Page 25 of Protected from Malice (Blade and Arrow Shadow Team #1)

EDEN

I can’t believe you and Rafe finally got together!

Before I can respond to Zada’s text another message appears.

It only took what, ten years of me nagging you to do something about it?

Three dots blink for a second.

But seriously, I’m so happy for you.

I grin at the phone as I type my response.

I know. It was unexpected. I’d kind of given up thinking anything would ever happen. But once he got here and it was just me and him… things were different from before.

Setting my phone down on the dresser, I lean forward to inspect myself in the mirror above it.

My hair is having a good day, fortunately, curling agreeably instead of revolting into a frizzy bird’s nest. My cheeks are pink and my eyes are sparkling, the blue extra bright thanks to a light application of eyeshadow and mascara.

I stare at my lips for a second, debating whether a quick swipe of shimmery lipstick would make my lips look more kissable or if it would come across as unnatural.

I’m not usually one for makeup, aside from tinted moisturizer and an occasional dab of concealer. But I’m supposed to be having a date night with Rafe, so it seems like the perfect time to break out a little something extra.

A date night.

With Rafe.

An entire evening together without anyone else around.

He said it was going to be special. “Even though I can’t take you out,” he’d explained, “I want it to feel like a real date. Not sneaking off to the gym to kiss you or having dinner with four other guys around us. Just you and me and hours of privacy.”

My phone jitters across the shiny wooden dresser top and I snatch it up to read Zada’s incoming message.

It’s crazy how everything worked out. Somehow you go from having a creepy stalker to hooking up with the guy you’ve wanted for as long as I’ve known you. Talk about a silver lining.

A silver lining, indeed.

Am I glad I was almost run off the road? That someone broke into my house and later the hotel room with the intent to kidnap me? Of course not.

I didn’t exactly tell Zada all of that. It seemed safer—and simpler—to stick with a story about having a stalker to explain Rafe’s appearance in Portland.

Not that I won’t tell Zada everything eventually, but if I tell her now, she’ll be even more worried than she is already.

And since she can’t exactly help all the way from Boston, it doesn’t seem fair to put that on her.

Especially when she has a new job and a recent breakup to worry about herself.

But back to silver linings.

If I hadn’t had that scare on the road, I wouldn’t have called Rafe. Who knows when I would have seen him again in person.

We wouldn’t be having a date in less than—oh, crap—fifteen minutes, that’s for sure.

Eeep. Fifteen minutes.

Do I really look okay? Will Rafe like my outfit—a blue wraparound dress that dips to a V just low enough to show off a bit of cleavage—as much as I’m hoping he will? Is my hair going to behave instead of turning into a recalcitrant child, like it’s been known to do?

My phone buzzes in my hand, startling me from my thoughts.

Stop staring in the mirror, obsessing. You look great. You always do.

Laughing, I quickly tap out a reply.

Busted. But it’s our first official date. I want to look good for it!

Zada responds immediately.

And I’m sure you do! Stop fussing with your hair and makeup. Put on the lipstick you’ve been debating about. Make sure you’re wearing something that shows off your boobs. And relax. Rafe knows what you look like already. And obviously, he likes it.

True. Rafe’s seen me plenty of times in different outfits.

But tonight… I want to feel confident in my appearance.

I want Rafe to be wowed. And I’m hoping he’ll be inspired to take things further than just kissing.

I get why he’s being cautious, and technically, we’ve only been dating for a few days, but still .

I know him. And I have a decade-plus worth of fantasies about Rafe to make up for.

My phone buzzes again.

Did you tell Indy?

I quickly respond.

Yes. Thankfully, he was okay with it. I think he was glad, actually. Because he knows Rafe, rather than me dating some random guy he’s never met.

Indy didn’t come right out and say it, but I know my brother enough to know what he’s thinking.

And he was thinking about my assault, and how if I start dating some guy I meet online or at the gym, there’s no guarantee I couldn’t get hurt again.

But Rafe? He’s Indy’s best friend. They’ve literally entrusted each other with their lives.

Was Indy a little concerned about Rafe’s background?

Yes. When we’d talked, Indy brought up Rafe’s background, saying, “I trust Rafe implicitly, Eden. And honestly, I admire what he did. But he’s not gentle.

Not polished. He’s not going to be like one of the guys you work with at the lab. Are you okay with that?”

I’m more than okay with it. And there’s one thing Indy’s wrong about. Rafe is gentle. Not to everyone, but he is to me.

Of course, Indy had to give the requisite warning. I think it’s right there in the first chapter of the big brother’s handbook. “I love Rafe like a brother,” Indy concluded our conversation with, “but if he hurts you in any way, I won’t stand for it.”

Zada’s message blinks onto the screen.

I’m so happy for you. Aside from the stalker thing. But sexy Rafe won’t let anything happen to you .

A beat.

Okay. I have to get back to work. Step away from the mirror. Now. Go work on one of your brain melting puzzles until he arrives. And you’d better call tomorrow to tell me everything!

Belatedly, I realize my cheeks hurt from smiling.

I will. I promise.

Clicking the screen off, I follow my friend’s instructions and hurry from the bedroom.

Because she’s right. Despite my self confidence in other areas of my life, I know darn well I’ll work myself up into a frenzy of insecurity if I keep looking in the mirror.

And I’ll end up washing my makeup off and changing into jeans and a T-shirt and I’ll look just like boring, normal Eden when Rafe gets here, which isn’t what I want.

As I enter the living room, I’m struck with how quiet it seems. After almost a week of having constant company, it feels strange to have the place to myself.

Although I’m not technically alone, given all the security in here.

Plus, Indy, Ace, and Tyler are right next door, ready to jump into action at any moment.

And Webb—lovely, thoughtful Webb—volunteered to stand guard in the hallway, just like he did when Rafe took me bowling.

It’s too bad my cooking is absolute crap, or I’d bake some cookies or brownies to give him in thanks.

But since I don’t think Webb wants to crack a tooth or end up with food poisoning, it’s probably better I don’t.

Once all this is over, though… I know Webb loves craft beer.

So I could hit some of the better breweries in Portland, buy some six packs, make a big sampler with them…

And since Rafe said he was staying for a while, he could come with me.

Maybe to one of the places that hosts trivia, and it could be our first challenge. And then?—

Three quick knocks sound at the front door.

My heart stutters.

Then in that low, husky rumble that always makes my belly flutter, “Hey, Brain. It’s me. You ready?”

Rafe!

I toss my phone on the couch and hurry over to the door, wrestling with the three—because the standard two weren’t enough—locks before opening it.

The moment I see Rafe, my breath catches.

He’s always handsome in my opinion, whether he’s wearing sweats and a T-shirt or his standard jeans and a dark-colored Henley.

But tonight he’s dressed up for the occasion, just like me, looking dark and mysterious and the tiniest bit dangerous in dark gray pants and a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to expose his tattooed forearms.

His hair is still slightly damp, the dark brown flecked with bits of bronze, and he smells so delicious I’m tempted to bury my face in his neck to get a better whiff of him. As he looks at me, his eyes light in appreciation and his normally solemn expression brightens into a smile.

“You look gorgeous,” he says. Then he steps forward and pulls me into his arms, lowering his mouth to mine. When we break apart, he sets me away from him again. His gaze moves up and down my body. “I really like that dress.”

I feel my cheeks heating. “Do you?”

One big hand comes to my waist, curving around it.

“I do.” He pauses. “Not that you don’t look beautiful all the time.

But this—I love how I can see your perfect curves in it.

How it brings out the blue of your eyes.

” His gaze darkens. “You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.

I’ve always thought that. And seeing you like this… it just reinforces it.”

My heart erupts into crazed flutters. Desire coils inside me; aching in the most exquisite way. “You look really handsome. Not that you don’t always. But I really like you like this. All dark and mysterious.”

The corner of Rafe’s mouth quirks. “You like dark and mysterious?”

“I do.” Tracing the intricate lines of a tattoo on his arm, I add, “And I really like seeing your tattoos like this.”

“Oh?” He cups my cheek. His voice goes husky. “You like my tattoos?”

Breathlessly, I reply, “I do. I remember going to the beach with you and Indy. And I couldn’t stop sneaking looks at you. Wishing I could get a closer look at all your tattoos. Wishing I could touch them.”

“Eden.” It’s rough. Hungry. A quick glance below Rafe’s waist shows an obvious bulge in his pants.

Need rushes through me, more powerful and demanding than anything I’ve felt before.