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He tucked a loose strand of hair back into the knot on the top of her head in a way that o to , she’d never really considered that he wanted her for real She’d thought it was nothing ame to his about his sex life

This wasn’t that

Her hands went from damp with sweat to icy cold in a flash at the realization He was dead serious this tiht nerves went haywire This was Black Han eency, worst-case-scenario-type serious She could barely fight her attraction to hi If he turned his full, unadulterated attention on her? She was dead in the water

"No Uh-uh Not gonna happen," she said with a firm shake of her head that probably would’ve had a lot"Maybe I haven’t been clear enough I’m not in the market for a boyfriend, and--"

"Whoa" He stepped back like she’d tossed a vial full of acid at hihed "Nobody said anything about a boyfriend We’re on the sae there"

"We are?" she asked, unable to stop herself fro pride

"Yup" His posture relaxed some and he leaned back on his heels "That’s ork perfectly together I can show you how good giving up control in the bedrooet past this preoccupation I seeh, you walk away enlightened, and I…"

…just walk away, she finished for him silently when he trailed off

She silenced the devil on her shoulder insisting that he’d outlined the perfect solution to more than one probleaged

She steeled herself and gave hi i even though she’d never felt more chalant--"not interested"

She tossed her head back and shouldered past hi her across the room It wasn’t until she stood next to Cat and Lacey on the dance floor that she recognized the song pouring from the speakers around her

"The Chicken Dance"

Lovely

…

It was official This wo him batshit crazy He watched from his perch at the bar while she danced with her friends and tried her danore hi The dancing was good His dick twitched in agree him for a second before he refocused

Nope, the part she sucked at was ignoring hilances from beneath her lashes The way her pupils dilated when she looked at hi wildly

Not interested, his ass But the offer had been le ladies, head on over to the center of the floor forRafe’s attention

He took a sip frolanced at his watch Another hour or so, a couple raceful exit It probably wasn’t too late to find a woht It had been weeks since he’d done a scene, and he was feeling the drought now

He ran through a mental list of possible partners until he found hi dragged into a line by a group of laughing women

He didn’t look away until a shadow fell over the smooth lacquered bar Galen Thooing on with you two?"

He considered playing duet it out of him one way or another "Hell if I know"

Galen snorted out a laugh "That’s a first The guy with all the answers doesn’t know Are you actually digging her, or is this so-braids-in-the-school-yard type of shit? Because I haven’t seen you look at a woether before Galen went pro, the serious look on his face warned Rafe that it was about to get real, and he cut in, deflecting the blow neatly Because hearing her na pull frolass and set it doith a clink "Courtney is sexy, and she’s a challenge, but that’s it There’s no love et it out of your head"

Galen had the audacity to look confused "What do you mean? All I did was ask a simple question"

"I know that you and your pretty neife are plotting to end my days of debauchery so I can follow you down the rabbit hole to wedded bliss, but that’s not ood, Lacey is a keeper, but that life’s not for me"

Galen studied him like he was a creature under a microscope, and he braced himself for the second round "Look, it’s been five years now, erto bet you can still takeMonica up, you andto have a problem"

The words lay between theht on their heels, he refused to take the? Not open for discussion, end of story, period

Galen’s gaze went flat, and for a second Rafe wondered if he was going to ignore his warning and push again To his everlasting relief, his friend backed off with a curt nod instead

"Got it"

Twelve years of friendship was long enough for Rafe to know that they were cool At least, they would be as soon as the head of steah, the silence felt heavy He was just about to break it with some clumsy attempt at small talk when the space around theement