Chapter Thirteen

Hours later, Rafe returned with Alexa to the studio. They both slipped off their shoes at the door.

He dropped his keys and clip that contained his cash, cards, and driver’s license on the coffee table, then grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge.

She made a bathroom pit stop.

They’d barely said two words to each other on the way back. It was as if he could hear her mulling the last few hours over in her mind. The area where Charlotte lived definitely wasn’t what Alexa was used to. Old neglected houses had lined the street. Empty liquor bottles and trash had dotted the gutter. He’d spotted an injection needle where they’d parked in front of Charlotte’s two-story brownstone. But Charlotte’s small apartment was clean and neat.

Rafe took a long sip of the premium brew. Charlotte’s boyfriend was spending the night in jail, but they’d still convinced her to reach out to her family, who lived nearby in Virginia. While waiting for her cousin to arrive, Alexa had shared the food they’d purchased with Charlotte. She’d even taken turns with him holding the baby so Charlotte could sit and eat. Still, the entire situation was probably too much for Alexa. Instead of a carefree night of enjoying each other, he’d dragged her into chaos.

Alexa joined him in the kitchen. She glanced at the bottle in his hand.

“Guess you think I’m a hypocrite for drinking this?”

She stared at him as if he’d asked a silly question. “That depends. Do you plan on getting drunk and turning belligerent?”

“No.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” She embraced him loosely around the waist. “You did a good thing by getting Charlotte’s boyfriend under control. He would have forced her into the car if you hadn’t intervened.”

“Yeah, but it’s not over for her, though.” He leaned back against the kitchen island. “I know his type. Angry at the world when they’re sober. Meaner when they’re drunk. My father was the same damn away.” The admission slipped out. The cold brew suddenly tasted overly bitter. After all she’d witnessed with Charlotte, a woman like Alexa wouldn’t want to risk being associated with someone that had a jacked-up gene pool. What was that saying? Like father, like son. He set the bottle on the kitchen island and braced for her to move away.

Alexa stepped closer. “Maybe what happened today was scary enough for Charlotte to make some difficult decisions.” She laid her cheek to his chest. “I can only imagine how hard that would be. He’s the father of her child. Maybe he’ll get help, too, so he can be there for the baby.”

Like his father had been for him? The man had been an embarrassment as a parent. Once, when Rafe had been eight, a cold had kept him out of school for days because his father had neglected to buy him medicine. While his father was working a temporary construction gig, a school counselor had stopped by to find out why he wasn’t in class. She’d taken one look at his surroundings and called child services. She was right to do it. The house wasn’t fit for a kid to live in, but his father was too damn drunk to notice. Six months later, his father had cleaned up the place, claimed he’d found sobriety, and gotten him back. Things had been decent for a while until they weren’t again. Whether Charlotte realized it or not, she was better off without her boyfriend. Her son deserved better.

Alexa snuggling closer to him brought Rafe back to reality. He widened his stance and returned her embrace. “A guy like that doesn’t just change overnight. She should leave him. And take her kid with her.”

“Maybe. It’s sad, and Charlotte’s so proud. All she talked about was paying you back.”

“I could care less about the money, but I know where she’s coming from. It’s important to her that she pay her own way.”

“What are you going to do?”

When they were in the apartment, he’d refrained from pressuring Charlotte into packing right then and leaving. She wasn’t ready to make that step. Yet. She had no idea how bad things could turn out for her baby if she wasn’t around. Her boyfriend was the last person she wanted helping her raise her son.

“She’s more open with Shannon. I’ll ask her to talk to Charlotte about what she wants. I know she helped one of the other servers find cheaper child care. That might help. We can probably offer her a few extra shifts working with the Sunday cleaning crew, but other than that, I’m not sure what we can do. In the end, it’s up to her.” Defeat sunk into his bones. “This day can’t end fast enough. I’m done.”

She slipped her arms from around him. “Sounds like you need some space. I’ll head home.”

“Wait.” Rafe gripped her hand. He was taking his bad day out on her. “I didn’t mean to come across like an ass, especially after all you did.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You called the police, and you stuck around to help out Charlotte. You could have left and not gotten involved.” He held her by the waist between her jeans and her cropped tee. The warmth of her skin seeped into his palms. “You also could have gotten pissed because the incident ruined our dinner plans.”

“You couldn’t walk away from Charlotte when she needed help.” She rested her hands on his chest. “But I won’t be offended if you want to decompress on your own.”

“It would help me if you stayed.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Very.” What he wasn’t sure of was his state of mind.

She looped her hands behind his neck. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

Relief and emotional weariness caused Rafe to close his eyes. He rested his forehead against hers. Recollection of Charlotte’s son streamed in along with ones from his own childhood. How he’d craved the embrace of a mother he didn’t remember. Loved his father, even when he’d been shoved away in anger. Every ugly curse directed his way had chipped love down to hate. But he didn’t want to dwell on his shitty upbringing. Rafe slid his hands farther under Alexa’s shirt and caressed her back. It was time to pack all that hellish shit back into the place where fucked up memories belonged, lock the door, and lose the key.

He kissed Alexa and breathed in her sweet scent. As he explored the hollows and curves of her mouth, ugliness faded in the hot blinding light of sexual need. He just wanted to hold her and lose himself inside her softness. Rafe lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her soft breasts pillowed against him as he carried her to the bed. Her nipples were made for his mouth. Sucking them when he was inside of her would make her pussy clutch around him in ways that drove him crazy.

She nipped the side of his neck.

The light sting caught him off guard and he lost his balance. He tumbled with her onto the bed.

Alexa rolled him to his back and straddled him, laying her cheek to his. “I’m here to help you unwind. Remember? Relax and enjoy.” She swept a kiss over his ear. The tickle of her fingers as she pulled up his shirt caused him to suck a breath. “Let’s start things off by getting rid of this.”

“Yes ma’am.”

As he dragged off his shirt, she followed the rise of the fabric. Her hair brushed over him as she traced her tongue through the ridges of his abs and licked his nipples. He tossed the shirt aside as she unfastened his jeans and kissed his waist. His cock swelled. Lay back and enjoy? The warmth of her mouth alone was sweet torture. What more did she have in mind for him?

She eased away and tugged down his jeans. He lifted his hips to assist.

More of her unhurried, tender kisses brushed low on his abdomen and thighs. She paused and caressed him through his boxer briefs, then traced the distinct outline of his sex bulging through the fabric.

He reached for her, but she evaded his grasp, sliding away from him and taking off his jeans. She dropped them on the floor, then unfastened hers.

Hair tousled. Lips parted. The low setting beam of the track light illuminated her.

She was sexy as hell.

Rafe sat up on his elbows. “Slow down. Make me wait.”

“You mean like this?” Eyes never leaving his, she took her time shimmying the jeans down her hips.

The inch by inch reveal made his heart pound. “Exactly.”

White lace, micro boy shorts clung to her curves. She turned around, treating him to a view of her ass as she pushed the jeans down to the floor. Alexa dragged off her cropped tee, elongating her arms high above her head before she let it fall from her fingertips. The straps of her white bra connected to a smooth band of satin along her back.

She wore another bra that closed in the front. One of his favorite moments of undressing her was popping open the front clip and cupping her breasts in his hands. The way she moaned when he squeezed her nipples always made him harder.

She unfastened her bra.

He stripped off his boxer briefs.

As she eased the straps off her shoulders and down her arms, he sat on the edge of the bed. His hands itched to trace the scraps of lace molded high on her ass.

Alexa faced him. “I thought I told you to lay down?”

“I’m too damn turned on not to be up.”

Her gaze drifted down to his cock standing at attention. She tapped her chin in mock contemplation. “I can see you have a huge problem. I can handle it, but not unless you follow my rules. Lay back on the bed.” She sauntered to the bathroom.

Her rules, huh? He’d go with it. For now.

Alexa returned. She lay beside him, her breasts pillowed against his arm. She glided her silky-smooth leg over his. “Relax and enjoy it.”

Alexa firmly gripped him, her slick palm and fingers gliding up and down his length.

Blood trickled down his spine and coursed through his legs.

She kissed him. “Tell me how you like it.”

He wrapped his hand around hers. “Faster.”

Alexa followed his lead and pumped his shaft. Lost in her touch, he released her hand.

He arched up, meeting her lips as she sucked, licked, and kissed along his pecs. The gentle press of her thigh kneading his balls made him swell. The hard pounding of his heart mirrored his pulsing cock.

He broke out in a sweat. “Shit. I’m about to come.”

“That’s the point.” She nipped high on his shoulder and sucked the sensitive skin on the side of his neck. “Let go.” She clasped him tighter and sped up.

Release crashed over him like a tidal wave, pulling him under. Blood rushed through his ears as he emptied himself into her hand. Wetness spilled onto his abdomen. A groan of pleasure tore from his chest.

Alexa kept going and didn’t stop until he was spent.

She left him, but moments later she returned with a warm cloth and handed it to him. He cleaned himself up.

“Better?” She peppered kisses along his shoulder and chest.

“Almost.” Rafe tossed the cloth aside. He couldn’t wait until his cock hardened again so that he could feel her come too.

He leveraged his weight, rolled her onto the bed, and eased his fingers inside of her.

She gripped his head as he sucked her breast.

Her nipple pebbled in his mouth. Her soft, heated pussy pulsed and clenched. They drove him to please.

Alexa climaxed, and he kissed her, consuming her cries. Returning the sexual satisfaction she’d given him expanded warmth in his chest.

She snuggled against him.

Recollections of the day, along with his past, warred with contentment. Too tired to do battle with them, he closed his eyes and gave in to sleep.