Page 87 of Smooth Moves
Chapter 17
Jordan lay on the couch while Rafi took over Reid’s room. She’d refused to take Cash’s bed, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t sleep with him with her brother right next door.
What the hell am I going to do?
She’d been happy to be in the apartment complex while figuring out her future. Then Rafi had come, and it had become a godsend. The rent, for Seattle, was cheap. The location couldn’t have been better, just minutes from work and from a bus stop Rafi used to get to school. And she hadn’t had to put down a deposit.
Which reminded her, Cash had insisted Alvarez pay her back for something he didn’t owe her. The guy was a dick, but she didn’t want to be guilty of extortion.
She thought about what Cash had said and done to Alvarez. Had she not known him, she’d have been scared out of her mind. As it was, she’d taken Rafi aside earlier and explained Cash hadn’t meant any of that, that he’d just been trying to scare the guy. She didn’t know if Rafi believed her. Hell, she didn’t know if she believed herself. Cash had been in the infantry in the Marine Corps. She knew that much. But she didn’t know what all he had been into during his time served. From what she’d seen and knew of him, it wouldn’t surprise her to learn he’d been in a special unit overseas doing classified things.
But she did know he’d never hurt her. No matter how violent or crazy he might act, he’d never, ever been cruel or vicious toward her. And he’d been nothing but nice with Rafi…who now slept in Cash’s brother’s bed because they had no home.
Jesus, I’m homeless.
After waiting for the panic to lessen, she let herself accept the worry and let it go. Not having a home was temporary. She had savings and a job as well as the drive to succeed. Cash’s place was fine short term, but it would take time to find an affordable apartment in the city, especially one with a location that fit both her and her brother.
She sighed. Just one more cog in the wheel of progress.
A door opened and closed, and then a body walked toward her. Expecting her brother to want to talk, she sat up in the dark, propped against the couch, and adjusted the lightweight blanket over her. “Rafi? Over here.”
“It’s me.” Cash looked like a mountain of dark as he hovered by her. “I can’t sleep. Want something hot to drink?”
“Sure.” She followed him into the kitchen, dressed in ratty shorts and a top that looked decent enough. If only Cash would stop staring at her breasts. She couldn’t see him, exactly, but she felt his stare like a physical caress. “Stop looking at my chest.”
He chuckled. “Good guess.” He flicked on a light, and they blinked. “You have pretty good night vision.”
“Obviously you do too.” She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to give in to her grin at his sigh of disappointment. “Thanks for helping us tonight.”
He shrugged it off. “No problem.”
“What were you doing there anyway?” She waited while he put the water on and set two mugs and tea bags on the table. “And what’s your thing with tea?”
“It’s all we have. I drank the last of the cocoa months ago, and I can’t do coffee at night. As for what I was doing at your place, I’d hoped to take Rafi to dinner. You know, for a man-to-man meal where we talked away from big sis. Thought maybe he’d open up without you there.”
“Oh.” She owed him again. “That was a nice gesture.” “I thought so.” He leaned against the counter, wearing a T-shirt and shorts and looked like a god doing nothing but breathing. “I’m just… When I heard you with that dickhead, I wanted to rip his head off. But I waited to see how you’d handle it.”
“And?”
He glanced around before saying in a low voice, “I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life than you taking down that shithead. Well, except watching you come. Because that is just unforgettable.”
Her cheeks felt hot, and her pleasure at his compliment made her even warmer. “I didn’t scare you?” She’d intimidated a few exes with her moves, but she’d rationalized they hadn’t been able to handle the real her, so it hadn’t hurt when they’d split up.
“Scareme? I’m dying to spar with you at my gym. You want in?”
That was such a Cash response. “Sure.”
“Awesome. I can’t wait.” He smiled.
Her belly fluttered, and that floating sensation, as if she’d been lost for so long and now found something real, centered her in the now.
“You okay?” He took a step forward. “I really am sorry you had to handle with that guy. I would have come in to handle him, but I knew you could deal.”
“How long were you outside the door?” She hadn’t realized he’d been out there. She figured he would have busted down the door the moment he’d heard her in trouble. That he hadn’t…
“Long enough,” he growled. “That fucking asshole.”
“But you let me handle it.” So not the way Cash normally did business. He bashed heads in then tried to settle things down after.
