Page 3 of Rafael

“The old hit-n-run routine, huh?” Valentin returned Rafael’s elbow to the gut.

“This is a small town,” Remy warned Rafael. “Folks don’t take kindly to guys who do their women wrong.”

Rafael’s brow knitted. “I’m upfront with the ladies. I let them know I’m not into commitment. If that’s what they’re looking for, they might as well move on.”

Remy’s lips twisted. “I’m sure that goes over well.”

“Every woman thinks she can change a man,” Rafael said with a shrug.

“And your proof that they can’t?” Valentin shook his head. “Are you sure you want to move in next door to her? What happens when you get her to fall for you, and then you bail on her?”

Rafael shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll still have a great apartment over the Yoga studio.”

Gerard frowned. “Next to the woman you wronged?”

Valentin raised a hand. “I call dibs on the apartment.” He chuckled. “And the gift shop owner, for that matter.”

“I think you’re playing with fire,” Lucas said.

Rafael cocked his head to one side. “How so?”

“You do realize Gisele is the granddaughter of Bayou Mambaloa’s infamous voodoo queen,” Beau reminded him. “If you’re not careful, they’ll put a spell on you and turn you into a poodle or a frog.”

Rafael grinned. “You don’t believe in that stuff, do you?”

“Damn right I do,” Beau said. “Better to believe and keep my distance than not believe and eat flies with my tongue.”

“Good point,” Rafael said with a frown.

“Why don’t you go for someone not connected with the local Voodoo queen?”

“Yeah,” Lucas seconded. “Like the woman we saw you with at the Crawdad Hole the other night.”

Rafael’s brow furrowed. “Who?”

“The blonde you were all over.” Gerard laughed. “Do you date so many you can’t remember?”

“No. I don’t date so many.” Rafael shook his head. “You must be talking about Bianca. I wasn’t all over her. She was all over me like an octopus. I bought her one drink, and she hasn’t stopped bothering me since.” He glanced over Remy’s shoulder and swore.

Remy frowned. “What?” He started to turn.

“Don’t move,” Rafael said. “We have incoming.” He stepped sideways, using Remy as a shield between him and the advancing blonde of their previous discussion.

“Oh, Remy, there you are,” a feminine voice sounded behind Rafael. “Thanks for waiting for us.”

Rafael spun to find Remy’s fiancée, Shelby, advancing toward them, along with a gaggle of his teammates’ womenfolk.

Shelby hooked Remy’s arm. “Ready? We have to hurry if we want good seats for the show.”

Remy gave Rafael a twisted grin. “Sorry, dude. You’re on your own.”

In less than two seconds, his teammates bailed on him, including the ones without women.

Completely exposed and unprotected, Rafael muttered, “So much for having my six.”

Bianca Brolin rushed in for the kill. “Romeo, darlin’, I just knew you’d come to the festival.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a loud kiss on his unresponsive lips. “We’ll have so much fun spending the night together.”

Already shaking his head, Rafael reached behind his neck to disengage her arms. “Excuse me, Bianca, but I’m with friends tonight. I’d better hurry if I want to catch up.”

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