Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,43
hot and professor-like. He’s holding the file in one hand, and the other runs absentmindedly over my leg that’s propped up in his lap. His concentration as he nibbles his lower lip is alluring, and I hate to break it.
“Rafe,” I call, but he’s lost in whatever he’s reading. Switching tactics, I stretch out my leg and rub my toes across the soft bulge in his shorts.
Have I ever mentioned how good this man looks in basketball shorts? They were made for him.
His head lifts, and his eyes race to mine. God, those glasses are sexy. He’s like every fantasy rolled into one. Sexy professor. Strong construction worker. Toned, muscular athlete.
“Jesus Christ, Brie. This pregnancy has made you fucking insatiable. You’re wearing me out,” he groans in a teasing fashion as he slides his hand up my bare leg.
I smirk but shake my head and throw my pen at him. “Not that, Thor,” I taunt.
He gives me a mock scowl.
“I just wanted to get your attention.”
He shifts on the couch and sets his file down. Then he gives me his undivided attention. When he starts massaging my foot, it’s my turn to get distracted. That is, until he clears his throat. This time, he’s the one wearing the smirk.
“I know you were in the room that day with Agent Howard, but we’ve never talked about it.” I’ve wondered why he had no questions that night—or any of the days that followed.
He smiles and increases the pressure on my foot. “When we got home from the station, you needed to be fed, and you needed sleep. It was hardly the time to discuss it.” He pauses, shrugging. “I figured you’d talk when you were ready. I didn’t want to push it, especially after you had those nightmares.”
My heart does a tiny flip-flop. This is why, even after everything, he was so easy to forgive. Hell, it wasn’t even a question. He anticipates my every need and meets each one before I even know he’s doing it. He had—and still has—my best interests at heart.
Every night since we returned from the station, he’s held me close until we’ve fallen asleep. There’s a desperation in the way he clings to me, as if he’s afraid to let me go. That I’d actually leave. That couldn’t be further from the truth. So, every night, we hold tight to each other, and it keeps the nightmares away. It doesn’t, however, stop me from seeing bits and pieces of that night at random times during the day.
“I remembered something earlier today while staring at the photocopy of the painting. When Adrian and I first met, we went to the art museum together. In fact, it was on our first date.”
Rafe’s smile turns down. “I hate that you shared this with him. Before me,” he says then runs a hand through his hair. “I know it’s stupid, Brie, but I can’t help it. I hate that he had any part of you and didn’t cherish it. At the same time, I feel like an asshole for being glad he lost you. Because, if he hadn’t met you, if you hadn’t been living with him, I’d have never met you.”
Even though I have the urge to crawl across the couch, straddle him, and kiss his worries away, I stay rooted in my seat. “I may have gone there with him, but I shared the experience with you. I didn’t want to talk to him about my parents, and he didn’t want to hear it. That’s what I was remembering. Seeing the Monets brought tears to my eyes, and instead of him offering any words of comfort or a shoulder to cry on, he cared more about whether or not my parents still had the painting. Why would he ask that unless he was fishing?”
“What’d you tell him?”
“I changed the subject. It was too soon, and I didn’t want to talk about it. And thinking back, I can’t recall any time he ever asked about it. Why? If it was so important, why didn’t it ever come up again?”
“That’s what we’re going to figure out.”
As Rafe continues to knead my foot, pleasure flows through me. I pull out of his lap and fold my legs under me, wanting some distance for this next part.
“That day we talked… you mentioned you saw the video. The one of him taking me?”
“Yes,” he says slowly, his head tilting to the side as if he’s trying to figure out where I’m going with