Shane drew her beneath him and easily slipped inside her body. She knew he was healing by losing himself within her. She was OK with that — more than OK, she thought as passion began building and thoughts of children evaporated as pleasure began enveloping them.
Lia knew Rafe would rescue them. It was only a matter of time. And so, in the meantime, she would enjoy every moment she was locked tightly in Shane’s arms.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ari
No worries here, Ari thought smugly as she walked up the steps to the huge library. She’d be safe, sound, and inviolable as Fort Knox. There was no way that Rafe would put the moves on her while in a public building. Well, he had in public before, but he wouldn’t dare do something in a library, and they certainly couldn’t have sex. I mean, really!
Since she’d done nothing but toss and turn the night before, she was quite irritated with Rafe. Had he been a terrible kisser, or had her body not completely betrayed her, then she would have been in a much better mood.
To top all of that off, the snore-worthy pig of a doctor had dared to call her at midnight to see if he could get her address and stop by. He wanted to have dessert. She’d just bet he wanted dessert...
She’d told him to lose her number, then hung up on him while he’d still been sputtering.
It seemed that Ari was doomed to end up in the presence of the wrong men.
This last date wasn’t really her fault, since her friend had set the entire thing up, but still… Some days, it seemed she’d end up as that person with ten cats, four dogs, three piranhas and a parakeet, rocking alone on her front porch. Not that there was anything wrong with that. And anyway, she was far too young to be thinking that way, but it still frightened her.
She didn’t want to settle with just anyone because she was afraid of being alone. It was OK to focus on herself for a while. Being in a relationship didn’t define you as a person. First, you had to be confident in yourself before you were capable of having a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship.
Ari had gained confidence over the last couple of years. She was just lonely, making it easier for Rafe to slip past her guard.
She’d have to put forth more effort in her attempts to keep him out of her pants.
She found a quiet corner table, and sat down. People were all around her, busy studying or reading for pleasure, but the point was that people were there. She felt secure. Her phone vibrated; picking it up, she saw a message from Rafe.
Have you arrived yet?
Yes, I’m sitting in the back. Meet me here.
I have a table on the third floor. Just come up the stairs and go to the right.
I have a great table. Why don’t you come back down here? she replied. She’d been hoping to arrive before he did.
We can’t eat down there and I brought a late lunch, he countered. As her stomach rumbled, she realized she’d forgotten to eat again. Food sounded fantastic. Even if she went up to the third floor, they wouldn’t be in any less of a public place. She’d still be fine.
Picking up her bag, she didn’t bother responding but made her way up the stairs. On the second level, she found the children’s section, and she smiled as she watched a man with a circle of kids around him while he read. The boys and girls were fascinated with the variety of his storytelling voices. If only she could play her different parts as well when dealing with Rafe.
Continuing over to the next flight of stairs, she went upward, then frowned as she realized she was in the stacks section, the part of the library her classmates had said they would go to when they wanted to make out with their boyfriends.
Well, this wasn’t a college campus, and if Rafe thought they were going to be doing any touching, then he had another thing coming. She was there to pore over the pages of his ancestor’s journal, take notes, and learn all that she could. She wasn’t there to get screwed on a hard table — both literally and figuratively.
When she rounded the corner and found Rafe sitting at a covered table with an elegantly presented lunch, she felt her heart speed up.
A smile crossed her face without her even thinking about it. Of course, Rafe couldn’t just bring a sandwich in a brown paper bag. That would be too pedestrian of him. And too plebeian for that dyed-in-the-cashmere aristocrat.
“You look lovely, Ari,” he said as he stood and moved to her chair, holding it out for her.
“Isn’t this a bit much for lunch in a library?” she asked while trying not to enjoy his compliment.
“Nothing is too much for you. Not ever,” he whispered against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
“We’re here for the journal and nothing else, Rafe,” she reminded him in a breathy whisper.
“That’s what you’re here for. I have…other plans,” he said mysteriously.
“Well, put those plans away…and anything else you might be thinking about taking out that should remain hidden. We’re in public,” she reminded him as she looked at the food — an out-of-the-ordinary chicken salad, artisan rolls, exotic fruit, and small appetizers. Yum. He’d even managed to bring in a bottle of wine.
She knew she shouldn’t accept the wine, but she couldn’t resist, knowing that because he’d chosen it, it would be spectacular. How her tastes had changed since meeting him. She used to despise alcohol, and with good reason, considering the trouble it had gotten her into on more than one occasion. She still avoided anything other than wine, and she now knew how to distinguish between good wine and rotgut. This definitely wasn’t rotgut.
“We’ll have lunch, and then I’ll leave you alone for a while to study the journal,” he said, and she looked at him with suspicion. What was he up to now?
“Hey, I’m trying to compromise,” he told her as he held up his hands.
“I don’t know if I trust you, Rafe. Scratch that. I know I don’t trust you,” she said, though the lifting of her lips took away some of the sting.
“You’ll just have to learn how to trust me again,” he said, then took a bite of lunch.
“Again? I never trusted you,” she said.
He looked wounded and was slow in answering.
“I will just have to earn your trust, then. I want to earn it, and your respect, too. I want to be with you. You will soon realize how important this is to me. You will soon know I want only the best for you — for us.”
“We can’t turn back time, Rafe. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but there isn’t a magic wand available that you can just wave and — abracadabra! — the past is forgotten,” she said, and the hurt in his eyes made her feel like a heel. She was close to apologizing when he looked down and the moment was over.