Lean on Me (Serendipity Book 1)

by Kali Argent

  “Yes, it’s great, but you didn’t need to do this.”

  “It was only a couple of blocks away.” One shoulder lifted in a sort of half shrug. “Not a bad walk.”

  He recognized the logo on the bags, and he also knew that the restaurant wasn’t exactly as close as she suggested. “You walked six blocks in the cold to pick up dinner?”

  “Uh, yes?” Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she worried the flesh while she surveyed the food. “I didn’t know what the girls liked, so I just kind of got a bit of everything. Kids like fries, right? I got a side of macaroni and cheese, too.” When Rafe said nothing, she began shifting from foot to foot while she wrung her hands together. “Did I do something wrong?”

  Pushing the food to the side, he lifted her onto the counter, tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her until he couldn’t breathe. “Thank you.”

  A pink flush tinted her cheeks, and she looked a little dazed, but the tightness hadn’t eased from her shoulders. “It’s just some fish.”

  It was about so much more than the food, though.

  She’d said goodbye to her sister only minutes before crisis had struck. Despite having her own issues to deal with, she hadn’t hesitated when Rafe had needed her. For someone who claimed to not be a people person, she was pretty damn good at taking care of everyone around her.

  “You amaze me, woman.”

  “Well, yes, I am fairly amazing.” Sitting up straighter, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer until their lips met in a sweet, lazy kiss. “We should get this on the table so everyone can eat.”

  She was also an expert at deflection, but he wasn’t going to let her hide behind sarcasm this time. Unwinding her arms, he brought her hands to his lips and kissed each palm in turn. Then, he reached behind her, sliding her cell phone out of her back pocket.

  “I’ve got dinner.” He pressed the phone into her hand, making a point to close her fingers around it. “Call Melissa. It’ll make you feel better.”

  She stared at the blank screen for a long time before shaking her head and jumping down from the counter. “I don’t want to distract her while she’s driving. I’ll call her later.”

  “Cecily.”

  “I’ll call her.” Placing her phone on the counter, she opened the nearest cabinet and began pulling plates down. “Just not right now, okay?”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” He held his hands up when she glared over her shoulder at him. “I’m not trying to fight with you. I just want you to talk to me.”

  “I’m fine.” A tired sigh rolled off her lips. “I just want to get this food on the table before it gets cold.” She wouldn’t look at him, but when she passed by the window, the waning rays of sun glistened off a single tear as it trekked down her cheek. “Maybe I should toss everything in the oven for a few minutes. Do you know where a cookie sheet is?”

  “Hey.” Removing the plates from her hands, he set them to the side and cupped her cheeks, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Forget the food for a minute. Talk to me.”

  “It’s nothing.” She sniffed a few times and wiped roughly at her face. “I guess the day is just catching up with me.”

  Rafe locked his arm around her and held tight when she tried to pull away. “Cecily, talk to me. What’s really going on?”

  “I was really scared for your sister, and I hate what she’s going through, but all I can think about…” Trailing off, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “Never mind.”

  “You’re worried about Melissa.”

  “Yes,” she breathed without opening her eyes. “I know you think I’m crazy, but there it is.”

  He didn’t expect her to abandon her sister or never worry about her. He just wanted her to see that she didn’t have to sacrifice her own happiness in order to be her sister’s protector.

  Basically, the same thing Annette had been trying to tell him.

  Damn karma.

  “I don’t think you’re crazy.” He brushed the tears from her cheeks, then followed with a kiss. “I think you’re beautiful and smart. I think you have a big heart, but you’re afraid to let people see it. I think you love your sister and would do anything for her.”

  “I do. I would.”

  He leaned in until his lips brushed the curve of her jaw. “I think you’ve had to be strong for so long that you’ve forgotten how to lean on someone else.” Lowering his voice, he whispered the next words. “I think you’re afraid to let yourself be happy.”

  “I’m happy,” she answered, her tone defensive. A heartbeat later, she sagged back against the counter and shook her head. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  He nodded.

  “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  A secret indeed. He had the feeling it was the first time in her life she’d ever admitted that to another living person. Luckily, he had broad shoulders.

  “Then, lean on me. You don’t always have to be strong, Cecily.” Framing her heart-shaped face in both hands, he kissed both eyes, the tip of her nose, her lips. “Lean on me, and I promise I’ll never let you fall.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The cab driver pulled into the crater-filled parking lot of the small apartment complex and stopped behind a row of dusty and dented cars. Really, Cecily couldn’t call it a “complex.” The lot consisted of a single, two-story building divided into fourteen units.

  “Wait here.” Rafe paid the driver, exited the vehicle, then hurried around to open her door. “Stay close to me.”

  He kept his arm around her and continuously scanned their surroundings as he hurried her across the parking lot to a rickety staircase. Even at nearly one o’clock in the morning, lights still burned in several of the other apartments, and loud shouting could be heard from one of the ground-floor units.

  Upstairs, he led her to the last unit, looked around once more, then pulled her to the side, placing her between himself and the rusted railing.

  “I’ve complained twice now.” Jiggling the key in the lock, he threw his shoulder against the door as he grumbled and cursed under his breath. “They still refuse to fix this damn thing.”

  “Here, let me try.” Sliding in front of him, she leaned her shoulder against the door, pulled up on the knob, and twisted the key. “Ah, there we go.” She pushed the door open and swept her arm out to the side. “After you.”

  “How did you do that?” He put a hand on her shoulder and ushered her through the door ahead of him.

  Depressing gray paint, threadbare, burgundy carpet, and the cabinet doors that didn’t quite fit on their hinges—walking into Rafe’s apartment was like stepping into the past. It wasn’t what she would call inviting or welcoming. Hell, she wouldn’t even consider it cozy, but it was warm and impeccably clean.

  “Push and lift,” she answered distractedly as she dangled his keys from her index finger. “How long have you lived here?”

  The sad drone of the refrigerator competed with the rhythmic drip of the faucet, and right on cue, the vents rattled as the heater clanked to life.

  “Few months.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair, something she noticed he did when he was nervous or uncomfortable. “It’s not much, but it’s more than I need.”

  “You said you lived a few blocks from me.” Her chest tightened, and her heart beat a little too hard. “Rafe, we’re almost two miles from the club.”

  “Technically, it is a few blocks.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he pulled his shoulders up around his ears as he ducked his head. “Besides, walking is cheaper than a gym membership.”

  God, he was adorable.

  The upholstered sofa was worn in a few different places, and the cushions had fallen flat a long time ago. The armchair didn’t match anything else in the room, and the coffee table looked like it had been to battle and back.

  “It’s perfect.”

  “I don’t know about all that.”

  “No, it is. It has character.” She wasn�
��t just humoring him, either. She could really feel him in the space. “I love it.” Wandering over to the shelf beside the television, she had to laugh at the number of DVDs featuring Disney princesses. “Getting in touch with your feminine side?”

  “I have those for the girls, smartass.” He flopped down on the middle cushion of the sofa and propped his booted feet up on the coffee table. “I keep them when I can to give Nettie a break.” His head fell back, and he rubbed both hands over his face. “I’m going to miss them.”

  “Wait? What?” Clearly, she’d missed something. Abandoning her exploration, she walked around the table, stepped over Rafe’s legs, and fell down beside him on the couch. “Are you going somewhere?”

  “No, no, nothing like that.” He draped an arm over the back of the sofa so that he could toy with her hair. “Annette is talking about moving in with our parents.”

  “I take it they don’t live close.”

  “They’re your typical retirees. Moved to Florida a couple of years ago. Have lunch at beachside cafes. Go boating on the weekends.” He laughed, though it lacked much in the way of humor. “They visit a couple of times a year.”

  “Well, I’m sure they’ll be happy to have the grandkids close.” She bit down on the side of her tongue to hold back any uncharitable thoughts floating through her head. “Why haven’t they offered to help before now?” So much for keeping her opinions to herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I love that you speak your mind.” His lips curved as he pressed them against her temple. “It’s not like that, though. They’ve actually been trying to convince her to move in with them since her husband died.”

  “Oh.” Great, now she felt like a complete ass.

  “Annette doesn’t want them to know how much she’s struggling. I mean, you’ve met her. You know how she is.”

  “I know things aren’t ideal, but I really admire her. She’s doing the best with what life has given her.”

  “I guess you’d know a little about that.”

  Thus far in their relationship, she hadn’t shared much about her past, but after the day they’d experienced, it seemed only fair. “When the courts granted me custody of Melissa, I wanted to get as far away from our mom and Chicago as I could.” She sucked in a whistling breath between her teeth. “Sadly, Indianapolis was as far away as I could afford.”

  He sat up a little straighter and shifted on the cushion to face her. “That couldn’t have been easy, but I have to admit I’m glad you landed here.” Taking her hand, he held it on top of his thigh and began playing with her fingers. “You said Melissa was four?”

  Cecily still remembered her in a ponytail and her new pink tennis shoes with sparkly laces on the first day of preschool. “Yeah, she was four, and no, it wasn’t easy. It didn’t get easier for a long time, either. I worked three jobs, and most months, we still ended up at the food bank.” Leaning her head back, she stared up at the water stain on the ceiling and chuckled. “We used to live here, you know? Downstairs. Apartment 5A.”

  The silence stretched on for so long, she lifted her head to look at him. “Did I overshare?”

  “What? No, no, no.” Lifting her hand, he whispered a kiss over her knuckles. “I guess I was just stunned for a minute. You tend to do that to me.” He lifted her other hand to kiss it as well. “You are truly remarkable, Miss Baker.”

  Drawn into the moment, into the feel of her hands in his, she nearly leapt out of her skin when he bounded up from the sofa with a loud curse. “What?”

  “I forgot all about the delivery at the club.”

  Pressing her fingers to her chest, she swallowed a few times, trying to force her heart out of her throat so she could speak again. “Hey, it’s okay. Just call and explain. I’m sure your boss will understand it was an emergency.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “No one has called to fire you, so I think you’re okay.”

  “True.” This time, he sounded a little more confident and a lot less stressed. “Jared is a good guy, and he owes me. He probably covered for me.”

  Cecily didn’t know who Jared was, but going by context clues, she guessed him to be a coworker. “Well, there you are.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. Okay.” He shimmied a little as if shaking off the tension of the day. “I’m going to jump in the shower.” Reaching over his head, he fisted the back of his collar in one hand and pulled his shirt off with a quiet grunt. “So, uh, just make yourself at home. Grab whatever you want from the kitchen, and the remote is there on the table.”

  Cecily bobbed her head a few times and hummed something that might have been an agreement.

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, she’d never seen so many muscles outside of professional sports. His flawless bronzed skin stretched tight over the most perfect set of cobblestone abs she’d ever seen. The back view was damn nice as well, and she actually bit her bottom lip when he rolled his shoulders, making the muscles ripple from neck to hips.

  Once he disappeared down the hallway, she dropped her face into her hands and groaned. What the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if she’d never seen a half-naked man before. This wasn’t just any half-naked man, though. It was a gorgeous, selfless, kind, amazing half-naked man she was pretty sure she’d fallen in love with.

  When the shower in the bathroom turned on, she practically flung herself off the couch. Fisting her hands at her sides to stop their trembling, she paced the narrow strip of carpet between the television and the coffee table.

  “What am I doing?” she grumbled out loud to the empty room. “I should go.” She nodded firmly. “Yeah, I should just leave.”

  “Cecily?”

  A sound she’d never made before escaped her as she whirled around to find Rafe watching her from the mouth of the hallway with nothing on except a towel slung low on his hips. She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, but judging by the look on his face, it had been long enough.

  “You scared the hell out of me,” she accused. “What are you doing?”

  “Well, I was going to say you’re welcome to join me, but I can see this is a bad time.” Strutting out of the room, he laughed all the way back to the bathroom.

  Whether or not that was what he’d really meant to say, her entire body responded to the offer. Surely, he hadn’t been serious. He’d only said that to get a reaction from her. It didn’t mean anything. She should just call a cab and go home. Better yet, she could walk. It would give her time to clear her head.

  Or, she could stop letting her fears rule her. She could stop inventing reasons to run. Rafe had promised she could lean on him, that he’d never let her fall, and she believed him.

  Now, the only question that remained was what did she plan to do about it?

  Breathing in deeply to steady her nerves, she straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. Then, she stripped out of her clothes, right there in the living room, leaving them wherever they fell. Before she could lose her courage, she marched down the hallway and stopped right outside of the bathroom.

  The door stood slightly ajar, and tendrils of steam curled through the crack, bringing with them the clean scent of soap and toothpaste. Oh, it had been a long time since she’d done this particular dance, and even longer since she’d been the one to lead. Never had it meant this much, though. Not once before had she been afraid that sex might ruin everything.

  After another mental pep talk, she slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked just as she’d found it. It surprised her that the scene wasn’t anything like in the movies. Yes, she could hear the spray of water from the shower as it drummed against the bottom of the tub, but that was about it. She even tilted her head to the side and squinted, but she still couldn’t make out a silhouette behind the frosted, blue curtain.

  Anxiety returned full force when she thought about what came next. Should she pull back the curtain and just step into the shower with him? That would probably scare the he
ll out of him. Not exactly the mood she was going for. Did she clear her throat? Say his name?

  Unfortunately, she hadn’t taken into consideration how quickly men showered. So, while she stood there, rooted to the floor with indecision, Rafe turned off the shower and slid back the curtain.

  This part was exactly like a scene from a romantic comedy, or maybe, one of those teen movies that had been popular in the nineties. Someone gets caught naked where they shouldn’t be, and the audience laughs.

  Only, Rafe wasn’t laughing.

  He didn’t blink, either. Hell, he didn’t even seem to be breathing. Water droplets dripped from the ends of his hair and clung to his skin, but he didn’t reach for a towel. He just stood there in the tub, his hand still clenched around the shower curtain, and stared.

  “I…uh…damn.” Spinning around to give him some privacy, she grabbed a towel from the hook on the wall and tossed it to him. “I’m sorry. I’m…I…I’ll go.”

  “Cecily, wait.” He leapt out of the tub, catching her just as she cleared the bathroom’s threshold. “Talk to me.”

  “Can I at least put some clothes on for this conversation?”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  He sounded sincere, if maybe a little disappointed. If she really wanted to walk away, though, she had no doubt he’d let her. Therein lay the problem. Not for the first time since she’d met him, she didn’t know what she wanted.

  “Will you please look at me?”

  “I’m a little clothing-optional here if you haven’t noticed.” Christ, this was humiliating.

  “Believe me, I’ve noticed.” His feet swished against the carpet as he shuffled close enough for her to feel his body heat. Skimming his fingertips over the tops of her shoulders, he followed the curve down her arms to grip her biceps. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  Flexing his arms, he pulled her flush against his chest, grinding the proof of his desire against her lower back. Her traitorous body responded instantly, and she had to bite down on her lip to hold back a moan as a rush of heat welled between her legs.