Page 29 of Desire Me
The door opened, breaking the moment. Leah briskly entered. “How’s my girl?”
If Rae had to guess—and really, what other choice did she have?—she’d say Leah was several years younger than she was, but the woman had the motherly thing down pat. Of course, she was a mother. And a nurse, which no doubt reinforced her life experience. Rae was thankful to both parts for being here.
“Your girl is nervous, I think,” Remi answered. Rae took that in stride too. All three of the people in this room seemed able to read her easily, sometimes more easily than she could read herself.
“Yes,” she agreed, then shrugged. “Don’t see that going away anytime soon.”
“It will,” Leah assured her as she passed Rae a bright pink, shiny gift bag, complete with tufts of white tissue paper peeking from the top. “This is for you.”
“And while you’re doing that,” Remi drawled, “can I see you out in the hall, Solorio?”
It came out as a question, but the way he moved toward the door and the look he gave Saint were no less than a demand. Saint pressed his hand more firmly to her lower back, then leaned in before stopping himself. Had he been about to kiss her?
Did she want him to?
God, could all this shitty uncertainty just stop?
“Be right back,” he murmured low in her ear, shooting a shiver down her spine. She watched him go.
Leah cleared her throat, and Rae blinked.Wow, she mouthed. “He is seriously sexier than anyone I know.” Then she snorted. “Not that I know too many men right now.”
Leah laughed. “Oh, he ranks pretty high above society in general.”
“Not above Remi,” Rae said shrewdly.
Leah waved a hand at her face as if she were hot. “Or his brothers, honestly. The Agozi family has very good genes.” Her amusement faded as she turned serious eyes on Rae. “You don’t have to go with him, you know.”
Rae grimaced. “Let’s get real. Anyone willing to take me on is taking on a project.”
“Is that how he makes you feel?”
“God, no!” Rae was surprised to realize she truly meant that. “I haven’t felt a single moment of hesitation from Saint,” she said honestly. “Doesn’t mean I’m not scared.”
Leah moved closer and tapped the bag Rae held. “Open that.”
Rae dug inside and pulled out a cell phone.
“I’m scared for you,” Leah said, “not because I think you can’t handle what’s coming your way, but because I know it won’t be easy.” From her back pocket she retrieved a slim white business card with writing on the back and passed it to Rae. “We’ve researched every last inch of Saint’s life and found nothing but a stand-up guy, but I wouldn’t feel okay if I didn’t know you could contact me independent of him, if you felt even the slightest need to. The codes to the phone are on the card. I’m not going to ask you to commit them to memory”—she grinned at the same moment Rae did—“but I am asking you to keep it on you at all times. Turn it on.”
Rae found the correct button and pressed, and Leah walked her through the basics of calling and texting from this particular brand of cell phone. It didn’t feel familiar, but neither did it seem completely foreign, so Rae assumed she’d had at least a similar cell before. Her personal items had all been missing when she’d been picked up by the paramedics, so she couldn’t be certain.
“Got it?” Leah asked.
“Got it.” Rae pulled up Leah’s phone information and sent her a quick text, establishing contact. The cell in the pocket of Leah’s nursing uniform dinged.
“Good. Remember, you’re not alone.” Leah took her hand. “Call me anytime, day or night, and we’ll be there.”
“Thank you. I—” But the right words to say escaped her. How did you thank a person who’d helped save your sanity?
Leah seemed to get it. She winked before giving Rae a hug. “I know. And don’t thank me. It’s just what friends do.”
Friends. Rae thought about that as she held Leah close a moment longer. She had friends. She wasn’t alone. She clutched the phone in her hand as she released Leah. “Thank you for that too.”
Leah nodded. “I’ll be calling you, so you better answer.”
“I will.” She hesitated. “Leah?”
“Yeah?”
