Jordan Summers - [Dead World 01] by Red (html) Page B

wrong
with the area and decide they needed to leave. She learned early not to get
attached to anyone that she met. That's why she clung to Robert Santiago so
desperately. Once he was gone, she'd be alone. Not that she wasn't already. Her
existence required isolation—or so she kept telling herself.
    She watched Morgan Hunter's face as he regaled her
with more stories about his childhood while they finished dinner. He'd grown up
with loving parents, close friends, and an uncle who liked to read fairy tales
to him while acting out the characters. His life had been idyllic. She envied
him that. Red pushed aside the melancholy thought and smiled at the trouble he
managed to get into during his youth. It was a miracle he and his cousins had
survived.
    He was in the middle of another story when Red caught
a jerky movement out of the corner of her eye that didn't match the pattern of
the people around them. Her head whipped around out of instinct to face whoever
approached. She didn't realize she was gripping the knife until Morgan stared
at her hand. She released the utensil.
    "Sorry. It's habit."
    Morgan stopped midsentence, his
gaze going from Red's
hand to the man who'd just stepped from the shadows. "Kane." He nodded, acknowledging the
town physician.
    Red's attention shifted, too, along with the rest of
the women in the room. Out of uniform, Kane Hunter was without a doubt one of
the most handsome men Red had ever laid eyes on. She'd thought so when she met
him at the emergency care center earlier and her opinion hadn't changed.
    His dark hair glistened like it emitted its own light
from within. A black shirt encased his broad chest, before nipping in at his narrow waist. Loose tan pants draped
his lower body, accenting his long strides. The only wrinkle came from what
looked like a portable heart monitor poking out of one of his pockets.
Otherwise, the line was flawless, like his features. No wonder all the nurses
at the emergency care center were crazy about him. He was a prime catch for any
woman.
    Too bad he really wasn't her type. She'd never gone
for the nice guy who always saves the day, and she wasn't about to start now.
If something needed saving. Red planned to do it herself. Besides, nice guys
always wanted far more than she was willing to give. And there was no doubt in
her mind that Kane would demand a lot.
    Red glanced at Morgan, then back at Kane. They had
similar facial structure and coloring, although Morgan was a bit rougher around
the edges. His jaw was scruffier and he seemed less inclined to preen. Of course, the real difference came with their
person alities.
    She had never really understood
until now the archaic saying comparing the difference between night and day. Kane flirted with abandon, his easygoing manner contagious. He welcomed people with warmth and caring, while Morgan's closed nature warned everyone away. So why was she drawn to the one who at any moment
might reject her?
    Kane slowed as he neared the table, grinning as he
glanced from Morgan back to her. "You work fast, cousin."
    Red blushed a second time in one night. She shot
Morgan a pointed glance.
    "Ms. Santiago's in town for a short visit,"
Morgan said, reverting to a formality that they'd disposed of earlier.
    "So I heard. I didn't think that you had time for
dinner." He raised a brow and his lips twitched in amusement.
    “I—“
    "It was my idea," Morgan interjected.
"I thought a little interdepartmental courtesy was called for."
    "Is that so?" Kane extended his large hand.
"It's nice to see you again, Gina."
    "You, too." Red shook it, feeling the rough
cal luses on his palm and fingertips before
releasing him. A doctor who got his hands dirty. That's something you
didn't find every day. Her respect for him rose a notch.
    "I didn't realize you two
knew each other." Morgan tensed, but still managed to force a smile. It
had never bothered him before, but now,
with Gina, Kane's overly familiar tone had him on edge.
    "We met briefly