“It’s okay,” he said and gave her a gentle smile, almost like he was trying to reassure her. “All’s well that ends well.” Then he shoved his hands deep inside his trouser pockets and this time as he stared down at her there was a flicker of something like regret in his eyes.
But that made no sense at all…
His mouth twisted in a wry smile and when he spoke again his voice was soft and just a little bit wary. “Next time, you’d better let your husband hold on to the boy.”
“Husband? What hus…oh, this isn’t my son. Hans is my student.” She was shaking her head as she spoke and she didn’t know why it was so important to her to clear up his misunderstanding, but it was.
Like a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds, at her words his face cleared and his posture became visibly relaxed. “Your student.” As he nodded his smile widened. “Cool.”
Anya almost frowned. Cool? What kind of response was that? But there was no time to think about that now. “I’m sorry,” she said, making sure to give the stranger a grateful smile, “but we have to go. Our bus is waiting.” She took the child’s hand. “Thank you, again. Very much.”
She was turning to go when he stopped her. “Wait. What’s your name?”
Caught off guard, she answered without hesitation. “Anya. Anya Petersen.”
“And I’m Rafe,” he said and held out his hand.
There was nothing to do but take it. She slid her hand in his, feeling the slight calluses on his palm, knowing immediately that this man was one who worked hard for his money. He had the marks to prove it.
And she liked that. More than that she liked the way his long fingers curled around her hand, his grip strong but surprisingly gentle, making her modify her initial impression. She’d thought his were the hands of a workman but what she felt made her think they were also the hands of an artist.
But there was no time to dwell on the feel of her hand in his. It was time to go. “Pleased to meet you, Rafe,” she said, pumping his hand, and then she pulled hers from his grasp and backed away. “Thanks again.” She gave him a little wave and this time she did turn with her little charge in tow, and then they were speeding away across the grass and back to the waiting school bus.
With the other students already on the bus, as soon as they got to the waiting vehicle Anya hustled Hans inside. Following him she rested her foot on the bottom step, ready to board, but at the last second she had the irresistible urge to turn.
When she did she saw Rafe still standing on the pathway at the bottom of the grassy knoll, his hands once more in his pockets, his enigmatic eyes still glued on her.
CHAPTER TWO
A good two minutes later Rafe was still standing there, staring at the school bus as it pulled out of the parking lot. “Coleman Private English School,” it read. Good to know.
“Whenever you nod like that I know you’re up to something.”
Rafe turned as Khalil walked up to him, a wide grin on his face.
“What crazy plan did you come up with this time?” his friend asked. “You already took us way off our route with this idea to visit towns off the beaten track. Now what new thing’s on your mind?” He chuckled. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
By then Lion had joined them. “Hey, maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t make it to Düsseldorf. My man Rafe got the perfect opportunity to play hero.” Looking like he was impressed, he shook his head and gave Rafe a stinging slap on the shoulder.
That made him wince. “Hey, watch it, buster. Easy on the goods.”
“What? I thought heroes were supposed to be tough guys. Don’t tell me you even felt that.” Lion’s admiration quickly turned to friendly derision, just like Rafe expected.
“Yeah. It’s shameful, seeing you cringe at a little slap like that.” Of course, Khalil had to put in his two cents. “If she could see you now, I bet a certain little lady wouldn’t be quite so impressed.”
“Shut up, you two,” Rafe growled, his patience with his friends running thin. Sometimes there was just so much ribbing he could take. “We were on our way to get some grub so let’s do it.”
“Your call, my man,” Khalil said, putting his hand up. “Today, you’re buying.”
Rafe didn’t mind that at all. In fact, if it would shut his friends up for a while it would be more than worth it. Right then all he wanted was some peace and quiet so he could think. And plan. And figure out how to get a certain sexy lady to go out with him.
And sexy was the perfect word to describe Miss Anya Petersen – tall and sleek and slender with sunshine-gold hair that fell in soft waves past her shoulders and hazel eyes that held you in a gaze hinting mystery and promise. He would gladly explore her depths, find the answer to that mystery and take her up on her unspoken promise. In fact, he had to. When had Rafe Kent ever passed up a challenge, especially when it involved a lovely, sensual woman with succulent lips he was dying to taste? Not to mention those long legs, perfect for wrapping round his waist.
“Snap out of it, man.” It was Khalil again. “I know you’re daydreaming about that fraulein who just caught your eye but fuggedaboutit.” He started walking, heading toward the restaurant and toward food. Skinny as a rake but greedy as a pig, Rafe knew Khalil had every intention of running up a huge lunch bill. At Rafe’s expense, of course.
“And what’s my type?” he demanded, his long legs letting him catch up to Khalil in no time. There was no way a five foot ten shorty like Khalil could outwalk his six foot three.
His friend shrugged. “You know, the wild, adventurous type who’ll match your bad behavior step for step.”
Lion, who was bringing up the rear, barked out a laugh. “Bad behavior, you call it? I call it downright kinky.”
That made Rafe frown. “What do you know about me and my ladies? My personal life is none of your damn business."
“Whoa. Easy now, fella. Nobody’s getting all up in your business,” Khalil said in Lion’s defense. “But you’re the one with the ‘lady-killer’ reputation. You’ve got to admit, that says a lot about you.”
Rafe’s response was a snort. “Maybe so, but it doesn’t mean I’m kinky so you two can just drop it.” Then he mumbled, “And stay the hell out of my business.”
Sometimes Rafe could get sensitive when they razzed him and this was one of those times. There was a reason he went through woman after woman, discarding each along the way, but they wouldn’t know that. The fact was, there’d been a special woman in his life, one he’d thought would be ‘the one’. He soon found out that he’d been the world’s biggest fool to think that way.