Wicked Knight (5 page)

“Looks like Hurricane Katrina came in here and destroyed the kitchen.”

Julie looked around.
Yup, the spotless kitchen is now a mess
. Three helpers should have been enough to make the whole process of baking brownies less dirty and disorderly, but the brothers were as messy as their ruffled hair when wet. Bors dropped a stick of soft butter on the floor, Percival managed to crack the eggs and dropped the yolk inside the bowl after three attempts, and Gawain...well, the man licked every spatula she used, but dripped most of the mix on the counter. “Gawain said he'll come back to help clean up.”

“Hmm...I wouldn't count on him when it comes to cleaning.”

“Oh, I made sure he'll come back.”

“Let me guess. You bribed him.”

“With double chocolate chip
Haagen-Dazs
ice cream.”

“Ah, you hit him where he's most vulnerable—his stomach.”

Laughter bubbled in her throat when she saw amusement in his eyes. “Most men are vulnerable when it comes to their stomachs.” She wondered where Tristan's vulnerability lay.

“You speak based on experience?”

Yes. She based it on what she read in the romance books she devoured every night when she wasn't in front of her laptop. “Yeah. Am I wrong?”

“Can't speak for other men.” He gave her a black, layered look, which changed in a matter of a heartbeat. “Smells good. I'm surprised my brothers aren't all over the brownies.” Tristan stood beside her, then bent low to sniff the closest pan.

Soap
. He smelled like fresh soap. Julie noticed the tips of his hair were still wet. Tristan showered and changed into faded blue jeans with holes in the knees. His plain, white t-shirt hugged his body, emphasizing his flat as a board stomach and muscled chest. She nearly clicked her tongue in appreciation when she noticed Tristan's toes peeking under the hem of his pants. Man, she was a sucker for jeans and bare feet.

Julie thought he was the most drop dead gorgeous species who walked the earth.

“When will the brownies be ready?”

“As soon as they've cooled off. Why?”

“Come with me.”

Before she could ask where, Tristan took hold of her hand and led her through the backdoor into the moonlit backyard. A soft breeze fanned her face, cooling her hot cheeks. After an hour of standing in the oven-heated kitchen, it felt wonderful to be outside where she could cool off. The spring night air felt so wonderful on her skin she just wanted to stand there forever.

Out here, the only sounds she could hear were the branches touching each other as they swayed gently, scattering of the night creatures—most likely squirrels or raccoons—and the breaking of twigs or branches. Through the trees’ canopy, she glimpsed a star. As she stared, one by one, she saw more stars dotting the midnight sky like diamonds.

It was beautiful.

Julie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Didn't anyone tell you it's not safe to walk with your eyes closed?”

“You're holding my hand. I'll be okay. Just catch me if I fall.”

“Do you think that's wise?”

Julie opened her eyes. Intense blue eyes shining through reflective lights stared back at her. Something in those eyes made her hold her breath until her chest felt ready to explode. Hunger? Interest? Mirth? Or lust? She couldn't tell. All she knew was she couldn't stop staring at him. Like a moth to a light, he drew her in.

Being this close to Tristan was bad. He looked so dangerously handsome, capable of making scores of women fall in love with him. She shouldn't be out here with him, especially not in this romantic setting.

“No, falling is not wise.”
Especially falling in love with a Knight who obviously doesn't want to love again. “
Where are we going? You're not thinking about pushing me off the cliff for pulling a joke on you, are you?”

Tristan's laughter ripped the quiet night. His shoulders still shook when he looked at her. “No, Julie Strawberry. I would never imagine doing anything like that. You're too beautiful to roll off the cliff.”

Me, beautiful?
Did he really say I am beautiful?
Julie's heart reveled in his compliments. She'd been called beautiful before, but coming from Tristan, he gave the word a totally different meaning. Gah, she shouldn't make his comment into something it was not. “So if I had a wart on the tip of my nose and a chin that looked like a crescent moon, you would?”

“I'd have second thoughts for sure.”

“You are one prejudiced doctor. So where are you taking me?” She knew he would never hurt her on purpose. The question was only to break the loud staccato beat of her heart that was making her ears buzz.

“I want to show you something. We'll be back in time for you to slice the brownies.”

“They'll be looking for us. I'm supposed to play cards with your brothers and sister. We should go back.” She tugged her hand, but Tristan only tightened his hold on her.

“Are you afraid of being alone with me?”

“Of course not. You're not going to transform into something, are you?”

“I might.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“I think you are thinking that I'll ravish you out here.”

Startled by his words, she tripped on her own feet. Looking at Tristan, she searched her brain for an answer. “You need to hone your mind reading skills, Tristan, because I am far from thinking that you would do such a thing. I am not saying you are not capable of doing it. It's just, you wouldn't.” He might not be a real knight of the round table, but he was as noble as any man could be.

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you weren't raised to disrespect women.”

Tristan gave her a curt nod. “Keep walking, and open your eyes.”

They walked along the grass-covered path with only the bright moon as their guide. Julie tripped on a root sticking out of the hard ground, but Tristan was quick to catch her. “Are your eyes open?”

Julie pinched his side, laughing. “Don't be mean.”

“Oww! What are you, a crab or something? Damn it, woman. That stings.”

“Serves you right.” She hid her grin by looking at the shadowed figures of the mountains that looked painted flat on a white canvas.

“Should I give you a piggyback ride to keep you from tripping?”

“Yeah, right. So both of us could land on our faces if you trip.”

“I know this area like—”

“The back of your hands?” Julie interjected. She'd been writing for enough years that she knew to avoid the use of cliches.

“I was going to say a woman's body, but yeah... like the back of my hands.”

“Why, because this is where you run away to escape from doing household chores?”

“I don't run away from my responsibilities—easy or not. My brothers and I used to come here to play Robin Hood, or soldiers. If we didn't carry swords, we had guns.”

Julie imagined the brothers all wearing tights like Robin Hood, then giggled.

“What's so funny?”

“The image of you wearing white tights like Robin Hood.”

“What's so funny about that? Robin is not a ballet dancer so he didn't show his tight buttocks and—”

“I get it.”

“Anyway, Mom would always say
go play and have fun
, and she just emphasized that we
come home together and without anything broken
.”

“So did you manage to come home from your
thieving
without anything broken?”

“Not all the time. Gawain broke his ankle one time jumping off a tree. Percival tripped while running, landed on his face, and broke his nose. Bors ran into a tree full speed and came home with a goose egg on his forehead.”

“Aww, poor Bors.”

Tristan scoffed. “He fell backward, bounced back up laughing, then took off running again. The man has cement for a skull.”

“Good. He needs it, especially with his line of work. Aside from their bulletproof vests, all FBI Agents should wear something like a steel helmet for better protection.”

“Mom and Dad said the same thing.”

“I bet they worry about Bors a lot. Must be hard to have a son in the service.”

“They do worry about Bors. In fact, about all of us.” He paused. “Watch the log. Here, let me help you.”

Before she could step over the log, Tristan had already clamped his hands on her waist, lifted her up, then swung her over like a child that weighed nothing. His touch made her breathless, like a girl of eighteen. After putting her back down, he grabbed her hand again. Julie felt stupid. Here she was, out of breath from his simple touch when he looked unaffected. It must be the setting that made her think and feel like a nincompoop.

“What about you? Did you break anything?”

“Yeah. I think it's impossible for rowdy boys not to get hurt once or twice.”

“So what happened?”

Tristan stopped walking and faced her. He still held her hand, rubbing her wrist with his thumb. She wondered if he was aware he'd been doing it. Aware or not though, she liked it.

“I was twelve when it happened. My brothers and I were on our way home when I accidentally stepped in a hole. I fell sideways and landed on a broken branch that was as pointy as a spear. It pierced my side and nearly went through my back. My brothers told me if I hadn't kneeled and caught myself, the tip of the branch would have broken the skin on my back. So what happened was the skin formed a tent. It was freaky, they said. I was trussed like a pig.”

“Oh no!” Horrifying images of a young Tristan formed in her head. Pain sliced through her as if she were actually seeing him. The thought of him as a young boy in pain, and maybe scared, brought tears to her eyes.

“Bors fetched Mom while Gawain and Percival stayed with me. Can't remember who held my hand and who wrapped one arm around me to keep me from falling. You see, I passed out.”

Julie placed a hand on his arm. “I'm so sorry. No child should go through that kind of horrifying pain. And Katherine—she must have been worried sick.” With subtlety, she wiped a tear that ran down her cheek.

“She was. When I woke up, I was already in my hospital bed. Everyone was there. Mom gave me a hug and dripped tears all over my face. She told me how much she loved me, over and over. After holding me tight for what seemed like hours, she began reciting my punishment.”

“And they were?”

“I was grounded for a month and lost my allowance. No dessert for one week, and no TV, but my brothers would always sneak in brownies or pie, or baked cookies for me. Mom knew about it, but she didn't say anything. None of my brothers—Mom told me—watched TV.”

“Aww...” Respect, love, and pride for his siblings rang loud in his tone. Tears welled in her eyes again. “You have wonderful brothers.”

“I know.” He shook his head as if in disbelief.

“And you're lucky the branch didn't...I mean, it was your side that was pierced, not your...”

“My heart?”

“Yeah. Or any other vital organ.”

“I know. Wanna see my scar?”

Julie wasn't sure how she'd see the scar with only the moon as their light, but she nodded. Tristan lifted his shirt and pointed at the straight scar about three inches long. Without thinking, Julie touched the puckered skin with the tip of her index finger. The moment she touched him, Tristan sucked in his breath. She jerked her hand back. “Did I hurt you?”

* * * *

“No.” It wasn't pain he felt when she touched him. It was the opposite. Her simple touch made his body become even tauter. When he wrapped his fingers around her small waist, his body reacted swiftly and violently, and adding her touch, he was ready to unbutton his fly and whip out his cock. Standing this close to her, while staring in her wide green eyes, shining from tears, he might just do that. God, a simple touch and his dick hardened right away.

Baby, what have you done to me?
What was so different about her from the other women he had dated? Well, to start with, she was funny, game, beautiful, smart, and a softie. Seeing the tears she tried to hide proved how soft hearted she was.

He'd told the same story to different women in the past, including his ex-wife, Carly. The only reaction he got was laughter and nonchalance.
Unlike Julie
. The prankster possessed a soft heart and she continued to impress him.

Somewhere an owl hooted, taking his mind off the beautiful woman standing before him. The way his body was reacting to Julie's nearness, he'd need more than an owl's distraction. Without a doubt, he was attracted to her physically. A feeling he must rein in before it turned into something else. Last thing he wanted in his life right now was to fall for his sister's best friend.

“We're almost at the spot I want you to see. Let's go.” He squeezed Julie's hand and forced himself to look away.

The fragrance of spring blossoms carried by the breeze mingled with the fresh scent of Cedar trees. Tristan forced his mind to center on the environment he had loved so much since he was a boy, but the presence of a lovely woman beside him was stronger. He wanted to stop walking and take her in his arms, feel her soft curves and taste her constantly wet lips.

Why did he ask her to go for a walk with him?
Oh yeah, my brothers wouldn't leave her alone, that's why.
And she needed a break from baking brownies.

Right. Now keep walking, Tristan, and stop thinking about your throbbing dick.

They followed the worn path until they reached the thick Rhododendrons entwined with wild bushes. Tristan looked at Julie, then said, “Welcome to my private hideaway.” He pushed aside a couple branches to make room for her to get through. “Go on.”

Standing behind Julie, he heard her indrawn breath. He had that same reaction when he found this spot.

Even at night, the small clearing at the edge of the property looked like a small garden with the wild tulips, daffodils, violets, and dandelions scattered about, growing wildly and freely. Except for the spot beneath the old weather-battered evergreen tree—the area where he built the glass hut—this spot was untouched.

“Wow,” Julie breathed the word. “It's like a vacation spot with a great view. And... My, I've never seen a glass hut like that before. Did you build it?”