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Without showing her face to the bloke in the back seat, she managed to flash her lover a grin and a wink. “I think….” The salesman leaned forward, a ready smile on his face. “It’s about ten thousand dollars overpriced, considering the new model was released two weeks ago. I also think….”
Jane relaxed back into her old “bossy” self. The self-assured, ball-busting force of nature who fought for what she wanted, and won.
Hello me! I’ve missed you.
By the time she was done with the salesman, she’d reduced the overall price by seven grand, convinced him to throw in a fabric treatment for the seats for free, plus complimentary carwashes for twelve months.
An hour later, after negotiating paint colour—red, because Rafe drew the line at her suggestion of pink—and finalising the contracts, she was more than ready to go home.
“Poor bloke didn’t know what hit him,” Rafe murmured in her ear as he helped her into the passenger seat of his car. “Nicely done.”
Before they left, Scott texted to let them know he’d seen no one and nothing out of the ordinary, but he’d follow them home just the same.
Just in case.
Jane sat quietly, staring out the window at the passing scenery as they left the ocean views behind them and headed back up into the hinterlands. She was tired, and so was Rafe. Which was to be expected after the mayhem of the previous night.
After everyone had left The Forge, Rafe had taken her to bed. Her emotional exhaustion meant she’d quickly fallen into a restless sleep, but every little noise, every creak of timber, every whistle of wind had awoken her with a start, made her jump and grind her teeth against the helplessness burning a hole in her stomach.
And every time she woke up, there was Rafe, murmuring quietly in her ear that everything was all right, that he was there with her. Holding her, rocking her gently until she fell asleep again.
She looked at Rafe and watched him stifle a yawn.
“Do you want me to drive?” she said, knowing what his answer would be before she’d even asked the question.
“I’m good. We’re only fifteen minutes from home now anyway.”
Jane stared out the window again.
Why was this happening to them?
Yes, Rafe was a lawyer and yeah, sure, everyone hates lawyers, but he was a good man. He’d spent his life helping people, getting women and children out of abusive situations, helping single dads retain custody of their children when they’d been proven the more reliable parent.
He made sure siblings stayed together during custody disputes and worked so many pro bono cases he could probably declare himself a charity organisation.
Jane was proud of the work he did.
She was proud ofhim. Of Rafe.
He was her knight in shining Armani.
And as for her…? What could anyone possibly hope to gain by going after her? She’d already lost everything.
She glanced at Rafe, then down at her swollen belly.Almost everything.
“Are you feeling all right?” Sliding his hand over her thigh, he gave her a reassuring squeeze. The warmth of his palm, even through the denim of her jeans, calmed her lingering worries.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I guess I thought….” She blew out a huff of breath, fanning the hair that had fallen over her forehead. “I guess I’dhopedwe’d catch our mystery slut-shaming firebug today. Seen them, at the very least.”
Rafe squeezed her thigh again. “I know. I’d hoped we would too. Maybe James and the constable found something while we were away. And hey, silver lining,” he said, sliding his hand over her stomach. “We got our new family car. We can pick her up next week.”
Layering her hands over his, Jane sent her lover a healthy dose of come-hither side-eye. “Sooowhen we get home….”
“Yeah?” Rafe’s mouth curled in a grin as they turned down Melville’s Cross Road.
“I thought I might pamper your sexy arse with a bubble bath and a massage. And maybe a blowjob.” She nodded. “Definitely a blowjob.”
Rafe laughed then opened his mouth to speak, but a metallic glint by the side of the road caught her attention and she missed whatever it was he said.
