Love Me If You Dare (Bachelor Blogs 2)

“Thank you,” she said, swallowing the pills with the glass of water he also gave her.

“You’re welcome. Now, ice.” He held out an ice pack. “Want me to do it for you?”

She nodded.

He placed the ice pack on her knee, wrapping it around to cover as much of the swelling as possible. He tried to be careful and not put too much pressure on the already sore joint.

She winced at the initial contact.

“Cold or pain?” he asked.

“Both.”

He felt her pain directly in his heart. Rafe knew Sara was tough. She could handle physical discomfort and wouldn’t fight the medical necessities. It was the emotional turmoil that was so much harder, eating away at her day by day. More so now that she’d obviously seen how difficult fieldwork would be, especially in a place like Manhattan where the physical requirements to return might be more than her knee could handle.

He was smart enough not to mention it now. Instead, he sat with her in silence and waited twenty minutes for the ice to do its thing. Then he rose, held out a hand and helped her to the bedroom, where they could both stretch out. Once in bed, she curled into him, relaxed and immediately fell fast asleep.

She obviously felt safe with him. Trusted him when she was weak. If pressed, he’d say she loved him in her own way—which would be enough for him if he wasn’t always waiting for the end she believed was inevitable.

RAFE AWOKE feeling refreshed, considering he’d fallen into a deep sleep with his arms around Sara for the better part of the night. He didn’t think he’d rolled or shifted positions once. Since she was still out cold, he headed for the kitchen. After making coffee, he sat and drank his liquid caffeine. Though he tried to scan the newspaper, the phone began ringing nonstop. Family members wanted to talk about Pirro’s role in last night’s bust, and the slant they had on the story shocked even Rafe.

Pirro became an overnight hero and legend in his own mind. Apparently, he told the family he’d been an undercover police informant all along in order to catch big-time drug dealers in New York. And since Agent Lopez had left town along with his prisoners, Biff and Todd, there was nobody to dispute Pirro’s version, at least until Coop’s story broke in the Daily Post.

Except for Sara and Rafe.

And they weren’t talking.

If Pirro wanted to bask in the limelight, who was Rafe to steal his glory? Especially since Pirro had promised to get his Viagra legally from now on, and to never supply his friends again. Agent Lopez called to tell Rafe that Biff and Todd had panicked in lockup and had immediately named names in order to cut a deal.

With the stress of the drug dealer off his plate and his aunt’s marriage back on track, that left Rafe with the outstanding threat to Sara’s safety as his sole concern. But even the captain seemed convinced John Morley wanted to scare her and keep her from testifying, not harm her and add another murder to his long list of charges.

Even so, Rafe wasn’t taking any chances. He planned to stay by Sara’s side, a strategy that had already played into Coop’s agenda. With their public display of affection at Angel’s last night, this morning’s Bachelor Blog had proven Coop’s hunch. Because only someone in the room could have reported today’s blog contents—up-close-and-personal coverage of Rafe and Sara’s evening prior to the bust.

THE DAILY POST

THE BACHELOR BLOG

Love blooms in a small upstate town. Bachelor hunk Officer Rafe Mancuso is recuperating from his injuries thanks to the tender loving care of fellow officer Sara Rios. At a small intimate gathering, the couple could be seen entwined in each other’s arms. It even appears Officer Mancuso likes to cop a squeeze when he thinks no one is looking! Good thing the blogger has spies everywhere. An intrepid reader sent in the following picture. Ladies, this bachelor’s heart is taken. It shouldn’t be long now before our sexy bachelor pops the question and takes himself off the market. Stay tuned…

Below the text, the blog featured a photograph of Rafe’s hand slipped into the back pocket of Sara’s jeans, copping a feel.

He groaned and tossed down the paper. “Whatever happened to the concept of privacy?” he muttered.

“Coop did ask us to play things up,” Sara reminded him, joining him at the kitchen table. “Want me to freshen it up?” She gestured to his coffee cup with the carafe in her hand.

He nodded. “Thanks.”

She refilled his cup and sat down with her own. “So Coop was right? Amanda is the Bachelor Blogger?”

“Unless someone else at the party reported in. I only saw her photographer snapping pictures.”

Sara took a long sip of coffee before answering. “Seems pretty careless for someone who wants to keep her anonymity, if you ask me.”

He couldn’t help but stare. She was here, and he was grateful. And though he wondered how much longer this could last, and knew he had little or no control over the answer, he refused to dwell on the negative. He might as well enjoy what he had now. While he still had it.

“I agree with you. It’s careless. But maybe Amanda figures we’ll never question who sent it in. It could have been anyone on their cell phone last night,” he said, trying to put himself in the blogger’s shoes.

“And maybe she doesn’t care if Coop figures out it’s her because he also works for the same paper?” Sara pursed her lips in thought.

“Could be.”

“How’s your knee?” he asked, glancing at the brace she’d put on again this morning.

“I’m hanging in.”

He nodded and changed the subject. “So, what’s on our agenda for today?” He glanced at the sun streaming through the kitchen window. “How about we go out on the boat?”

A slow smile touched her lips. “Can we do the same thing we did last time we were on the boat?” she asked, her smile turning naughty.

“We sure can.” He still had vivid dreams about making love to her on deck. His jeans grew tight at the thought.

He rose from his seat. Grabbing both mugs, he carried them to the sink, rinsed and set them on the rack to dry.

Then he walked over to where Sara stood and pulled her into his arms. “Have I mentioned that I’m glad you came here for protection?” He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her sweet scent.

“I don’t think you’ve mentioned it,” she murmured.

“Well, I’m telling you now.” And on the boat, under the sun, he’d show her just how glad he really was.