Free Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4) by Sharon Kay

distracting, but she liked that he had come.
    “Nah, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to see if you were okay. New phone?” He nodded at her device.
    “Yeah, the store was actually very cool about it.” She’d gotten a newer model. “I still need to reinstall all my apps and reenter my contacts though. I spent yesterday replacing my driver’s license and cancelling the credit cards that were in my wallet.”
    He frowned. “Sorry about that.”
    “Not your fault.”
    “Still, that’s a pain in the ass.” He studied the baking-themed artwork she’d hung up on the walls, then swung back to her. “So, there’s a street festival this Saturday, up on Lincoln Avenue.”
    She nodded. “Yep, Java Genie will have a booth there.”
    “Oh.” A pensive look crossed his face.
    “Why?”
    “I wanted to see if you’d go with me.”
    “Oh.” She blinked. Oh my god, yes yes yes. “I do have to work part of the day there, but not the whole time.” She couldn’t keep the grin off her face. Hottest guy ever asked her out! “Just come over anytime after eight.”
    He smiled, genuine affection mixed with—was that a tiny bit of relief? “Mind giving me your number in case anything comes up?”
    “Sure.” She rattled off her contact information and entered his into her phone.
    “Great.” He took a step back. “See you Saturday.”
    “Yep.” Giddiness swamped her and she didn’t have a prayer of hiding it. “Oh, wait.” She reached for her knife and cut a slice of pound cake, then wrapped it in waxed paper. “For the road.”
    His fingers brushed hers as he took it, sending a jolt of electricity all the way to her toes. “Thanks.” He turned and strode out.
    She took a greedy second to appreciate his ass, which was as sexy in those jeans as Josie had said. Wow. Her former idea of him being nuts seemed so distant it was only a fragment of memory. He seemed completely normal…except for the fact that he knew about all kinds of creatures that shouldn’t exist.
    What was she getting herself into?
     

     
    Rhys walked south from Java Genie, soaking up the summer sun like oxygen. Heat, cold, fog, blizzards—he was used to all of them. Had operated in enough areas of the realms over his three hundred years of life that he could adapt to anything.
    That’s why Chicago suited him. Crazy weather changed every five minutes.
    He bit into the fresh cake Enza had handed him and closed his eyes for a second in appreciation. It didn’t need icing, it was damn good just like that. Just like the blueberry muffin. If this was any indicator, she was one of the city’s best bakers.
    She’d looked sexy as hell, with flour streaking her arms and tendrils of dark hair escaping her bun. He’d counted four ovens, all with some kind of doughy creations inside, and eight gas burners. Decorative signs in Italian hung on the walls, alternating with artwork of cakes, cupcakes, and fancy desserts he had no idea what to call. And moving around like a general, in total command of every last grain of sugar in the room, Enza exuded confidence. Never flustered as she moved piping hot pastries from stove to oven to sink and back…except when she looked at him. Enza was a delicacy he couldn’t stop thinking about.
    He knew her smell. How would she taste? Damn…
    Lincoln Park’s neat streets gave way to the even pricier brownstones and graystones of the Gold Coast. Modern condo buildings soared, with the trendy requisite balconies hanging off them like odd iron attachments. The pounding of a drum thumped from one corner as a man swayed, nodding and smiling at passersby.
    Taxis honked at pedestrians who paid no attention to the lights and crossed streets whenever they felt like it. He strode through the high rent shopping district with its designer boutiques before reaching his own street.
    In a minute he was through the gated iron fence and in the cool dark foyer. He let the heavy oak door slam behind him and headed for the