CHAPTER 3

Staying at home sucked. Rafe was on a no-activity restriction, which was total bullshit. After a half-assed sleep last night because his brothers had taken turns waking him up every damn hour, he thought maybe he could nap this morning. But his body didn’t work that way. The sun was up, and that meant coffee and awake time.

Jackson and Kal had gone to their mom and dad’s. Becks, Jackson’s live-in girlfriend, had left for her job at her tattoo shop early today, because she needed to stop and buy some ink.

He’d thought about going along with his brothers just to hang out, but his mom would come home at some point, and when she saw him not working on the house she’d ask questions. He’d asked his dad not to say anything to her. He was going to be fine, and his mom had enough on her mind with her job and getting the house ready to sell.

He leaned back in the kitchen chair and finished off the mango juice he’d poured for himself, then stood, wincing as he did.

He lifted his shoulders and turned his head from side to side, feeling the strain in his neck. Then he held on to the chair and bent forward to stretch out his back, taking it slow in case he got dizzy. His muscles felt tight, but when he straightened, he felt okay. That was a good thing, because he’d definitely felt woozy last night in the ER.

At least things were moving in the right direction there. He wished he could go to the gym and do a solid workout, but he’d been banned from doing anything strenuous—including his damn job—for the next five days until he followed up with his doctor and got cleared to return to work.

He looked around, wondering how to occupy himself in a useful way that wasn’t considered strenuous. He’d already made breakfast and done the dishes, which wasn’t much. He’d wiped up the stove and counter along with the table, which also hadn’t been much, since everyone who lived here always cleaned up after themselves.

Becks was even cleaner than him and his brothers. She routinely did a thorough scrubbing of the house, and yesterday was her day off, which meant she’d done a top-to-bottom scouring of the entire place. In fact, Jackson and Becks had gotten into an argument about it, because Jackson was worried she was doing more than her fair share. He’d said they could all pitch in and clean the house, but Becks claimed cleaning was one of the great joys in her life.

That had been a fun argument to watch. Jackson had lost, of course, because Becks was amazing, and who was going to deny her something she enjoyed? Rafe didn’t understand how mopping floors or scrubbing bathrooms could be a life-fulfilling task, but to each their own.

Rafe ventured into the game room and played a few video games, but the flashing lights on the TV gave him a headache, so he quit, disgusted.

Running out of ideas, he slid on his sunglasses and went outside to sit by the pool. Since it was summer and hot as fuck, he slid onto the bottom step of the pool to cool his body down.

He closed his eyes and let the water lap around his chest, content to relax here. It was better than staring up at the ceiling. He’d rather be swimming laps, but he knew that would be considered strenuous activity.

It was going to be a long five days.

He jerked his eyes open when he heard the gate to the backyard swing open, then smiled when he saw Carmen come in. She was holding a baking dish in her hand. She spotted him and waved.

“Hey, Rafe. I rang the bell, but no one answered,” she said. “I’m going to put this in the fridge.”

“Sure.”

He climbed out of the pool and dried off, then put his T-shirt back on and went into the house.

Carmen was just coming to the door. “Oh. You didn’t have to get out of the pool. I’m headed out again. I just stopped by to leave you some food. You shouldn’t have to worry about cooking in the next couple of days.”

She looked amazing in her shorts and skimpy tank top, her hair piled on top of her head. Her skin was glowing like wet sand, and all he wanted to do was lick the drops of perspiration beading between her breasts.

Okay, dude. Take a step back.

Which he did. “You don’t have to leave. How about a glass of iced tea? It’s hot out there.”

“Sure is,” she said, following him back inside. “And I made it even hotter by baking in my kitchen this morning.”

She’d done that for him. He appreciated it. He moved around her and went into the kitchen, pulling two glasses from the cabinet. He poured tea, handing one to Carmen, who’d taken a seat at the island.

“You baked? For me?”

“Enchiladas verdes.”

He walked around and pulled up a chair next to her. “That’s my favorite.”

She took a sip of tea and laid the glass on the counter. “I know.”

“Thank you, Carmen. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to. I know you’re stuck at home for several days, so I wanted to make sure you had something to eat.”

Even though he’d just finished breakfast a little while ago, his stomach was already rumbling at the thought of Carmen’s enchiladas. “It’s probably time for lunch.”

She laughed. “It is not. And there’s plenty there for everyone.”

“Yeah, as long as Jackson and Kal don’t see it. I’ll have to bury it somewhere.”

“Seriously. There’s more than enough to share.”

He shook his head. “Not a chance. I’m marking it Rafe’s Recovery Food.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I can make more, you know.”

He picked up her hand. “Can you? You’d do that for me?”

“Sure. As long as you don’t milk this injury for weeks. I do have a full-time job, a grandfather to take care of, grocery shopping and housecleaning, bills to pay. You know, an actual life.”

He let her hand drop. “Okay, now I feel guilty.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “Not my intention. I was joking with you. We all have things to do.”

“Not me. Not for the next five days, anyway. I’m not allowed to do a thing. I can’t go to the gym, I can’t swim laps, I can’t go to work. I can’t do anything . . . strenuous.”

She made a sad face. “Aww, you poor baby. Relaxation must be killing you.”

“You have no idea.”

She slid off the barstool. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“For a walk. You can’t do anything strenuous, but you can go for a walk. With me.”

“I thought you were busy.”

“Not too busy to take a walk with you.”

He wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to spend some time with Carmen. And getting out of this house sounded like the best idea ever. “Sure. Let me grab my shoes.”

He went upstairs, put on his sneakers and started back down, pausing to gape at the glorious sight of Carmen leaning over. She was holding on to the barstool and bending from the waist, no doubt stretching her hamstrings.

Damn, she had a very fine ass and some spectacular thighs. She wasn’t overly thin, which suited him just fine, because he liked a woman who looked like she had some flesh on her. But every part of her looked firm. Of course she was on her feet at work all the time, so she got plenty of exercise.

He made his way downstairs. “Ready.”

She straightened and smiled at him. “Me, too. You should stretch.”

“I’m not running. I’ll stretch as I walk.”

She shrugged and said, “You know best.”

He liked that she didn’t lecture him. He’d dated plenty of women who thought they knew best and didn’t hesitate to nag him about what he should and shouldn’t do. Those women didn’t last long in his orbit. He already had a mother. He didn’t want to date one.

The humidity blasted him full in the face as they stepped outside.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Do what?”

“Walk. Outside. In July.”

She laughed. “It’s fine. I’ve lived here my entire life. I’m used to this heat.”

Another bonus point. She didn’t complain. He’d once tried to get a woman he’d met at the gym to run a 5K with him. It was even during the winter, but she complained about how messed up her hair would get in the humidity.

Sometimes finding a woman who was down with his interests was as impossible as trying to win a game of Alien: Isolation on his Xbox.

“How did last night go?” Carmen asked.

“Miserable.”

She looked concerned. “Really? Any vomiting?”

“Nah. I was tired. I wanted to sleep. My asshole brothers woke me constantly.”

She slanted a smile at him. “I’m sure that was very annoying. But necessary.”

“Yeah, I know. At least I’ll sleep good tonight.”

“Yes, that’s the payoff.”

They turned right at the end of the road. They lived in an established neighborhood, all the homes having been built in the late seventies, which meant a lot of mature trees on both sides of the road. School hadn’t started back yet, so kids played in the yards and rode their bikes up and down the street. Rafe often thought about what it might have been like to grow up in an environment like this, with great parents and friends who lived next door.

But that hadn’t been the hand he’d been dealt.

“You’re quiet,” Carmen said. “Are you all right?”

He turned his head to look at her. “Yeah. Whenever I walk the neighborhood, I always think about what it might have been like to grow up here. You know, to be born into something like this. Good parents. Friends. Riding my bike up and down the street without a care in the world. Never being hungry or thinking about where my next meal would come from.”

Carmen reached out and laid her hand on his upper arm. “You ended up with great parents, Rafe, growing up with amazing brothers.”

“Yeah, I got lucky with Jackson and Kal and our parents. I just didn’t start out there.”

“I don’t know the whole story other than what you all have told me.”

“Nothing much to tell. Jackson, Kal and I were all homeless and we bonded. We stuck together. One night we got caught in a fire in an abandoned house, and Josh Donovan saved our lives. He was one of the firemen who rescued us. Then he and his wife, Laurel, adopted us and became our parents, and we became Donovans.”

She nodded. “I’ve heard that part. What about before that?”

He sidestepped a pothole in the street. “You mean when we were homeless?”

“No. Before you became homeless. Your family life before you hit the streets.”

He hadn’t thought about that part of his life for a long time. “Not really much of what I would call a family life. It wasn’t a great time, so I try not to think about it.”

“Then I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“Don’t be. I just don’t focus on it. I’m a Donovan now, and have been for most of my life. It’s all that matters.”

She smiled at him. “Sure.”

He hated his childhood memories, before he met Jackson and Kal. His birth parents never parented him, not in the traditional sense. To them he had just been some kid who got in the way of their drug business.

He had never been happier than when he’d run away from them. If he’d stayed, he’d probably be dead.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the humid air, clearing his head.

“Tell me about your tattoo.”

He frowned. “My—” His lips lifted. “You ogled me while I was half-naked in the ER yesterday, didn’t you?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was not ogling. I was doing my job. But your tattoo is amazing.”

She’d totally ogled. Which was fine with him. Better than fine, actually. “Thanks. Jackson and Kal got the same one. Becks did them. It represents all of us and our bond as brothers and as firefighters.”

“Really? That’s very cool. Something else the three of you have in common now.”

“True.”

Then it went quiet again. The funny thing was, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Carmen seemed content to just walk alongside him, and he was pretty happy to have her company.

“Great day for a walk, isn’t it?”

She shot him a look. “It’s hot, Rafe.”

“Yeah, but we’re alive and healthy and life is good, isn’t it?”

She arched a brow. “You always carry this annoyingly positive outlook?”

“Always. Why? Does it bother you?”

“Depends on my mood.”

“Yeah? And how’s your mood today?”

“I’m fine.”

That wasn’t a happy I’m fine, so clearly, something was on her mind. “Want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m off work today. I made an extra batch of enchiladas, so dinner’s handled. And I’ve already done two loads of laundry.”

All domestic bullshit. “And what about you, Carmen? What are you doing for fun on your day off?”

She held her hands out. “I’m taking a walk, with you.”

“And I appreciate it. But that’s the nurse in you, making sure I’m okay. I’m talking about fun. What do you do to get out there and have a good time?”

She didn’t answer.

“Got a boyfriend?”

She looked flustered, as if the question made her unsettled. “Oh . . . no. Not me.”

“Girlfriend?”

She laughed. “Not one of those, either.”

“So you don’t date?”

“No. Not lately, anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Too busy. And I don’t want to.”

“Again . . . why not?”

They turned the corner, and she focused her attention on the park, watching kids play on the swings. “I . . . just don’t.”

Now he was really curious. Carmen was beautiful and had a lot to offer. She worked and cared for her grandfather, but surely, she took time out for herself. “Maybe you should consider it.”

They’d made it back to their street. She tilted her head up and gave him a curious look. “Why? Do you have someone in mind?”

He didn’t know why or how the words fell out of his mouth, but they did. “Yeah. Me.”

“Oh, God, no.”

The look of horror on her face would have made him laugh if he hadn’t been so insulted.

“Hey, I’m not that bad.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. I mean . . . look at you.” She gave him a head to toe once-over. “You’re . . . amazing. Hot. Incredible looking. Any woman would be lucky to . . . What I’m saying is . . .”

Her eyes widened, and then she glanced over at her house. “Well, we’re back. Thanks for the walk. And for the invitation for the date, but I’m just not . . . Anyway, thanks, Rafe. Hope you enjoy the casserole. See you later, okay?”

She gave him a quick wave over her shoulder as she disappeared into her house.

Rafe stood there for a minute or so, trying to digest their conversation and coming to no conclusion other than he was totally confused.

What the hell just happened?