Page 102 of Reckless Harmony

God, he loved how blunt she was. “You were jealous, too.”

She shrugged before sliding off the bed and snagging her t-shirt off the floor. She slipped into it. “Phoebe was my childhood bully. Hell, she’s still a bully, and she doesn’t deserve anything as nice as riding your magnificent dick.”

“Magnificent, huh?” he said with a grin.

“Oh God, now your ego is going to trap you in my bedroom.”

He laughed, and there were a few seconds of awkward silence before she glanced at the doorway. “So, this was a lot of fun, but you should probably go before we ruin it with a fight or something.”

It took him a minute to realize the hurt he felt was because he wanted to stay. He wanted to sleep in Rayna’s bed with her soft body against his and wake up to her gorgeous face.

He shoved those dangerous thoughts out of his head before they could take root. He planted an easygoing grin on his face and slid out of her bed. “Good point.”

He dressed quickly and patted Bea when he walked out of Rayna’s bedroom to find the beagle sitting at the top of the stairs. They walked silently down the stairs, and he studied the security system control panel on the wall beside the door.

“Installation went smoothly?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said before hesitating. “Thank you for doing that. I appreciate it, but I also think I should pay you back for it. If you’re willing to do a payment plan, then I could -”

“No,” he said. “Consider it a gift.”

She chewed on her bottom lip but then nodded. “All right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He opened the front door, glancing at the control panel again. Despite knowing Rayna didn’t need the reminder, he said, “Don’t forget to set the alarm.”

“I won’t,” she said. “Good night, Stark.”

“Good night, Rayna.”

CHAPTER 35

Stark glanced out the den window before pulling up Rayna’s name in his messages. He hesitated, staring at the warm light spilling from her windows. It was Friday night, and he hadn’t seen or talked to Rayna since Tuesday night.

Hell, this was the first time he’d seen her vehicle in the driveway since Wednesday morning. It didn’t seem to matter how often he checked to see if she was home, her house stayed dark, and her driveway remained empty. If it weren’t for the fresh tire tracks in the snow leading out of her driveway every morning, he would have assumed she hadn’t been home at all.

Worry gnawed at his insides. Was she avoiding him again? And if so, why?

Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re not friends. She knows you want her house. Why should she have anything to do with you beyond scratching an occasional itch?

His inner voice was right, but it didn’t stop him from sending a text to Rayna.

Stark

Hey. I’m a little worried about one of Molly’s babies. Its eye is a bit squinty. Can you come over and take a look at it?

He stared out the den window again as if he might actually see Rayna responding to his text. When five minutes passed, and there was no reply, he made himself return to the kitchen. He hadn’t eaten yet, but any appetite he’d felt earlier had disappeared with Rayna’s lack of response to his text.

It’s been five minutes, asshole. Chill out. Besides, what will you do if she does come over? There’s nothing wrong with that baby’s eye, and you know it. You’re straight up lying because you’re that desperate to be laid.

So what if he was a little desperate? Could you blame him? He and Rayna had insane chemistry, and their no-strings-attached sex was precisely what he liked.

It used to be.

He ignored his inner voice and opened the fridge to study its meager contents. He wasn’t much of a cook and often ordered in, but even that didn’t appeal to him at the moment. His phone buzzed, and he yanked it out of his pocket, scanning the screen eagerly.

Rayna

Sure. Give me five minutes.

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