by Alison Mello
When he stood, his balance was off. He flexed and extended his leg, staring down at the lightweight dressing on his upper thigh. He knew that, all things considered, he was lucky.
“Good, bro. Fancy a few steps? Nothing excessive. How’s the pain?”
Rafe studied the young Asian physiotherapist and resisted swearing at the kid. Maneuvering slowly, he wobbled. “Fuck.”
The loss of his power and independence grated on his nerves, but he continued to take more steps. The physiotherapist shoved the crutches under his arms, and he sighed, welcoming the help.
“You’ve come a long way, man, but don’t push it. You’re lucky you didn’t require an amputation, but the cleaning of the bone and surgery require you to rest. Your muscles, ligaments, and the bone take time to heal. Healing correctly is what will get you home. Pushing yourself, causing pain, won’t. Look, the doctors want to make sure the bone is healing efficiently. Another three weeks and you will be discharged, but you will still need PT and to continue with the antibiotics.”
Rafe rested on the crutches. “I have no fucking choice, do I?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, exasperated at his situation. The call from Summer last night didn’t help his mood one bit. Hearing her sweet voice as she crooned over the phone, sounding tipsy, fired his determination this morning to push himself to get better. Reaching out to him like she did told him she didn’t hate him after everything. Answering his phone to hear her voice made him grind his teeth. Her whispery, featherlight, and needy voice made his dick hard in an instant, and he knew what she needed.
Damn her.
Hearing her moans as she came apart through the phone was exhilarating and torture of the worst kind, but it illustrated perfectly what his heart already knew: Summer’s place was with him, and he needed to be the man she needed before he lost her for good.
As much as he had damn well pushed her away, her love for him remained. She was a strong woman, despite all she had faced, and she pushed his buttons, driving him insane. Right now, he drove himself, intent on getting back into shape. His goal was to recover as quickly as possible, so he could fix the enormous fuck-up he had set in motion. Summer made him whole, and he would make this right because like it or not, she was his. Soon he would reach out and claim her.
Sending Summer away had been his idea, and he thought for the best when the doctor mentioned he may need an amputation. He sent Gabriel to ensure she left, giving her the freedom to start over. She didn’t deserve the shit that came with his battered, war-torn ass, and there was no way in hell he would accept her staying out of fucking pity.
“You do have a choice, but tell me, where have you got to be, soldier? Six weeks of antibiotics and physio, providing it all goes to plan, and you will be out of here. Or is there a woman waiting for you?”
Rafe cocked his head at Jin and smirked. He took another step. The swelling following surgery had reduced, but his muscles ached, and putting weight on his right leg proved arduous.
“So there is. Well, my friend, a piece of advice. You come first. You know that,” said Jin.
“Keep this up and the weeks will fly by.”
Rafe pushed on, heaving his lean frame forward and insisting he could do this. “I was a Navy SEAL, Jin, but not any longer. And the weeks better fly because the air is going to turn blue in here with the names I’m going to be calling you.”
Jin smiled. “I can take it, but no pain, no gain isn’t my motto here. Pain is your enemy, and you need to rest as much as you need to exercise, or you’ll be useless to that woman of yours.”
Rafe studied the young athletic man and nodded.
The boys were visiting and bringing in the documents for him to complete for the fundraising they were organizing, as well as several forms to be sent off to the Wounded Warrior project and the loan he was seeking through the Boots to Business contact. Lots to arrange in order to deliver on the promise he had made himself to reach their target and projected shortfall. On paper, the numbers worked; he just needed to pull it all together to ensure they raised the capital for STEPS.
Sitting down on the bed, he caught sight of the Boston Globe society page, and the striking picture of Summer Hamilton dressed as Wonder Woman locking lips with Steve Trevor. He stared at the headline. The caption read:
HAMPTONS COUPLE REUNITED.
ARE WEDDING BELLS TO BE HEARD IN THE NEAR FUTURE FOR SOCIALITE SUMMER HAMILTON?
CHAPTER 16
Summer
Swinging back and forth in her white leather chair, Summer perused the rectangular modern office with rugged red brick walls, stripped, wooden floorboards, a large white desk, and two matching pale-blue velvet chairs. The large piece of modern wall art, a peace offering from her mother, one she was happy to accept, hung on the opposite wall. The warmth of the painting, with wavy streaks of bold purple, blues, and glossy silver, called to her. Summer loved it. The powerful picture provided the only splash of color in her peaceful sanctuary. Inhaling the lavender that permeated around her office from the scented candle, she sat forward and pressed the intercom.
“Nicki, what time is the next appointment? I don’t have the file here.”
The office door swung inward, and in strolled her best friend. Nicki swayed her curvy hips, and her red hair bounced at her shoulders. She was dressed in a cute cream blouse with flowers and hummingbirds embroidered across the front and a plain, tight, emerald-green skirt to complete the ensemble. Over the months, she had become Summer’s fierce ally and now personal assistant. The women laughed and joked together but also developed a respect that enabled them to work well as a team.
“Here you go. You have plenty of time. Your next client is at two o’clock. A Mrs. Justine Hancock. You also have your yoga session tonight. How is it going?”
After returning to Dr. Williams, who recommended yoga sessions to combat her anxiety, she continued with the classes in Maine. They helped restore her confidence and control. She didn’t feel as helpless anymore.
“I’m learning to love it, and I feel calmer. I know what to do if I panic, which is more than I ever did. Plus, the last one, which was nothing, was several months ago. Thanks.” Nicki placed the manila folder on her desk, and she smiled at her. “Do I tell you often enough how glad I am you came to that Halloween party?”
Nicki slouched down into the plush velvet chair and crossed her legs. Summer smiled. The past six months had changed her life beyond recognition. After the pitiful call to Rafe, she decided drastic action needed to be taken to turn her life around. An idea and fate made that happen. A conversation with her dad’s wealthy friend Raoul Montgomery, a media mogul who hovered in the kitchen the morning after the Halloween party, opened a door for her and she ran through.
Mr. Montgomery blathered about how he adored the style and décor within the Hamptons beach property and wanted the designer’s details as he had a project that needed urgent attention. His designer had pulled out. Sylvia, her mother, chose that moment to happily supply him Summer’s details. She had designed the interior at her mother’s behest as a student and with an extraordinary rich flair for design.
For once, Summer hadn’t minded the interference, no matter the intention behind it. After chatting for hours about color and designs, Raoul had hired Summer for an obscene amount of money, and she couldn’t refuse because he would provide the diving board for what she wanted to do. There was a moment in which she considered the job offer that landed in her lap as maybe part of an arrangement with her scheming parents. A manipulation to keep her in New York. Either way, it backfired. Summer embraced the offer, determined to never again be beholden to anyone.
Raoul’s project turned out to be a four-story, redbrick townhouse in Brooklyn Heights on State Street that required a complete redesign to sell. Once Summer digested the enormity of the project, she set to work and made use of her old contacts and connections. That was when she realized her love of design hadn’t deserted her, and when pictures of the project
were featured in the New York Magazine, business took off. The townhouse led to several apartments and Raoul’s office at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Word of mouth spread, and her client list grew. Summer didn’t want to design apartments in the city, rather holiday homes of the rich and famous, as well as the not-so-famous. Her idea flourished.
Instead of serving as a waitress at Betty’s, she opened her own business, Lakeside Exclusive Designs, but even so, an emptiness still existed inside.
“All the time, hon. All the time. Now tell me what you want for lunch and I’ll swing by Betty’s.”
At the mention of the diner, the pit of her stomach curled, and the atmosphere became charged. A distinct awareness of a man loitering in the doorway caused the hairs on her neck to rise. Summer couldn’t speak. It was as if every nerve ending knew intuitively and responded. Her friend’s gaze traveled toward the door, and she gasped. Her blood stirred and pulsed loudly when Rafe appeared, like a warning ringing in her ears. Sure enough, a swift glance to her right confirmed the impossible vision stood only a few feet away.
Why now, after all this time?
Nicki stood, as if his appearance signaled time for her to leave, and Summer sat straighter in her chair, attempting to remain calm and reminding herself of the breathing techniques she had learned from yoga. Perhaps she should have taken martial arts instead.
Her friend slanted her head to the side. “How about the chicken cobb salad, hon?”
Summer nodded, unable to think about food. Nerves stole her voice, despite her focus on her breathing. The last thing she wanted to do was to give him the satisfaction of knowing how his appearance still affected her.
Nicki smiled at her and strode for the door but paused in front of Rafe because he blocked the exit. The intense and intimidating man leaned over Nicki and whispered something Summer couldn’t hear. Nicki spoke, and he pressed a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, tilted her head at him, and gave a quick look over her shoulder at Summer before marching ahead.
When her friend disappeared, Summer longed to yell and call her back, which was ridiculous. She could handle Rafe. But as Nicki vanished, Rafe shut the door and clicked the lock closed. She was in trouble now. Nerves fluttered in her chest and pushed her to move. Summer jumped up and stumbled away from the desk. Damn him, he always managed to unnerve her. But as Rafe prowled closer, her breath rose and fell sharply. She wanted to run, but there was no escape.
“I’ve told you about leaving the front door unlocked. You never know who will wander in.”
Rafe sauntered toward her, intent on capturing his prey, and she was the only creature on his radar.
“Stay back, Rafe. Why are you here? I can’t play this game with you again.”
Summer put her hand out as if to ward him off. She dodged right and left to outmaneuver him in the hopes of slipping past to unlock the door, but he gripped her wrist. The moment his callused hand touched her skin, a sizzle of electricity shot through her bloodstream right to her toes, stilling her. Her pulse soared.
Rafe lifted her hand and pressed his lips over the tips of her fingers. “I’m not playing a game, Summer.” He sucked, twirled, and licked her fingers, slowly teasing her by nibbling the ends until she was wound up tight.
“Let me go. I don’t need you anymore. I’m fine.” She lay her palm flat on his black Henley shirt.
Dear God.
Summer’s mouth opened as he licked her sensitive skin down to her wrist, trailing over the pale-pink scars with his ice-blue eyes zeroed on hers.
“Why are you here, Rafe? We’re over…done.” Her voice came out all hoarse and sultry. She pulled to extricate herself, but he raised his other arm and leaned it back against the brick wall, caging her in his space and nudging her back with his hips.
Molding his body into hers, he squeezed her back against the solid wall, his hard arousal brushing into her belly. Letting go of her hand, Rafe tilted her chin up until her lips were a breath away from his wide, hard smile. His dirty-blond hair was down, touching his shoulders and swept back off his beautifully tanned face, a serious expression held there. He inhaled and leaned so close the roughness of his short beard scraped her chin.
A wave of exotic spicy orange inflamed her. Powerful and intoxicating. Would she ever be able to resist him?
“We’ll never be done.”
Dipping his head low, he kissed the valley between her breasts as she closed her eyes, letting his touch inflame her skin.
“Tell me, Summer, do you burn for me now?”
Summer knew those words would bounce back to haunt her. She knew one day, Rafe would appear and make her pay. As he stroked her lips with his thumb, her insides melted to hot liquid need.
That damn phone call.
But as Rafe lowered his head again, he began a slow assault on her senses. Laying soft tantalizing kisses along the column of her throat, he snaked his way up to nibble and suckle her earlobe. He massaged her breast and rubbed the tight bud of her nipple that strained against the silky material of her bra. All the reasons to resist him flew away. He nuzzled her throat, and shivers erupted down her spine. Rafe’s skilled seduction would melt the ice caps. He always created this blistering fever inside that drove her wild. As he licked and sucked the tender skin in the hollow beneath her ear, sparks shot out as butterflies took flight. His other hand slid from her hip to the hem of her short dress, and Rafe stared down at her.
“Shall we see if those words are true?”
A million questions raced through her mind, but desire swirled, and her heartbeat spiked as his fingers smoothed along her skin, pushing her dress up. A distant voice told her to stop him, but it had been too long, and as he slid his hand up the inside of her slim thigh to the apex between her legs, a fervor grew. Summer tried to clamp her thighs together to resist the ripples of pleasure gathering, but Rafe pressed his knee in between, adding pressure and crumbling her defenses. Oh, the maddening thrill he created, and she couldn’t resist. She arched her back on the wall as a blazing charge of adrenaline and excitement swam through her veins, shocking her.
“Did you fuck Jake Edward Lord the fucking third, Summer?”
The shock of his brutal words snapped her dream-like trance. She blinked, unsure she had heard him right. The fact she hadn’t seen Jake for six months made her almost hysterical at her current situation and Rafe’s inquisition. She hadn’t seen or heard from Rafe for six long months.
What the hell?
Impulsively and filled with a fury at his inappropriate jealousy, she shoved hard at his chest. Any right he may have had to ask that question was long gone. Summer wriggled to move out of his grasp, but his hard muscles kept her a prisoner and his hand clamped tight around her wrist, squeezing her. She lifted her head to meet his chiseled features. His intense stare, zeroed entirely on her, sucked the air from her lungs and made her quiver with the flagrant jealousy there.
“Did. You. Fuck your ex?” Rafe ground out.
Summer twisted, attempting to free herself, but he wouldn’t let go. Rather than fight, she studied his pain-filled face and couldn’t help but be drawn by his desperate need to know.
“No, no. I—”
Before she could say anything more, he plunged his finger deep inside her pulsing core and added a second one. She saw stars as he thrust in and out. Rafe swirled his finger, touching her exactly where he knew from experience elicited the most response, and she clung to him as if no one else existed. The waves of her orgasm rose, and Summer knew she was almost there as he pressed and manipulated her body as he desired. Squirming against him, her needy body cried out for release. But the whirling sensation he stirred slowed as he withdrew his fingers and stepped back, leaving her panting and aroused.
“Red is definitely your color, Summer, but I need the dress off now.”
Before she could protest, he unzipped her and slipped the material down her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. The cool air of her office made her shiver, but she welcomed it as a sc
orching fever pulsed deep inside, stifling her. She wanted his cock inside her. Right now.
“Why am I undressed while you’re fully clothed?”
Needing no further encouragement, Rafe unbuttoned his dark jeans and slid them off, along with the rest of his clothes, which he dropped to the floor, until she stared at his powerful, taut naked body.
God, he is such a sultry beauty.
Summer covered her breasts, suddenly shy standing before him in only her matching red bra, panties, and black sling backs. A sudden realization that as good as sex was between them a million questions lay unanswered hit her.
“Don’t,” he said.
“Don’t what?” Summer asked as Rafe stood inches away and lifted her hands away from her breasts.
“Don’t shut down on me. Listen to your desire, Summer.”
His unwavering eyes pierced her right in the heart and melted it. Any intention she had of stopping him dissolved as he cupped the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb there, and brought their bodies together. The soft kiss he delivered morphed into a frantic, breath-stealing one, claiming her. Rafe drank from her like fine wine, savoring every drop. Showering her mouth with kisses, next he pressed his tongue through the seam of her lips, possessing her. He tasted of rich coffee, and Summer writhed against him, needing him, and she surrendered to the bliss he offered.
Summer shifted her dress that moments before lay in a muddled heap on the floor over her hips and smoothed it over her thighs, and Rafe smiled at her.
