Page 21 of Protected from Malice (Blade and Arrow Shadow Team #1)

My curiosity is definitely piqued.

About halfway down the hallway, Rafe says, “Okay. Close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes? What?—”

“Brain.” Even his voice is smiling. “Do you trust me?”

My eyes slam shut. “Yes. Of course.”

“Okay.” He hugs me a little closer. “Then keep your eyes closed until I say to open them.”

We walk a little further, then stop.

A door opens and shuts.

Rafe’s breath ruffles my hair. “I figured you had to be feeling restless, being stuck in the hotel room like you’ve been. Then I had an idea…” He stops. “Well. I remembered something about you, too.”

“Remembered what?”

“Brain.” His lips press to the top of my head. Humor tinges his voice. “You’ll see.”

“Rafe.” It’s a gentle warning laced with amusement. “If you say you’ll see one more time…”

“Okay.” Webb’s voice makes me jump. “Sorry,” he adds. “But it’s all set. I spoke with Tyler, and he said the space is secure. Plus, I cleared it myself.”

“Good.” Rafe straightens. His hold on me tightens. “So you’re okay with?—”

“Of course,” Webb replies. “I’ll be right out here, standing guard.”

My heart leaps.

Webb is standing guard out here?

Meaning, it’ll just be me and Rafe wherever he’s bringing me?

Wait. Don’t get too excited.

Don’t speculate.

What did my dad love to say?

Assuming makes an ass out of you and me . I used to roll my eyes at him—typical twelve-year-old, thinking everything my parents said was silly—but it’s held true.

Just because Rafe and I might be alone?—

“Alright, Brain.” Rafe urges me forward. “Don’t open your eyes yet. Just another few seconds…”

The door shuts behind us with a little snick.

As soon as we walk inside wherever , I’m hit with a blend of familiar scents.

Wood polish. Rubber. A faint tang of disinfectant. Popcorn. Pizza.

“Rafe?” I clutch his arm. “What is this?”

He turns me slightly and says, “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”

The instant I do, my breath catches.

Tears burn behind my eyes.

We’re in a bowling alley.

A small but perfect one, with two lanes just for us.

The wood gleams beneath the overhead lights, and the scoreboard is all lit up and ready to play.

Two pairs of bowling shoes are set on a counter near the front—one small and one large.

Off to the side, a popcorn machine is filled to the brim with popcorn, and beside that, a little spinning heater has slices of pizza inside it.

There’s no one else here. No hotel guests. No employees. Just us.

“Rafe,” I manage through a constricting throat. “How?—”

He turns me so we’re face to face. His expression softens. “I remember going bowling with you that time in Boston. You said how much you loved it, how you and your dad used to go all the time. But you didn’t have any friends who’d go with you.”

My nose prickles. “I asked. But they thought it was silly. Childish. And I didn’t want to go by myself.”

“I remember how much you enjoyed it. How excited you got when you scored that strike.” A beat, and then more softly, “You looked so cute. Jumping up and down. Cheering. And your smile…”

“My smile?”

Rafe stares at me, his expression unreadable.

Or maybe it is.

Maybe, just maybe, he’s feeling the same thing as me.

He touches my cheek. “It was everything.”

I’m afraid to hope. Afraid I’ll be disappointed. That if I ask, I’ll ruin this special thing Rafe planned before it even starts.

But I have to ask. “Everything?”

His eyes close. When they open, the emotion within hits me square in the chest. In a low, husky tone, he says, “Ah, Eden. Don’t you know?”

“Maybe.” It’s barely a whisper. “I know what I hope it is.”

For the first time since I’ve known Rafe, he looks nervous.

“I thought about it all the time. Your smile. When we were overseas on an op, it was right there. Reminding me why I was fighting. Reminding me why I needed to make it home.”

“Rafe.”

“I’d do anything to make you smile, Eden.” He tears his gaze from mine to cast a quick glance around the bowling alley. “I know this isn’t much?—”

“It is,” I interrupt fiercely. “This is amazing, Rafe. That you remembered, and you set this all up…”

“It wasn’t. I just paid to rent the space. And for all the food to be ready. And I asked Tyler and Webb to help. But that’s not much. Not considering what you deserve.”

“What do I deserve?”

He swallows hard. “Everything good, Eden. Not this shit you’ve been dealt. No one deserves it. But definitely not you.”

My heart skips a beat. “This is good, Rafe. You’re good.”

Pain flickers in his eyes, but he quickly hides it. “I’m not.” Then he takes a deep breath and lets it out in a rush. “Anyway.” His voice brightens. “Bowling. We’ve got the alley for three hours. Although you might not want to be away from work that long.”

“Work can wait.”

Anything that’s not Rafe can wait.

“I thought since it’s lunchtime, we could eat first.” He angles his chin towards the popcorn and pizza. “There’s a soda machine, too. And they told me there’s beer in the cooler, if you want some. I won’t, but that doesn’t mean?—”

“Rafe.” I grab his hands. “This is just… it’s perfect.”

Alarm flashes across his face. “Then why are you crying?”

“Am I?”

He releases one hand to cup my cheek; his thumb gently brushing across it. “You are.”

“They’re happy tears, then. Not sad.”

“So you’re happy?”

Even though potential rejection urges me to use caution, I find myself leaning forward. Rising up on my toes to get closer to him. “I am.”

“Eden.” The way he says it… It’s more than my name. It’s almost a prayer.

As we look at each other, everything around us seems to fade.

“I shouldn’t,” he murmurs. But still, he moves towards me.

And I towards him.

I can’t be wrong.

I can’t be.

His gaze burns into mine. “I didn’t bring you here with an ulterior motive. I wouldn’t. I just thought you’d enjoy it.”

“I know.” It’s hard to hear myself above the thundering of my heart. “And I do. I will. But…”

Do I dare?

Thirty-four-years-old, and I’m afraid to say what I want.

But it’s Rafe. And if I mess this up…

“Eden.” Rafe’s jaw works. His brow creases. It looks like he’s in a battle with himself.

“Dammit,” he mutters. “I shouldn’t.”

But.

He doesn’t let me go.

His hand comes to the back of my head, his fingers tunneling through my hair.

He moves closer still. Until our faces are just a whisper away.

Then he kisses me, and my heart nearly bursts from the joy of it.

It’s just a light kiss. A brush of his lips across mine. But it feels…

It feels like everything good.

Just as I start to respond, he pulls away. With obvious concern, he asks, “Was that okay? I hope I didn’t trigger?—”

“No.”

Rafe’s face pales as horror flashes across it. “Fuck. Fuck . I’m so sorry. Shit .”

I rush to explain. “No, you didn’t trigger me. At all. That’s what I meant. But it was okay.”

He still looks like he doesn’t believe me. “I shouldn’t have done that. Not without asking. Dammit.”

“Rafe.” I can’t bear to see his misplaced guilt another second. “You did not do anything wrong. I’m glad you kissed me.” A terrible thought occurs to me. “Unless you regret it?”

“No. Not for a second.” It’s quick. Adamant. “The only thing I’d regret is hurting you.”

“You didn’t.” Using his shoulders for balance, I press my lips to his. “I’ve been… I wanted to kiss you the other day. But I thought you didn’t want to.”

His arms come around me. “I wanted to. But I didn’t think it was the right time. With everything else going on…”

“I understand. But now? How do you feel?”

“I feel like I want to kiss you more than I want to breathe.”

Oh.

OH.

Rafe is brave. Strong. Bold. He flings himself into the most dangerous situations without missing a beat. But right now, he’s just a man who wants to do the right thing.

He’s afraid of hurting me.

He doesn’t know the only way he could is by leaving.

I give in to one of my long-wished for desires, brushing my fingers across his bristly cheek. It’s a stark contrast—rough hair to soft skin—just like he is. “That’s how much I want to kiss you, too.”

Rafe exhales. His mouth descends on mine. This time he lingers, not pushing me to do more, but just waiting.

He’s giving me control. He thinks I need it.

I don’t. Not with him. But I’ll take it.

Heart pounding, I kiss him harder. Nipping his lower lip and stroking away the slight sting left behind. Teasing his mouth open and tentatively dipping inside.

My body is on fire for him. It wants things I once thought I’d never want again.

Kissing Rafe is more than I ever dreamed it would be.

I’m not sure how long we kiss. Long enough for Rafe to cast aside his worries and kiss me back, not cautiously, but passionately. Long enough for me to feel him hardening against my belly. Long enough for him to pull me against him, holding me like he never wants to let go.

It’s not scary. At all.

It’s all I wanted. And it’s perfect .