That makes me angry. Is she tossing Lucy aside because she’s not useful anymore? Maybe I will kill her. I bet no one would even question her death. I could suffocate her, or there’s always drowning. A good home invasion could do the trick too.
“I was building my life around her, and I don’t need to. It’s a good thing.” Lucy looks over at me with a soft smile, as if she’s still convincing herself of the truth in her words. I push all thoughts of murder to the back of my mind. If I ever did have to kill her mother and Lucy found out, she would never forgive me. I may not understand her connection to the woman, but I know how I would feel if someone took Lucy from me. I don’t think I could do that to her, even if it was what was best for me. Talk about change.
Rafe dismountsIsabella and winces as he bows out his knees a few times. “Fuck, my thighs and ass hurt,” he mutters like he’s surprised.
I toss my head back and laugh. “And that was only about thirty minutes. Didn’t you tell me you could go all day?” I tease, leading both horses over to the side rail so I can take off their saddles and get them ready to be put back in their stalls.
I feel his presence behind me, but he waits until I have the saddle hoisted off Isabella’s back and onto the rail before he wraps his arms around me from behind and nuzzles my ear. “My skills lie in other areas.”
I spin in his hold. “I bet they do.”
“Come home with me?” he requests, staring into my eyes. I nod, knowing just how much I want that.
I poke my head into Mom’s room to see if she’s still awake. She grabs the remote and turns down the TV right away. “I’m going out for a bit,” I inform her.
“Okay, be safe.”
“See you in the morning,” I murmur and close the door quickly. I blow out a breath, feeling both strange and elated that I’m admitting I may not be home tonight.
Rafe is waiting near the door with his boots still on. I slip on some flats, pretending I’m super cool, but my insides are going crazy and so is my mind. Should I grab a bag? No, that would be presumptuous, and it’s not like I have one ready to go anyway. Maybe he plans on bringing me home again anyhow.
We walk out silently. I twist the handle to make sure the door is locked before stepping off the porch.
“You need a security system out here,” Rafe comments over the hood of his truck. “I know a guy.”
“You know a guy?” I grin.
“I’ll give him a call and get it all set up tomorrow.” I frown at his words.
“Wait, how much does something like that cost? The cable company is always sending out flyers for video surveillance,” I counter. I don’t think I can afford the same kind of security system he’s used to.
“Don’t worry about it. He works for me.” Rafe gets in the car, leaving me standing by the passenger door.
“I would still need to know what it costs,” I argue as I buckle up after getting in.
Rafe grunts. “I’ll call him tomorrow.” I have a feeling he was planning to pay for it himself, but I don’t want any handouts. I don’t like owing anyone. I let it drop for now.
I look over at Rafe when we get on the road, watching his profile as we pass under a rare streetlight. “Can I ask you something?” He turns his full attention to me, waiting. “Do you smoke a lot? The first time I met you, you said you were stoned, and I could smell it. I’m not judging you, I just haven’t noticed it much since.” It sounds judgy even to me, which was not my intention.
While looking at the road, he shrugs his shoulder. “Sometimes. It calms me.” He doesn’t seem offended by my question.
“I never have, I was just curious,” I say quickly, and it sounds even more judgmental.
“Good, you shouldn’t.” He glances at me again.
“I didn’t really plan to, but okay.” I pinch my lips together, wishing I would have just kept my mouth closed instead of making a bad attempt to get to know him better.
“Stalker alert. It’s coming up.” I point to the side of the road where his mailbox just came into view.
“You were paying attention.” I can hear his appreciation as he slows the car, preparing to turn.
“I hope you weren’t planning on getting rid of me,” I singsong. That makes him chuckle. Rafe parks in the same spot in front of the garage. It’s dark, even more so than last night because it’s cloudy. He doesn’t make a move to get out, so neither do I.
“I have an idea.” He turns to face me just as the interior lights cut off and the car goes completely black.
“Okay,” I reply hesitantly.
“Want to play hide and seek?” His voice is deep, sexy.
