Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (21 page)

Eve sat up in his lap and pushed
her hair from her face then flicked at glance at him. “Hey.” She
sounded shy and still a bit befuddled.

He nodded, keeping his face
neutral, not at all sure what to say. Getting to his feet, he
helped her up as well.

She licked her lips. He noted how
her eyes searched his face, her expression slowly clouding. “That
was…” Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

“Yeah. It certainly was.” Most
likely she was looking for those soft, ‘after sex’ words that women
so loved, but they weren’t appropriate given the circumstances. He
cleared his throat and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, not at
all sure how to begin the conversation he knew they needed to
have.

When he didn’t say anything else,
Eve looked away and wrapped her arms around herself, apparently
realizing she was naked and chilled. With relief he grabbed onto
that fact. They could talk later. Right now she needed to get
warmed up and find some dry clothes.

“You’re shivering. Go and get
cleaned up.” He took her by the shoulders, turned her around and
gave her a gentle push in the direction of the bathroom. “We have
to talk…but not right now.” Eve hesitated and seemed about to speak
only to nod and walk away. A flash of lightning revealed her pale
skin as she wove her way through the living room to the hallway.
She seemed so small and frail.

Damn, he was a bastard.

Chapter 17

The backdoor slammed shut as Eve
entered the kitchen the next morning. How Rafe managed to hear her
coming, she’d never figure out. She’d purposely walked as quietly
as possible knowing his tendency to avoid her…except for last
night. That had definitely
not
been avoidance. At least not
at first. The memory of his mouth on hers, of his body filling her,
had her curling her toes against the polished wood floor. But then
afterwards…

Her mouth flattened into an
exasperated line as she recalled how he’d clammed up after the
fact. At the time she’d been hurt, but half way through the night
that had changed to anger and now, this morning… Well, she was
going to have it out with him. Calmly, coolly. They were both
adults and there was no reason they couldn’t deal with what was
between them.

Of course, Rafe had already managed
to sabotage her plan which had been to talk to him before he left
the house. But that was okay. She’d track him down somehow. He
couldn’t avoid her forever!

A secretive smile graced her lips
as she prepared toast and tea, then leaned a hip against the
counter and stared out the window. Aha! There he was. Apparently
he’d decided to forego his habitual morning run. Instead, Rafe was
outside using the limb of a sturdy tree as a bar for chin ups. She
watched the muscles in his arms bunch and contract as he repeatedly
lifted himself over and over. The man wasn’t even breaking into a
sweat, which was a bit of a shame because she’d love to lick the
saltiness from his chest.

Eve rolled her eyes at her erotic
thoughts. When she’d arrived home last night she’d been so angry
with him for the way he’d started ordering her around. Angry…and
turned on. He was so…so… She struggled to find an appropriate word.
Bossy? Manly? Dominating? Whatever it was, it made her insides
melt. And arguing with him just made it more…fun? Exciting? The
corner of her mouth twitched as she realized how much enjoyment she
got out of watching him try to keep his cool. Did he realize a
little muscle twitched in his jaw? It wasn’t overly noticeable but
she’d become an expert at observing him.

An imp inside her wondered exactly
how far she could go before he’d lose control. The idea was
thrilling and a bit scary. What exactly would he do if she pushed
the right buttons? Her breath hitched as she contemplated the
possibilities before she shook her head. Rafe seemed to have a
tight leash on his feelings, an inner strength that would never be
completely broken. He’d always be in control of himself. The idea
made her feel…safe.

Taking another sip of tea, she
watched him drop to the ground and begin a set of rapid push-ups.
For a doctor he seemed awfully fit. Good thing though. Last night
he’d picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all, and had taken
her against the wall. It was the sort of thing she’d read about in
romance books but never experienced. Now she couldn’t wait to try
it again.

However, as much fun as it was to
speculate about Rafe ravishing her, it wasn’t likely to happen if
she didn’t do something. He’d pulled back afterwards, sending her
off on her own. Obviously, Rafe had reservations. In her experience
the words ‘we have to talk’ seldom led to a relationship moving
forward.

Regretfully, Eve turned away from
the window.

“Ahhh!” She gave a yelp of
surprise, tossing her empty tea cup into the air and jumping back.
Damien was standing right behind her.

He neatly caught her cup before it
hit the floor and set it on the counter. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to
frighten you.” A hint of a smile passed over his usually sombre
features.

“Don’t do that!” Eve pressed a hand
to her pounding heart and glared at him. “How do you move so
quietly?”

He shrugged. “Just a skill I picked
up.”

“Did you sneak up on your wife like
that, too?” She asked the question and immediately regretted
it.

Damien’s face went expressionless.
“Only once.” He moved to brush past her and she reached out,
touching his arm.

“Has she been…dead…very long?” She
stared at his face, seeing the pain wash over his features.

He closed his eyes. Under her
fingers she could feel the muscles in his arm bunch. “Eighteen
months.”

Something inside her prompted her
to probe deeper. “What happened? Was she ill? A car accident?”

For a moment she thought he wasn’t
going to answer, could almost see the inner battle he was waging.
Finally he responded. “A gas leak. The house exploded just as I
arrived.” His mouth barely moved as he spoke, the expression in his
eyes one of pain and guilt.

“I’m so sorry.” Unthinkingly, she
wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. At first he stood
stiffly in her embrace, rejection of the gesture radiating from him
and then, oh so slowly, she felt him move his arms until they
wrapped around her. She could hear the steady beat of his heart,
the shuddering breath that escaped him as he relaxed in her arms,
the strength and warmth of his body melding with her own. How long
had it been since anyone had hugged him?

The kitchen door slammed shut, the
sound causing Eve to jump away from Damien and spin around. For
some reason she felt guilty. Rafe stood in the doorway, his jaw
jutted, his brow lowered. She actually thought she heard him growl!
“Damien, I warned you to stay away.”

“Stay away? How’s he supposed to
help you fix the place up if he stays away?” Eve looked between the
two men. The air crackled with undertones she didn’t
understand.

Damien’s expression had transformed
from sorrow to a sneer. “She’s right, Rafe. Explain that to the
lady.”

Rafe’s nostrils flared, his muscles
bunched as if ready to spring into action. “I want you to work at
your place today. Start on the porch.” The words were spoken slowly
and softly, but Eve could hear a layer of threat beneath the
surface.

Damien didn’t move. His gaze was
locked on Rafe’s. Tension between the two became a palpable thing,
hot and thick, threatening to explode. The moment stretched out and
Eve shifted uneasily. The two were having a standoff and neither
seemed inclined to back down. Not sure what to do, she gathered her
courage.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Will the
two of you stop the ridiculous macho routine?” She turned to Damien
and made a shooing gesture with her hands. “You have work to do. Go
tear down the porch or fix it or something. And you,” she looked at
Rafe. “I want to talk to you.” Planting her hands on her hips, she
lifted her chin and sent glaring looks in both directions.

Damien blinked then gave a soft
amused huff. “Like a little kitten trying to be a tiger.” He tapped
her on the nose and left without another word.

“A kitten!” Eve protested the
statement and would have followed Damien to give him a piece of her
mind, but Rafe stopped her.

“He’s right, you know.” His voice
sounded deeper than usual despite the hint of teasing.

She spun around and glared at him.
“I am not a kitten!”

“Oh, yes, you are,” he countered
and pulled her into his arms. He fisted his hand in her hair and
held her head in place before kissing her so thoroughly that she
had to cling to him because her knees had gone weak. His mouth
moved over hers, skilled and addictive, causing exquisite
sensations to curl in her stomach. When he was done, he looked down
at her, a self-satisfied smirk playing around the corner of his
mouth. “Yep, you’re a kitten and I’m the big bad wolf.”

“Um…” It took her a minute to
collect her thoughts and when she did she pushed against his chest.
He let her go, holding her arms lightly, making sure she was steady
on her feet. No one’s kiss had ever affected her like Rafe’s and
she wasn’t quite sure she liked it. Well, she
liked
it—loved
it even—but it also made her feel needy and vulnerable. Irritated
with her own weakness, and with him for his…his…
caveman
tactics, she lifted her chin. He was acting like he was an animal,
staking his claim. “You’re not a wolf.” She gave a sniff and tucked
her hair behind her ears. “And I am
not
a kitten.”

“Have it your way.” There was an
uncharacteristic playfulness about him, as if he’d forgotten his
sombre self outside. The corner of his mouth was quirked upwards
and he stared down at her, seeming to trace every line of her face
with his eyes. He was still holding her arms lightly, his thumbs
making gentle circles on her skin. A feeling of warmth slowly
spread through her, and Eve felt herself relaxing, leaning towards
him. He appeared to be leaning towards her, too, when quite
unexpectedly his expression turned stony as if he’d suddenly
recalled something quite serious.

As he stepped away she noticed the
muscle working in his jaw, and his voice sounded gruff when he
spoke. “I told you to stay away from Damien.”

Her mouth might still tingle from
their kiss, her body still beg her to press against him—however
that didn’t mean she was going to let him boss her around. “You
have no right to tell me what to do.”

“No?” He reached out and, holding
her chin, lightly brushed over her bottom lip with his thumb, his
gaze hot and knowing. “Not even after last night?”

“I…” Eve hesitated. This was what
she’d wanted to talk to him about, but now that the moment had
arrived she felt awkward and all the comments that she’d planned on
making had a ‘file not found error’ blinking in their stead. She
shrugged her shoulders in feigned nonchalance and said the first
thing that popped into her head. “What about it? We had sex, that’s
all.

His eyes darkened and that tiny
tell-tale nerve pulsed in his jaw again. “That’s not what I
remember.”

“You’re the one that went cold
afterwards.” The words blurted from her, a bit of the hurt she’d
felt evident in them. Last night she’d hoped he would have joined
her in the shower, or even made his way to her room. He hadn’t, of
course, and she’d lain in bed for hours staring at the ceiling
wondering why.

“There are things we need to
discuss; about who you are and who I am.
What
we are.” He
gave her a meaningful look, but for the life of her she couldn’t
think what he might be talking about. His job maybe?

“You mean you being a
psychiatrist?” She frowned. “Or was it psychologist?” She never
could keep the terms straight.

“A psychiatrist who focuses more on
psychotherapy, hence I use the latter term most often.” He answered
distractedly, shoving his hands in his pockets and looked about the
room as if searching for the right words. “And yes, that’s part of
the issue. My work is very draining. I came here to rest, not to
get involved with someone.”

She considered that for a moment.
“Well, at least you’re being honest.”

“And what about you?” Rafe turned
the tables on her.

Was he asking about her job, or if
she was being honest? He knew she was an artist so it must be the
latter. She couldn’t really tell him about being Fae; he’d likely
think she was crazy but she needed to give some sort of response.
“Like you, I came here for some solitude. I have…things…I need to
sort out.”

“Things?” He quirked a brow and
looked at her expectantly.

She hesitated, even opened her
mouth to explain but then changed her mind and gave a nod.

He waited a beat before replying.
“It would seem we’re at an impasse then.”

She dipped her head in
acknowledgement. This wasn’t at all how she’d envisioned the
conversation going but now that it had started she didn’t know how
to get it on track. And really, what had she been thinking,
planning a relationship with him? Her stay here was temporary; she
was still learning to control her Fae abilities. The timing was all
wrong. And yet…she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was making a
big mistake by not telling him.

Perhaps some of that showed in her
expression for Rafe suddenly reached out and held her chin, tipping
her face so they looked directly at each other. Her cheeks heated
under his intent gaze. He seemed to be looking into her soul,
searching out her secrets. A tickling in her brain gave her the
crazy idea that he was trying to read her mind. It was ridiculous
of course. Rafe was no more empathic than she was a…a wolf! Still,
she instinctively threw up a barrier, blocking access to her
feelings and stepping back.

“Eve…” He hesitated. Her stomach
clenched in a sudden attack of nerves, inexplicably not wanting to
hear what he might say.