Free Mission: Seduction by Candace Havens Page A

the time she went to grab her board outside, he was right beside her.
    â€œTempête,” he said in French.
    She nodded. “Until the storm blows in, let’s have some fun.”
    Concentrating on the waves would keep her from thinking about Rafe, something she’d done for most of the night. In fact, she’d only slept about an hour and a half.
    He’d said he liked her.
    While this thrilled her, she knew that whatever was between them was temporary. Once she told him the truth he wouldn’t be too happy with her. In fact, she had told him the truth, but his light snores indicated he hadn’t heard a word of it.
    â€œDamn.” As she shifted the wrong way on the board, it flipped. Tumbling through the water, she tried to get her bearings, which was difficult since she couldn’t tell up from down. The board hit the side of her head and she screamed in pain, inhaling seawater.
    Smart.
    When she finally broke through the waves she quickly sucked in some air before another wave could slam into her.
    The pain was confusing her, but she pushed herself to swim for shore. A few seconds later, strong hands gripped her upper arms.
    â€œAre you okay?” Rafe’s voice penetrated the ache in her head.
    â€œI’m good,” she answered, and he guided her up onto dry land. When her feet hit the sand, she sat down and rubbed at her temple.
    Rafe knelt in front of her and stared into her eyes.
    â€œIs there a doctor I can call?” he asked as he wrapped a towel around her shoulders.
    â€œI’ll be fine. That’s the true definition of getting your bell rung,” Kelly joked. “Besides, when Adrien comes in he can always take me to the hospital, but I doubt that’ll be necessary.”
    â€œThe cook?” Rafe asked in surprise.
    â€œChef,” she corrected. “He’s like my big brother. He quit his old life to surf full-time.”
    â€œHuh.” Rafe smiled and said, “I guess you really never know about people.”
    She shrugged. “That’s what I love about surfing. People from all walks of life enjoy the sport. Doctors, lawyers, artists and even chefs,” she said as Adrien walked up to them.
    Her friend held her board and his. After sticking them in the sand, he knelt down.
    â€œVous avez pris une tête-bêche.”
    â€œNot just a tumble, the board wacked the side of her head,” Rafe said.
    Kelly and Adrien stared at Rafe, surprised that he understood French.
    â€œElle a la tête dure,” Adrien said.
    She playfully shoved at her friend. “It’s not that hard.” They all laughed. “Though Dad did used to say my head was made of granite. A couple of acetaminophen and I’ll be good as new.”
    Rafe helped her to stand up.
    She smiled and brushed the sand off her backside. Picking up her board, she began to walk back to the main house.
    â€œAttendre, c’est mauvais.” Adrien stopped her and lightly ran his fingertips along her scalp. When he showed his hand to her and Rafe, there was blood.
    She sighed. It’d be another day or two before she could surf again. And it meant Adrien would be checking on her every few hours like a cautious mother hen.
    His eyebrows rose, and he looked up at Rafe. “Elle devrait prendre facile.”
    â€œNous sommes d’accord là-dessus.” Rafe agreed with Adrien’s diagnosis that she should rest.
    She laughed. “Why does it feel like you guys are ganging up on me?” And she realized it had been a long time since a guy, other than a friend, had genuinely cared about her well-being.
    The past few years, most of the men in her life had wanted something from her. Her manager wanted her safe because she made him money. A lot of the men she’d dated had wanted to meet the celebrities she hung out with while surfing. Now she assumed if someone asked her out, it had absolutely nothing to do with her as a person.
    Except for