Anything but Minor (13 page)

I felt his knuckles drift over my cheek and opened my eyes with a sleepy smile.

“Did you win?”

Rafe nodded and licked his lips as I melted into the bed. I smelled his clean skin and realized I’d been asleep for hours. He was freshly showered and dressed, and I had the sudden urge to pull him to me until I felt the burn...everywhere.

“Oh God. Oh...GOD!” I shrieked as I felt the unrelenting throb in my body take over.

“I brought you this,” he whispered as he held out a small yellow pill in his hand. “It’s a muscle relaxer. It should help a lot.” Without another word, I greedily took the pill and swallowed it, along with three more Advil that looked like tiny dots of debris in his large hand.

“You need to shower in hot water. Think you can handle that?”

“I’m on fire,” I said as I tried to sit up. There wasn’t a spot on me that didn’t burn. Sore wasn’t the word for the way I felt.

Rafe helped me stand, and again I found myself looking up at him. His features screamed masculine. His eyes roamed over my chest and then lingered on my neck before they met mine. “I’ve got it now.”

“Okay,” he relented. “I brought some food. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Rafe, thank you,” I called after him as a single tear slid down my cheek. Never in my life had I felt so cared for.

Rafe stood in my doorway, and I could tell my emotion made him slightly uncomfortable. He took a step toward me and faltered as I made my excuse.

“It just hurts,” I said as I made my way toward the bathroom without looking back. I stood in a hot shower, trying not to scream out. When it ran cold, I slipped out, unwilling to move too much, and let myself air dry. Minutes later, I wrestled with my boy shorts and a long t-shirt, which seemed like an act of God to get on. I met Rafe in the kitchen, and he looked me over with approval.

“Nice shirt.”

It was a vintage Star Wars tee and was my absolute favorite.

“Thanks,” I said. “I wanted to be Princes Leia when I was little and then decided on Molly Ringwald.”

His lips pursed in a smirk.

“I wanted to be Rocky and The Karate Kid, too.” His smirk turned into a smile as I continued. “For Halloween, of course. But I never got to trick or treat.”

Rafe looked down at me with a mix of amusement and a look of “Are you done yet?”

“I’m going to start kickboxing in a few weeks, so
take that,
Mom,” I rattled on nervously. Rafe looked over the counter and then back to me before I could say anything else.

“I figured southern comfort food. Fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, that sort of thing.”

I looked over the counter and nodded. Though I was embarrassed and in too much pain to think about eating, I couldn’t wait for the medicine to kick in so I could sleep through it. Also, I desperately wanted to keep his company.

“You must be exhausted,” I said as he looked down to me before he piled our plates ridiculously high. “You didn’t have to come back.”

“If there’s one thing—” he paused as he scooped some mashed potatoes on our plates “—I know, it’s muscle strain and aftercare. Go pick a movie. I’ll bring it to you.”

I selected the
Outsiders
and pushed the tape in. Rafe looked like a giant on my oversized couch. His appeal was overwhelming as I tried to keep my eyes averted. After the opening credits rolled, and out of habit, I began to speak along with the dialogue. Rafe turned to me, curious, as I winced in apology.

Food worked as a muzzle as I ate the most delicious chicken on the face of the planet while I sat next to Rafe watching one of my favorite movies. I fought hard to stay awake against the pull of the muscle relaxer. I didn’t want to miss a minute of it. I watched Rafe more than I did the movie, and when he caught me, he would simply smile.

Right before I dozed off, I put my hand in his. It was the best day of my life.

I studied her small hand in mine as she nodded off, her legs tucked underneath her and her head resting on my shoulder. She looked so perfect, not a hint of makeup, nothing but an old t-shirt and high shorts that exposed most of her bare thighs. I wanted nothing more than to wake her just so I could see her eyes again. I pulled her hand toward my mouth and kissed it as she sighed in a sleep stupor. That sigh did me in, and my cock jerked beneath my jeans. I was harder than I’d ever been in my life.

“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”

I looked up to the screen and back to Alice as she slept and once again scooped her into my arms. I stared at her for a brief moment as her lashes fluttered against her cheek and her sweet plump lips drew breath. Once I had her tucked in bed, I pulled out another movie and lay on her couch, thinking of only her. She was alone here, that much I knew. Aside from Andy, I was too. All my friends had either left Charleston once we graduated or had married off and were living their lives. I was on the road more often than not and barely had time to keep the relationships I had. My mother only called for a handout and my father, well...
fuck him
.

I knew exactly how Alice felt, except Charleston was home for me, and she’d been brave enough to come here alone. She needed someone and I wanted to be that someone for her. But deep down, I knew it would be close to impossible.

Andy was all that I had and a few fair-weather friends at the bar. But lately, Andy seemed so pissed off at me, I didn’t know how to talk to him anymore. He was dealing with his own shit, which I assumed had to do with Kristina. Alice came along at a perfect time, despite what Andy said.

We needed each other.

I wondered if I could handle my attraction for her and keep my hands away. Touching her earlier had felt so fucking right and had tested every single part of the man in me. If I was honest, she seemed fine with being alone.

In truth, I needed her.

Every time she looked at me, I wanted more of it. Every time she opened those perfect lips to speak, it was like Christmas. There was just something about her I couldn’t shake. Maybe it was her innocence, her honesty, or maybe it was just
her.

“Fuck,” I mumbled as I grew harder at the thought of her sprawled out on the bed in her bikini earlier. She’d let me touch her, and she’d been turned on, I could tell.

She hadn’t done a thing to lead me on, and yet I was fucking consumed with thoughts of her.

I tossed and turned on her couch as she tortured me asleep in her bedroom.

“Good morning,” I said to the most beautiful man imaginable who lay shirtless and sleeping on my couch. His hands were behind his head as if he was on display. I felt myself grow hot and leaned down to whisper to him again as I studied the hard lines of his body and then the smooth, etched planes of his face. His lips were so perfectly full, top and bottom, I could only imagine what they felt like.

“Morning, Rafe,” I whispered a little louder as I leaned in further. I saw the smile that crept over his lips as he opened his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he gave me a smirk when he realized how close I was. Like a mad scientist in love with a lab experiment, I was completely bent over him and realized what a fool I looked like. I stood up with a wince. “Better but worse?”

“Sounds about right,” he said as he grabbed his shirt off the floor. I grimaced at the loss of the bare sight of him.

“I want to buy you breakfast for...all that you’ve done. Or I can just catch a cab to my car.”

“I have an early meeting, but I’ll take you to your car.”

Disappointed, I sighed. “Okay.”

Rafe looked up at me and then down as he towered over me. “I’ve wanted to ask you a question all night.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, what the hell happened to your wall?”

After a silent drive filled with sideways smiles between Rafe and me, I thanked him again as he got out and started to unhook my board from the top of his Jeep.

“How the hell did you get it here?”

“I bought it from the shop inside. Want to hold onto it for me?”

“Sure,” he offered, leaving it where it was.

“Okay, so I’ll see you tonight?”

Rafe was in front of me now as I held my keys in my hand, my back to my Prius.

“Tonight,” he whispered as his head descended and I held my breath. He placed his lips next to my mouth and briefly touched the corner. Everything that was sore began to tingle.

“Thank you,” I said as his body pushed in further so there was no space between us.

“Friends, right,” he said as a statement, but it seemed like more of a question.

“Right. Good luck tonight,” I said as he slowly backed away and nodded. I sat in my Prius as I thought of the feeling of his brief kiss, his gentle way with me. He was laying it on thick, and I was gullible to every move he made. His touch was calculated and had thoroughly seduced me. He was breaking my resolve with every minute we spent together.

I spent the whole drive home wrapped in confusion.

Three innings in, Dutch and me stared at Rafe as he wound up and threw another crappy pitch. I shook my head as Dutch sat back with a sigh. “His game is completely off tonight.”

“He was fine this morning,” I said aloud. Dutch looked at me quizzically. “
Not
what you’re thinking.”

“Not my business, but something’s wrong.”

We saw Andy stand from his catcher’s crouch and walk over to the pitcher’s mound. Rafe shook his head as Andy spoke to him. Andy left the mound after what looked like a heated exchange, and after another inning, the Swampgators were down 2-0. I stood as Rafe made his way off the field and through the dugout. No one seemed to notice or even bother to stop me as I took the steps and hit the field to follow after him. I found him in the dugout hall, pacing.

“Rafe,” I whispered as he stopped his trek and looked behind me and then moved his eyes over me so slowly I became consumed by just his stare. “Is everything okay?”

A series of slow heartbeats followed before Rafe gripped and threw down his hat between us as he moved toward me. I saw his jaw twitch as fear crept through me but remained standing where I was. He looked furious as I waited for what I was sure was his wrath.

When he reached me, no words were spoken. My body was lifted by his in one sweeping movement as he shoved me against the wall. His lips crushed mine in an unforgiving kiss as I shrieked out in surprise before I buried my fingers in the soft, sweaty threads of his hair. He opened me without invitation and tasted every part of my mouth. His invading tongue made me gasp and moan into his. Our mouths molded, gave and took, and I felt the tension in his body as he lifted my legs higher and he ground into me.