RAFE'S LAIR

by Jessie Lynn

  "Good morning beautiful. How are you feeling?" Rafe said sitting up and scrubbing his face so he could look at his mate.

  When his eyes landed on her he had to make himself remember how to breathe. His little Ava was in the shirt he'd been wearing the night before and laid out for her to put on when she got up. He knew she wasn't comfortable in her dress and he really wanted to see her walking around his place in his clothes anyway. By giving her the one, he'd worn the night before she'd be covered in his scent and he wanted that even more. He hadn't thought they would be that big on her though. No problem it just made her look cute and petite.

  His shirt literally swallowed her up. The damn thing looked monstrous on her. He couldn't even see her hands cause the sleeves hung down a good six inches past her fingertips. It was so long the hem was almost passed her knees. She looked like she was wearing a tent and he loved it. She looked even more delicate than she already was draped in his shirt. He knew he'd love the way she looked in his stuff, but he hadn't thought he would love it so much that's all he'd want her to wear from now on.

  Her silky long legs were bare. He'd laid out some pants for her too, and judging by the shirt, they were way too big and wouldn't stay on. Well that so didn't break his heart one bit. Hell it made him even happier cause he got the pleasure of seeing her sexy legs. He let his eyes slowly travel down her bare legs to her tiny little toes that were painted a bright pink. Damn even her toes looked so freaking cute. He could spend an entire week exploring those pink little toes before he made his slow journey up her sexy legs to explore the rest of her.

  She'd taken her hair down at some point in the night and it now tumbled all around her shoulders in a wild mass of waves. She looked so damned adorable in his shirt that was ten times too big for her and her hair a wild halo around her from sleeping on it. She hadn't brushed it yet and he didn't want her to ever, he wanted her to stay just like that. His mouth had gone dry from the vision she made standing there in the door to his room so soft and mussed from sleep. He couldn't wait for her (looking just like this) to be the first thing he saw every night when he woke.

  He wanted to scoop her into his arms and carry her right back to bed and slowly strip her out of his shirt. He would have given anything to have been in that bed with her when she first opened those baby blues. She would have given him that soft shy little smile she was now, but that mass of wild waves would have been spread out on his pillows instead of tumbling around her shoulders. She reached up to tuck an errant wave behind her ear and had to find her hand in his shirt sleeve first. He jumped up and came to her so he could do it for her. Anything just to be able to touch her.

  "Here beautiful, let me help." He whispered to her as he reached up and tucked it behind her ear.

  "Oh uh thanks." She barely squeaked out.

  Ava wouldn't look up at Rafe; she couldn't and still keep breathing. She didn't know what she should do or say really. She had promised Marie that she would get to know him and stop hiding because she was scared. She really didn't think the guy would physically hurt her, but she knew for a fact he was very dangerous to her heart and emotions. Not to mention she didn't buy the reason he gave her about why she was dreaming of him one bit. There was no way in hell she would have not noticed this guy no matter where she saw him. She hadn’t been this interested in anyone in a long time. Hell she'd never been this interested in anyone period.

  Rafe let his hand caress down Ava's soft cheek after he tucked away her hair for her. He absolutely loved how shallow her breathing was from that little amount of contact. He couldn't resist leaning down to give her a feather light kiss on her other cheek. Her soft little hands lifted to his chest and she had to struggle to get them out of the sleeves. She wasn't having any luck so he brought his hands up to help her. He wanted to feel them skin to skin. When he'd managed to free them, he pushed them flat onto his chest and covered them with his. They both shuddered at the contact.

  "Ava, baby I'm dying to kiss you again. Will you let me beautiful? Lift your head up to me baby, meet me half way and let me taste you again." Rafe cooed to her.

  He could feel her fingers curling against his chest. Her soft rapid breaths were blowing against his bare skin. He wanted her to lean in, kiss his heart, and then lick her way up to his mouth. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest just like his. She was just as affected as he was and he loved it.

  "Come here baby, bring me those sweet lips. That's it."

  Ava whimpered as she lifted up to meet Rafe's lips for his kiss. She had to lift up onto her toes to reach him even as he was leaning down further to her. She felt his lips glide across hers as he spoke the last words against her mouth right before he really kissed her. It wasn't like the soft kisses he'd been giving her. No, he took her mouth with his and all she could do was fall into him and hold on while she kissed him back with everything she had.

  Rafe had used up the last of his control going slow allowing Ava to come to him. When he felt her lean into his chest for support as she went up on her toes to meet him, the last thread broke. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her flush against his body as he slanted his head and took her mouth the way he'd been needing to. Hard and deep. He cradled her head to his as he tasted her mouth. He felt her arms slide up his chest and wrap around his neck. She clung to him so sweetly bringing her fingers higher to burrow into his hair as she kissed him back just as desperately.

  It literally took everything Rafe had to pull back from his Ava's sweet lips. He had to chuckle when she tried to lean up more to follow his retreat. He brushed her silky hair away from her face as he kept her from tumbling into him. She had her eyes closed and her lips were swollen from his kiss. She hadn't been ready for their kiss to end either. He leaned down and kissed the side of her mouth, she immediately turned her head towards him seeking his mouth for more. He laughed against her mouth and gave her soft little kisses before he pulled back to look in her blue eyes.

  "Ah God sweet beautiful I have to stop now while I still can." Rafe said as he caressed her back. "Come over here baby. Let's sit you down at the bar while I fix you breakfast."

  Ava looked so adorably confused by his words that he laughed and leaned down to kiss her on her button nose.

  "You fell asleep before I could bring you dinner last night so I know you’re still hungry. Not to mention I can feel your tummy grumbling against mine." He said taking her hands and leading her toward the kitchen walking backward so he didn't have to stop looking at her. "You can keep me company while I cook. How bout that?"

  Ava followed the guy who'd just blown her mind with that kiss. She was thrown by the abrupt change and shook her head to gain some of her sense back. She pulled back stopping them half way across the living room.

  "That's okay, I'll just go wake up Marie and we'll get out of your way. I'm sure you’re tired from having to sleep on the couch and would like to go get some rest in your own bed. Thank you for being so generous.... Ah... I'm sorry; I don't even know your name."

  Ava just realized she'd been kissing this guy; she'd slept in his freaking bed. She looked down. She was wearing his damn shirt, and she didn't even know the man's name. This was so not like her. Had she been in her right frame of mind she would have left the second she could form a coherent thought. The guy had stopped with her and he came closer crowding her space again. He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up to look at him.

  Her first thought was he had the most amazing green eyes. They were an emerald green that almost didn't look real. They were so bright, they practically glowed. He had an unconventionally handsome face. She apparently had a thing for guys with some facial hair, cause her last two boyfriends had goatee’s and so did this guy.

  "My name is Rafe and you are not in my way. Ava remember what I told you last night? Stop trying to run away and just let me take care of you."

  Rafe was starting to get irritated again. Did he have like the plague or something? By the way Ava was constan
tly trying to run from him, he was starting to wonder what the hell was wrong with him. He knew she found him attractive, she couldn't not and still be his mate. But getting her to trust him was like pulling teeth. Hell at this point pulling out his teeth sounded less time consuming and less painful.

  "Ava tell me what is so bad about having breakfast with me? Do I smell bad? Maybe have boogers hanging out of my nose or something? I promise I don't have any coodies or anything."

  Ava giggled and looked down at Rafe's chest. Rafe. She liked that name. She lifted her hands back to his chest and pet his heart. It fit him perfectly. He was devilish and could be scary as hell if he wanted to be. Yet he was so overly gentle with her and apparently was very playful too.

  "And if I do smell bad, then I'll take a quick shower. Not that big a deal." He said looking down at her hands.

  Ava laughed again and shook her head.

  "No you don't smell bad, but you already know that."

  Rafe bent his knees to lean a little lower to look at Ava. He put his hand over hers to still them on his chest to get her to look at him again.

  "Then I don't understand beautiful. What is so appalling that you can't stand to be around me?" Rafe asked her.

  Ava finally looked back up at him with a little grin on her face.

  "There is nothing wrong with you that I know of. That's the point."

  "There has to be something wrong with me for you to want to hang out with me? That's a little prejudice don't you think?" Rafe said with a smirk.

  Ava smacked him playfully on the chest laughing. She shook her head and looked up at him.

  "That is not what I meant and you know it. Had you not have cut me off and let me finish, I would have said. I don't know you so I can't say if there's something wrong with you. And I don't want you to keep going out of your way thinking you have to take care of me. I'm a grown woman and am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Now we've already inconvenienced you more than enough so please don't worry about doing anymore."

  Rafe nodded his head saying "Oh" Then he pulled Ava against him again wrapping his arm around her back and bringing one of her hands to his mouth so he could kiss her fingers one by one. He turned them and started dancing her backward toward the kitchen while he talked to her.

  "See beautiful the only way you do get to know someone is by spending time with them, and you can't do that if you’re constantly running away from said someone. So in that you’re thinking is flawed. As far as inconveniencing me? The only thing that's inconveniencing me is the fact that you are constantly running away from me. So again you’re thinking is flawed. Now as far as you being a grown woman."

  He leaned over slightly to look at her ass and then leaned back to look down the front of her. He kept her hips pressed to his by keeping his hand flat on her lower back. He had been very tempted to lift his shirt up in the back so he could get a really good look at her perky, rounded little ass. Wagging his eyebrows, he said.

  "I can most certainly tell you are all grown woman baby. Although in my shirt, you do kinda look like a little kid playing dress up in grown up clothes. It's actually very cute and a very good look for you. I might add."

  The entire time he was dancing and talking to Ava, she was giggling at him. At one point she even dropped her head to his chest and rested her forehead against him a moment. When he started kissing each of her fingers again from her pinkie to her thumb, she looked back up at him. She stayed pressed against him though following his dance steps on her toes. He'd let his hand drop even lower so most of it was on the rounded ass he'd been commenting on. He stroked his thumb back and forth right on her dimples where her lower back connected to her butt.

  He reached the bar way too soon though. He leaned around his playful little mate and pulled out a stool. Ava jumped a little and brought her hands flat to his chest again. Rafe straightened back up, picked Ava up, and settled her on the stool. She gave a startled squeak and grabbed onto his shoulders. Her feet immediately found the rungs and he stepped into the v of her legs. He ran his hands down her sides to the outside of her thighs.

  Ava slid her hands down to Rafe's biceps. He was so close to her standing right between her spread legs. She looked up into his grinning devilish face. She felt his hands slide lower on her legs to push the hem of his shirt up higher. She really thought he was going to try to push it up over her hips, but he moved it out of the way just enough that he could touch her bare thighs.

  "So now that your pretty little ass that I was admiring is parked on the stool you have no excuse to not talk to me while I make breakfast for myself. That way you can get to know me and there won't be any more stranger danger." Rafe said.

  That made his mate really laugh and it was music to his ears. She even threw her head back a little so he couldn't resist bending down to her and giving her little kisses to her throat before he spoke against her neck again.

  "Now if you change your mind about not wanting to eat my delicious breakfast with me, you'll have to be nice to me while you’re doing your interrogation of me. You will also have to share tidbits about yourself as well, that way there won't be any stranger danger for me either. Then I might share my yummy food with you, seeing as how you will be my new friend."

  Ava felt Rafe's hand slip around to her lower back to support her and he stepped even closer and leaned her back a little. Once he had her reclined a little he had better access to her throat still kissing her and talking to her. His other hand stayed on her thigh, but he had moved it underneath and slid it higher so he was practically fondling her butt.

  Laughing Ava said. "I can guarantee I am no danger to you, it is souly the other way around. Hell I don't think there's anything that could hurt you."

  Rafe lifted his head so he could look Ava in the eye.

  "That is where you are so very wrong beautiful. You are more dangerous to me than you can even imagine." Rafe said.

  Ava didn't know what to say. His eyes were so serious and she could tell he wasn't playing anymore. He truly believed she was a danger to him, but she couldn't fathom as to how. Luckily, Marie came out to join them so she didn't have to respond. Rafe stepped back and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

  "All I have to say is it's a damn good thing I took today off." Marie said coming to stand by Ava. "How'd you sleep sweetie?" She asked Ava.

  "Surprisingly all night actually."

  Rafe turned around. "You don't sleep good normally?" He asked.

  Ava shook her head as she got down off the stool to join him in the kitchen.

  "No I'm usually up and down a few times a night. Please tell me you have coffee." She said coming up next to him.

  "Ha that's the understatement of the day!" Marie said.

  Ava and Rafe both looked at her at the same time. Rafe arched a brow as he reached out and pulled Ava closer to him. He needed her to be next to him sharing their combined warmth.

  "And what exactly do you mean by that?" He asked.

  Marie smiled at the way Rafe was protecting her friend from her of all people.

  "Nothing. She gets up like every hour, that's all. Kinda hard not to notice when someone is up and down that much." Marie said.

  Ava put her hand on her hip. "I do not!" She shot back, then more quieter. "It's like every couple of hours." She added more softly. "I'm sorry I wake you up that much. Where the hell is your coffee? And if you tell me you don't have any I'm outta here. I cannot function without caffeine." She said turning to Rafe hoping to lighten the mood.

  Rafe looked at his mate and hated the embarrassment in her eyes. He knew if he tried to intervene now, she would be even more embarrassed and push him away. So he took her lead to try to get the attention away from something so personal about her and teased her.

  "Maybe if you slept you wouldn't need caffeine so much." Rafe said looking down at her. He laughed at her scowl. He was sure it was meant to scare him into moving. "Has anyone ever told you you look so damn cute when you’re mad?" He asked
heading over to the freezer to pull out the coffee.

  "No and I suggest you don't either mister." She said snatching the coffee out of his hand and stomping to the coffee maker.

  Rafe looked over at Marie after Ava turned her back to him. She just shrugged and threw up her hands. Rafe started really laughing then. He knew his life would never be boring again with his little firecracker in it. He had to make sure he stocked up on coffee from now on too.

  "Don't look at me dude she told you she was the wicked witch of the west till she had her coffee. It would be a lot easier if you just shot it straight into her vein. It takes affect faster that way and she won't fully change into the evil witch. Kinda like with the hulk. If you piss him off, you gotta calm him down real quick before he goes all green on ya."

  Ava turned around to glare at her friend. "I did not say I was a witch thank you very much. I said I couldn't function without it."

  "Same difference. That would be why I'm long gone before she even starts to get outta bed, I know better than to risk my life by sticking around." Marie said.

  Ava didn't even bother looking at her this time, she just flipped her off with her back still towards Marie as she finished making her liquid sanity, making Marie bust out laughing harder

  CHAPTER 27

  The rest of the morning went about the same. Everyone laughing and joking. After they were done eating. Ava and Marie insisted they do the cleaning up. So Rafe just hung out at the bar and watched the girls interact. They really did act more like sisters than friends. Once they were done, they both said they really had to go and as much as he hated doing it, he didn't argue.

  He did however insist on Ava wearing his shirt home considering it covered way more of her than her dress had. Not to mention that gave him a great excuse to make sure he saw her again. Not that he needed an excuse. To get her to not argue with him about exchanging numbers, she needed him to give her an excuse. As a double precaution, he let Marie wear a shirt home too. He was able to find boxers for both girls as well. Now he had four excuses to make sure he saw her again.