“Melissa, there has to be someone else. I can’t do this.”

“There isn’t, and of course you can,” Melissa replied.

Deanna was frustrated. Melissa wasn’t listening to what she was trying to tell her. Maybe if you’d stayed around so we can speak face to face, this would be a bit clearer to you. “You didn’t see his face. He was fuming to see me in there.”

“Did he throw you out?”

“You mean physically?” Rafe’s bare muscular chest flashed in her mind. She knew he was fit, that was obvious even with his clothes on. Just briefly touching him, she felt heat radiate from him and a tingle travel through her body. It was hard enough seeing him, but wanting him made it all the more difficult. Oh yeah, he’s hot, just not for me.

“Did he try?” Melissa asked.

Even wounded, she had no doubt he could pick her up and toss her out the door onto her bottom if he’d wanted. Because that didn’t mean he welcomed her being there. Melissa didn’t seem to understand there was a broader range of emotions taking place. It wasn’t as simple as Melissa was making it out to be.

“He didn’t even get out of bed. Really, Melissa, it isn’t my place to be here.”

“I don’t know what you mean. You used to go there all the time with Phoebe. Heck, I think you guys spent most of the summer there when you were in college. It should feel like a second home to you.”

There was no way Melissa could be so ignorant to the fact her brother disliked Deanna tremendously. Deanna wished she could say the feeling was mutual, but it wasn’t. She felt a lot of things for him. Respect for all he has done for this country, with a small dose of fear for what he was capable of doing. Empathy for all he’s been through and a bit of anger for crashing into her life and messing with her feelings. She’d been perfectly happy not knowing any of Phoebe’s family. Now because of Rafe, it seemed she was getting to know every single one of them. But none of them truly know me.

Arguing with Melissa wasn’t getting her anywhere. She was going to have to compromise. “A day or two but that’s all. I can’t stay any longer than that.” Deanna felt that was reasonable. Besides, she wasn’t sure Rafe would allow her to linger any longer than needed.

“This means so much to me. If I didn’t have a difficult patient who needed my full attention right now, I’d be there myself. You’re the best, DeeDee.”

Melissa hung up, leaving Deanna standing outside, wondering if they made patients more difficult than the one she just got stuck with. “Great. I wanted to be as far away from him as I could get, and now I’m staying in his home.”

“You’re free to go. Actually, I’d prefer it.”

She spun around to find Rafe standing in the doorway. Deanna wasn’t sure how long he’d been listening. Did it matter if he’d heard the entire conversation? She was about to tell him eavesdropping was rude, but it was his home . . . as he liked to remind her.

“I’m here for a few days. Then—”

“Why are you really here, Deanna?” Rafe interrupted.

He had one hand covering the bandage, and the other on top of the door frame. She didn’t know if he was trying to stretch out his muscles after being stuck in bed for a few days or just teasing the heck out of her. Either way, she needed to turn away, but she couldn’t move. It was pathetic, but her eyes roamed down his tall frame, over his bare chest, across his abs, and halted at the waistband of his jeans. Snap. Had he purposely left the button undone?

Oh, yeah. I’m really not the one to nurse you back to health. Unless it’s a bed bath you need. Even with the cool breeze coming off the ocean, Deanna felt her cheeks burn as temptation enveloped her. When her eyes made it back to his, there was no hint that he felt the same connection she did.

If he wasn’t blocking the entire doorway with his half-naked frame, she’d push past him and not respond. But she wasn’t going anywhere until she answered him, and she knew it.

“Because your family asked me to. And whether or not you believe it, I am considered to be a nice person.”

He didn’t move. “Did I say you were not nice?”

Deanna wasn’t playing his game right now. She’d fallen into that trap before. He asked questions that made her doubt herself. Standing tall, or as tall as someone five-foot-two could, she said plainly, “I truly don’t care one bit what you say about me, Rafe. Good, bad, or indifferent. Your opinion means absolutely zilch.” Deanna wished she hadn’t rambled on about it. Doing so implied the total opposite. Darn you, Rafe. Why can’t I just shut up around you? This wasn’t the first time he’d done this to her. Somehow he always managed to say little but get lots.

His eyes roamed over her from head to toe. Out of nowhere, he laughed then grabbed his side as though laughing brought him pain.

Good. I hope it hurts like the devil. She had no idea what he found so darn amusing. As far as she was concerned nothing about today was humorous.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a few things I need to take care of,” Deanna coldly said, as she stood in front of him, waiting to pass.

He looked down at her, lowered his arm from the door frame, and ran a finger up her bare arm to finally rest on her shoulder. “Other than me?”

Deanna gulped. He was playing with her, and she darn well knew it. Rafe had no interest in anything but getting her to leave. This was just another ploy to scare her off. She was scared all right, but not of him. Her body was being a traitor. How could she stand her ground with him when her legs trembled at his slightest touch? There were plenty of things she wanted to do to him, and none had to do with his health or wellbeing. The man was so arrogant and irritating. And utterly freaking scrumptalicious. Phoebe had made that word up a long time ago to describe a delicious piece of chocolate cake. Deanna never imagined she’d be using it to describe Phoebe’s brother.

She knew she couldn’t look at him while in this state. It’d only give him more cause to laugh. Deanna needed to change the subject quickly. “Yes. Lunch.”

Once again Rafe chuckled, but at least he removed his hand and let her pass. She entered the house, and he followed but went back into his room. She let out a long exhale, never even noticing she’d been holding her breath. Before she could pull anything out of the refrigerator, Rafe returned with sneakers and a T-shirt. He was holding keys in his hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Deanna asked, knowing Rafe should not be driving in his condition.

“To get lunch.”

“Oh, no, you’re not. I’m going to cook something here.”

“Good luck with that. Melissa didn’t hit the grocery store before she left, and unless you want carrots and cucumbers, we’re going out.”

She’d only been gone a few days, and they had food then. But then again there hadn’t been a man in the house either. Opening the fridge confirmed Rafe knew what he was talking about. It was practically bare.

Turning to him, she held out her hand and said, “I’ll go. You stay.”

He arched a brow and asked, “Can you drive a stick shift?”

She wasn’t letting him leave, and that was that. “Of course I can.” What’s one more lie?

“Good. Then you drive, and I’ll enjoy the view.”

Wait. No. You can’t come. Her heart raced as she tried to backpedal her way out of the situation. “Rafe, I shop better alone. It makes no sense for both of us to go. What would you do? Push the cart or hold my purse? You don’t strike me as that type.”

“I’m not, trust me. But I’m not giving you the keys to my car either. At least not without me with you. Somehow I have a feeling it’d be the last I’d see of either of you.”

She was blazing mad that he’d accuse her of stealing his car. She might be a lot of things, but a thief wasn’t one of them. Of course that didn’t change the fact that learning how to drive a stick shift with him in the vehicle wasn’t going to be good. She could almost feel the clutch popping and the car leapfrogging down the road.

Once again Rafe held all the cards. She wasn’t about to admit her little scam. Although it wasn’t smart, and she hoped they didn’t die in a wreck, she decided to play his little game. “If you insist on coming, you can drive, and I’ll enjoy the scenery.”

She walked past him and went to the door, half hoping he’d call out and toss her the keys instead. That didn’t happen. Instead, he grabbed his cell phone and joined her. Great.

Rafe pressed the button to the garage. She was relieved she wasn’t driving. She was far from a guru of car knowledge, but she did remember Phoebe talking about this one. Learning to drive a stick shouldn’t happen in a ’65 fastback Mustang.

She climbed into the passenger’s seat and enjoyed the ride. Deanna had spent enough summers there to know the area, and Rafe definitely chose the scenic route. Was it for her benefit or his? It didn’t matter; she considered this a short-term truce, and she was enjoying it.

Eventually, he pulled up to the fish market. She’d never shopped for fresh seafood before. It was something she’d always ordered prepared. This will be interesting. She wished he’d taken her to a grocery store so she could throw together some sandwiches, but they didn’t seem to be on his menu.

“Anything special you want for lunch?” she asked. Keep it simple, please.

“Lobster.”

That was simple. All she needed to do was ask for pre-cooked ones and reheat them at the house. “Great. I’ll be right back.”

She headed into the market and grabbed a number. Thankfully, there were only two customers ahead of her, and they seemed to be almost done. She knew Rafe wasn’t going to enjoy waiting long.

The kid at the counter called her number. He looked like he was barely sixteen. As she went up to the case, she said, “I’ll like a few lobsters.”

“Chicken lobsters?”

What the heck? “I don’t want chicken. I want lobster.”

“Yeah. Chicken or no?” the young kid asked, this time with a bit more attitude.

What is it with this guy? It had to be his first day on the job because he didn’t know what a lobster was. Normally she’d feel bad for the kid, everyone had to start somewhere, but right now she had no time to deal with this. Getting up on her tippy toes she peered over the glass case but couldn’t see any other attendants around. She hoped they hadn’t left the new guy alone with customers. With no one in sight, she knew she’d assumed wrong. Great. Even shopping now is hard. Since when?

Deanna wasn’t going to walk out of there emptyhanded. They’d had a pleasant ride over, and she wasn’t going to let some kid who didn’t know the difference between his butt and his elbow change that. Rafe sent her for lobsters, and she was leaving with them come hades or high water. “If I wanted chicken would I come to a fish market?” The guy looked puzzled. “No. I wouldn’t. I’d go to a poultry place. All I want is real lobster, not chicken, just lobster.”

“Chicken lobsters are smaller.”

Deanna turned to find Rafe standing by the door.

“We’ll take four chicken lobsters,” he said to the kid who seemed grateful for the assistance.

Deanna wanted to apologize, and thankfully, most of her horrible thoughts had stayed in her head. If not she would’ve died from embarrassment. With bright red cheeks and keeping her voice low so the kid didn’t hear, she asked Rafe, “You mean they’re called that? Chicken lobsters? Really?”

Rafe walked up to the counter, paid the kid, and grabbed the bag. As he headed back toward the door he said in a voice she wished had been lower, “Chicken lobsters are smaller and the meat is sweet. How is it you spent so much time up here and didn’t know that?”

He made it sound as though everyone from Rhode Island knew everything about lobsters. Obviously that wasn’t the case. Some people don’t even eat seafood. Deanna wasn’t one of those people, which made this entire ordeal even worse. If she’d been here with Phoebe, it’d have been the highlight of the day, and they’d have spent hours laughing over it. It might have even ended with squawking and walking around the house like chickens. No matter what they did together, there was a reason to laugh, mostly due to Phoebe’s crazy sense of humor. Phoebe, you would’ve peed your pants at this one.

It really shouldn’t trouble her that Rafe didn’t seem quite so amused. Trying to keep with the light casual mood from earlier she said in a playful, joyful voice, “We mostly ate pizza.” She was able to fake a smile as she followed him back to his car.

“That works when you’re young.”

Rafe grunted, climbing back into the driver’s seat. She couldn’t tell if he was in pain or irritated with how long it took, but she decided to tone down her enthusiasm a bit. Deanna hadn’t missed his comment but wasn’t sure if it was a dig at her age. He might be ten years her senior but that wasn’t anything major. She sat in the passenger’s seat and said plainly, “I’m no child.”

Rafe put the key in the ignition and revved the engine. He looked her over, and she felt his eyes linger a bit longer than usual. Unconsciously her breasts heaved as though they were trying to entice him to have a look.

“Trust me, I’ve noticed.”

She felt warmth from her cheeks travel through to her toes. His eyes darkened, and for a split-second she swore he was embarrassed. But just as quickly it was gone, and the wall concealing his thoughts from her returned. Now she was left bearing his cold, hard stare.

“Buckle up,” Rafe harshly said, as he threw the Mustang into reverse. The tires squealed as they pulled away.

He was upset. But she felt this time it might be at himself. Is thinking I’m attractive such a bad thing? They took the corner, and she slid on her seat. She was glad she’d listened and put the seatbelt on because this wasn’t a pleasant ride back. Guess I’m glad he didn’t kiss me, or we might not survive the ride home.

---

Rafe’s side hurt like the dickens. He shouldn’t have driven, never mind so recklessly. He hadn’t expected that sort of behavior from himself. I don’t lose control.

He’d carried the lobsters into the kitchen and left them on the counter. Lunch was turning into a lot more hassle than it was worth. Right now he was irritated. It was bad enough he required a few days to heal, but this intrusion in his life needed to end. He was the eldest in the family, and somewhere along the line everyone seemed to have forgotten that. If he wanted or needed their opinions, he’d ask. Hasn’t happened in forty-two years, it ain’t going to now.

“Did you . . . want me to make lunch?” Deanna asked in a voice so soft he barely heard her.

She was walking on eggshells around him. He was used to that. Rafe didn’t play to make friends. He did his job and protected lives. That’s all that mattered to him. “Do you think you can manage that without my help?” His frustration at all the recent events came through in his voice.

He watched her wince then head to the kitchen muttering, “Everything is easier without you.”

Rafe wasn’t sure she knew what to do, but he didn’t care about food at the moment. From the burning feeling, he knew he’d pulled a stitch or two and should change his bandage in case there was any bleeding.

He went to his bedroom, grabbed a clean T-shirt, and headed for the bathroom. As soon as he lifted his shirt, he saw a small red stain on the outside of the white gauze covering his injury. I didn’t freaking need this right now.

Slowly he pulled off the tape holding it in place. Then he grabbed some antiseptic and wiped the area. The bleeding had stopped, but he knew he couldn’t afford to be so foolish again. Once it was properly treated and covered, he headed back to the kitchen.

Rafe anticipated Deanna needing his help, but he was far from prepared for the sight that greeted him. She was wearing not just one, but it looked like two, pairs of oven mitts and was bent over with a pair of cooking tongs.

“What are you doing?” Rafe asked.

She stood up and pointed to all four lobsters, which were on the floor moving around. Deanna had even removed the rubber bands that kept their claws closed.

“I can’t catch them,” she said.

Rafe shook his head, not sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. All four lobsters were taking off in different directions. This has to be a joke. “How did they get on the floor in the first place?”

Deanna shrugged. “Well, when I picked them up with the tongs, they wiggled before I could get them over to the pot and fell on the floor.”

“So just pick them up and wash them off, then in the pot they go.” There wasn’t anything difficult about it.

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“I can’t put them in the pot. They’re . . . alive. They’re looking at me.” Her voice sounded as though she really was troubled by it.

“I thought you liked lobster.”

“I do. But mine comes cooked.”

Rafe chuckled. “Would you like me to cook these?”

Once again Deanna shook her head.

“No? Then what would you like me to do with them?”

Deanna raised her oven mitt-covered hand and pointed at the door leading to the deck.

“Cook them on the grill?” Rafe asked.

“No! That’d be even worse. I want you to put them back in the ocean.”

That did it. Rafe started laughing so hard he thought for sure he’d rip the remaining stitches out. “You’re joking. You want me to . . . set them . . . free?”

Deanna pointed the tongs in Rafe’s direction and angrily said, “If you don’t, you better be prepared to go without bathing for a while, because these guys are going to be moving into your tub.”

Rafe looked at her, waiting for the moment she’d stop this charade and tell him it was all a joke. But that moment wasn’t coming. She was dead serious and actually standing just a few feet away, trying to threaten him with a kitchen utensil. She obviously had no clue about the evil jerks he faced out in the field. If they were as cute as you, I might actually have to start worrying I’ll lose my battles.

“And what are we going to eat for lunch, if I do as you ask?” I know what I’d like to have. He still hadn’t forgotten how she’d looked at him as they briefly touched in his room. It’d be so easy to pull her into his arms, kiss her, but that wasn’t a path he was willing to go down with her. She was . . . this thing between them was . . . complicated. There were many things he’d done in the past to obtain the intel he wanted, but flirting with Deanna wasn’t going to be one of them.

“I’ll order . . . pizza.”

He knew he was the one who’d brought up food, but he’d changed his mind. Right now he was torn between hauling her into his arms or cuffing her to a chair and interrogating the heck out of her. She really has no idea what a dangerous game she’s playing. I win. I always do.

There was no doubt that her being here was a stupid idea. He’d be the first one to tell any of his men to get their head out of their tails and focus. But right now, at that moment, the expression, the defiance, her pure innocence as she challenged him . . . he knew there wasn’t any place he wanted her to be but with him.

“You call, and I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Deanna asked, her foot tapping on the floor.

Darn you’re cute as a button when you’re mad. He could only imagine how hot that sweet temper of hers was if she didn’t get her way. Bending down, Rafe snatched up all four lobsters, two in each hand and said, “I guess to the beach.”