Page 23 of Takes Two to Tango

Rayne propped her fists on her hips. "Okay. Fine. I used it as an excuse. Are you going to invite me inside?"

He shook his head. “We almost made trouble the last time you came inside. I nearly dropped the blanket and threw you over my shoulder for some monkey sex.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Nice try.”

"Me ape man want pretty girl." Nothing like stupid humor to put her back at arm's length.

“You already had a pretty girl inside earlier," she said, with a lift of her shoulder.

Ah. He almost smiled at her obvious female reaction to Tamara. "I'm used to making trouble with Tamara."

A frown gathered and something flashed in her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not Tamara."

He smiled. "No, you're not, are you? Tam's reliably uncomplicated."

"If that's what you want to call it," she quipped, crossing her arms and lifting her eyebrows. Something about her posesoftened him. Rayne was a woman. And all women wanted to be desired. If only she knew how badly he longed to show her, to lay her on his bed and memorize every new hill and valley. He'd noticed the scenery beneath those tight aprons she wore.

He stepped back and motioned for her to enter. "Okay, but when you're raking your nails down my back, don't say I didn't warn you."

Her head jerked and the foot she'd been about to put inside his house hovered midair.

"Kidding," he said, shepherding her inside the small living area and closing the French door behind her."No matter what people say I'm not a sex-crazed nymphomaniac.”

“Is that what they say?” Rayne said snapped before turning and tossing him a look - a sort of I-got-this-under-control look. "Doesn't matter. I know karate."

"Do you?” he asked, shuffling aside a sports magazine he'd left on the couch. "You seem to have learned a lot since you left Oak Stand."

She tugged the hem of her shorts down and perched on the cushion. "Yeah, lots to learn out in that big, bad world."

Silence descended. Rayne's irritation over Tamara seemed to vanish as quickly as it appeared. A mask of control was in place. Once again he marveled over the coolness she brought to the table. Or living room if he wanted to be literal. The second hand of the clock in the short hallway leading to his bedroom and office ticked off fifteen seconds.

"So?" he said

"I wanted to ask- Well, this may sound strange." She seemed to weigh her words. "You spend a good amount of time around boys Henry's age through your coaching, and I wondered if you thought Henry was normal.”

It was his tum to feel caught off guard. Henry, normal? Why the devil would she ask something like that? "Yeah. He's like any other kid, I guess."

Her shoulders sank a bit. "I know, but he's been having trouble sleeping and he's terrified of being left behind or forgotten. I haven't been around boys much. I don't know how obvious it is that he suffers from anxiety issues. Did you notice if the other boys sensed his unease?"

All other emotions between him and Rayne faded to the background. He'd sensed something in Henry, but nothing of this magnitude. "I haven't been around him enough to render an opinion on how he handles his fears, and I'm not qualified to give you one. To me he seems as normal as any kid. Are you sure you aren't overanalyzing it a bit?"

Rayne shook her head. "He has horrible nightmares. He panics if I pick him up late. We saw a therapist after Phillip died, and I've been doing everything she suggested, but he's not any better. He still has nightmares and crippling anxiety. He masks it well, I guess. And he seems ultracomfortable with you. But I wondered if the boys on your team had picked up on it. Wondered if maybe they teased him because he acted scared or nervous."

“Well, he popped off to Camden Harp, and that kid is the unofficial leader on the team. Henry seems to hold his ground well enough. He practices with good effort, has a firm knowledge of the game, and seems cool with the other kids. He's not chatty, but neither is he antisocial. Totally normal."

Rayne sighed. "Good. I know I'm probably being overprotective. I haven't had a chance to talk with his teacher about it yet. I thought you could give me some perspective before I meet with her next week."

Brent couldn't stop himself from sinking on to the couch beside her and taking her hand. Once again, warm vanilla tickled his nose. "Rayne, why are you in Oak Stand?"

Rayne pulled her hand from his. He knew he'd likely overstepped the bounds of their tentative relationship. His thoughts were confirmed when she stiffened like a soldier at attention. "That's none of your business."

“Maybe so. But, you asked about Henry so I have a question - why take a kid who's having trouble from the normalcy of his everyday life?"

"What if his life isn't normal anymore? What if mine isn't, either?"

"So you've quit your other life? Your career?" He was confused about how her life was different. Fame? Losing her husband? Or something more?

"No," she said, relaxing slightly and looking out the large windows into his parents' yard. Her mind seemed to be turning cartwheels. "I'm still running the restaurant, albeit from here, and I have a new project, a new cookbook.Lots of fantastic things going on in my professional life. More on the horizon."

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