Consumed (18 page)

“I’m sure she’s way out of my league.” Tommy’s face fell as his eyes drifted to Anna.

Rourk stirred Keegan’s coffee and poured himself a cup—he drank it black. In the military, you didn’t always have the luxury of milk and sugar.

“You never know until you try. Stranger things have happened,” Rourk finally answered, thinking of Tommy’s miraculous recovery. He narrowed his eyes as he tapped the spoon on Keegan’s mug. “She’s Keegan’s best friend. Don’t even think of hurting her.”

“Duly noted. I doubt she’d even give me the time of day.”

Rourk put the spoon in the sink and went back to the sitting area. It wasn’t exactly new territory, the fact that Tommy was always going on about girls. Rourk just wanted to be with Keegan. Tommy could take care of himself.

He handed the cup to Keegan and their hands brushed; she smiled when the tingling sensation shot through her from the contact. Her smile was luminous.

The four of them sat and talked for an hour, catching up. Keegan found it amusing to watch the attraction between Anna and Tommy. She caught them stealing glances at each other several times. Who would have guessed it?

Chapter 18

W
hen his third mug was empty, Rourk patted Keegan’s leg and smiled. “Are you ready to check out some apartments? If we don’t get started soon, we’ll have to push it off till tomorrow.”

“I thought you would never ask.”

Anna sighed. “I guess that means I have to get up. It’s so nice having company.”

Tommy pulled a notebook from his backpack. “Do you know where this apartment is?”

She took the paper and stared at it. “Not really. But we can plug it into the GPS and it will show us the way.”

Tommy laughed. “Well, I have a few different ones I’d like to check out, if you don’t mind?”

“I’m at your service. You ask, and you shall receive.”

“Anna, watch what you say around this one,” Rourk warned with a grin.

“He’s right. A beautiful girl like you…” Tommy winked. “Shouldn’t say things like that. I might take it literally.”

Anna’s face flushed red. “Let’s go before I say something I might regret.”

As everyone gathered their belongings, Anna grabbed her car keys from the table by the door. They were lying next to a huge amethyst geode.

“Nice rock,” Tommy said as he hefted his bag on his shoulder.

Anna narrowed her eyes. “It’s not just a rock. It’s a crystal.”

“Sorry.” He held his hands up in mock surrender. “It’s pretty, that’s all I’m saying.”

Anna rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the door.

Tommy had made several appointments before Keegan had decided it was time to get married. So, even though he and Rourk weren’t looking to live together anymore, they figured browsing together would accomplish just as much as if they did it separately.

The first place they checked out did not live up to the brochures. The smell of fried foods and cigarettes hit them as they walked through the main entrance. An older lady with graying hair sat behind the counter. Her eyes were wide-set and her nose was crooked—like it had been broken but never reset. Tommy told her he had made an appointment online to check out an apartment. She reached under the counter and pulled out a key.

Rourk thought there was no way in hell he was going to live in this dump with Keegan. The elevator shook as they headed to the sixth floor.

“It looked so nice on the website,” Tommy mumbled under his breath.

“We’re here. We might as well check it out. Maybe it will surprise us,” Keegan said.

Tommy fiddled with the key a couple minutes and finally pushed the door open. They walked into the empty foyer. There was wallpaper peeling off the wall and brown spots on the ceiling. The carpet was so old and dirty that the color was indistinguishable.

“Who uses wallpaper anymore?” Keegan asked as she ran her hand down the wall. It felt sticky.

The rest of the apartment was more of the same. They just did a quick walk through and crossed it off the list. The woman didn’t seem too surprised when they handed the key back and said they were going to check out some other places first.

The next place they went to was much better. The price was quite a bit higher, and the apartments were pretty small, but at least they were clean. They peeked into the gym first, and then went in the back to see the pool before they looked upstairs.

Tommy glanced around the living room. “I like it. It’s much bigger than our barracks, and the gym is top notch. Really all I need is a clean place and somewhere to workout. There are lots of hiking trails, too. Plus, it’s not too big for just me.”

Rourk walked into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. The water ran clear, and it heated up quickly.

Anna looked at Keegan. “What do you think?”

“It’s ok. I’d still like to see the other two places.”

Rourk nodded his head in agreement.

The next place they didn’t even bother to go in. There were bars on all the windows. Never a good sign. Anna turned the car around without a word, and they plugged on to the next location.

As soon as they pulled up, Keegan knew it would be her home with Rourk. A private gate opened to a landscape that was breathtaking: lush plants and colorful flowers placed strategically around meandering paths. But, that wasn’t what caught Keegan’s eye: it was the waterfall she could hear in the distance. It made her feel like she was home. “This is it Rourk.”

He laughed. “We haven’t even been inside.”

“I don’t care. I can feel it. This is where we are meant to be.”

He draped his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll at least look at it before we sign the papers. Ok?”

“I guess I can agree to that.” She grinned up at him and threw her arm around his waist. “This will be our first home as a married couple.”

Rourk leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “We need to make sure they accept pets.”

“Oh, they better!” Keegan marched up to the counter. She narrowed her eyes at the young man behind it. “Do you allow pets?”

He pushed his glasses back further on his nose. “Yes. But you have to put down a pet deposit. Which is one month’s rent.”

“That’s pretty steep.” Keegan said.

He shrugged his shoulder and looked back down at his paperwork.

“We’d like to check out a two-bedroom.”

“Do you want to see a villa or an apartment?”

Keegan looked up at Rourk questioningly.

“Whatever you want.”

“We’d like to see a villa.” The man made a phone call, and a tall blond woman wearing too much make-up came out to meet them. She towered over Keegan. “My name is Lisa, and I’ll be your tour guide today.” It was obviously a well-rehearsed line, and it looked awkward on her face. She had probably gone overboard on the Botox. “Right this way. You’re in luck—we do have a villa open. They usually go quickly.”

Keegan rolled her eyes. They probably said that to everyone.

They walked through the apartment building and out the back door. Keegan sucked in her breath. A sense of calmness came over her as she stepped foot on the stone pathway. Off in the distance, she could see little wooden bungalows. That was the only way she could think to describe them. They had small porches, each with two wooden chairs and a matching table that appeared to be made of branches. She squeezed Rourk’s hand, and he squeezed back. There was enough distance between each bungalow to give a sense of privacy.

“1303 is open. It’s at the back of the property, so I’m afraid you will have a walk in the morning to get to your vehicles. Would that be a problem?”

“Not at all,” Rourk replied.

Keegan looked back at Anna with a big grin. Anna gave her the thumbs-up.

The woman wasn’t kidding that it was a walk. About ten minutes later, they reached 1303 tucked in the back of the complex. Keegan felt the excitement rise in her chest. The closer they got to the bungalow, the louder the rushing water from the waterfall. She didn’t dare ask the woman about it. Besides, it would be much more exciting for Rourk and her to find it on their own.

Once they reached the doorway, the woman turned the key and pushed the door open. Keegan could have squealed with delight. It was small, but cozy. The first thing she noticed was the skylight. The walls were light mocha, and the kitchen was modern with matching stainless-steel appliances. The woman led them into the master bedroom—it was bigger than her room in Alaska. What really took Keegan by surprise was the bathroom. Smooth stones covered the walls, and it had a deep sunken tub. She ran her hand over the antique-looking faucet.

It really was perfect. Keegan smiled. “We’ll take it.”

Rourk laughed. The realtor turned and looked at him.

“What’s the monthly rate?” he asked.

Lisa told him a figure and he grimaced. It was over his monthly housing allowance. He looked over at Keegan; her face was flushed with excitement. He had been saving a lot of money since he joined the military. “Where do we sign? We won’t be moving here until December, will that be a problem?”

“Only if you mind paying for it until you move in. I can’t hold it. If you want to take the villa, your rent starts on the day you sign on the dotted line.”

“So we could stay the night here if we wanted?” Keegan’s eyes widened.

“As long as you fill out the paperwork and pay the deposits, you will get the keys today.”

Keegan clapped her hands together. She turned and looked up at Rourk, her blue-green eyes dancing with excitement. “Can we?”

Rourk knew he wouldn’t be able to say no. He just nodded. “Of course. Let’s get it today.”

“I’m sure it’s going to take a while for you guys to do the paperwork,” Tommy cut in. “Is it ok if Anna takes me back to the other apartment so I can see about securing one for December? If that’s ok with Anna.”

Anna smiled at him. “I’d love to. We can grab something to eat too.”

After they arrived back at the complex’s main building, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Rourk and Keegan were led down a hallway to Lisa’s office to sign papers. Keegan was beyond thrilled. Soon, they would be married and living together. Her childhood dream was coming true. She glanced over at Rourk—he was so much more than any fantasy she had made up as a little girl. She stared at his rugged profile and had to consciously stop herself from running her fingers down his strong jaw line.

He caught her eyes on him, and his lips curved into the slightest smile. He knew she was thinking about him. After several faxes back and forth between the bank—and many signatures later—Lisa handed them the keys. “It’s all yours. At least until your lease runs out.”

“Thank you!” Keegan snatched the dangling keys and looked down at them in her hand. They really did it; the place was theirs. She held the keys up and shook them at Rourk. “We need to go shopping to furnish our home.”

Rourk pictured Keegan’s brightly colored apartment with its strange, globe lanterns and fluffy rugs. “What do you say we go with a look that matches the villa? Keep it earth tones and natural looking?”

“That’s a great idea!” As they walked back out into the sunlight, Keegan rambled on about simplistic looks she had seen in magazines and stores that used only recycled materials.

Rourk tried to hide his relief and smile. He wasn’t sure he could handle a living room with fuzzy pink pillows.

“Let’s go home.” Keegan grabbed Rourk’s hand and tugged him towards the path that led to their new home. “We have to find that waterfall.”

“I knew you were thinking that.” Rourk looked up at the sky. “The sun is setting. Why don’t we save it for tomorrow? I don’t think it’s very far from our place.”

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Keegan asked.

Rourk hesitated. “We don’t have anywhere to sleep. Maybe we should wait till tomorrow or the next visit.”

“We could go shopping tonight and buy a mattress and sheets.”

Rourk grabbed both of her hands; they always felt so warm. He didn’t know if it was just her body heat or the connection between them. “Keegan, I know you are used to having everything you want. Believe me, I want to be able to give you anything you desire. But, I don’t think you’ve seen a soldier’s pay check. You are going to have to get used to having less. The rent alone is going to eat up a huge chunk.”

Keegan was surprised. “Rourk, money is something we will never have to worry about. My uncle has set up funds for all the children. You know he is wise with numbers.”

Rourk pulled his hands back. “Keegan, I don’t want us to live off your family’s money. I want to support you on my own.”

“It’s not their money. It’s mine. As soon as I turned eighteen, I got access to my trust fund. Having this money allows us to travel. For you to be a solider and not have to worry about how we are going to pay the electric bill. My father has no problem with it. My uncle uses his mental gift to help his family. There is no shame in that.”

Rourk considered Keegan’s words. It still didn’t set right with him. However, he knew as a soldier he would never be able to provide Keegan with the lifestyle she was used to. “You can use your money to buy extras and travels, but I insist on paying the bills and providing food for the table.”