you were a nerd,” he said. “A hot nerd.”
“Just a nerd,” she said.
“You wouldn’t have looked twice at a football-playing, low-class guy like me,” he teased.
She suspected she would have secretly lusted after him. “Oh, I don’t know. I always envied others with athletic skills.”
He gave a rough laugh that skittered down her nerve endings. “What kind of boys did you torment during high school?”
“None,” she said, then remembered the geeky guy from a neighboring boys’ school that had seemed to have a crush on her. “Okay, maybe one or two. I left most of that for Tabitha. She came out of the womb ready to seduce the world.”
“What about you?”
“I came out shy and tentative, a little awkward. I needed to think things over.”
“And now? Where is the man in your life?” he probed.
“The man in my life is Joel,” she said in a deliberately cool voice. “For the sake of my son, my love life and my party life can wait. Can yours?”
He met her gaze. “Is that what you’re afraid of? My wild lifestyle?”
She shrugged. “I have to think about what’s best for Joel.”
“I’d be lying if I told you I was a monk or a saint, but I didn’t become successful by partying every night. Contrary to your dubious opinion of me, I’ve worked damn hard.”
Nicole inwardly winced. She’d gone too far. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you—”
“And if you’re worried about women—”
“I—”
“My tastes have changed in the last five years. I know better than to let a spoiled little heiress wrap me around her finger and squeeze my guts out.”
Nicole felt the punch of his confession in her stomach. So he had genuinely cared for Tabitha. Confusion raced through her. Tabitha had conveyed that Rafe had merely viewed her as a plaything—his plaything to control. She struggled with his description of her sister.
“I think it would be a good idea for you to hire that P.I. Hell, I’ll pay for it. You can hire a different one if you’re afraid he’ll be biased.”
She wondered if he was daring her. What he didn’t understand was that she would do anything to protect Joel. “I suspect that you would only hire the best, so I’ll take your recommendation. But I’ll pay for it.” She glanced at her watch. “I should go. Thank you for your time and lunch,” she said, looking at the plate of food she’d barely touched. Nerves had chased away her appetite.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, rising as she did.
“It’s not necessary,” she said. “I’m parked just across the street.”
She began to pull on her jacket and he reached over to assist her. The considerate gesture bothered her. One more little bit of evidence that perhaps he wasn’t a monster after all. Was it possible that Tabitha would have lied to her?
Rafe escorted her through the crowded restaurant. He was the kind of man to draw glances. His confidence and charm were magnetic. He opened the door and chuckled under his breath.
She shot him a questioning look.
“I’m not used to winter. I left my jacket in my brother’s office. We’ll probably trade some trash talk over the weather.”
“Like what?” she asked, curious.
“He’ll call me a lightweight. I’ll tell him he’s just jealous because he doesn’t live in the tropics in winter.”
She couldn’t resist a smile. “Please tell him he’s done a great job with this restaurant.”
“Despite the fact that you hardly ate any of your meal,” he said.
“It would have been nice if you hadn’t commented on that,” she said, feeling self-conscious because she wanted to project complete confidence.
“There’s nice and there’s stupid. Sometimes you have to choose one or the other. But I’ll let you tell my brother what you think of his place. You’ll meet him. You and I are just getting started,” he said.
The expression in his dark eyes bordered on sensual, but that couldn’t be possible, Nicole thought. Not in their situation. He was just a humongous flirt. He probably flirted with ninety-year-old women. Perhaps that was part of his appeal.
“Good-bye for now, then,” she said and stepped into her car, wishing he didn’t affect her the way he did. He pushed the door closed and stepped backward with a wave. Nicole shored up her defenses as she pulled away. She wouldn’t be deceived by his charm. As soon as she got home, she would call that investigator and ask for a full report on Rafe Medici.
She didn’t trust him. If he couldn’t be a good father to Joel, she might have to do the unthinkable. She might have to take Joel and flee from the country. Leaving the States would give her at least a shot at keeping Joel safe if Rafe turned out to be abusive. It would be far easier for her and Joel to disappear in a foreign country. The prospect terrified her. Nicole had always been a rule follower, but there was too much at stake now. After she put Joel to bed tonight, she would put together a contingency plan for how to get away from Rafe Medici.
Even though it was too damn cold, Rafe watched Nicole as she drove away. She was a peculiar mix, way too strait laced for his taste. But when she smiled, it was genuine, and warmth radiated from her. When she gave in to that husky little laugh, the sound grabbed at his gut. She was the kind of woman a man had to earn. Not so much because she counted on her beauty and wiles. She could have if she wanted to. She was certainly beautiful. No, the reason a guy would have to earn her attention was because she didn’t give it away easily.
Rafe worked from Michael’s house the rest of the day. He should have been tired, but it took him a long time to fall asleep. He finally drifted off to a restless sleep.
Flames surrounded him, the sound of screams stabbed at him. He watched his father’s face stretch into a grimace of pain.
Rafe heard his father shout.
The agony of the sound sent a bolt of terror through him. He saw his brother Leo screaming in fear. “Daddy, Daddy!”
Rafe ran toward his father and Leo, struggling to save them. Just as he grew close, a wall shot up between them. The wall was acrylic. He could see through it, but he couldn’t get past it.
Beating against the wall, he watched his father and brother suffer as flames engulfed them.
“Let me,” he yelled. “Let me…” His knuckles bled as he hammered his fists against the wall. “Dad…Leo…”
His father’s face turned gray, the color of death. Leo’s scream filled his brain. Rafe ran, desperate to
