Once they arrived outside Rafe’s place, he handed over money for the taxi and then tugged her arm. They didn’t speak on the elevator ride up either. But as soon as they crossed the threshold, she jumped on the offensive. Better to strike first, right?
“What the hell was that?”
Rafe sighed and leaned on the mantel. “Oskar needed me.”
“Oskar? The guy who works for your brother-in-law? Viking-looking dude who flirted with me?”
“Yes, him.” He paused for a second and then scowled. “You think he looks like a Viking?”
Diana rolled her eyes. “That’s what you’re focusing on?”
“He’s my partner. Sometimes. Someone we need to get off the street finally showed his face. He took off running and Oskar went after him. I stayed to deal with his muscle.” His gaze narrowed a hair. “And then you showed up. I would love to hear the story of how that happened.”
Rafe DeMarco was a hard son of a bitch to read. He looked calm. Composed even. There was no tension around his lips. Even his voice was low and soothing.
But her instincts told her she needed to play this as close to the truth as she dared. Her life might depend on it.
She held up her bag. “I was shopping. They didn’t have my size at the store on Second Place, so I grabbed a cab and went to the one on West Thames.” It was a calculated risk. Bootsman Shoes was on practically every other block. “I was coming out when I saw you turn into that alley. Well, at least I thought it was you. I wasn’t sure until I saw you fighting with that guy.” She didn’t have to fake the trembling in her hands. Adrenaline and fear still coursed through her. “I mean, he had a knife. And I—” Her brain replayed every action she’d taken. The concern that she’d hurt the guy was real. The fear. It was the first time since she’d started this whole thing that she was terrified she was making a mistake. She was playing in a sandbox with actual killers.
“What in the world possessed you to follow me
down an alley? Didn’t you realize you could have been hurt?”
“Well, excuse me for saving your ass. Next time I’ll let the random thug slice you into sashimi!” He was mad at her for helping him? Asshole. “And what about you? You think traipsing down dark alleys after people who want to hurt you is a good idea?”
“It would have been fine. That was nothing but a workout.”
She blinked. “A workout? He had a knife! Seriously, what is wrong with you? Where would you have been if I hadn’t come after you?”
He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut and hung his head. A low chuckle escaped and his shoulder shook. “I’m trying to decide if you’re reckless or just insane. So far, I’m leaning toward the latter. How this works is while you’re here, I take care of you, not the other way around.”
She crossed her arms. “Funny. That still doesn’t sound like thank you.”
Rafe barked a laugh, then scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. I’m sorry. And thank you.” He reached for her hand. After a pause, Diana accepted it. “There are things in my past that I never talk about. It’s as much for your safety as it is for mine. But I need you to just trust that I’m more than qualified to handle an asshole with a knife.”
Normally that would have sounded like a line to Diana, but she knew coming from him, it was the complete truth. She squeezed his hand back. “Okay. But I just need you to acknowledge one thing.”
“What’s that, Diana?”
She secretly thrilled at the way his voice lowered to a near growl when he said her name. Because her vagina would swear she had skin in the game.
“I just need you to acknowledge that I totally saved your life back there.”
After a beat, Rafe let out a roar of laughter.
Diana stared. A completely unguarded, laughing Rafe was vajayjay kryptonite. Wow. Something pulled deep and low in her abdomen just as her nipples tightened to pebbles.
At her gasp, he sobered quickly. The air changed around them, and Diana shivered. She knew what was coming before he even moved, but there was no bracing for it. He gently tugged her against him, giving her every chance to pull back, but no matter the commands her brain gave, her body refused to comply. Sorry, brain can’t come to the phone right now. She’s been body snatched by the libido.
Rafe slid his arms around her, bringing her body against his. His lips were gentle but demanding. A spike of electricity flared between them, scorching her lips when his tongue dipped in. With a low groan, he shifted their angle, kissing her deeper and ripping a moan from her as her whole body started to melt.
She didn’t have the defenses to fight off those long-dormant feelings. Somewhere in the far recesses of her mind, alarm bells rang, starting as a low buzz but quickly intensifying to a sharp clang.
He dragged his lips from hers and stared at her. His muttered curse echoed her own feelings. “We’re going to pick this conversation back up. But right now I need to call this incident in to the office.”
Diana wished she had something pithy to say, but at the moment her brain was still struggling to rev up and her libido was about ready to cut somebody.
chapter seven