never once balked or said he didn’t want to do something. Was he always this easy, or was he just trying to please her?
Maybe she shouldn’t be so suspicious. He had never once acted like Tod. He wasn’t anything like Tod, so she should stop comparing him to her ex-husband and start treating Rafe like . . . Rafe.
And just have some fun with a hot, sexy, totally nice guy.
WATCHING CARMEN SPLASH AROUND IN THE OCEAN MADE Rafe wish he had a camera on him. She wore a skimpy coral bikini that showed off every inch of her beautiful golden skin, including the globes of her fabulous ass.
She dove into the water and came up, sweeping her hair away from her face and laughing as the waves knocked her back. She was strong, though, and held her own against the force of the ocean. Rafe swam over to her and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her ankles around his back.
“This feels great,” she said. “I was getting hot.”
“You are hot.”
She laughed and tilted her head back. He let go of her, though her legs stayed wrapped around him. This way she could float in the water without being swept away. He let her drift that way for a while as he dug his feet in the sandy bottom and held on, making sure they both didn’t get dumped by a wave.
When she let go of his back and swam off, he followed. They made their way to shore and sat at the water’s edge, the waves lapping at their feet.
She tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you bored?”
“Bored? No. Why?”
“We’re doing nothing. You strike me as the kind of guy who always has to be doing something.”
“I do?” He laughed. “I’m fine with kicking back. You can’t run all the time. Eventually, you’ll crash.”
“So true.” She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, staring out over the water. “I go all the time. At work, at home. I never take time to just . . . do nothing. I haven’t taken a vacation in . . . God, I don’t know when the last time was I took a trip or got away.”
Now he was even more glad he’d suggested this. She was wound up tight and needed the downtime. “Then sitting here just watching the water is exactly what you need, isn’t it?”
“I guess it is.” She leaned against him. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“Thanks for agreeing to come. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”
She sighed. “I worry too much about my grandpa. He even said that to me.”
“He told me that while you were getting ready this morning.”
She straightened and gave him a surprised look. “He did? What did he say?”
“You really want me to tell you?” He probably shouldn’t. She was relaxed, and he wanted her to stay that way.
“Yes, I want you to tell me.”
“He said you spend too much time taking care of him and not enough time taking care of yourself. That you’ve essentially given up your personal life to look after him, so you’re spending twenty-four hours a day being a nurse, and it pisses him off. He wants you to be his granddaughter, not his caretaker.”
“Ouch. I didn’t expect that.” She grimaced.
“He seemed to have some pretty strong opinions about the matter.”
“Clearly. I guess I need to sit down with him and talk about those opinions.”
“He really is stronger than you think he is, Carmen.”
“Maybe he is. Maybe I was so devastated when he had his stroke that I’ve overlooked the strides he’s taken in his recovery. But then he’ll backslide and have some medical crisis and I’ll fall apart all over again.”
He put his arm around her and tugged her close. “I understand what he means to you.”
“He’s everything. He’s all I have left of family.”
“Yeah, but at the same time he’s an adult man who had a medical crisis. And he’s done everything he can to recover from his stroke. He’s gotten stronger, he goes to therapy, he’s even trying to date.”
She shifted to face him. “And you think I’m holding him back.”
“I didn’t say that.”
She paused, studying him. “But you think that I am.”
“It’s not my business to interfere in your relationship with your grandfather, Carmen.”
“I’m asking for your opinion based on your observations.”
He wasn’t sure this was the best conversation to get into when they were supposed to be relaxing