Page 77 of Protected from Malice
I know. It was unexpected. I’d kind of given up thinking anything would ever happen. But once he got here and it was just me and him… things were different from before.
Setting my phone down on the dresser, I lean forward to inspect myself in the mirror above it. My hair is having a good day, fortunately, curling agreeably instead of revolting into a frizzy bird’s nest. My cheeks are pink and my eyes are sparkling, the blue extra bright thanks to a light application of eyeshadow and mascara. I stare at my lips for a second, debating whether a quick swipe of shimmery lipstick would make my lips look more kissable or if it would come across as unnatural.
I’m not usually one for makeup, aside from tinted moisturizer and an occasional dab of concealer. But I’m supposed to be having a date night with Rafe, so it seems like the perfect time to break out a little something extra.
A date night.
With Rafe.
An entire evening together without anyone else around.
He said it was going to be special. “Even though I can’t take you out,” he’d explained, “I want it to feel like a real date. Not sneaking off to the gym to kiss you or having dinner with four other guys around us. Just you and me and hours of privacy.”
My phone jitters across the shiny wooden dresser top and I snatch it up to read Zada’s incoming message.
It’s crazy how everything worked out. Somehow you go from having a creepy stalker to hooking up with the guy you’ve wanted for as long as I’ve known you. Talk about a silver lining.
A silver lining, indeed.
Am I glad I was almost run off the road? That someone broke into my house and later the hotel room with the intent to kidnap me? Of course not.
I didn’t exactly tell Zada all of that. It seemed safer—and simpler—to stick with a story about having a stalker to explain Rafe’s appearance in Portland. Not that I won’t tell Zada everything eventually, but if I tell her now, she’ll be even more worried than she is already. And since she can’t exactly help all the way from Boston, it doesn’t seem fair to put that on her. Especially when she has a new job and a recent breakup to worry about herself.
But back to silver linings.
If I hadn’t had that scare on the road, I wouldn’t have called Rafe. Who knowswhenI would have seen him again in person.
We wouldn’t be having a date in less than—oh, crap—fifteen minutes, that’s for sure.
Eeep. Fifteen minutes.
Do I really look okay? Will Rafe like my outfit—a blue wraparound dress that dips to a V just low enough to show off a bit of cleavage—as much as I’m hoping he will? Is my hair going to behave instead of turning into a recalcitrant child, like it’s been known to do?
My phone buzzes in my hand, startling me from my thoughts.
Stop staring in the mirror, obsessing. You look great. You always do.
Laughing, I quickly tap out a reply.
Busted. But it’s our first official date. I want to look good for it!
Zada responds immediately.
And I’m sure you do! Stop fussing with your hair and makeup. Put on the lipstick you’ve been debating about. Make sure you’re wearing something that shows off your boobs. And relax. Rafe knows what you look like already. And obviously, he likes it.
True. Rafe’s seen me plenty of times in different outfits. But tonight… I want to feel confident in my appearance. I want Rafe to be wowed. And I’m hoping he’ll be inspired to take things further than just kissing. I get why he’s being cautious, and technically, we’ve only been dating for a few days, butstill. I know him. And I have a decade-plus worth of fantasies about Rafe to make up for.
My phone buzzes again.
Did you tell Indy?
I quickly respond.
Yes. Thankfully, he was okay with it. I think he was glad, actually. Because he knows Rafe, rather than me dating some random guy he’s never met.
Indy didn’t come right out and say it, but I know my brother enough to know what he’s thinking. And he was thinking about my assault, and how if I start dating some guy I meet online or at the gym, there’s no guarantee I couldn’t get hurt again. But Rafe? He’s Indy’s best friend. They’ve literally entrusted each other with their lives.
Was Indy a little concerned about Rafe’s background? Yes. When we’d talked, Indy brought up Rafe’s background, saying, “I trust Rafe implicitly, Eden. And honestly, I admire what he did. But he’s not gentle. Not polished. He’s not going to be like one of the guys you work with at the lab. Are you okay with that?”
