Free Betrayed: Days of the Rogue by Nicky Charles Page B

temper sparked in
her eyes. She looked adorable, rather like a tiny white kitten
trying to act the part of a lion. His lips twitched.
    “Are you laughing at me?” She
narrowed her eyes.
    He didn’t confirm or deny the
accusation. “You have quite a temper on you when you get
riled.”
    “Well…yeah. I guess I do.” As
quickly as it had appeared, her anger dissipated and she actually
looked regretful. “Sorry.”
    He shook his head. “No need. It’s
healthier to let your feelings out rather than keeping them bottled
up inside.”
    She cocked her head. “You sound
like a therapist when you talk that way.”
    He shrugged. “Before I took over
the cabins I was, sort of.”
    “Why did you quit?” She picked up
her purse and slung it over her shoulder then went around to the
rear of the car.
    “I haven’t quit. I’m actually on a
sabbatical, trying out renting cabins as a possible second career.”
Rafe moved to help her carry her parcels and then followed her
inside.
    “Oh.” Eve gestured with her chin
towards the kitchen and he set the bags on the counter. “Thanks for
carrying those, by the way.” She grabbed the milk and placed it in
the fridge and then a carton of eggs. Rafe studied her rear end as
she moved items about on the lower shelf trying to find room. For a
slim thing, she had nicely curved hips. He imagined what it would
be like to have his hands on them, to cup her butt and pull her
closer.
    Uncomfortable with the direction of
his thoughts, he cleared his throat and looked away only to find
himself staring at several sketches of himself. Each was an
extremely accurate portrayal and…he narrowed his eyes…most had him
wearing a minimum of clothing. He moved in for a closer look.
    “Damn!”
    He glanced over his shoulder and
saw Eve darting her gaze between him and the pictures, a carton of
ice cream clutched in her hands. “I hadn’t meant for you to see
those.”
    “Why not? They’re quite well done.”
He plucked one off the cork board it was pinned to.
    “Because…” She shrugged, her face
turning pink again.
    “Because now I know you’ve been
drawing dirty pictures of me?” He couldn’t resist teasing her. She
blushed so nicely.
    “They’re not dirty pictures!” She
huffed, her embarrassment seeming to change to defensiveness.
“They’re artistic sketches and you’re decently clothed in each
one.”
    “You must have x-ray vision,” he
murmured, examining the drawing in his hand more carefully. “To the
best of my knowledge, I haven’t appeared semi-nude in front of
you.”
    “While each person is unique, there
are certain…standard parts…that each male has. I simply used my
imagination to fill in the bits and pieces.”
    “You have an excellent imagination
then. I’d almost think you’d been peeking in my bedroom
window.”
    Eve set the ice cream down on the
counter with a thump and marched across the room, snatching the
sketch from his hand and shoving it under a pile of books. “I’m an
artist. I draw everything I see. It’s an occupational hazard.”
    “Hmm.” He nodded, getting the
distinct impression that Eve was interested in him. The idea
pleased him even though nothing could come of it. After ten years
of working in Rehab, he was here for some much needed alone time,
free of emotional commitments. And Eve didn’t look like the kind
that went for no strings attached relationships. It was better to
keep his distance. Besides, humans were too tiring to be around; he
had to keep his guard up constantly.
    “Rafe?”
    With a jerk, he realized Eve had
been talking to him. “Pardon?”
    “I asked if you wanted to…um…stay
for lunch.”
    Not having expected an invitation,
he looked at her in surprise. Their meetings hadn’t been that
cordial, and he was curious as to what had prompted her to ask. He
hesitated, part of him wanting to spend more time with her, while
common sense urged him to leave. Regretfully, he bowed to the side
of caution.
    “No.