She groaned. “I didn’t use the word like.”
Rafe lifted himself up on both forearms, but didn’t move away from her. “I’m missing something else, aren’t I?” he asked. “It’s more than just walking into a huge family that you wished you’d always had and not knowing how to deal with all the larger-than-life personalities and their involvement in your personal business. Right?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m glad to hear that, actually. If it were something simple, I’d be royally pissed off we couldn’t make our marriage work.”
A dark brow crooked. “You’re not pissed off?”
“No,” he was quick to say. “I was never angry with you. Frustrated and confused, yes. Angry? No.”
“You’re not bitter, either.”
He snorted. “I’ll go out on a limb here and admit I already knew, in the back of my mind, what Aunt Vesta told me today about holding on too tight to you. All of this really did suffocate you.”
“Rafe. I’m used to being alone. That’s a huge part of the problem.”
He withdrew from her and flopped onto his back. Staring up at the ceiling fan, he said, “You’re not alone, Jen.”
“For two years I wasn’t,” she told him. “But the day I signed the divorce papers, I was alone again.”
His head rolled on the pillow as he looked at her. A niggling thought tickled the back of his brain. But he couldn’t quite latch onto it. Damn, the hot sex was clouding his mind…yet again.
Jenna said, “Let’s not spoil this evening, hmm? I don’t want to talk about the divorce. In fact, I don’t want to talk at all. I’m exhausted. And so incredibly relaxed from how many orgasms? I’ve lost count. But good Lord, I needed every single one. I just want to bask in the afterglow, Rafe.”
“You’re staying here.” It wasn’t even a question in his heart or in his head.
“I’m way too tired to go back to the hotel tonight.”
“Stay here for the two weeks you’re in town, Jen.”
“Oh, now, come on, Rafe.” Alarm flashed in her pale-green eyes. “That’s just self-inflicted torture—for both of us.”
“I want you here.”
He sighed. There he went again, being heavy-handed with his convictions.
“Shit,” he mumbled. Then said, “I’m pushing too hard when I don’t mean to. Let’s start with tonight, all right?”
“Okay.”
Rafe knew he had to find out what else drove her away, other than her anxiety over his family. But for the moment, he was content that she was in his bed and agreed to spend the night. That, in his mind, was a tremendous coup.
After tidying up in the bathroom, they settled under the covers, her shapely body pressed to his as he spooned her. He loved her skin against his. She was curvy and sexy and yeah, he was hard already, but he let her sleep.
&nb
sp; Unfortunately for Rafe, when he woke the next morning, Jenna was gone.
“Like you didn’t see that one coming?” he muttered to himself.
Chapter Six
Jenna knew she’d suffer the Wrath of Rafe for slipping out while he slept, but she’d needed to get to the restaurant.
As he stalked in, glowering at her, she held up her hand and said, “Let me explain.”
“I thought you’d gotten it through that pretty head of yours that I don’t like it when you bail on me with no warning.”