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Authors: Carly Phillips
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over a woman who’d started out wanting the same things out of life as he did. Why willingly put himself in that position with Sara, his polar opposite, knowing ahead of time how it would end?
She drew a long, deep breath, her chest rising andfalling beneath her shirt, and Rafe braced himself for an argument.
“You’re right.” She raised her hands in a gesture of defeat. “I’ve thought the same things myself.” She turned her back to him and stared out over the lake, wrapping her arms around herself.
For comfort?
Or to ward off the chill?
He came up behind her, pulling her against him for warmth. And for one last touch before he took her back to Angel’s for the night.
As the smell of the water mixed with her fragrant scent, Rafe wished like hell he could throw caution away and dive into her. After all, Rafe was all for affairs, and he was way overdue. He’d like nothing more than to bury his thoughts and himself deep inside Sara’s sexy body. And if she was any other woman, he would.
But Sara wasn’t just another willing female. She meant something to him. She had from the start. That kiss had proven without a doubt why he had to resist her—because his gut told him this limited time with her would never be enough.
And a short period of time was all she’d ever allow.
CHAPTER SIX
R AFE DIDN’T SLEEP. How could he when he’d been given a taste of what could never be? He climbed out of bed early, determined to focus on the ordinary. The mundane. If he was going to have company, he needed to stock up the fridge. He showered and headed to town. First stop: Hidden Falls’s doughnut shop, for coffee. Fortunately for the doughnut shop, unfortunately for Rafe, the small store was located next door to the barber shop where his aunt’s husband, Pirro, and his cronies hung out every Saturday, rain or shine.
Today offered pure sunshine, as had most of the sum mer. Pirro wore a Yankees cap to protect his bald head from the sun and a pressed white-collared shirt courtesy of Aunt Vi. He was surrounded by his friends.
“Rafe!” They greeted him before he could speak.
“Hi, all.” He tipped his head in acknowledgment. “In a rush.” He hoped they’d take the hint.
“Sorry to interrupt you last night,” Pirro said with a not-so-subtle wink.
“Not a problem.” Rafe wasn’t about to get into a conversation about his private life with the town gossips. These men were worse than the women who gathered in the beauty salon. He took another step toward the doughnut shop, but his escape wasn’t to be.
“Vi tells me she’s a visitor from the city?” Pirro prodded, digging for more information than his wife had given him.
“Good to know the family grapevine is alive and well.” Rafe’s mother had probably spoken to Aunt Vi bright and early this morning.
“You don’t want to talk about it, do you?” Pirro asked.
“Nope.”
Ernie, Pirro’s best friend, had stepped toward Rafe. “You having trouble with your pecker? Because there are pills you can take for that. Pirro here can hook you up!” He spoke too loudly, and people on the street turned to stare.
“Ernest, you shut your mouth!” Pirro shouted.
Rafe agreed. Too much information about his uncle’s sex life, Rafe thought and shuddered.
“Not having any trouble, Ernie, but thanks for the advice. I’m in a rush, so I’ll see you all later.” Hewaved at his uncle and his friends and finally headed into the doughnut shop.
When he exited a few minutes later, coffee in hand, the men were huddled over Pirro, who was scribbling in a notepad.
“Bye, Pirro!” Rafe called out.
The older man snapped his pad shut while his cronies surrounded him, blocking Rafe’s view.
“Strange,” he muttered, hoping when he was their age he had better things to do than hang out outside the barber shop.
S ARA SPENT HER first day in the small town of Hidden Falls wandering the shops and getting to know the area. Main Street was decorated for
She drew a long, deep breath, her chest rising andfalling beneath her shirt, and Rafe braced himself for an argument.
“You’re right.” She raised her hands in a gesture of defeat. “I’ve thought the same things myself.” She turned her back to him and stared out over the lake, wrapping her arms around herself.
For comfort?
Or to ward off the chill?
He came up behind her, pulling her against him for warmth. And for one last touch before he took her back to Angel’s for the night.
As the smell of the water mixed with her fragrant scent, Rafe wished like hell he could throw caution away and dive into her. After all, Rafe was all for affairs, and he was way overdue. He’d like nothing more than to bury his thoughts and himself deep inside Sara’s sexy body. And if she was any other woman, he would.
But Sara wasn’t just another willing female. She meant something to him. She had from the start. That kiss had proven without a doubt why he had to resist her—because his gut told him this limited time with her would never be enough.
And a short period of time was all she’d ever allow.
CHAPTER SIX
R AFE DIDN’T SLEEP. How could he when he’d been given a taste of what could never be? He climbed out of bed early, determined to focus on the ordinary. The mundane. If he was going to have company, he needed to stock up the fridge. He showered and headed to town. First stop: Hidden Falls’s doughnut shop, for coffee. Fortunately for the doughnut shop, unfortunately for Rafe, the small store was located next door to the barber shop where his aunt’s husband, Pirro, and his cronies hung out every Saturday, rain or shine.
Today offered pure sunshine, as had most of the sum mer. Pirro wore a Yankees cap to protect his bald head from the sun and a pressed white-collared shirt courtesy of Aunt Vi. He was surrounded by his friends.
“Rafe!” They greeted him before he could speak.
“Hi, all.” He tipped his head in acknowledgment. “In a rush.” He hoped they’d take the hint.
“Sorry to interrupt you last night,” Pirro said with a not-so-subtle wink.
“Not a problem.” Rafe wasn’t about to get into a conversation about his private life with the town gossips. These men were worse than the women who gathered in the beauty salon. He took another step toward the doughnut shop, but his escape wasn’t to be.
“Vi tells me she’s a visitor from the city?” Pirro prodded, digging for more information than his wife had given him.
“Good to know the family grapevine is alive and well.” Rafe’s mother had probably spoken to Aunt Vi bright and early this morning.
“You don’t want to talk about it, do you?” Pirro asked.
“Nope.”
Ernie, Pirro’s best friend, had stepped toward Rafe. “You having trouble with your pecker? Because there are pills you can take for that. Pirro here can hook you up!” He spoke too loudly, and people on the street turned to stare.
“Ernest, you shut your mouth!” Pirro shouted.
Rafe agreed. Too much information about his uncle’s sex life, Rafe thought and shuddered.
“Not having any trouble, Ernie, but thanks for the advice. I’m in a rush, so I’ll see you all later.” Hewaved at his uncle and his friends and finally headed into the doughnut shop.
When he exited a few minutes later, coffee in hand, the men were huddled over Pirro, who was scribbling in a notepad.
“Bye, Pirro!” Rafe called out.
The older man snapped his pad shut while his cronies surrounded him, blocking Rafe’s view.
“Strange,” he muttered, hoping when he was their age he had better things to do than hang out outside the barber shop.
S ARA SPENT HER first day in the small town of Hidden Falls wandering the shops and getting to know the area. Main Street was decorated for
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