Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (19 page)

Something must have shown on her
face for Caro nudged her. “See? You miss the big city, don’t you
girl? You know you really need to move back.”

“Move back?” Aly beamed. “Oh we’d
have such fun together! Remember the time…” And she launched into a
recount of experiences they’d shared.

Eve smiled and laughed. It was good
fun but the strain of being around so many people was starting to
tell on her. A dull throbbing was developing in her temples and she
longed for the peace and quiet of Rafe’s home.

She envisioned herself there,
curled up on his leather sofa, reading a book. Her bare beet would
be shoved between the cushions to keep them warm and he’d walk by
shaking his head and muttering about the benefits of socks. But at
the same time, he’d be dropping the afghan over her legs and
starting the fire for her before leaving the room.

A funny aching feeling developed in
her chest and she realized that for all the fun she’d had on her
day out, she missed Rafe. She wondered how his day had gone, if he
and Damien had finished the roof of the shed, what project he’d be
tackling tomorrow.

Her dinner arrived and she ate it,
trying not to compare it to the amazing meals Rafe seemed to pull
out of nowhere. A man that could cook. Now there was a find.

“Eve?”

With a start, she realized Aly was
talking to her. “Sorry. You were saying?”

“She was asking if there were any
cute men in Grassy Hills.” Caro supplied the answer then turned in
her seat and propped her chin in her hand. “I’m wondering how
you’re going to answer.”

“Well…” Eve hesitated, not sure
what to say.

“Come on, Eve. Spill the beans.”
Aly leaned closer, clearly anticipating some juicy story.

“Um…” Glancing between the two
eager women, Eve felt rather like a bug under a magnifying
glass.

Caro snorted. “Obviously, she’s not
going to tell you, Aly, so I will.” Caro looked to both sides and
then leaned closer to the other woman. “Eve’s living with two of
the most gorgeous men you’ve ever seen.”

“What?” Aly shrieked.

“I am not!” Eve countered
hotly.

Caro leaned back looking smug.
“Okay, technically you’re living with one of them and the other
just shows up every day to provide needed services.”

Eve huffed in exasperation and
began to explain the situation to Aly, doing her best to ignore the
innuendo that Caro kept tossing in. “So you see, it’s all very
platonic.”

“Which is why you called to tell
him you’d be late getting home.” Caro murmured her comment into her
drink.

“I was being a considerate guest.”
Eve countered while surreptitiously checking her watch. It
was
getting late and she’d be pressed to be home by the time
she’d stated. A glance out the window revealed that the rain had
not let up yet, either. It had been falling steadily for the last
hour and she hoped it tapered off soon. Driving at night wasn’t one
of her favourite activities, let alone dealing with inclement
weather.

“Isn’t there some famous quote
about protesting too much?” Caro added.

Eve glowered at the woman, Aly
laughed and the arrival of the waiter with the dessert menu finally
turned the conversation in a different direction as they conferred
about their selections..

Despite the good natured teasing,
the night had still been a success. However, Eve was happy when it
was over. After hugging her friends and making Aly promise to come
visit her in Grassy Hills one weekend, she climbed in her car and
began the journey back to Rafe’s.

Now in the car by herself, and with
the lights of the city fading behind her, Eve let her mental wall
drop and the ache in her head slowly eased. Yep, the city was fun
but she couldn’t imagine having to be vigilant all the time. How
did other Fae manage? Surely, it must get easier with time. At this
rate, she’d be living in Grassy Hills for the rest of her life!

Strangely enough, that idea didn’t
seem nearly as unappealing as it had a few months ago. Eve smiled,
playing with the idea of becoming a full-time resident while
humming along with a song on the radio. The miles passed by,
traffic on the highway thinned out and the rain continued.

At one point she stopped at a small
service centre to use the washroom and get a cup of tea. She
debated about calling Rafe to warn him she’d be later than
anticipated but finally decided not to. He likely wouldn’t even
notice, and even if he did he’d realize delays happen.

By the time she left the service
centre, the rain had started to pick up and distant rumbles of
thunder could be heard. Unfortunately she was driving right into
the path of the storm. Eve felt her stomach muscles clench as she
listened to the radio reports of heavy rain and possible flooding.
She eased off on the accelerator and gripped the steering wheel
firmly. The road was becoming slick and visibility was getting
worse. A glance at the dashboard clock showed the lateness of the
hour and there was still quite a distance to go. Rolling her
shoulders to ease the tension that was gathering there, she let out
a slow stream of air and willed herself to relax. There was nothing
she could do about the travel time; safe driving was her main
concern.

Flashes of lightning began to
appear and the rumble of thunder increased in volume. The brief
spurts of brightness provided tiny glimpses of the terrain that
flanked either side of the road; stands of trees, a distant farm
house, rows of fencing. Nothing really remarkable, especially when
compared to the grandeur of the distant mountains. Not that she
really cared about the scenery at the moment. Mostly she was hoping
she’d make it to Rafe’s before the heart of the storm struck.

Turning up the volume on the radio,
Eve tried to lose herself in the music but an oncoming transport
truck zoomed past, the backdraft from it buffeting her small car.
With a curse, Eve slipped her wipers onto high and they beat a
furious rhythm in a vain attempt to clear the windshield from the
tire spray. Tightening her grip on the wheel, she struggled to keep
the vehicle on the road, her heart hammering as she envisioned
hydroplaning out of control.

When the windshield cleared, she
began flicking glances at the side of the road, wondering if she
should stop and wait the storm out. Dimly illuminated by her
headlights through the curtain of rain, all she could see on either
side of the road was mud and soft gravel; definitely not a safe
place to pull off. With no other town between her present location
and Rafe’s, her only choice was to continue on.

The lights of another transport
came into view and she braced herself for the next barrage of
blinding water.

Chapter 16

Rafe stared out the window, his
arms braced on either side of glass. Heavy rain was turning the
gravelled parking area in front of his home into a large lake.
Experience told him that the drive from the main road would be a
sea of mud, and negotiating it in the dark without getting stuck
would take considerable skill. His jaw clenched as he thought of
Eve trying to make her way through the slippery mess in her tiny
car. Even in his old truck, he’d be hard pressed to navigate the
sorry excuse for a roadway.

The sun had set three hours ago and
she still wasn’t back from her impromptu trip to Calgary, despite
his request that she return before dark. She might argue that she’d
left a message saying she’d be later than expected, but the time
she’d given for her return had long since passed. He’d even called
her cell phone but all he’d got was her voice mail. Was the battery
dead or had she turned the device off?

Droplets streamed down the window
pain, blurring his vision as he watched and waited. Was she still
on the highway or in an accident? Not knowing was eating away at
him. He didn’t like standing around helplessly worrying, yet what
else could he do? Shift forms and go running down the road looking
for her? Yeah, that would go over real well. Not only did he have
no idea how far he’d have to search but if he did find her, she’d
be scared to death given her last encounter with a wolf.

What if her car became mired in the
mud? Would she dare leave the safety of her vehicle to walk to the
house? And if she did, it would be easy enough for her to slip and
fall, possibly breaking an arm or a leg. Or a tree could come down
in the storm and strike her. The idea of her lying injured in the
dark, with the cold spring rain pounding down, made his gut
clench.

Rafe paced the length of the room,
dragging his hand through his hair. He’d gone over every possible
scenario of why she might be late and was no better off for it. The
inactivity was killing him. With one final frustrated glance at the
clock, he made his decision.

He’d search for her as far as the
main highway. If he didn’t find her somewhere along the way, well,
he’d decide what to do when the time came. Grabbing his keys and a
flashlight, he left the house.

Mud squished beneath his feet as he
slipped and slid his way to his truck, splashing through puddles
and grimacing as water filled his shoes. Big, cold droplets pounded
against his skin and soaked his clothing. By the time he reached
his truck, he was drenched.

Dashing the water from his eyes, he
climbed into the cab and was about to start the engine when a sweep
of light through the trees caught his attention. Someone was
approaching the house, travelling slowly down the twisting lane.
Given the weather, the possibilities of who it might be were
extremely limited. He cracked his door open and strained to hear
over the sound of the rain drumming against the hood of the truck.
Relief filled him as he made the identification; it was definitely
the sound of Eve’s car.

Throwing out a quick prayer of
thanks that she was safe, Rafe shoved his keys in his pocket and
slammed the truck door shut. Leaning against the side of the
vehicle, he waited for Eve to arrive. He could have walked up to
the house, but seeing as he was already wet there didn’t seem to be
much point. Besides, the cold water might cool his temper.

As soon as Eve brought her car to a
stop and shifted it into park, he stormed over and yanked her door
open.

“Rafe! What are you doing standing
out here in the rain?” She stared up at him, her eyes wide, face
pale and strained. He ignored those signs, intent on his own
agenda.

“Get inside the house, Eve.” He
spoke through clenched teeth, his famed control crumbling.

“But—”

“I said get inside the house. Now.”
He growled the words, not caring if she thought he was an arrogant
Neanderthal.

Apparently that was exactly what
Eve
did
think for she jutted her chin and glared at him.

“Get rid of the attitude, Rafe. You
have no right—”

“No right? You’re over three hours
late!”

Climbing out of the car, she
slammed the door shut, planted her hands on her hips and glared up
at him. “So? I left a message.”

“Saying you’d be a
little
late. Three hours isn’t a little amount of time.” He noted how the
rain drops were clinging to her lashes, trailing down her cheeks,
moistening her mouth. Despite his anger he had an insane desire to
swipe his tongue over her lips. He clenched his fists instead.

“In case you didn’t notice the
weather is crappy and the roads were too!” She huffed and narrowed
her eyes then turned towards the house.

Rafe shot his hand out, grabbing
her arm. “Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you.”

“I’ll do whatever I want. Besides,
you just told me to go inside!”

She was right. He knew it. But some
devil inside was spurring him onward, urging him to argue with her,
to give voice to the feelings he’d kept bottled up inside. When she
tried to yank her arm free, he tightened his grip and somehow her
feet slipped in the mud and she started to fall. A squeak of
surprise left her mouth and Rafe tried to catch her only to find
himself losing his footing as well.

Before he could do anything to save
the situation, he felt himself falling, Eve clutched tightly
against him. Instinctively, he twisted to take the brunt of the
fall, curving his body to protect her, pressing her head against
his chest. Water and mud sprayed up around them as they landed
heavily in a large puddle, the air rushing from his lungs.

For a moment, he lay there in
stunned silence trying to catch his breath as the rain beat down on
his face. Miniature waves lapped about his body, while the few
remaining dry parts of his anatomy joined the ranks of the cold,
wet and uncomfortable.

Eve was lying on top of him, her
hands pressed to his chest, her legs entangled with his. In the dim
light that spilled from the windows of the house he could see her
eyes flashing with temper, her hair hanging in rat tails, clinging
to her flushed cheeks.

Despite the rain, the cold, and the
wet clothing clinging to him, one thought burned in his brain. God,
she was beautiful.

Originally intent on lifting her
off, he’d grasped her waist, but then his hands slipped on her
muddy clothing and somehow slid up to span her ribcage just below
her small breasts. His thumbs brushed the underside and skimmed
over the raised nubs of her nipples.

A gasp escaped her at the intimate
contact, and she jerked as if an electric shock had touched her.
Her movement had his own body reacting, coming to attention.

He froze, fighting the longing to
repeat the action. With a desperation he hadn’t thought possible,
he wanted to caress her gentle curves, to trail his fingers down
her spine and cup her butt, pulling her into close contact with his
rapidly hardening flesh.

“Sorry.” Rafe cleared his throat
and dropped his hands to her waist, nonplussed by his own
behaviour. He wasn’t some pubescent teen that copped a feel
whenever the chance presented itself!