Page 31 of Rafael

Rafael wanted to tell Valentin and his entire team to go fuck themselves.

But he’d been heading down that same path of reasoning. Not so much about everyone in Bayou Mambaloa being mad at him, but that he’d hurt Gisele. He really didn’t want to hurt her.

His best course of action would be to step away from the female and let her get on with her life sans one former Navy SEAL.

One thing bothered him more than he cared to admit. “What you said about making your move on Gisele...were you serious? Are you interested in her for more than just a date of two? Or was that your way of getting my goat or making me step aside and leave her alone?”

Valentin’s lips curled upward. “She’s really pretty. I like that she’s independent, self-sufficient and fully capable of standing on her own. Any guy would be lucky to have her, including me.”

“You’re not answering my question,” Rafael said through gritted teeth.

“I like her. But I’m not in the market for a long-term relationship. And I’m not willing to take the risk of stirring the hornet’s nest of our team and their women.” He glanced over the console at Rafael. “So, no. I’m not really interested in going after Gisele. Like her girlfriends say, she deserves someone who’s all in, head over heels in love with her and who would do anything to earn her respect and love in return.”

Rafael stared at his friend and teammate for a long moment. Valentin, one of the most stoic of their team, a man who kept to himself and rarely spoke out about anyone, had just spoken more words in the past half hour than Rafael had heard him speak in a week. It had to have been a challenge for him.

Rafael lifted his foot off the brake and pulled onto Main Street, heading for the other end of town and the old boat factory they’d converted into the Bayou Brotherhood Protectors regional office. “You really did get the short straw, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Valentin said. “And it sucked balls.” He was silent for a minute and then asked, “You good?”

Rafael snorted. “What do you think?”

Valentin’s lips twisted. “You’re mad as hell.”

“I can’t say that I like my so-called friends interfering in my personal life,” Rafael said, “but, yeah, I’m good. I heard what you said, and I’ll keep it in mind.”

Another minute passed.

“Are you going to stop seeing Gisele?” Valentin asked.

“I said I’m good,” Rafael said through gritted teeth. “Don’t test me.”

He wanted to drop Valentin off at the boat factoryfor their team meeting and skip it himself, but he wouldn’t let hisfriendshave the satisfaction of knowing Valentin’s short-straw speech had hit home.

Because it had, echoing what he’d already begun to realize.

Gisele was special. Her friends recognized it and were looking out for her.

He pasted a smile on his face and strode into the warm room at the boat factory, enjoying the tension fully visible on Valentin’s face and the exchange of glances between him and the other members of the team. He wouldn’t rise to the intervention they’d launched, and he had no intention of informing them of his plans when it came to Gisele.

Mostly because he didn’t know what they were—other than to make sure she was safe. Beyond that...

Hell.

He had no idea.

The logical side of his brain told him to cut his losses and leave her alone. That way, she wouldn’t be subjected to his bad habits and left with a broken heart when he pulled his duck-and-run routine.

The devil on his shoulder screamed louder than logic.

You know you want her.

She wants you, too.

Don’t let the goodie-two-shoes talk you out of holding her in your arms and making love to her through the night.

His groin tightened.

He sat still, willing his libido to calm the fuck down as he listened to Hank Patterson brief them on the New Orleans security project.

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