Well," he said, clapping his hands together once. "Why don't you have a seat, and I'll be back in a few." He smiled, then disappeared down a hallway, his shoulders practically spanning its width.
Georgia hugged herself as she wandered around the perimeter of the room, gazing at photos of people who bore such a strong resemblance to Ken, they had to be related. Funny, but now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall ever seeing photos in Rob's house. She hated comparing the two men, but at the moment, it was inevitable.
In the distance a shower kicked on, alerting her to the fact that Ken's muscular body was positioned under running soapy water. Dark skin, dark hair, smooth muscle, long limbs. She pushed away the carnal thoughts and continued her perusal of his apartment.
Instead of leather and glass and chrome, Ken's living room furniture consisted of two big dark-blue denim couches, a blue-and-tan checked recliner, and a low maple coffee table, flanked by a wide-screen TV. She lowered herself to the middle of the nearest couch, her body sighing in appreciation as she sank into cradling cushions. Now this was a couch. She closed her eyes and imagined curling up with a bowl of popcorn to watch a movie on the screen, leaning on the shoulder of a large man.
Georgia halted her train of thought, once again aware of the shower going in the background. She was attracted to the man, but attraction was a long way from sharing a remote control. Ken Medlock had made it clear he wasn't interested in a serious relationship. And she needed to get this bizarre sexual situation with Rob out of her system, this hormonal high that left her feeling so disoriented.
The shower shut off.
She pushed to her feet, suddenly wishing she hadn't come up. Her physical attraction to Ken was simply too intense in her current condition. In fact, maybe Rob would show up at the reception and they could talk, leaving Ken to his own devices. Georgia paced the room, tempted to walk out, having horribly provocative visions of Ken emerging in a towel.
At a noise behind her, she practically jumped out of her skin. She turned to find Crash hobbling toward her on a cast, his head dipping with every arduous step. Touched, she crossed the room and sank to the floor to pet him, remembering the day she'd met Ken. Had it been less than a week? In an amazingly short amount of time he'd wormed his way into her schedule and into her mind. If she were the suspicious type, she'd be inclined to think he had planned their meetings, but she knew that notion was absurd. How would Ken have known she would be at the mall, the blood drive, or even the wedding today? Even superheroes didn't have ESP.
She scratched the dog's ears, laughing at her farfetched attempt to find some reason to distrust Ken.
"I think he remembers you from the park," Ken said from the doorway.
She looked up and swallowed hard. He was breathtakingly handsome in dark slacks and a cream-colored shirt. His hair was combed back and lay close to his head. From where she sat, she could detect the woodsy aromas of his cologne and soap. Her senses leapt, her body straining toward his. He walked over and extended his hand to her. His fingers were long and blunt-tipped, sensuous on their own, even if they weren't attached to this man's powerful body.
As if in slow motion, she watched her hand meet his in an intimate clasp, and she allowed him to pull her to her feet. The kiss was inevitable, and perhaps more potent for that reason. Their lips came together with the momentum of two cymbals. She hungrily met his intensity, their bodies molding together. His hands skimmed over her back and she sensed his restraint. He lifted his mouth from hers long enough to rain kisses over her ear, down her neck, whispering her name against her skin. He slid his hands to her rib cage and thumbed the undersides of her breasts through the thin dress. She undulated against him, eliciting a groan.
Crash's sudden bark parted them, and she gasped at the sight of a repairman standing in the door. "Sorry," the guy said sheepishly. "I knocked three times."
Ken put his hands on his hips, his face dark. "Mr. Franks, what can I do for you?"
"Just came to check out your A/C. But I can come back."
"We were just leaving," Georgia said quickly, gathering her purse and hat. She sidled by the repairman and waited in the hall until Ken emerged, stuffing his wallet into his back pocket and carrying keys. She didn't trust herself to look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry about that," he said in a husky voice.
Oh, that lush accent. "It was as much my fault," she said, still shaken by what could've happened. "We both got carried away."
His mouth quirked. "I meant I'm sorry we were interrupted. "
She tingled under his gaze but offered no comment. Words really weren't necessary in the universal language of animal lust. Her cheeks burned with shame. Had it been only yesterday that she had rebuked his kiss and told him she was involved with someone? What must he think of her?
"Georgia, say something," he said as they descended the stairs.
"We barely know each other," she murmured. "This isn't right."
He stopped midflight. "Give me a chance. I meant it when I said I want to get to know you."
She shook her head. "This isn't a good time for me."
"Because of your boyfriend?"
Right now her best defense against giving in to her sexual appetite was to keep hot Ken Medlock at arm's length. "Yes, and I'm sorry if I led you to believe anything different." She continued her descent, then waited for him at the bottom of the stairs.
* * *
KEN REMAINED silent as he joined her at the bottom of the stairs. He'd promised himself he would go slow, dammit, but the entire time he was showering, he kept thinking that the most erotic woman he'd ever known was wrapped up in a beautiful, long-haired package, and sat mere steps away in his living room By the time he rinsed, he'd had to turn the water to icy cold to get his raging libido under control. He thought he'd succeeded until he walked out and saw her sitting on the floor, petting his dog. She'd been laughing, her cheeks glowing and her eyes sparkling. He couldn't help himself.
"Look, maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said, gesturing vaguely between them.
She stared, her blue eyes luminous. "Maybe."
He sighed. "Why don't I drop you off at the reception? I'll give Mr. and Mrs. Childers my regrets when they come down to file the paperwork on that Haney character."
"Don't be silly," she said. "Stacey and Neil would be disappointed if you didn't come. Besides, after what you did today, you should be there."
"Any cop would have done the same thing."
"But it wasn't any cop," she said softly. "It was you." She angled her head at him. "You do have the strangest way of showing up when I least expect it. If I didn't know better, I might think that you..."
He swallowed hard. Think that he what? That he knew more about her than she could ever imagine?
She shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go."
Tingling with remorse, he led her to his gray sport utility vehicle. In response to her raised eyebrows, he gave a little laugh. "You didn't think I drove the cruiser all the time, did you?"
"I suppose I did."
"Well, Miss Adams," he drawled, "I'm full of surprises." And there's one you'd rather not know about, I'm sure.
At least he'd managed to coax a smile from her, and the tension eased a bit. He unlocked the door and helped her climb inside, setting his jaw when he touched her silky skin. The skirt of her filmy dress hung down, in danger of being caught in the closed door. He picked up the hem of the blue dress and, at a loss, handed it to her. The awkwardness and intimacy of the moment caught at his heart, and a lump of frustration lodged in his throat. He wanted to be with her, to access her mind and her body and her dreams, but the distance she maintained, combined with her loyalty to Rob Trainer, was compounded by his guilt over the phone calls.
Practically shaking from powerlessness, he climbed into the driver's seat and proceeded to act as if everything were normal. It was for the best that nothing had happened upstairs, he reminded himself. Because Rob Trainer would be back soon to lay claim on her heart, and the very least he owed her was a confession that would circumvent a rupture in Georgia and Rob's relationship.
I'll tell her at the reception, he told himself , after a drink for courage.