The Santas Who Stole Me (Stolen #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

ZEKE

Georgia has me out of sorts in a way that is new to me. The guys have jumped at the chance for any excuse to be with her. I have been hesitant and haven’t pushed our alone time. All together we spent some time watching TV and swimming, and for the most part I watched her. I should have read all of Georgia’s files to give myself an advantage over the others. It’s my strength after all. But I couldn’t do it. I told her I would fix the situation with the FBI agent, and I will. I found myself more interested in her than killing which was new. It was additionally new for me to be interested in someone. I believe it started seeing her all curled up in Keeper’s bed after her panic attack. I can’t even name the way I should have felt. I’m not sure what she’s doing to me.

I’m a fool though, because she’s going to figure out my secrets and run. Losing my courage, I start putting the baking shit back up in the cabinet at the same time as she walks in with Calum. They’re laughing. The tone signals a lighthearted nature and she’s smiling at him. I knew she would take to him the quickest. He’s the easiest to be around.

Georgia scans the kitchen.

I probably went overboard.

“Ahh that kitchen mixer! I’ve wanted one like this forever.” She runs her hand over it and her eyes lighten expressing she’s excited. I blow out a breath of relief.

“I thought you might want to bake. Some Christmas cookies maybe?”

Calum narrows his gaze at me and I flip my middle finger up at him behind her back.

Georgia claps her hands together and looks over everything on the counter. “You want me to bake for you?”

“No, with me,” I say quickly, flashing her my nicest grin.

“Okay, let’s do this. Calum, are you baking too?”

He looks at me for permission, and I give him an icy stare met by a roll of his eyes. He pulls Georgia into him and kisses her temple before whispering, “No, but I’ll definitely be back for a taste of your cookie, cookie.”

She blushes and starts rummaging through the baking supplies.

Calum whistles a Christmas tune on his way out.

“What’s your favorite kind, Zeke?”

“I’m not sure, the sugar kind.” I’m a grown ass man who kills for a living, I have no recollection when I last ate a cookie. I need my body to be ready in case of a fight. I don’t give it sugar and processed foods.

“They all have sugar.” She giggles, then pauses, studying my face and tapping her finger to her chin like she’s thinking.

“I know the cookie you need. Flour me, Zeke, we got this.”

I hand her the flour, and she goes about telling me what to measure and add. It’s surprisingly comfortable, which is interesting considering her situation. She seems to have found strength somewhere along the way. Instead of being fearful of us like any sane person, Georgia is baking with me. I assume it’s because of her treatment from Chad, and that makes me fucking furious. She shouldn’t be brave because of what he did to her or the trauma he forced her to endure. I want to make things better for her.

I assess her facial features, which suggest she’s pleased right now. Crinkles around the eyes as she talks, cheeks high; she enjoys baking. This was a good use of my time with her, and I appreciate that she is happy with me.

“Roll these out.” She hands me some dough that she quickly made from memory. She hasn’t opened any of the books I brought home.

Taking the sheet and the parchment paper, I do as she requests. The dough doesn’t flatten, it sticks to the pin, but she remedies it with some flour. We work in silence between her instructions, and despite the differences in our tasks, I shift across the kitchen to be closer to her.

“So how do you fit in with the guys? I doubt they let all the other coworker killers live with them.”

“I once tried to kill Keeper.”

She lets out a chuckle, then looks at me when she realizes I’m telling the truth.

Lies come to me easily, and I thought of about ten different ones to tell her, but for some reason I feel at ease telling Georgia this story. Maybe it’s because we’ve already let her in so there is no going back. I doubt she’s come to realize that yet.

“And how did that go, seeing as he’s remained alive?” She puts in coloring to the icing, making it a light blue.

“We were going after the same mark. It was a high-value target. Whoever completed the job first would get a large sum of money along with future job connections. I was only starting out in this role, so Keeper got there first. We fought and I was going to end his life, but he offered me a job instead. He said no one had ever surprised him like that. No one had ever beaten me to a mark either, although I had done only a few jobs, so we made an alliance.” Alliance isn’t the word that Keeper and Calum use to describe our relationship. The brothers insist we are family. Still, I have always felt a little like an outsider. Strangely enough, I haven’t had any of those feelings since Georgia has arrived. The past week has changed the dynamic in this house.

“And now you’re all best friends. That’s a cute story. I’m glad you found each other and bonded, even if it was over a little killing.” She smiles. I assume she is joking until she continues. “I haven’t had friends in a while. Marge at the diner is cool, but she’s so put together and my life is such a mess. Sometimes she’s a little distant, as if she knows she can’t stay here for long. I recognize that look. The need to run at any moment. She must recognize it in me too.”

“I know what you mean,” I reply.

She nods keeping her attention on her work.

I don’t say anything else, watching as she takes the cookies off the rack and starts decorating them. Her face is full of concentration, and she pushes her tongue inside her cheek while piping icing along the outside of the cookie. Her eyelids are lowered, and her black lashes almost touch her cheeks. I’m so mesmerized watching her I don’t know how much time passes.

“Done,” she singsongs, which could mean she’s happy or feeling accomplished. Georgia digs through the cabinets, finds a small dessert plate, and places a cookie on it, sliding it over to me. The cookie is round with thick white icing and a peanut butter cup flipped to be a hat. Black and white icing creates a face while blue icing outlines it with shiny looking sprinkles, like glitter.

“A snowman?” I ask, stepping in closer to her.

“Yes, a little icy but sweet underneath. Perfect cookie for you. Try it.” She motions at me, encouraging me to take a bite, so I do.

Sugary icing mixes with the soft cookie base in my mouth. “Really good,” I say in between bites. It’s not a lie to make her feel better.

“Really?”

I swallow and stare at her mouth.

“Mmmm, come taste.” My arms lock around her waist before I lean in, giving her a few seconds to protest. She doesn’t. When she looks down at my lips, I move my mouth to meet hers. Our tongues mix, slow and soft. Fucking perfect. She lets a little moan out into my mouth, and I do my best not to swallow it up. I want to hear every sound she makes. I end our kiss and give her a quick peck on the lips. I could kiss her forever, but this was our first time and I need to see how she’s reacting. I scan her face. Her lips are in a lazy smile, and she has crinkles around her eyes again. My chest swells knowing she wanted that kiss too.

“See, so sweet.” Then she surprises me, folding her arms around my neck and laying her head on my chest.

I can’t help but hug her back, wanting to absorb some of her sweetness.

“I’m glad that you like it. I added extra butter. We will have to remember that for next time.”

“Absolutely next time,” I say into her hair that smells like sugar and candy. My arms engulf her and I’m reminded of how tiny she is when I feel her bones. She could so easily be cracked if I want. I don’t, however, so I release her.

She continues decorating and placing finished cookies in an arrangement on a large stand I purchased with her in mind. There are blue flecks in the pattern that match her pupils.

“Want to see if the guys want some?”

I consider her question. I like having her to myself, but I’m somewhat positive I’m never going to tell Georgia no. Especially after that kiss worked its way down into my chest.

“Sure. I’ll text them.”

A few minutes later Calum strolls in and scoops a cookie off the platter before taking a bite. “Couldn’t resist getting a taste of this sweetness,” Calum whispers in her ear before snaking a hand behind her back with his right arm, and he uses the other to take another bite of our cookie.

Taking in their closeness is pissing me off. This is my time with her. Calum smirks knowingly while Georgia eats up his praise and other shit he spews. She’s so laid back around him, and the easy laughter between them has my fist balled and my chest tight.

“Christmas movies,” I almost shout before Calum leans in as if to kiss her lips.

They startle apart, and I give Georgie my best smile again. I’ve been told it’s charming, and while I use it to help me when necessary I find myself actually wanting to show it to Georgia. I spend so much time considering everyone’s emotions. I never considered if anyone was interested in my own. Now I want to share them with her.

“What?” she asks.

“Let’s go watch a Christmas movie,” I say again with less urgency. I am not ready to lose her to Calum yet. I know it’s inevitable, but for a while longer I want to pretend.

Georgia reaches out to me with one hand and I take it. She backs away from Calum and I follow her to the couch and take a seat. “Christmas movies sound wonderful. Which one should we watch?”

I sigh as Calum walks into the living room too despite not receiving an invitation. I would prefer he fuck off now. Georgia grabs a blanket and sits next to me, pulling it over us.

She glances at Calum, silently asking if he’s joining, and he looks to me for permission.

“Fine, asshole. You can watch too.”

“Sweet.” He throws his legs over the back of the couch and settles in on her other side.

She smiles, stretching her legs on Calum’s lap. Her head rests on my shoulder with ease when she’s getting comfortable. The blanket that’s covering the white T-shirt she’s wearing like a dress is personally offensive. I can see her black sports bra underneath, but it’s so baggy, I can’t tell if she still has on some of our boxers she’s been wearing.

I had to bite my tongue twice today to keep my dick from pressing too hard against my pants. I know we should get her more clothes, but she looks so cute in ours. I also kept my comments to myself about adding to her wardrobe because I liked watching that shirt rise up when she looked through the cabinets or bent to the oven.

“Pick whatever you like.”

She reaches up and snatches the remote off the coffee table and finds one to stream. Tim Allen’s voice fills the room, and she moves down my side until her head is in my lap.

I peer over at Calum. Pretending to watch the show, but I see hand movement under the blanket rubbing up and down her leg. Her pretty profile is lit up by the lights of the television, and I just stare. At different parts of the movie her eyes twinkle, and I wish I knew what was in her head to make her feel that way. Twisting her ponytail around my fingers slowly, she tilts her head and looks at me, about to say something. Then the door down the hallway crashes and Keeper stomps in. I can tell by his breathing and scowl he’s furious. He glares at Georgia, and she notices his anger and quickly shifts off my lap. She pulls her knees to her chest and tries to shrink down as he hovers above her.

“What are you doing?” he all but growls.

“Watching a movie. We made cookies,” Georgia tells him.

His breaths are coming in fast, and he looks like he’s going to rip her head off. He wouldn’t though, this is our girl. From the way she looked at him this morning, I assumed they slept together again. We all heard her the first night she was here.

“Where is Chad?” Keeper asks.

“Keeper, we don’t have to do this right now.” I know we said we would review the details, but it can wait until the morning or the day after.

“I’m not sure. I told you.”

He ignores me and continues to seethe at Georgia while she sits stone still.

“Keep, what the fuck? You’re scaring her,” Calum says.

I turn to Georgia. Is she scared? I slide my arm around her back and shift her into my side. Keeper notices and scowls at me, so I mirror his face. So much for either of them following the rules for separate time. My fingers grip Georgia’s tiny waist to give her strength.

“When did you last speak to him? You made it sound as if you were out of reach with him. It doesn’t seem to be the case. Why are you sitting here all cozy with my brothers if you are still interested in Chad?” He says his name as if it gives him a bitter taste in his mouth.

That buzzing in my chest comes back, and Calum and I stare at her. Her eyes are shiny and she has more pink in her cheeks. Embarrassment perhaps?

“What are you talking about? I told you the truth in your bed. I’m not a liar.”

I rub my thumb back and forth against her waist, encouraging her to continue.

He hands her a small phone and presses a button to light up the screen.

I look down and see a message screen.

Georgia takes a staggering breath. “I didn’t write this, and you have no right to go through my things. Where is my guitar?”

Calum studies the phone before turning to her. “How did he get this phone number?”

“I don’t know. This is what he does, finds me when I leave. I didn’t text him anything.”

Calum doesn’t respond, and Keeper scoffs.

Georgia curls into herself tighter and sinks into the couch trying to get away from him.

“Georgia, if you want to go back with him and leave us, tell me now.” His gaze searches her face for an answer.

Desperation, fear, and concern. I assume he’s feeling those based on the lines around his mouth and eyes.

Calum and I stare at her, waiting for her answer. Please don’t go yet .

“I don’t want Chad. That text wasn’t from me, I swear.” She’s being honest, but at the same time she’s holding something back.

“Do you want to leave?” Keeper drops to his knees in front of her.

She reaches out and traces the side of his face, and his eyes close at her touch.

“I won’t be locked up again. I agreed to it at first because I was worried about what it meant to be a liability to you all.”

He nods his head, and I feel this all slipping away, the glimpse of her with us. I knew she would never pick me. Yet, when she curled up next to me on the couch, I had the tiniest hope she might.

“We won’t keep you locked up.” Calum takes her hand into his and squeezes it. Keeper looks at her and nods his approval. I shrug as if I’m indifferent in an attempt to hide the heaviness in my chest. He’s right, we can’t make her stay. Calum said it earlier, but we simply didn’t listen.

“So I can leave? You won’t come after me? What about Chad?”

“We won’t, you can go. He’s already a dead man. I swear to it at our first chance. We can give you money, help you run and stay hidden. Is that what you want?” Keeper says.

She agrees with a head nod, and Keeper walks away. I can’t help but notice her lower lip sticking out at his dismissal. I don’t see any eagerness on her face to leave. Sure, we have been together a short time, but I’m getting attached to her.

“Well, thanks for letting me stay here. I’ll be fine; I’ve made it this far on my own.” She drags her feet to the front door.

We follow her, and I can’t help but wonder how things went from baking to being this shitty. Keeper returns with her guitar case, a pair of her jeans, and holds out her boots that were neatly placed near the bottom of the stairs. I noticed she likes to leave them close to her, and she slips them on in silence.

“I’ll give you a ride.” Grabbing the keys off the table, I slink to the garage, allowing her to wait on the front porch with the guys. Being with Georgia might have been the closest I’ve ever been to feeling, and it all went to hell in a matter of minutes. The quiet hum of the car fills the air around me, and I park in the front drive and watch them. Calum hugs her hard and gives a rough but quick kiss on the lips. Keeper grabs her next and drops a kiss on her head before releasing her and she stretches her hand out for the car handle.

Before I know what I’m doing my feet have me rounding the car and dragging her to my chest. I should give her a hug and let her go like Calum and Keeper did, but fuck it. I never claimed to be as good of a man as either of them. I grip her jaw, and she opens her mouth. My tongue winds against hers, and I palm the back of her head tight, so she can’t get free.

To my surprise Georgia doesn’t try to get away but opens her lips wider for me. Squeezing the soft flesh of her ass, I slip out of her mouth and start to lift her. Her little heels dig into my back when she climbs me, and she drops her guitar case. Sapphire eyes find mine, and when her tongue wets her bottom lip, I know she isn’t leaving. I’m not letting her go. Fucking period.