Discovering Rafe

by Sara Blackard

  Thirteen

  “They killed it.” Piper’s breathless words pulled Rafe’s attention away from Chloe and her band as they wrapped up their song on Hello, America.

  Piper’s eyes sparkled as she glanced at Rafe, her fingers pressed against her radiant smile. He’d screwed things up with her at the hospital. The last two days had been torture and awkward, their relationship strained.

  “All because of you,” Rafe whispered, holding her gaze as her eyes widened and her cheeks pinked.

  Piper shook her head, turning her attention back to the band.

  Why couldn’t he have just grabbed her in that stairwell and told her he wanted her to have her dreams with him? He could profess his love for her to Zeke, but then tell her she had lots of options, like it was a bad thing? Eva had called it. He was a numskull.

  He’d blown it, and now Piper acted like she always had. He’d propelled himself back into her brother’s best friend status. Someone who was fun to have around, but one she didn’t share anything meaningful with beyond friendship.

  He needed to take a cue from Jake’s playbook and do something epic. Jake’s declaration of love seemed to put both Chloe and Piper in a dither. Rafe shook his head. Chloe and Jake getting engaged after knowing each other a week seemed insane.

  But when one knew, one knew, or at least that’s what Rafe was coming to understand. He certainly couldn’t believe his eyes had been blind to Piper the last fifteen years. She shouldn’t have been able to knock him off kilter, but she did, in a fashion that left his head spinning. Now, all he wanted to do was get this trying trip to New York done and over with so he could take her back to the ranch, figure out who was stalking her, and prove to her he wanted to keep her with him forever.

  That last one might be hard considering she barely talked to him anymore.

  His shoulders slumped as he followed twenty feet behind her. Their group ventured backstage, and he wanted to give her space to celebrate with her friends.

  Derrick came up beside him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Davis’s sister sure is special.”

  Rafe’s eyes narrowed at the appreciative tone in Derrick’s voice. Great. Someone else bidding for Piper’s attention. Rafe couldn’t compete with Derrick. Not only was his friend loyal to the core, but Rafe had been told on more than one occasion by women they met that Derrick’s deep, smooth voice melted knees like butter left in the sun. Similar sentiments had been said so often that Rafe had just come to accept that if Derrick came out with the guys, all women would preen for his attention.

  This time, though, Rafe didn’t want to see any preening, especially from Piper.

  Derrick held up his hands. “No need to explode my brain with your death glare, man. I know she’s yours.”

  “Sorry.” Rafe rubbed his hand over his face. “She’s not mine. I screwed things up.”

  “Yeah, I caught that.” Derrick chuckled. “Whatever you did has her dashing out of the chute like an unbroken horse escaping the corral. You just need to lasso that filly and speak soft words until she calms down.”

  Rafe snorted. Leave it to Derrick to relate this entire situation to cowboying. Though he’d left his rodeo days behind him when he joined the Army, he still exuded western toughness.

  “I know she’s meant to be yours, but some people haven’t gotten the memo.” Derrick pointed his chin toward Chet, who approached Piper with a wide smile. “You don’t take care of business soon, man, there won’t be any business to take care of.”

  Rafe’s eyes narrowed as Chet wrapped his arms around Piper and spun her in a circle. Her face contorted in pain, and she pushed on Chet’s shoulder. The man had no consideration for her still bruised back and obvious discomfort. Rafe stomped toward them, his body hot with rage.

  Elias, Chloe’s drummer, grabbed Chet’s shoulder. “Chet, man, step back. You know Piper’s still hurt.”

  Chet pulled Piper closer, his hands running all over her back in exploration. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “Chet, please.” Piper’s shaking voice blasted all Rafe’s thoughts of handling the situation delicately out the window.

  “I just want to give you a thank-you kiss.” Chet leaned closer, his laugh grating down Rafe’s back.

  Elias’s face tightened, and he pulled again. “Chet, I don’t—”

  Rafe grabbed Chet by the back of the neck and threw him up against the wall. “Keep your hands off her.”

  “Back off, jerk, I’m just showing her my appreciation.” Chet’s face turned crimson.

  “Can’t you get a clue? She’s not interested.” Rafe stepped closer, his temper boiling near the surface.

  “Her interest in you has obviously passed, so why don’t you do your job, you know, watching Chloe. I’ve got Piper handled.” An unkind smile spread across Chet’s face as he pitched his voice low so just Rafe could hear. “Nothing like a good heartbreak to make a woman pliable. I should thank you. Whatever you did jumpstarted my chances with her.”

  He leaned closer, which Rafe thought was plain dumb. Didn’t Chet know Rafe could break him without even trying? Piper tugged on Rafe’s hand.

  Chet chuckled and pitched his voice low. “Does she taste as good as she smells or do you even know?”

  Rafe’s arm swung before he even realized what he did. His fist connected with Chet’s face, spurting blood onto the floor. Piper stepped between them and pushed on Rafe’s chest. He tried to move her out of the way so he could finish pummeling the jerk, but she stood firm.

  “Rafe, please, just … let’s go.” Her voice cracking pulled his attention to her crumpled face. “Please, I want to go.”

  He took a deep breath to tone the rage down, grabbed her hand, and led her toward the exit. He slammed through the door and found the dressing room. The sooner he could gather her stuff and get to the vehicle, the sooner he could take her away to the ranch.

  She yanked her hand from his and pushed him. “What was that about?”

  He turned around and threw his arms wide. “What do you mean? That guy was being a complete jerk.”

  “You don’t think I could handle it?”

  “Are you kidding me? You weren’t handling it.” Rafe tried to keep his voice down. He really tried.

  “Shh, before you make an even bigger scene than you already did.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “He was just excited. This was a big deal, if you haven’t clued in yet. Besides, it wasn’t so bad having a man want to kiss me. Then you came in with your grunting and bared teeth.”

  “Psh, that’s not what I was doing.” He rolled his eyes, his blood pressure rising again at her actually wanting the dude’s kiss. “Besides, that is not what kissing is supposed to be like, especially since you’ve told him you aren’t interested.”

  “That’s exactly what you were doing.” She swatted at the air, ignoring what he’d said. “It was like a pack of feral wolves, and I was the killed prey.” Her body went still, and she blinked slowly. “You’re jealous.”

  His mouth turned dry as he looked away. “Am not.”

  “Yes, yes, you are.”

  “You shouldn’t even be thinking about kissing that jerk.”

  “Why?” Her eye contact didn’t waver, and it unnerved him.

  “Why?” Rafe scrambled for an excuse. “What, a stalker isn’t a big enough reason to lie low? Or how about that you’ve already turned him down?”

  She stepped closer, too close. Close enough that her heat radiated up his body.

  “I don’t think that’s why you believe I shouldn’t be thinking about kissing, well, kissing him.” She glanced to his lips, her mouth turning up on one side in a small smile. “I think that little act out there had more to do with you than it did me.”

  A weight settled in his core, and he rubbed his palm over his heart. “Piper, I just want to protect you.”

  “Because of my brother?” She bit her bottom lip and looked down, her hesitation spearing his chest.

  “No,” he
whispered and cleared his throat, his heart pounding against his ribs.

  She peered back up at him, her eyebrows rising and her gaze questioning.

  “Because …” He swallowed. “I can’t stand the thought of you hurt. It’s all I think about.”

  She leaned closer, spreading her hands on his shirt and making his muscles jump like they were pumped with electricity. “You’re all I think about too.”

  She softly touched her mouth to his, her trembling lips contradicting her confident approach. She pulled back, her expression wavering. His well-formulated plan to woo her dissipated like mist in the desert. He grabbed her hips, pulling her back to him, threading his fingers through her belt loops so he didn’t hurt her back.

  He leaned forward and captured her lips to his. She tasted of mint and hope and a happiness he figured lay well past his reach. He softened his touch when he thought he’d pushed too fast, but she speared her fingers through his hair and held him close. Her touch shot fire through his scalp and to his toes. He curled them to stay standing.

  “Piper, I—oh, sorry. I’ll just—” Elias stumbled back toward the door, his face and ears bright red.

  Piper jumped away from Rafe, her hand touching her mouth. “No, Elias, it’s okay.” She peeked at Rafe before stepping toward the drummer.

  “I … I just wanted to apologize for not doing more back there.” His eyes darted to Rafe before looking down at the ground. “I should’ve made Chet let go.”

  “It’s okay. He caught us all by surprise.” Piper crossed her arms over her chest. “You played great this morning, Elias. I hope this is the break you all have been waiting for.”

  “If we make it at all, it will be because of you.” Elias shrugged. “Thanks for all you’ve done for the band, Piper. We would still be playing in rundown bars for peanuts if it wasn’t for you.”

  Piper shook her head, and Rafe stepped up and squeezed her shoulder. She deserved to know how others recognized all she’d done to make the band a success. She peeked over at him as he ran circles with his thumb on her sweater.

  “She doesn’t take flattery very well, man.” Rafe smiled and winked at her. “Has always been more happy in the background instead of the limelight.”

  “That’s what makes her so great.” Elias cleared his throat. “Anyway. Thanks, Piper. I’ll see you when we start practicing again.”

  When he’d left the room, Piper brought her hands to her pink cheeks. “How embarrassing.”

  Rafe shook his head, pulling her back into his arms. “Being caught kissing you isn’t embarrassing.” He kissed the corner of her mouth that she had tweaked in frustration. “I wouldn’t mind being caught kissing you more often.”

  He brushed a trail of kisses along her jaw to right below her ear. She made a noise in her throat as she leaned her head to the side. Rafe smiled against her skin, glad for once that all his perfect planning went awry. He still needed to get her to the safety of the ranch, but at least now he could stop stressing about hiding his feelings for her.

  Chloe’s cheerful laugh sounded in the hall, and Piper scrambled out of Rafe’s arms. Her face flushed as her gaze darted around the room, freezing when Chloe, Jake, and Derrick walked through the door. Chloe’s eyes widened as they bounced from Piper to Rafe.

  “What’s going on?” Chloe’s barely contained smile said she knew exactly what was going on.

  “Nothing.” Piper’s quick response had Rafe cocking his eyebrow at her and looking pointedly at her swollen lips. She rubbed her hand under her ear where he’d just kissed. “We were just getting ready to pack up.”

  “Right.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Well, let’s get going then. After Rafe bloodied the hallway, the studio is a little eager for us to be on our way.”

  Piper wrung her hands, her face going pale. “That was all my fault. Should I go talk to them?”

  “It wasn’t your fault. It was Chet the Jerk’s fault, and, no, I took care of it.” Chloe stomped to her suitcase and started throwing things in. “Besides, these morning news guys like a little drama, makes their hearts pitter-patter.”

  It definitely made Rafe’s heart do crazy things.

  “By the way, when this stalker business is cleared up, we’re finding a new guitarist.” Chloe shoved a sparkly shirt in her bag with force. “I told Chet to find somewhere else to spread his sleaziness.”

  Piper’s shoulders sagged, and Rafe wasn’t fully convinced it was in relief. He wanted to give Piper a break from the craziness of the past week. He wanted to let her have time to not worry about anything, maybe have some double-date movie nights with Jake and Chloe in front of the big screen back at his place he shared with the other guys.

  With Chloe insisting the night before that they take a break from the music business until they found the stalker, Piper would have time to just relax. He peeked at her lips. He could think of a few ways to distract her. His smile grew as her neck flushed, and she ducked her head. Yep, he wouldn’t mind distracting her at all.

  Fourteen

  Piper stifled her smile as Rafe pulled her closer where they snuggled on the couch. Since leaving New York the day before and arriving at the ranch, he’d been extra attentive, coming up with all kinds of excuses to be with her. The shift in his behavior was startling and overwhelming in the most amazing way. It was like all her daydreams were being rolled out from the scroll she’d tightly wrapped with never-going-to-happen thoughts.

  She stared out the second-story floor-to-ceiling window Rafe had pushed the couch up to. He’d said he wanted to stargaze but didn’t want her freezing. He’d led her up to a living room upstairs where he’d set up snacks and a thermos full of hot chocolate. He’d even hung a blanket over the entryway, claiming they’d have a better view of the stars if all the inside lights were out. He was right, but she bet there was more to it than that.

  Finding privacy in a house full of people proved hard to accomplish. Her cheeks heated, remembering how many times they’d been caught kissing. Being caught by Eva was the worst since she liked to announce it to anyone within shouting distance. Piper smiled as she cuddled closer to Rafe.

  The last two hours had been a quiet escape, though, filled with soft conversation and heated kissing. She could get used to this side of Rafe she’d never witnessed before. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Her breathing slowed as her eyelids grew heavy. His presence chased all her stress and worry away, leaving her as limp as a contented kitty. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took a deep breath. Hopefully, she wouldn’t start purring.

  A ding jerked her awake from where she lay stretched next to Rafe on the couch with her head on his shoulder. The sky through the window had gone from black to dark blue streaked with orange and pink, announcing a fast approaching sunrise. How in the world had she fallen asleep and ended practically sprawling on him? Her phone dinged again, and her neck grew hot as she pushed up from her position.

  Without opening his eyes, Rafe grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. “Just leave it. It’s too early.”

  Piper pushed back up, scrambling to the far side of the couch where her phone was. Rafe squinted through one eye, his disappointment clear in his tightly pressed lips.

  “Since it’s early, it’s probably important.” She swatted his legs as he laid them over hers.

  “Just don’t take too long. I’m not ready to get up yet.”

  “You can go back to sleep. I’m going to sneak into my room.” She cringed and shook her head. “I can’t have anyone finding us. How—”

  Her throat closed as she looked at her phone, choking her words to a halt. A text with an attached folder showed on her locked screen.

  UNKNOWN: If I can’t have you, no one will.

  “Rafe.” Her breath stuttered out and her hands trembled so hard she had a hard time getting her phone unlocked.

  Rafe was fully awake and by her side in an instant. “What’s wrong?” He growled as he read the text, reaching for the phone.

  She shoo
k her head, knowing he’d try to protect her from what the attachments were, and unlocked her phone. Taking a deep breath to calm her rapidly frazzling nerves, she clicked on the folder attached to the text. Images that must’ve been taken through the windows of Zeke’s house filled the screen. Pictures of her and Rafe sleeping on the couch, of her changing in her room, and them playing with Eva. She trailed her finger up the screen, scanning them as they kept loading. There had to be dozens of them, all taken since they had gotten back from New York.

  Rafe snatched her phone from her and helped her off the couch. “We’re leaving, now.”

  He wrapped his arm across her lower back and led her into her bedroom. Her knees buckled the moment he let her go to shut the curtains, and she slumped onto her bed. Her breaths came in short, quick succession. She needed to slow them down, but she couldn’t focus, couldn’t think.

  Her breaths competed with her heart in a race to her possible demise. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut, clasping her hands between her knees. She didn’t want to die—not when all her dreams looked to come true.

  “Honey, I need you to calm down.” Rafe’s hand smoothed back her hair. “We need to pack, and we can’t do that if you pass out.”

  “I … can’t … breathe.” She pulled at her sweater that wrapped tight around her like a straitjacket. Black spots danced before her face.

  “Crap.” Rafe sat next to her on the bed and shoved her head between her knees. He rubbed slow, feather-soft circles on her back. “Honey, I need you to breathe like me. Deep breath in … one … two … three and out … one … two … three. Great. Again.”

  It didn’t feel great. It felt as if her lungs were being ripped from her chest. But after a few minutes of his soft touch and guided breathing, her organs decided they’d cooperate.

  “Better?” Rafe brushed a tear she hadn’t even known she’d leaked from her cheek.

  She must look a mess. He kissed her softly on the lips and leaned his forehead against hers. He anchored her, unlike minutes before when she thought she’d fall. She clung to his arms, never wanting to let go.