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And with her naked in your bed, will you ever be ready?
Several days had passed since he’d crossed that line with her. And he kept trying to pin down the clues. Figure out what she was hiding. He wanted to be wrong. Prayed he was wrong.
The previous day when he’d left for the office, she had kissed him sweetly and told him she’d see him later. Her credit cards had arrived that morning, but neither one of them had uttered a single word about what that meant or about where this was going. When he’d gotten home, they’d continued in that vein, eating dinner together, neither addressing the elephant in the room. Diana didn’t seem inclined to confide in him either, Rafe thought grumpily.
When he’d asked her what was on her mind last night, he’d hoped it would at least start the conversation about what her plans were going forward. But she’d distracted him with kisses. You let yourself be distracted.
It burned a hole in Rafe’s chest that he really didn’t know much about her at all. Except her name. That was it. If you were smart, you would have done a background check. He shoved that thought aside. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Before he’d slept with her, she was just a woman he was helping. There was nothing she could gain access to in his apartment. His safe was national-security tight. Sure, she had access to his security panel, but that was just for the house. She was welcome to anything in there that she could carry. And if she tried to make off with the Decker, she’d get a nasty surprise. The thing was booby-trapped.
He didn’t use the same password for anything. Both his computer and his safe would require hacker-level decryption equipment.
So he’d had no need to worry about exactly who she was or finding out all the dirty details about her life. Until now.
Next to him, Diana slumbered, completely unaware of the direction of his thoughts. It made him feel like a pussy, but he couldn’t deny himself the privilege of watching her when she was so vulnerable.
It felt ridiculous that he wasn’t sure how to talk to a woman, but he honestly hadn’t had much practice in these types of situations. From his covert work, he was used to using… other methods when he needed information from someone.
It turned out that proving you were trustworthy so people voluntarily told you things was an entirely different game.
Finally she moaned and rolled toward him, pillowing her hands under her cheek. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks gently before her eyes opened. When she saw him watching her, her eyes lit up with pleasure. It did something to him to see her unfiltered reaction. She wasn’t even fully awake yet, so there was no artifice or calculation behind her reaction. Just happiness. She was genuinely happy to see him.
“Good morning,” he said softly.
“Morning.”
She moved closer and burrowed into the crook of his arm. He pulled her near, savoring the warmth and comfort of having someone with him. Due to the dangers of his job, he’d never allowed anyone to get close, so he’d missed this kind of easy intimacy. It wasn’t as difficult as he’d thought it would be. Somehow being wi
th Diana felt like the most natural thing in the world.
The sound of her stomach rumbling broke the quiet in the room. Diana’s giggles made him smile.
“Hungry, sweetheart?”
She finally pulled her face out of his arm. “Sorry. I’m not sure why, but I’m starving.”
Rafe pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “That’s my cue. I’ll see what I can rustle up. Especially since you’ve been doing such a good job of taking care of me when it should be the other way around. Don’t want you to think I don’t take care of my guests.”
Her eyes lost some of their sparkle and her lips pulled down at the corners slightly. “Right. I’m just going to jump in the shower.”
Rafe made a decision. He needed to call Noah for advice. That wasn’t a decision he made lightly. This was the man he’d once mentored and thought of as a little brother. A man he’d trained to be a killer and who was now married to his little sister. Who’d knocked up his little sister. Rafe shuddered. That shit was still taking some getting used to.
Once Diana was in the shower and he didn’t have to worry about her overhearing, Rafe took his phone out to the living room.
When Noah answered, he sounded distracted. Which quickly changed when he realized who it was. Good to know he still commanded some respect.
Then he said, “You sound like shit. Who kicked your dog?”
So much for respect.
“I had a sleepless night. Fuck off.”
Noah laughed. “Hmm. Is that code for sex all night? If so, good for you. Diana seemed cool.”
“We are not talking about this,” Rafe gritted out.
“Okay, okay. I won’t ask you any more questions about the pretty blonde you brought to a family gathering who seems to have you on edge right now. I won’t say a damn word. But, on the off chance you did want to talk about it, I’ve been there. There was a time your sister had me all twisted and turned around. It was fucking hell.”
