Ignite On Contact (Brotherhood by Fire #2) -Jaci Burton Page 0,57
as she swallowed.
After he was empty, he panted hard, holding on to the bed rail for support. Sweat pooled at his lower back, and he could sure use a few minutes to recover. But he knew time was at a premium for Carmen, so he pulled her to stand and kissed her.
“That was fun,” she said, licking his lips. “And I know it’s rude as hell to come and go, but I really do have to go.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I know you do.”
They both dashed into the bathroom to clean up. Carmen ran her fingers through her hair, then refixed her hair into a ponytail and popped a breath mint, handing one to Rafe.
“Thanks,” he said. “Are you off tomorrow?”
She shook her head. “Not until Wednesday. Then I have two days off in a row.”
“I have Kelly days coming up, which means I get a few extra days off shift. Maybe we can take a little trip together.”
She nodded. “We’ll see what we can work out. I have my grandpa to consider.”
“Oh, right.”
“I’ll see what I can do, okay?”
“Sure.”
They walked to the elevator, and she pushed the button. When it opened, she selected the main floor. He stood next to her, and what he really wanted was to pull her in his arms to kiss her, but the doors opened on the fifth floor, and a few people got on.
Too bad. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
As the elevator continued to fill with people, they leaned against the back wall, and she slanted a knowing smile at him.
They got out on the main floor, and she stopped in front of him.
“I’ll text you,” he said.
She nodded, looked around and reached her fingers out to his. That briefest touch of their fingertips was a tease, but it was all they were going to have.
For now.
“See you later,” she said.
“Okay. Bye, Carmen.”
He watched her walk away, already aching for her.
Damn, he had it bad for her. And that brief touch was going to have to hold him until Wednesday.
CHAPTER 19
“YOU’RE SURE YOU’LL BE OKAY?”
Carmen’s grandfather gave her that look, the one he always gave her when he thought she was treating him like a child.
“We’ve had this conversation before.”
“No, we haven’t. I haven’t left you overnight before.”
Again, that steely stare, and she knew she’d pushed him too hard.
“I fend for myself just fine when you’re at work, child. I think I can handle an overnight with a friend helping me out. What? You don’t trust Theo to help me if I need it?”
“It’s not that. It’s just . . .” She should shut up. She smiled. “You’ll be just fine.”
Carmen hadn’t been separated from her grandfather since she’d moved in four years ago. So leaving him for a couple of days was going to be extremely difficult. She knew Grandpa had made great improvements with his therapy and was able to do many more things for himself, but he was continually working on that weakness on one side.
Still, he was out of the wheelchair most days now and using his walker and his cane. He made his way over and stopped in front of her, then looked down at her. “I’m more capable than you give me credit for. I never miss a therapy appointment, and I’m getting a lot stronger. So you need to stop treating me like an invalid, like I can’t do a damn thing for myself.”
There was more to this than just taking a trip, than just her questioning his ability to care for himself. She pulled a kitchen chair out and motioned for him to sit in the one next to hers. When he did, she asked, “What’s really going on?”
He lifted his chin. “Nothing’s going on that I can’t handle myself.”
“Grandpa. Talk to me.”
“It’s stupid.”
Okay, so there was something else. She just had to be patient about it, because pushing him too hard would make him resistant to talking to her. “Nothing about you or how you feel is stupid. And we’ve always been able to talk about anything.”
She waited, because she knew that sometimes he had to let things mull around in his head for a bit before he was willing to share with her. So she sipped on her ice water and scrolled through her phone.
“There was this lady.”
Her head shot up. A woman? He’d never mentioned dating anyone.
“Okay,” she said, not wanting to lead the conversation. He’d get to it when he got to it.