by Cari Quinn
Rafe’s smile broadened. “That’s great.”
Dodged another bullet.
He was just waiting for the day Wade told them he was taking Charli away from all of them and putting down roots in Nashville instead. He had serious doubts Wade would ever settle for long in Quinn again. Even now that he’d made his homebase there, he was gone almost as much as he was in town. Always traveling to Nashville, or out to LA to meet with his new songwriting partners. He was frequently on the move, no matter what tune he sang about loving being home again.
Sure he did. Just like he’d loved it so much the first time. That was why he’d taken off with barely a word for Rafe and Charli—his supposed best friends in the world—back when he’d been lured by the siren call of music.
Just went to show you couldn’t trust anyone. Especially anyone with the last name of Bennett.
As if on cue, the back door swung open and Hollie, his sister and Colt came outside, balancing a tray of drinks between them and laughing up a storm.
And like a bolt had singed him right between the damn eyes, he was thrown back to the night before, and Hollie pressed between him and the wall, her big eyes begging him for things he so desperately wanted to fulfill.
If he fucking could. Maybe he was all just promises and payment plans, without no satisfaction of delivery.
But Christ, her tits had been like heaven in his hands. In his mouth. And now she wasn’t laughing anymore, because she’d spotted Rafe standing with her brother, and hell if he wasn’t the buzzkill to end them all. Hadn’t she told him that enough times?
“So glad for you,” he said tightly to Wade, who was glancing between him and the people now strolling toward them as if he could feel the tension. Probably everyone in Quinn could. “So dining set, you say? Must be a good song.”
“Pretty good.”
“So why don’t you play it for us?” Rafe rolled up his sleeves—a button-down shirt was just perfect for ranch work—and grabbed the hoe again. “Surely you’ve got a wireless speaker somewhere around here.”
“Course we do. Just turned down the music because Coach was taking a nap and Lorelie would skin us alive if we woke him.” Joel pressed a button on the device propped on a hay bale and music filled the space.
Loud, indiscernible music. Probably that new stuff the kids listened to today.
Sure, Grandpa.
Thinking of Hollie’s new nickname for him made Rafe set his jaw. “I love that song.”
“You do? Since when do you listen to metal?”
“Since I’ve broadened my tastes.” Rafe turned toward his sister as she approached, reaching out to snag her wrist. “Dance with me, sis.”
Charli’s brows snapped together as she carefully set the glass she was carrying on the tray Colt had toted outside. “Dance? You? To this?”
“Sure. It’s music, right?” He pulled her toward him and spun her out again, making her laugh. She loved to dance too much to resist an opportunity to do it, even if it was to some kind of metal hybrid in Coach’s barn.
He whirled her in and out again, catching Hollie’s eye. Instead of laughing like everyone else was doing, she was watching him entirely too closely.
The next time he spun his sister out, Hollie was gone.
“Driving off your audience,” Colt said with a jerk of his chin toward the other side of the barn. Hollie was standing close to one of the ranch hands Rafe didn’t know very well, and they were talking quietly. She was so small compared to the guy that Rafe figured one of his hands would swallow her minuscule waist.
Like hell.
He did a couple quick steps with his sister, dancing her back over to her husband before doing a handoff with a flourish. Wade gladly dragged her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her hair just before Rafe turned away.
“I thought you wanted to hear the song?” Wade said from behind him.
He had one focus—following Hollie and that ranch hand, who had now disappeared behind the stable.
For fuck’s sake, he might as well be a school chaperone, charged with making sure none of the students got too handsy. And worst of all? He’d willingly agreed to the task, just to help out his buddy. Former buddy.
Stop fooling yourself. You were worried about her, yes, but you also wanted to keep her for yourself.
Like that could happen. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Definitely wasn’t looking for anything with him.
Though she hadn’t seemed to mind his mouth on her breasts last night, that was for damn sure.
But that was then, and this was now. He’d shut things down for both of their own goods, not to mention because he owed it to Wade not to go there again. At least not when he was doing the guy a supposed favor and being a friend to Hollie.
Why did keeping any sort of eye on her rankle him in all the wrong ways?
“Be right back,” Rafe said to Wade, walking around the side of the barn. “Gotta speak to Hollie for a sec.”
Wade nodded. “Sure thing. We’ll be right here.”
Rafe clenched his jaw as he walked around back. Stupid for him to intercede. She was an adult. Able to make all her own choices.
Shutting his eyes, he took a deep breath. Relaxed the fists he hadn’t been aware of balling at his sides.
And opened his eyes to Hollie smiling up at the ranch hand.
Freely. Happily. All the ways she never looked at him.
Not your concern. Let her make her own decisions.
It was impossibly hard for him to turn on his heel and go back to the front of the barn. She didn’t deserve him running herd on her like a small, dimwitted child.
What she deserved was a guy worthy of her, one who gave her all the pleasure she could stand. A true friend who wasn’t trying to hold her back, but only wanted her to soar higher.
Whether it was with him or not. And not was definitely looking like the more likely scenario.
“Rafe?” Her soft voice halted his footsteps. “Have you met Jason? He just started working here. I was telling him about the best places to take a date in town. I mentioned the Double Burger and the Movie Shack. Any other ideas?”
Was she teasing him because, to her mind, he never went out anywhere and had fun?
Not to her mind. It was the damn-ass truth.
But it didn’t have to be.
He turned back and covered the distance between them. “Hey, Jason, nice to meet you,” he said with barely a glance for the other man. “The places you mentioned are fine. But I gotta admit, I prefer the personal touch when I take out a girl.”
He waited for her to toss something back at him. Like oh yeah, sure, you haven’t taken out a girl since the last presidential administration. Which was an exaggeration, but not by all that much.
“Oh really?” Hollie asked. “What do you mean?”
“I like to spend one-on-one time with the woman.” Rafe kept his gaze strictly on Hollie’s face. “Talking with her, playing music, dancing, feeding her.”
Her cheeks went pink. Just slightly, but enough to know she was affected. “You mean sharing a meal?”
“No. I mean feeding her. With my fingers.”
Jason cleared his throat. “Um, okay then. Thanks, dude.”
He split fast enough that Rafe was surprised he didn’t kick up dust in his wake.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to chase him away.”
“Yes you did. Why do you even try to deny it?” She sighed and whisked her fingers through the bouncy ends of her hair. “I was only being friendly. He already has a girlfriend. He just didn’t want to ask about date spots in front of the other guys, thinking they’d razz him. Little does he know that everyone in this town is already settled so far down, they’re practically chained in place.”
“Being settled doesn’t have to equal boredom.”
She tapped her bright pink cowboy boots. “Mmm-hmm.”
“I’m serious. Your parents are still happily married. Do you think they’re bored with each other?”
“They’ve been together since the beginning of time. They probably don’t remember anything different.” She pursed her lips. “What were your parents like together?”
Not a subject he wanted to discuss, with her or otherwise. But he also wouldn’t lie. “They had their ups and downs. I know they loved each other.”
“But,” she prompted.
“But love isn’t always enough.” He shrugged, realizing he’d just completely contradicted his own argument.
What was the point of trying to change her mind? She had an opinion, and that was her right.
“No, it isn’t. It’s a hell of a lot, though. I’m not saying marriage is inherently bad. It’s not. I want to be married someday.” As if she realized she’d said too much, she straightened and pulled herself up to her full five-foot-nothing height. “Anyway, you didn’t have to shoo him along. I’m not on the prowl every minute of the day.”
“You prefer nighttime, right?”
“Ha ha, funny guy.”
“Funny guy is better than Grandpa. I’ll take it.” He stepped closer to her and gave in to the urge to tilt her face up toward his. Not all the way up to his, because that would require him boosting her up onto his hips.
Which would require him pinning her to the nearest tree to see if she still tasted as sweet and sexy as she had last night.
So…not an option.
He forced himself to drop his hand from her jaw. “Let’s do something tomorrow.”
She blinked up at him and for the first time, he noticed she wasn’t wearing her glasses. He wasn’t the most observant guy in the world, but she’d been wearing them less and less lately.
Oddly, he was pretty sure he preferred her with them on, though she was beautiful either way. She was just more studious Hollie when she could peer at him over the tops of her lenses.
“Something like what, since you outlawed naked sports at the bar? Damn Garth.”
He nearly shushed her until a quick glance verified they were still alone behind the barn. “Shockingly, we can still have a good time without sex.”
She snorted. “You’re telling me, Romeo? I’ve been having a time without sex since forever. Up to interpretation whether or not it’s been good.”
“Hollie.”
“Fine, fine.” She let out a long breath, then cocked her head. “But only if you feed me.”
“Food can be on the menu, yes.”
“Not just food. You need to feed me. With your fingers, while you whisper dirty words in Spanish in my ear.”
Before he allowed himself to entertain that particular fantasy, he gave her a playful shove. “You’ll be lucky if I let you get anchovies on your pizza. Weirdo.”
She laughed and jogged backward around the side of the barn. “You could feed me anchovies.” She waggled her brows. “That’d be a true test of your love.” She stopped, frowned. “Friendship. I meant, friendship. Of course you don’t love me.”
“Friends can love each other,” he murmured, unsure why he didn’t let her change the subject.
Instead, he just had to prolong the uncomfortable. Because he was Rafe Martinez, the living embodiment of everything awkward and displeasurable.
“They sure can. But you don’t. Not after Wade. I know you were just as pissed at me after he left.”
“I wasn’t. You had nothing to do with it. Anyway, it was a million years ago.”
“Time in Quinn moves at its own pace. And if the wound’s deep enough, no amount of years will make it scab over.” She shrugged. “You were right to be angry with me.”
“That so?”
“Yeah.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I knew he was planning on leaving and I didn’t tell you.”
“He asked you to keep his confidence,” he said after a moment, once her words had sunk in.
“Yes, and that was a large part of why.”
“Hey, Hol, Rafe, you two coming back or what? Wade wants to play his sappy love song for everyone.” Smiling, Colt stepped out beside the barn. “Gotta indulge the music boy, ya know?”
“Sure, oaf.” Hollie turned to slug Colt in the stomach, and he laughed down at her, ruffling her hair.
And just like that, the moment was gone. A second later, so was she, off to rejoin the others.
Rafe scrubbed a hand over the back of his sticky neck. So much for winter. It was damn warm in that patch of sun.
If only he could convince himself that was the only reason he’d been sweating, he’d be golden.
She’d had another reason for not telling him in advance about Wade taking off, even if it wasn’t her secret to tell. He shouldn’t care. It shouldn’t matter.
Years had passed. Their lives had changed. But somehow he still cared. Would always care.
She’d been important to him in a way so different from Wade. A close friend, almost family.
So fucking different.
She hadn’t told him Wade was leaving. Not just to keep her brother’s confidence, but for some other reason he might now never know. He could press her on it or he could put it aside. What difference did it make, really? His friendship with Wade had been irrevocably changed.
As for his with her…well, that appeared to be a work in progress, and he’d be damned if he spent any more time looking backward.
He had a not-a-date to plan. Minus anchovies and Spanish dirty talking.
He grinned as he walked toward the voices ringing out at the front of the barn. Well, at least the latter if not the former.
The former might prove interesting indeed.
6
What the hell was she thinking saying yes to a date? They were absolutely wrong together. As soon as they were alone, they started sniping at each other. And now he was going to come to her house?
Alone?
She groaned. It was so the worst idea in the history of ever.
She snapped the hangers along the rack in her closet. What the hell was she supposed to wear? Cute dress, jeans and a top? Look like it meant something to her to dress up, or that they were just two sort-of friends hanging out?
Her phone buzzed on her dresser and she backed up to look at it.
RM: Slight plan change. Picnic dinner. You game?
She replied back in the affirmative.
Well, that would make things easier. It wasn’t quite bikini season, but hell, it was still seventy degrees out at four o’clock. She usually waited to put on a suit or shorts until it hit the eighties, but in this case, good enough. She opened her drawer and pulled out her red bikini top.
Handy that he liked her small tits, because she was going to make sure they were on display for him. And maybe, just maybe he’d give them another whirl.
Maybe.
If she took another chance on his ineptitude, which actually had seemed like the complete opposite of ineptitude the other night.
She whipped off her T-shirt and tied on the string bikini then swapped out her knock-around shorts for her bikini bottoms and her cutoffs. Luckily she’d done the full shave that morning in the shower.
Not because she was expecting sex. Ha. She had a better chance of being struck by an asteroid while wearing reflective duct tape, but neat grooming was a positive attribute.
Lately she was missing more than a few of those, on account of her extreme sexual-based frustration, so she’d take every one she could get.
She fluffed her hair and slathered her arms and legs in sunblock. Cocoa butter to the rescue for today. She put on her three dainty necklaces that wouldn’t be too hot with the sticky day and called it good.
Maybe she could even convince him to jump in the creek. Or better yet, to shed at least one of his militant layers.
That wouldn’t be such a bad way to spend the day. Blanket, sun, the creek, maybe some music.
She turned and dug out her Bluetooth speaker and extra battery for her phone. Streaming music for the win. Rafe’s mom probably made their dinner, so it would be delicious
food at least. One of the perks of having Mrs. Martinez at the helm of most of his meals. Since she sucked at cooking, she didn’t have a problem with that in the least.
Her parents were out of the house for the weekend. Taking a quick trip up to San Antonio for one of the rodeos that her father loved to see. As a kid, that had been fascinating; now all she could think of was how much pain those poor animals were in.
So, definitely no rodeos for her.
But they couldn’t take that much Texas out of her father, and her mother liked to indulge him. And that worked out for Hollie. For once, she got to walk around the house in her underwear if she wanted.
Not that she would, but she could, dammit.
And when she was finally called for her apartment, that was exactly what she was going to do. Every night, all the time naked. Eat pizza naked. Answer the phone naked. It’d be a big old nudist colony up in her apartment.
Nudist colony of one, reporting for duty.
As long as she wasn’t on the bottom floor with a big picture window. That could be bad.
The doorbell rang. Rafe was on time as always. Right now, she had a very studly cowboy-slash-architect to loosen up.
She ran down the stairs and swung open the door. “Hey.”
“Um, hi.” His dark hair was windblown and fell forward. Of course, it could be from the angle of his head. He was totally checking out her boobs, so win there. She couldn’t quite figure out his thoughts, though. The aviator sunglasses were effectively blocking any way to read him.
His jaw was tight, but she knew that could mean good or bad things depending on his mood. Her mood had immediately improved, however, since he was holding an honest-to-God picnic basket with a blanket tucked under his arm.
And said arm was bulging under the tight edge of his polo shirt. Just how did he keep up with workouts when he was working all the damn time? Also, it was kind of disgusting how tan he was all year round. She was still pale as could be from the winter months.
“Need me to take something?”
He shook his head. “I got it.”
It was a little late in the day to work on her tan, but making Rafe crazy sounded like a perfect way to spend a Saturday evening. She hid a smile as he tried to look at anything but her. Now that she knew he was flustered, she didn’t want to lose her edge.
