Chapter Ten
Sara stepped into the shower, and as the spray hit her body, the exhaustion of the day slipped away, and she found herself looking forward to the dance tonight. To her never-ending surprise, she loved the small town, the people, and the way Rafe’s family had welcomed her as if she were an old friend. Most of all, she liked the way Rafe looked at her when he thought she wasn’t aware. His dark eyes feasted on her body, and she reveled in the attention.
She tipped her head up and let the shower spray run over her face, washing away the grime of the day. She barely registered when the bathroom door opened, but she definitely knew when Rafe pushed the shower curtain aside and stepped into the tub along with her.
“Well, hi there,” she said, wiping the water out of her eyes.
He grinned. “Hi, yourself.” Taking the wet washcloth from her hand, he knelt at her feet. With deliberate precision, he started with her toes, running the soapy cloth over her ankles, then her calves, taking his time. He let the soap accumulate and paused as the water washed it away. Slowly but surely he inched higher, teasing her as he rose ever closer to the juncture of her thighs.
She trembled at the sensual assault and closed her eyes as he continued. The washcloth, a mixture of soft and roughened material, glided up her thighs as high as possible until his knuckles grazed her damp outer lips. She quivered and placed one hand against the tile wall for support.
Suddenly his thumb stroked her moist opening, and she nearly died from the sweetness of the feeling. As she leaned against the wall, he dropped the cloth and sealed his mouth over the place she needed him most. He worked magic with his hot tongue and gentle teeth.
She moaned and sank backward. The cold tile pressed against her skin while his tongue flickered back and forth, over and over, taking her higher and closer to a pulse-pounding orgasm that seemed just out of reach. She curled her fingers into her palms and thrust her pelvis toward him, seeking harder, deeper contact.
He understood and thrust one finger inside her.
“Yesss.” The word slipped out on a sharp hiss.
“I’ve got you,” he promised, his deep voice turning her on even more.
His long finger eased out, then in, out then in, until Sara got lost in the sensation. She could no longer tell which felt better, his thick finger inside her or the pressure he applied outside. And then he rubbed his thumb over her clit and stars exploded behind her eyes, every nerve ending coming together, sending her into erotic, perfect oblivion.
When her awareness came back, Rafe was standing, one hand braced on the wall beside her, a satisfied grin on his handsome face.
Water, somehow still hot, pelted over them.
“You look as pleased as I feel,” she said.
“Not quite,” he said over a strained laugh. He leaned close and kissed her hard, his mouth sealing over hers.
She tasted herself on his lips, and that fast she wanted him again, this time inside her.
He pulled her against him, his hard member pressing deliciously into her stomach, pulsing with desire. “I need to be inside you.” As always, Rafe seemed to read her mind.
She threaded her hands through his wet hair. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“Your knee, my chest,” he reminded her.
She winced at the reminder of her injury, something she’d managed to place at the furthest recesses of her mind while she was here.
He slammed the water shut and opened the curtain. Pulling a towel off a hook, he wrapped it around her, and somehow they made their way to the bed.
The towel fell to the floor. They dropped onto the bed. Rafe lay over her, his body covering hers, deliciously hot, sinfully sexy.
And then he paused to look into her eyes. The world fell away, and it was just the two of them. He brushed her hair off her face and kissed her lips, so softly and reverently, with a wealth of emotion she wasn’t ready to face. Would probably never be ready to deal with.
But she wanted him to know how much she desired him. She reached out and stroked his cheek. “Make love to me.”
A willing gleam flickered in his gaze. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He eased back, then slid in, his flesh hard yet velvety soft, tender yet demanding. Her entire body clenched tighter, and she felt him pulsing heavily inside her. She closed her eyes, memorizing his weight, the thickness of his member, the sheer perfection of their joining.
Rafe slid out of her body, then pushed back in, slowly out, harder in, faster and faster with each thrust, their bodies rocking together in unison. The friction grew, the tension increased, and she climbed closer and closer to completion. Yet somehow her climax took her off guard as sparkling stars and immense pleasure washed over her in wave after wave of perfection until he’d wrung every last sensation from her body and Sara went limp beneath him.
Rafe rolled off her, gasping for air. “Wow,” he said through ragged breaths.
“I’ll say.” She turned her head to meet his gaze. Her cheeks were pink and flushed.
He grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She laughed. “Please do.”
He swallowed hard. She was so damn hot and sexy. They clicked in bed like they did everywhere else.
But there was something they’d both forgotten in the heat of the moment. “We didn’t use protection.”
“I’m on the pill. And we’re both tested at work. It’s all good,” she murmured.
He wasn’t worried, which ought to worry him more. His cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts, and he rolled over to check the number. “It’s the captain.”
He sat upright in bed. “Hey, boss.”
The other man yelled so even Sara could hear. “I thought I told her to lie low. How the hell could the damned Bachelor Blog find her all the way in Hidden Hell?”
“Hidden Falls,” Rafe reminded him.
Sara started to chuckle before the reality and seriousness of the situation struck her.
“The whole world knows I’m here?” she asked, horrified.
“The blog said she came to stay there at a place called Angel’s,” the captain said.
Son of a…“She’s not there anymore. She’s staying with me. It’s a lot safer.”
“Well, tell her to be careful!” the captain bellowed.
“I’ll take care of her, boss,” Rafe promised, his gaze never leaving Sara’s.
Well, maybe it left her gaze so he could take in the sight of her naked body, gorgeous breasts, large nipples…
“And if I find out anything about Morley, I’ll let you know,” the captain said, breaking into Rafe’s fantasy. “But I’d suggest being extra careful. Just in case his men track her there.” The man muttered a curse and disconnected the call.
Rafe put the phone on the dresser. He turned to reach for Sara to find her already there, climbing onto his lap.
“Someone told the Bachelor Blogger I’m here?” she asked.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight. “Looks like it. But to be fair, nobody here knew you were in hiding.”
She pursed her lips. “I haven’t noticed any dangerous-looking strangers around town.”
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t know a stranger from a local,” he reminded her, laughing, but he sobered quickly.
“We should stay home tonight.”
“No, we should not! I’m not going to stop living my life.”
“I know. I had to suggest it anyway.”
She exhaled a long breath. “If someone’s after me, they’ll find me here or in town, but I won’t sit home in fear. Besides, there’s safety in numbers.”
“And I’ll be sticking to you like glue. Nobody will get near you tonight.”
And Rafe was a man of his word.
The annual dance went along with the annual festival set on the great lawn on Main Street, across the street from the row of shops. Over the years, the bands who’d played as entertainment had run the gamut from unknown locals to an American Idol finalist who’d returned to his hometown to perform. This year boasted a pop band with a good reputation, and the lawn was jam-packed. Unlike Sara, Rafe knew exactly who belonged in town and who didn’t. But he had no idea which, if any stranger, wanted to hurt her.
He glanced around, assessing the scene. The older generation had brought lawn chairs to sit in while they listened, teens were grouped together near the makeshift stage, and the rest of the town had gathered to mingle or dance.
Rafe and Sara stood together, listening to the pop music. He slipped his hand inside hers, ignoring the tug of emotion that said she belonged there and pulled her closer beside him.
“Let’s dance,” she said, turning toward him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“That’s one way for me to stick close.” He slid his hands around her waist, and they began to move to the music.
With a soft sigh, she snuggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder. The emotional kick in his gut grew stronger.
“This is nice,” she murmured.
“I’ll say.” He breathed in deep and took in the light, sexy scent of her perfume.
Her lithe body slid sensuously against him. Though she was toned and in shape, she was still soft and womanly in all the right places, and he curled his fingers into the indent of her waist. He was totally aroused as they swayed to the sound of the band.
“Are you always in town for the festival?” she asked, oblivious to his physical reaction.
“When I can make it. I usually come up here for a week or two every summer, so if I can time it right, I do.” Summertime was when he tried to be here most often to enjoy his house on the lake.
“And who would your dance partner be if I weren’t here?” Sara not-so-subtly asked.
He laughed. “I usually just hang out with my family or old friends.”
“You never brought Kim up here for the festival?” she asked of his ex-fiancée.
Was that a touch of jealousy he heard in her voice or was it mere wishful thinking? He wasn’t surprised the subject had finally come up. They’d never really talked about it before. Then again, they’d never had sex before, either. He supposed more personal things were part of the deal. Even if he’d already put that part of his life behind him.
He turned his focus to Sara’s question. “I never brought Kim up here at all.”
“Mind if I ask why?”
“Not at all.” He just didn’t know how to sort through it all in order to explain.
Sara clasped her hands behind his head and moved her hips sinuously against his.
He found it difficult to concentrate on another woman with Sara in his arms, but she’d asked, so he forced himself to remember. He’d fallen fast and hard for Kim. She was sexy and had focused all her attention on him. He hadn’t wanted to share her with his family and their nosey questions—the complete opposite of how he felt about Sara, he realized with no small amount of shock. He liked having her here in his personal environment and space.
But he had no time to linger on that thought. Sara was waiting for a reply. “In the beginning of the relationship, I was too busy at SWAT to come visit here,” he said at last. “And I didn’t want to share her with everyone and the craziness that came along with visiting. Or at least that’s what I thought at the time.”
But he realized now that while he’d believed he was consumed with Kim, it had been a sexual thing, not an emotional one. He got the difference now, thanks to Sara.
“What happened after?” Sara asked.
They both knew she was no longer referring to why he’d never brought Kim here, but to the end of the relationship.
He exhaled hard. “I’m not sure. I know I enjoyed her company and being in a committed relationship. And in the beginning, so had she.” They shared the same taste in movies, in television shows, and though they both worked hard, they both wanted a family.
Eventually.
It was just that eventually became further and further away, at least for Kim. Something he didn’t want to mention to Sara and risk bringing up their differences. As for Kim, they’d never set a wedding date, and though he’d pushed at first, she’d resisted. Because she was younger and wanted to focus on her career. He understood, and he’d had no problem easily letting her off the hook. Too easily. Because when the excitement had worn off, he just hadn’t cared enough, and obviously neither had she.
“We both led active but parallel lives that rarely crossed paths,” he summed up for Sara.
If he’d been too busy with work to romance Kim, she’d been too focused on her career at an ad agency in New York to spend much time with him. And neither had seemed to care.
Sara remained respectfully silent, letting him gather his thoughts, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from her big brown eyes and lips he wanted desperately to kiss.
And he would, as soon as he ended this conversation. “I think Kim and I stayed together as long as we did because neither one of us asked much of the other. In the end, we were comfortable, but we weren’t in love.”
Sara threaded her fingers through the back of his hair, and he felt the tug directly where it mattered most—reminding him that if he’d really loved Kim, his interest in his partner would have died down. He wouldn’t have been so tempted by Sara that he’d had to put distance and another shift between them.
He drew a deep breath. “I think Kim knew as well as I did, convenience wasn’t love. The end came too civilly and easily.”
Sara nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”
He met her gaze, looking deep into her eyes. “I’m not.”
Silent understanding passed between them, sexually charged and undeniably hot, and she shifted her gaze over his shoulder, obviously unnerved by the emotional connection she couldn’t deny.
What pleased him frightened her.
While he was being drawn deeper every minute, she was building walls.
Which meant he was at a crucial point. As a negotiator, he knew when to push hard and when to back off no matter what he wanted. And Rafe now knew sex with Sara would never be enough.
If he wanted to break through her defenses, he’d have to step up his game slowly but surely. Not overwhelm her when she was wary and hesitant. And yet he had to face facts. Even if he did everything right, he might not win. So he had to ask himself if, knowing that, he was willing to let down his guard and risk his heart.
“Look!” Sara exclaimed, interrupting his thoughts.
He followed her line of vision to where his brother danced with his wife. Neither spoke; they just danced close and enjoyed each other’s company. “They’re not fighting.”
Rafe grinned. “Now, that’s a miracle.”
“Angel still loves him,” Sara said with a happy sigh.
Rafe inclined his head. “And Nick loves her. I just wish they could get past their differences.”
Sara tipped her head to one side, her long hair brushing her shoulders, reminding him what it felt like to curl his hands around the long strands while he was buried deep inside her body.
“Nick needs to accept who Angel is now,” Sara said, oblivious to Rafe’s thoughts. “He expects her to be the same girl he married, but she’s not. She lost a baby, and that changed her.”
Rafe blinked, surprised at the wealth of information Sara had accumulated. “You got all that out of Angel in the last day and a half?”
Sara shrugged. “What can I say? Angel and I clicked, and she confided in me.”
“I see,” Rafe said, a sense of rightness settling over him.
Sara got along well with his family. Another thing he liked about her.
Rafe glanced at the other couple. “I think Nick needs Angel to open up to him more.”
Sara nodded. “I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” she said, sighing again—and this time it was not a happy one.
“In that case, I hope my brother can change. Nick’s stubborn.”
“If Angel means enough to him, he’ll come around,” Sara said with certainty. “And vice versa.”
Another shock for Rafe. Sara obviously held out hope for his brother and Angel’s future. “Careful, or I might think you’re an optimist,” Rafe teased.
Sara curled her fingers into his shirt and continued dancing, but said nothing in reply.
He let her avoid answering, content with the notion that deep inside Sara there just might be a woman who believed in the commitment she claimed not to want.
“Uncle Rafe!”
At the sound of Toni’s voice, Rafe separated from Sara. “Hey, kiddo! What’s up?”
“Your advice? Not so good.”
“What happened?” Sara asked.
“Uncle Rafe said to pretend I didn’t know how to hit a ball so Pete Goodfriend would notice me.”
Pete Goodfriend? Rafe mouthed the name behind Toni’s back.
Sara shook her head hard.
Rafe cleared his throat.
“Did you do it?”
Toni nodded. “He showed me how to swing. I did. And then I came up to bat.”
“And?”
“I swung with all my might, and I hit it out of the park!”
“So what happened?”
She bowed her head. “Pete was the pitcher.”
Both Rafe and Sara winced.
“She never mentioned that,” he said by way of apology.
Sara laughed. “Toni, listen, I know what it’s like to like someone who doesn’t notice you.”
The young girl looked up at Sara with hopeful, adoring eyes. “So what do I do?”
“Hmm.” What had Sara done when Rafe hadn’t noticed her?
Nothing, because he’d been taken. But what would she have done if he’d been available? “Toni, honey, I think you should be yourself. If you like sports, talk sports to Pete. If you like music, talk about that. Be real. Pay attention to him. If it’s meant to be, he’ll like you back.”
Toni scrunched her nose in an adorable way. Rafe stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Remember what I told you. You’re a great kid, and I bet he already notices you.”
“Your uncle Rafe is right. Maybe he’s shy, or he thinks his friends will laugh at him if he likes a girl. But you have to be stronger. Pay attention to him first and see if it pays off.”
“Cool! You’re really smart about things, Sara.”
She grinned, thrilled with the compliment from the pint-size teenager.
“I’m going to try now. See ya!” Toni ran back into the crowd.
Sara blew out a long breath. “Wow. She’s a handful.”
“You handled her like a pro.” Rafe’s steady gaze was filled with admiration.
She’d seen that look before, in training or when she’d taken down a perp. But she’d never seen him admire her for more personal reasons. The warmth in his gaze gave her goose bumps.
As did watching him interact with his niece. The man was a natural with kids, whether the advice he gave was good…or, as in this case, bad. He’d be the perfect man to have children with.
If she was looking for such a thing. Which she wasn’t. Because they’d never make it together, and then she’d be as hurt as her father was after her mother abandoned them.
She drew in a shaky breath. “Thanks, but it’s easy because Toni’s such a great kid.”
“Sara…” Rafe stretched his hand toward her. He clearly had something to say.
Something she wouldn’t want to hear because it would mean she’d have to give him up sooner rather than when her time here was over.
“Fire!” someone in the crowd yelled.
The one word caught their attention. She turned toward Main Street and the row of buildings and the booths in front of them. Smoke billowed in the air above.
“Oh, my God!”
Rafe swore, grabbed her hand and they ran to see what was going on.