Alone

by Kali Argent

“I’d like that. Just let me get dressed.” She tugged at the hem of her ragged T-shirt and scuffed her toes across the carpeted floor. “I guess I really should get some new lounge clothes.”

  The wide-necked shirt hung off her shoulders, and the cotton shorts looked to be coming apart at the seams. “I don’t think you should change anything.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You look adorable, and more importantly, you look comfortable.” Rafe plopped down on the sofa and dug around in the cushions for the remote. “I can entertain myself. Go get dressed.”

  “There’s water and soda in the fridge. Make yourself at home, and I’ll just be a minute.”

  “Take your time.” He’d wait as long as it took.

  * * * *

  “You said you work from home. What is it you do?”

  The afternoon sun glinted off the windows of the Canal Walk Café and warmed the small patio despite the chilled breeze. Cecily had changed into a pair of jeans and a white, long-sleeved blouse, though she’d kept her hair loose and foregone the makeup.

  Rafe couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “I’m a graphic artist and illustrator.” She stopped there as though that explained everything and stuffed half a beignet in her mouth with a cute moan of appreciation. “These are fabulous.”

  “Graphic art, like video games?”

  “No, no, nothing like that.” She waved her hand around as she took a sip from her coffee mug. “I do freelance work with privately owned shops in the area. I create all sorts of things for them like fliers, banners, brochures, and different promotional stuff. Mostly, I do cover designs for self-published authors.”

  “And you draw these designs?”

  “Not usually, but if they want something specific, I can do that.”

  Rafe couldn’t draw a straight line, let alone create an entire book cover. “I’m impressed. I’d love to see your work sometime.”

  “Really?”

  Laughing, Rafe rested his elbows on the wrought iron tabletop and leaned forward. “Of course I do. I’ve read a book or two in my life, but I never considered how much work goes into the cover.”

  “Okay, well…” Cecily shifted in her chair and pointed to a bar and grill across the street. “Benjamin’s? See that logo on the awning? I designed that.”

  Hearing about her art had impressed him, but seeing it, even in an ordinary logo, awed him. “No shit?”

  “No shit,” she answered easily. “Okay, your turn. How long have you been a bouncer?”

  “I mostly tend bar, have for about eight years now.” It wasn’t a long story, or even a particularly complicated one. “Couple of months ago, the summer guys left to go back to school. The owner needed someone to pick up the slack, and I needed the extra shifts. Everyone wins.”

  “A bartender, huh? Do you have a specialty drink?”

  “Of course.”

  “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

  Reaching across the table, he took Cecily’s hand and stroked the knuckles with his thumb. “Nope, but if you come into the club on Friday, I’ll make it for you.”

  Cecily arched an eyebrow, but her lips curved at one corner into a playful smirk. “Fine.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and placed it in her lap. “I should get back.”

  Unsure of how to read her mixed signals, Rafe decided to focus only on the positive. For all intents and purposes, Cecily had agreed to a second date, and even though he’d be working, he’d do what he could to make it special.

  Pulling a twenty from his wallet, he placed the money with the check beneath the salt shaker and stood. “I’ll walk you home.”

  Cecily used a napkin to brush powdered sugar from her blouse before joining him. “Where do you live anyway?”

  “A few blocks from here.” He didn’t offer more, and though Cecily glanced at him from the corner of her eye, she didn’t comment. “How’s your ankle?”

  “It’s still sore, but better. At least I can put weight on it now.” She led him across the street to the canal and along the walkway by the water. “This is one of my favorite places in the whole city. Sometimes, I sit out on my balcony and just watch the people down here.” Leaning sideways, she bumped against his arm as she peeked up at him through her lashes. “Do you have a favorite place?”

  “I guess I’ve never thought about it.” Other than Electric Mist and his crappy one-bedroom apartment, he didn’t get out much. “I like Victory Field. Does that count?”

  “Definitely not.” Cecily’s hair bounced around her face when she shook her head. “You’re a baseball fan? I don’t think we can be friends anymore, Rafe.”

  “What do you have against baseball, princess?”

  “I don’t know.” Her button nose crinkled, and she jerked her shoulders in a manner that suggested a shrug, just with more attitude. “I think it’s boring.”

  “Sacrilege!” Pressing his right palm over his heart, he used his left to give Cecily a gentle push. “You’re right. We really can’t be friends anymore.” Honestly, he didn’t much care for baseball, either, but it was something to do in the city he could actually afford. “Be gone, heathen!”

  Cecily laughed, a rich, genuine laugh straight from the belly, and the pure joy in the sound made Rafe laugh as well. So many layers.

  People in general, he understood. For the most part, they all wanted the same things, and he considered himself a fairly decent judge of character. In his line of work, he had to be.

  With Cecily, though, she never did what he expected. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she always did something to surprise him. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know, and somehow, he had the feeling he’d only begun to scratch the surface.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Honey, I’m home!”

  Rolling her eyes, Cecily saved the progress on her latest project and pushed away from her desk. Rafe had been by almost every day for two weeks. Even when she’d ditched their “date” at the club without explanation, he still kept showing up.

  “Melissa, what did I tell you about bringing home strays?”

  “I didn’t,” her sister protested around a fit of giggles. “He just followed me here.”

  Ignoring them both, Rafe crossed the room in three long strides to place a kiss on Cecily’s cheek. “What’s the story, Morning Glory?”

  “What’s the word, Mockingbird?”

  “God, you two are sickening.” Bouncing up on her toes, Melissa placed a quick peck on Rafe’s cheek, then turned to tug at the ends of Cecily’s hair. “I like you better when he’s around, though. I guess we can keep him.” Then she sashayed out of the room, humming off-key under her breath as she went.

  “Ignore her. She’s an idiot.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of agree with her. We are sickening.”

  “Of course we are.” Hell, it even nauseated her when she thought too hard about it. “I meant, we aren’t keeping you.”

  Rafe puffed his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout and adopted a hurt expression. “I’m useful, though. I can lift all the heavy stuff.” Raising both arms, he curled his fists inward to flex his muscles, seriously testing the elasticity of his white T-shirt. “Granted, I’m not good for much else, but if you got a couch to move, I’m your guy.”

  Secretly, Cecily found it refreshing to meet a man who didn’t feel the need to posture and prove his masculinity at every turn. Rafe never took himself too seriously, but he could also be sincere and compassionate. He made her laugh, and he listened, really listened, when she talked. In a short time, he’d broken through her wall of cynicism and distrust, and most importantly, he made her happy.

  “If I ever decide to move, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “You can help me move,” Melissa interrupted as she strolled back into the living room.

  “Sure.” Rafe shrugged. “When are you moving?”

  “Beginning of November.” Dropping her purse on the kitchen bar, Melissa folded her han
ds together and beamed. “I’m moving in with Aiden.”

  “Oh, well…” Rafe rubbed the back of his head, clearly fumbling for what to say next. “That’s great. Congratulations.”

  “No, it’s not great, and she most certainly will not be moving in with Aiden.” Why Melissa insisted on acting like a lovesick twit, Cecily would never understand. Her sister clearly needed someone to save her from herself, though. “When are you going to grow up?”

  “When are you going to start treating me like an adult?” Melissa countered.

  “I’ll treat you like an adult when you start acting like one. Shacking up with some playboy you just met is not responsible behavior, Melissa.”

  “It’s my life.” Melissa jabbed herself in the chest with her forefinger as she pressed in between Cecily and Rafe. “So what if it’s a mistake? It’s my mistake. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

  “Because who do you think is going to have to pick up the pieces when this all falls apart?”

  “Ladies—”

  “Shut up.” Melissa elbowed Rafe in the stomach before rounding on Cecily again. “Who says it’ll fall apart? Maybe things will work out with Aiden and maybe they won’t. That’s not on you, though.”

  “It always falls apart!”

  “Ladies, please—”

  “Rafe, go home.” Cecily didn’t need witnesses for the murder she was about to commit. Besides, the poor guy didn’t deserve the abuse being hurled in his direction. “I’ll call you later, okay? Or just come back tonight.”

  “This is what I’m talking about.” Melissa waved an accusing finger in Cecily’s face. “How do you two know it’s going to work out? How do you know nothing bad will happen? Maybe you’ll break his heart.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder and shrugged. “Maybe he’ll break your heart. You won’t know unless you take a chance. It’s all about taking chances.”

  How Melissa had managed to turn the conversation back on her, Cecily couldn’t comprehend. “We’re not talking about me.” Though they’d spent almost every day of the past three weeks together, she and Rafe had yet to share even a simple kiss. Yet, there Melissa stood, talking about broken hearts. “The problem is that you take too many chances.”

  “At least I’m not going to end up alone and bitter.”

  “Okay, okay.” Taking Melissa’s purse, Rafe stuffed it into her hands and steered her toward the door. “You were going out, right?”

  “Yeah, I’m meeting Aiden at the park. I’m probably going to be late now.”

  “That’s good. You go meet Aiden.” Rafe opened the front door and practically shoved her through it. “Have fun. Take your time. Maybe have a nice dinner later.”

  “We were just going to walk through the—”

  Slamming the door in her face, Rafe hung his head and groaned. “Do you two ever not fight?”

  “She just drives me so crazy. I mean, you see how she acts.” What the hell was she doing? She didn’t have to defend herself or justify her actions. “I think you should go, Rafe.”

  “Oh, knock it off, Cecily.” With a heavy sigh, Rafe turned toward her and rubbed both hands over his face. “Nobody’s buying your bullshit.”

  “Excuse me?” She’d be damned if she’d let anyone talk to her like that. “Get out.”

  “No.”

  “Get the hell out of my apartment.”

  “No.” Holding his arms out, Rafe took two steps toward her. “Not until you talk to me.”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything.” She’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop from day one, but she hadn’t expected it to come quite so soon. “I don’t owe you anything, Rafe, not even an explanation.”

  “No, I guess you don’t, but lucky for you, I’m not asking for one.” He took another two steps, shuffling forward across the beige carpet. “If you’d been listening, you’d realize I didn’t ask you anything. I just said I wanted to talk. I’ll even let you pick the topic.”

  “I don’t want to talk. I just want to be—”

  “Alone? Is that really what you want, Cecily?”

  No one had ever asked her that, not in that context anyway. Oh, she’d been asked why she was alone. Friends had asked her if she was tired of being alone, but they made it sound like some kind of disease. No one had ever questioned if she wanted to be alone, though.

  “I don’t mind being alone. Hell, most of the time, I even prefer it.” Maybe she had an absurdly low tolerance for bullshit. Some people called it antisocial. Other people just called her a bitch. However she looked at it, though, she definitely didn’t play well with others. “What do you want me to say? You expect me to tell you that my life isn’t complete because I don’t have a husband, two-point-five kids, and a white picket fence? I can’t tell you that.”

  “When are you going to understand? I don’t expect anything. You don’t want a relationship? Fine. Kids aren’t your thing? Who cares? If you’re happy with your life, then I’m happy for you.” Three more steps closed the distance between them, bringing Rafe to stand directly in front of her. “Are you happy?”

  She could barely hear him over the pounding of her heart, but she refused to retreat. Lifting her head, she set her jaw and fisted her hands on her hips. “I don’t need a man in my life to be happy, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “Why are you always trying to pick a fight?”

  In a move too quick to counter, he grabbed her face in both hands, pulled her up on her toes, and slanted their mouths together. Cecily hesitated at first, but when his tongue caressed the seam of her lips, she opened with a breathy sigh. Rafe’s left hand slid down her arm and around her hips, pressing into the small of her back to hold her closer as their bodies molded together.

  What the hell am I doing? They’d just been arguing—about what, she couldn’t remember—and then he’d kissed her. The details on why were a little fuzzy, but she distinctly remembered being angry.

  Fisting her hands in the lapels of his jacket, she meant to push him away, to tell him to get out and not come back. And she would. In a minute. She just needed one more taste, wanted to feel the heat of his body for just a little while longer. So instead of shoving him away, she pulled him closer and circled her arms around his neck.

  Long moments later, when breathing became necessary and she feared her pounding heart would crack her sternum, Cecily broke the kiss. Rafe didn’t let her go far, though. Bending his neck, he rested their foreheads together and exhaled through his nose.

  “You continuously surprise me,” he whispered.

  Though Cecily didn’t understand what he meant, she decided to take it as a compliment and not complain. “You’re not so bad yourself. Maybe we should try it again, though. You know, just to make sure we’re compatible.”

  Chuckling, Rafe slid his fingers beneath her chin and leaned in for another kiss. Their lips met, slow and tender this time, gentler but no less consuming. Pushing closer, Cecily closed her eyes and swayed as long-forgotten urges rushed to the surface.

  Before she could get ahead of herself, though, Rafe broke away with a quiet groan and caressed the side of her throat with the back of his hand. “I’ve wanted to do that for weeks.”

  Cecily had wanted it as well, even if she hadn’t been able to admit it before now, not even to herself. “If you’re not careful, Mr. Serento, I might start to think you like me.”

  “Why, Miss Baker, I do believe you’re flirting with me.” Leaning closer, he bent to whisper in her ear, sending a shiver down Cecily’s spine. “If you aren’t careful, I might start to think you like me back.”

  “I won’t tell if you won’t.” Normally, she didn’t have the patience for the do-si-do of flirting and courtship, but with Rafe, it was easy. “So, what are your plans today?”

  “Actually, I have to swing by the club for a bit. It’s delivery day,” he explained. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour, though, and then maybe we can grab lunch?”

  Cecily maintained a neu
tral expression, but a twinge of disappoint passed through her. “Yeah, sure, that sounds good. Where do you want to meet?”

  “What are you doing right now?” he asked in lieu of an answer.

  “Um, nothing really.” She had a project to finish for a client, but it wasn’t due for another two weeks. “Why?”

  “Come with me. You’ll get exclusive, backstage access to Electric Mist and all-you-can-eat cheese.”

  Pressing her lips together in a thin line to keep herself from laughing, Cecily thought it over for all of two seconds before bobbing her head. “When you put it like that, how could I possibly resist?”

  “You can’t.” Shaking his head, Rafe adopted a somber expression and a robotic inflection to his voice. “Resistance is futile.”

  Cecily lost the battle and clutched at her stomach as she doubled over in laughter. “You are such an idiot.” Composing herself, she plucked at her pink tank top and examined her black yoga pants. “Give me just a minute to change.”

  “You look great.” Rafe took her sweater jacket off the hook by the door and tossed it to her. “C’mon, princess, let’s go.”

  If Rafe didn’t care, neither did she. At least she’d put on a bra that morning. “Fine. I need shoes, though.”

  “If you must.” Crowding closer, Rafe wound his arms around her waist and dipped his head for another kiss. Before their lips met, though, Metallica’s Enter Sandman erupted in her living room. “Hold that thought.”

  Rafe kissed the tip of her nose and backed away far enough to reach into his jacket pocket to retrieve his cell phone.

  “Angie?” His eyes narrowed, and worry lines creased his brow. “Angie, Angie, slow down. Tell me what happened.” Threading his fingers through his hair, Rafe turned away and began pacing between the kitchen and the front door.

  “Is everything okay?” Cecily started toward him but stopped when he threw his hand up to keep her back. “Okay, okay, take your sisters, go the bathroom, and lock the door. Are you going?” He bobbed his head. “Good girl. I’m on my way, okay? Don’t come out until I get there.”

  “Rafe?” Cecily asked again when he disconnected the call. “What’s going on? What happened?”