Page 29 of Work It Out
Crap on a cracker.
Rayah frowned at Sammie. The girl blushed to the roots of her hair. “I didn’t tell.” The red of her cheeks brightened. “I mean, I told my mom. But I had to. She asked if I had a good time. I can’t lie to my mom!”
Uh-huh.
Rayah turned her focus on Sammie’s loudmouthed momma. “Hey, Jenny. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread that around. Mr. Newman’s home visiting his grandparents, but he’d prefer to keep it quiet.”
Jenny’s lips said, “Of course, of course.” But that special glimmer in her eyes said she’d be on her phone the second she left Rayah’s sight. “He went to school with my sister Jackie. They were…close.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m sure he’ll give her a call soon, but tell him I said hi, won’t you?” Craning her neck, she tried one last time to catch a glimpse of Jake. When that didn’t work, she plopped back on her heals with a huff and herded Sammie out the door.
There went trouble. If Jean and Quin ran the Bigbone gossip mill, Jennifer Vaughn was employee of the decade.
Normally, Rayah stayed until after closing on the nights she taught class, and she really should stay tonight. There’d be fewer questions about her moving her things back to the cabin if she did it under the cover of darkness.
She dismissed that thought as soon as it crossed her mind. Blaine basically told her they all knew she’d been staying here and were just waiting for her to suck it up and ask for help. Trying to hide the fact that she’d be staying with Jake would be incredibly naive. After tonight, there was no doubt about it. Someone responsible needed to be around to make sure Jake took care of himself, which ruled out Pierce.
A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine, anticipation she adamantly told herself had nothing to do with moving in with the adorable actor.
She’d planned to advertise the cabin as “intimate”—a fancy spin on dinky. At eleven hundred square feet, it wasn’t a postage stamp, but it certainly didn’t sprawl. One full bath, a Jack-and-Jill, sat between the two bedrooms. As she was not, in fact, a gremlin, they’d have to share.
The bed’s a king, and I’m ever so little. We could share that, too.
Rayah rolled her eyes at herself and headed for her office. Things were desperate when her sexy bits chimed in. Stupid things were silent as the grave around everyone else. It was the dimples, she concluded as she packed an overnight bag. Those damn dimples could turn anyone’s mind to mush. They made him seem so innocent, so sunny, that simply being near him when he smiled washed away some of the darkness that clung to her like smog.
Yep, she was losing it. Maybe she’d spend some quality time with her vibrator, now that she’d have an actual bedroom again. She didn’t have much experience with sexual frustration, but apparently it had the power to make her bananas.
Rayah walked into the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the lights, opened the freezer door, and shoved past bags of edamame and chicken breast in search of her kryptonite.
“Where ya goin’, Ray?”
The door bounced off her head when she jumped. Leaving through the side entrance had been her only shot at avoiding conflict. But no, she’d just had to poke her head in the fridge on a quest for Thin Mints.
Rubbing her abused noggin, she turned to find Blaine right behind her, lazily drinking a protein shake in the dark. He moved like a wraith. It shouldn’t be possible, and not only because of his size. She was the only person without a medical degree who knew what his leg looked like. He should have a terrible limp. But Blaine was far too stubborn about being Superman to tolerate anything as potentially compromising or mortifyingly human as a limp.
He chuckled at her muttered curse. He enjoyed scaring the holy hell out of her now and then. If she wasn’t so tired and worried, she’d kick him in the shins. Probably.
“I’m leaving for the night.” She left theduhunsaid. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t forget to check the perimeter doors and set the alarm. The security company said someone forgot last week.” Tonight was Blaine’s shift as overnight crew. She didn’t typically have anyone stay, but with guests in house, someone needed to be on hand.
Closing the freezer door, she gave up on the promise of mint chocolatey goodness and turned to leave. Blaine caught the strap of her duffel bag with one finger, holding her in place. “Nice try. First, you killed your stash two days ago, after Samuel told Mrs. Wheeler to give up on being a size four because she’s old as dirt anyhow. Second, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“One day, Samuel’s lack of filter will make me fat. I swear, he—”
“Ray.”
She held onto the sigh that threatened. Barely. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
He slipped his hands in his pockets and stared down at her, expression implacable.
That sigh flew out. Why bother protecting him? There probably wasn’t anything to protect him from. Jake didn’t know their history. He’d read too much into what was a deeper-than-average friendship. Still, she wasn’t fool enough to think Blaine would be happy about where she’d landed.
Rayah eased her body weight onto the foot farthest from him, ready to flee. “I’m moving back into the cabin. ’Night!” And flee she did.
Except he was every bit as talented at moving quickly as he was at moving silently. He maneuvered around her and blocked the exit before she’d taken two steps. “Where’s Newman staying?” His frown would terrify small children and prizefighters alike. Her, it irritated.
The duffel hit the tile with a thud, and she plopped her hands on her hips, getting right in his face. Well, right in his chest. Jake was right. The height differential was enough to give her a headache. Right now, she was too ticked off to care. “You listen to me, mister, and you listen good. I appreciate that you’re trying to look out for me, but if you don’t stop talking to me like I’m anything less than the grown woman I am, I’ll punch you again, and this time I’ll aim somewhere softer. And lower.”
Lips pressed together, he fought a laugh. “Aww, now sugar, that ain’t very nice. The boys haven’t done anything to you. Yet.” He winked, but then his expression shifted back to grumpy glower. “And believe me, I know perfectly well how grown you are. That’s the problem.”
“I don’t see how.”
