She’d tried to learn where he went during the day and at night so she could bump into him, but he must have done a lot of business at home, because she didn’t see him leave much.
This time, she’d spied two men lounging poolside, the water reflecting off the patio roof, and hoped one was Rafe. From the beach, she hadn’t been able to tell. She knew she had to do something, though she’d never intended to drown herself. Not when she had a young son who needed her.
She’d thought she’d play in the water so she could stay near Rafe’s house and maybe catch his eye. She’d considered leaving the water wet, her clothes clinging to her and showing off her curves a little—something she never would have done to catch a man’s eye if she hadn’t felt the desperate need to do so. With all her heart, she’d wished Toby was here—seeing the ocean for the first time, chasing the hermit crabs, wiggling his toes in the wet sand, and feeding the gulls.
She admired Rafe for coming out to rescue her and couldn’t help but be amused at the way he had continued to hold on to her.
But she reminded herself that nothing else mattered except fulfilling her mission so she could get her son back. She really hadn’t planned to kiss the wolf like that, not when her brother said Rafe devoured his competition whole. Her research had shown that Rafe had taken over a number of real estate ventures, including their grandparents’ business, a couple of decades ago, proving her brother’s claims were right. So what would Rafe’s brother do if he could wield the power over their longevity? And if not him, then how ruthless could Rafe be with that knowledge?
It wasn’t important. Getting her son back safely was all that mattered.
Chapter 3
Jade had to admit she’d enjoyed kissing Rafe way too much, considering where her priorities had to remain. But he was so wolfish and tan, and smelled enticingly of coconut oil, the salty water, and sea breeze. His skin was soft, but everything else was hard—his muscles, his arousal, his chiseled, gorgeous face—all except the cute little dimples that hinted at whimsical amusement. She shouldn’t have been enjoying any of it, but she couldn’t help it since she was a wolf too. His board shorts were a pretty design—a green wave over dark blue—and so molded to his package that she tried not to notice.
As soon as the waves pulled back out to sea, she moved off him. She couldn’t believe it when she saw his foot bleeding all over the wet, golden sand. She thought he’d been kidding about being injured.
“Ohmigod, Rafe.” She noticed his friend had left the beach, probably figuring Rafe needed some alone time with her. She could have used the friend’s help now. “You cut yourself.”
“On a broken seashell.” He was frowning as he sat up, propped his foot up on his other thigh, and examined the cut.
They had wolf healing genetics, which would make the cut heal faster, but not instantaneously. Instead of offering to take him up to his house—she didn’t want him to know she knew he lived there—she said, “I’ve got a car parked in the public parking lot, though it’s a hefty hike across the sand. We need to bandage your foot before you walk anywhere.”
The way he had come to her rescue, he was definitely an alpha male, so when he hesitated to say he lived up at the big house, she assumed he wasn’t sure he wanted her to know. She supposed women who knew how rich he was would throw themselves at him, trying to win him over or at least enjoy some perks until he tired of them. She had no intention of throwing herself at him. Well, any more than she had already. That certainly wasn’t her mission. And she’d never planned to go this far with him. It just…happened.
For now, she quickly came up with another solution. “I’ll run back to my car. I have a first aid kit in it. You just wait here, and I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
“No need,” Rafe said, catching her hand before she moved away from him. “I live in the house up on the hill.”
She was glad he’d told her the truth. Pretending she didn’t know anything about him was hard enough. She glanced up at the home on the cliffs. The stucco wall had a wrought iron railing and flowers in profusion. Loungers and colorful umbrella-topped tables covered the patio.
“You live there? Who with?” She hoped his brother lived there too. But Kenneth had said Dr. Aidan Denali lived and worked elsewhere. Some of their pack members had been watching Rafe since Aidan had taken their blood samples, and not once had Aidan been to the house. His mail wasn’t going there either. Rafe seemed to be the only one who lived there. Probably a staff person too, but her brother didn’t know. All he’d cared about was where Aidan lived.
“I’m the only one who lives here. Unless Derek is still up there,” Rafe said. “But he just visits. And my personal assistant, but he’s busy with other things at the moment. He has his own guesthouse connected to the main house.”
“Wow.” At least she wasn’t lying when she acted impressed. She hadn’t known he had a guesthouse up there too. She frowned as she helped Rafe to stand. “They better not be up there watching and not coming down to help.”
“They wouldn’t be. Unless they thought I wanted to be alone with you.”
She sighed. “No offense, but I’m way out of your league.”
He was smiling down at her as if he didn’t believe she meant it. Which she didn’t, but she didn’t want him to think his wealth intimidated her. Which it didn’t.
She slipped her arm around his waist, glad he wasn’t trying to be all macho and do this on his own. He was limping on the heel of his foot, attempting to keep the sole from touching the sand, which was impossible.
He was trying to pretend it didn’t hurt, but his wincing told her the truth.
“I have an outdoor shower up there for rinsing off, but just a spigot down here for washing feet to keep the sand off the stairs.”
They cleaned their feet, and then he punched in a security code to open the gate.
Climbing the stairs took forever. She wasn’t sure if that was because he wanted the closeness to last longer or if he really was hurting that much.
“No live-in doctor to take care of your injury?” She could have kicked herself for saying so afterward. She hadn’t been thinking of his doctor brother, just that Rafe was wealthy enough to have a complement of staff. Maybe he couldn’t find staff who were wolves.
“No. Just by myself unless…”
“Derek is still there. Or Sebastian was there.”
“Which I doubt. They would have seen the trouble and come to my aid.”
“I wish I could have carried you up the stairs.”
Rafe laughed. “If you’d stepped on a shell and I carried you, that would be heroic. You carrying me?” He laughed again.
She smiled, thinking just how funny that would look.
When they reached the patio and she saw the aqua-blue pool, she wished Toby could be here. The two of them would jump right in. It looked so inviting. How could anyone live like this all by himself? A huge pack could live here and enjoy the place.
Maybe he was a growly, disagreeable wolf and no one was interested in him. Then again, probably no one knew he was a wolf.
“Why don’t you sit on the bench and I’ll wash you off, and then, well…” She really didn’t want to run into his house to find a first aid kit when she didn’t know him or where he kept anything. And she was just as sandy and wet as him. Not to mention that washing him off would be a lot more intimate than she wanted to get.