Gage, Ronna - The Search is Over (Siren Publishing Classic) (17 page)

Rafe took her hand firmly. “I don’t think so, Debbie.”

Debbie’s hand slowly fondled his. Her finger teased his arm and bicep, trailing a line up his arm, and then over his chest.

Rafe took it all in.
Don’t you dare get a hard-on. You aren’t that hard up
, he willed his penis.

“But I could make it easier for you to pay your rent. If you know what I mean.” She dipped a long nailed finger in his cup of steaming coffee and licked it off. She gestured with her finger what Rafe imagined to be her performance of a blow job. “Mmm, sugar.”

Rafe set the cup down on a shelf of the bookcase. “I don’t have time for this. I have to go to work.” He took her arm in his hand. “And you need to go.”

“I can watch while you dress.”

A shudder of revulsion assaulted his stomach. “Thanks, but I can do it myself.”

Debbie turned a pouting face toward him. “Rafe, why don’t you want me?”

What am I to do now?
Should I risk pissing her off?
He didn’t want to encourage any fantasies she had about him. “Debbie, I like you. But think about it. Won’t
Chandler
get upset if you start fucking the tenants?”

Debbie lost the lust in her eyes.

“If
Chandler
found out what you were doing, don’t you think you would lose a lot of money?”
What’s good for
Chandler
isn’t so good for Debbie.

Her eyes searched his. “Rafe, although you’re a hottie, and quite possibly a good fuck, you aren’t worth losing all that I have with
Chandler
.” Her voice softened to sound like that of a woman who loved her husband. Rafe knew better. Debbie covered her ass well, but at least he didn’t have to be the bad guy.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” Rafe acted dejected for her benefit. The twinkle returned in her eyes, and it unnerved him. “Losing all that money would be a problem, wouldn’t it?” he asked.

Anger replaced the glimmer in her eye. She turned toward the door, but turned back. “It has occurred to me that maybe the reason you really don’t want me is that Candi bitch.” She turned angry eyes on him. Then her gaze softened, touching his bared chest. “You like fucking her, Rafe?”

The last remnants of Rafe’s anger snapped, but he would be damned if he fought with the landlord’s wife about his private life. “I don’t think that is any business of yours.”

Debbie shrugged it off. “If you ever tire of little girls and want a real woman, just let me know.” Debbie closed the door behind her. Silence engulfed the trailer. The ticking wall clock made the only sound. Rafe stood in the hallway shaking with unspent fury because his privacy had been breached by a landlady with a master key
. I have to get out of this place.
But leaving meant Candi would be here alone. He didn’t know if he was ready for the next step in this relationship, just yet.
Can I really leave Candi here to the wolves of
Grimes
Mobile
Home
Park
?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jesse flourished at being the center of attention. All eyes were on him, hanging onto his every word, and his chest swelled out with triumph.

“It was the best fuck she’d ever given me.” He laughed to the group assembled at the picnic table.

“When was this supposed to have happened?”
Chandler
asked.

“The night before she and Rafe started dating.”

“Was she doing him and you?”

“No, but it wasn’t long after me that she fucked him.”

“Well, they say good-bye sex is the best,”
Roy
added to the conversation.

“Unless you count makeup sex,”
Chandler
piped in.

“And spontaneous sex.” Jesse laughed at the different kinds of sex.

“No, the best kind of sex is the first-time sex.” Jack silenced the group. “You see, when she told you good-bye, you appreciated it. You rid yourself of the guilt that came along with the relationship. But when she turned to Rafe, she gave him her heart, and he took it. He welcomed the treasure with open arms.” His knowing philosophy put a damper on the group’s rumor mill. He stood up from the bench, gathered his cooler, and took a step toward his trailer before he turned around. He had to have the last word. He looked around the table until his eyes reached Jesse. “What really bothers you is that she’s not yours to mind-fuck anymore.”

The three hung their heads down in shame, but the effect didn’t last long.

“So, it was the best you ever gotten from her, huh?”
Roy
said.

“Tell us more,”
Chandler
suggested.

These were the last words Jack heard before he stepped around the corner.

Jack walked into the trailer, set the cooler on the table, and shook his head in utter disbelief. “Rafe, can you come in here?” Heavyhearted, he hated to be the one to tell him what he’d heard. Men in general usually boasted of conquests, except this time it hit a little too close to home for Jack’s comfort.
But better he hear it from someone that doesn’t want to hurt him, or Candi.

“What the fuck do you want?” Rafe asked, stomping into the living room, wearing a terry cloth shower wrap around his waist.

“You look like you’re wearing a kilt.” Jack laughed. “Don’t you look pretty?”

“Stop it!”

“Nice legs.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “I’ve got a date in an hour. What do you want?”

Jack quit laughing, took a steadying breath. “I need to tell you something. You’re more than likely not going to like it.”

“Okay.” Rafe stood with his feet apart, his arms folded over his chest, and his face cleared of all emotions.

Jack knew Rafe prepared himself for the worst.

“There are rumors going on around here that Candi fucked Jesse the night before you two got together.”

“What?” His voice sounded low and menacing, his eyes brightened with fury. “Who is saying that shit?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“I’ll fucking kill him.” Rafe stormed out of the living room toward the door.

“Wearing a dress?” Jack hollered, gaining his attention.

“Son of a bitch!” Rafe roared. Stomping into his bedroom, he slammed the door.

Jack gave him a second before he went inside. “Rafe, you have to get it from her. It may be true, or it may be a big lie he made up to get attention.”

“To think that Candi would betray me in such a way.”

“You don’t know for certain. What has she said about their breakup?”

“I was under the impression he broke up with her. He wanted to date another woman. Because of that, Candi slept alone while Jesse slept on the couch.”

The room fell silent. Rafe shoved his feet into a pair of sneakers, intermittently shaking his head, mumbling something incoherent unless the occasional curse word popped up.

“What are you thinking?”

Rafe said nothing, but continued to shake his head.

How would I act if I fell in love with someone and rumors flew around about them?
Anger came to mind immediately. “What are you going to do?”

Rafe jerked upright, grabbed a shirt, and yanked it over his head. “Confront her and get this out in the open.”

Outside the window, a car drove up and then turned off its engine. Rafe looked at Jack. “I’ll not be made a fool…not again.”

Chapter Thirty

The minute Rafe saw Candi he wanted to scream in her face. She must have sensed his presence because she turned to him and smiled, but he didn’t return the gesture. He stood a few feet away, tense, with his fists balled at his sides. The pain in his gut hurt something fierce, and he wanted to hit something or someone…hard, and lessen the ache rising to his heart.

“Hi!” she sighed, as he got closer. “How was your evening?” She went to hug him, but he kept himself out of arm’s reach.

He looked down at her. “Not as good as I would’ve liked.”

Concern etched her features. “Well, come inside and tell me about it. Maybe we can fix it.”

Rafe followed her into the trailer without saying a word until they were inside. He looked around. “Where’s Minerva?”

“I’m not sure. She said she would be home in awhile.” Candi winked.

Rafe smiled but kept silent. He knew that was Candi’s official excuse to give if anyone asked. Minerva more than likely would be out with her new cowboy.

Candi sat on the sofa, looked at Rafe, and smiled. “So, tell me what is on your mind?”

“Were you fucking Jesse the night before you and I got together?” he blurted out. His accusation stunned her, but once the shock wore off, she answered his question.

“He and I slept together the afternoon before
he
and I broke up, the day he got back from his mother’s,” she defended. Her voice strained from shock.

Rafe looked down on her in judgment. “I’ll just bet.” Her eyes welled up with tears, and he turned away, agitated by her betrayal. Her tears did nothing to dissolve his anger.

“Your tears give you away.”

“What?” The shock in her expression shook her voice.

“I’ve learned early on that women cry when they want to cover their ass.”

“But I’ve done nothing wrong,” she cried.

“Candi, stop it.” Rafe gripped her arms hard and jerked her off the sofa. Her shook her. “He knew details. How you act when you fuck.”

The look of shock that flickered in her eyes turned to anger. His comment sparked the buildup of tension and temper within her. She came out swinging.

She flung his arms off her. “Don’t ever touch me in anger again!” she demanded. “If you recall, he and I were going together. So, yes, he would know intimate details, now wouldn’t he? He and I had been together for six weeks,” she pointed out. “I hope you aren’t implying that we’ve been fucking since I’ve been with you.” She pointed to him and then to herself. “If that’s the case, you can leave right now. I don’t want to spend my life with someone who will take the word of another
man
over mine, just because he’s a member of the
Swinging Dick Club
. If I did something to cause your suspicions, fine! But I don’t deserve this.” Her hands gripped her hips and her chin notched in defiance.

The calm coolness of her voice shook Rafe from his anger. He had never seen her temper before.
But she did make a valid point. Jesse would know some of her actions in bed.
He was there before him, however brief.

“I’m sorry.” Rafe’s genuine sincerity cooled his temper. “I should’ve known better.” He eased his way to her and pulled her into his arms. She strained against him, but he wouldn’t let her go. “I’m sorry, baby.” He hoped the softness of his voice reassured her that he meant his apology to be sincere. She gave into it and held him back. After a few seconds he swayed with her.

He stepped back and paced the living room. “That day at the lake, I should’ve done more than slap his face,” Rafe murmured under his breath.

“You what?”

He stopped his restless steps and gazed at her.
Another bit of surprise
. “He told me he would like to see me whip his ass. So, I kicked him in the face, but that’s not important now.” Rafe shrugged off the topic. In order to stop the maddening bullshit of this little
Peyton Place
from hell, Rafe had to get away from Jesse.

“What’s important now?” Candi looked at him warily. “If a fight isn’t important, I don’t know what is.”

“If I don’t get outta here, I’m going to hurt someone.”

His statement stopped the conversation and filled the air with tension that choked the oxygen from the air.

Her breath caught audibly. “He’s just trying to break us up,” Candi rationalized. “Eventually, he’ll give up.”

“Yes, he is trying to break us up. He doesn’t like it that he lost.” Rafe grabbed Candi’s arms.
Please understand this situation is volatile left alone.
“He won’t accept the loss until we move, or he goes to Idaho.”

“You want me to go to with you?” Candi’s eyes filled with love.

“Yes. I’m not leaving you here!” The need to protect her overwhelmed him. He wasn’t going to leave her here in this community trashcan.

Rafe hugged her.
I won’t let you go.
Yet his insecurities about commitment resurfaced.

He knew he wanted to be with her, but it scared the hell out of him. He already went through one commitment that didn’t work out. He didn’t have it in him to try and lose again. Rafe felt her arms hold and squeeze him tighter, silently reassuring him, reminding him this was a different kind of love. “There is no way in hell I’ll give Jesse the opportunity to fuck this up.”

“When do we move?”

“I’ll start looking for a place tomorrow,” Rafe softly answered. “Do you want to go with me?”