Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons MC #4)(33)

The most defined set of abs I’ve ever seen in real life. A six-pack. He has a six-pack. I mean, he always was toned and muscular, but now . . .

Fuck me dead.

He’s not too bulky, still lean, but so very defined. My fingers ache to trace each ripple. My tongue wants to do the same.

He’s covered in tattoos, and I’d like to know the story behind each one.

Wow.

It’s safe to say he’s just flawless, at least on the outside.

“Bailey,” I hear him say, breaking me out of the trance that is Rake’s magnificent body.

“Uhhh, yeah?” I mumble, still fixated on his smooth skin.

“Bailey,” he repeats, more stern this time, but when I lift my gaze to his, his eyes are filled with humor and heat.

“You’ve been staring at me in silence for like five minutes straight,” he lets me know.

“Oh” is all I can manage to say. “That’s nice.”

And I’m a teacher.

I still can’t manage to turn my gaze from him.

“You’ve . . . grown,” I say, embarrassing myself further. I point to his abs. “Those are nice.”

He smiles slowly. Smugly. His heavy eyes flashing with various emotions I can’t decipher.

“Glad you approve,” he rumbles, returning the favor by taking a slow perusal of me.

I swallow hard and turn away from a body that should be on book covers, distracting myself by grabbing two mugs and placing them on the table.

“So you work out a lot then,” I blurt out, when he doesn’t say anything.

I hear him chuckle behind me, but I really don’t want to face him right now. I can actually feel the heat rising to my cheeks. You’d think I’d never been around a shirtless man before. I had, just none who looked like that. But it was more than that, because it was him. He could have gained twenty pounds and I’d still be attracted to him.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that,” he says, then steps closer to my back. So close I can feel the heat from his chest. “You look good too, Bailey.”

I think of me, one size bigger than I used to be, with stretch marks and cellulite, and have to disagree. I mean, I’m not unattractive or anything, I’m just different than what I was. I’d had a child, and I had the body of a woman who’d had one.

“Um. Thanks,” I say quietly, avoiding his gaze. I ignore the thrill that fills me at him thinking so. Why did it matter if he thought I was attractive or not?

“You’re a beautiful woman,” he continues, and I turn around and look him right in the eye.

“Rake—”

I stop breathing as he reaches out to cup my cheek with his palm. The feel of his hand on me has me wanting to both jump in his arms and run away from him at the same time.

“I’m going to fry Cara some eggs for breakfast, would you like some?” I ask, needing to break the tension between us.

“Love some,” he replies, stepping away from me, allowing me to breathe easier. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay,” I say, clutching the edge of the table with both my hands.

I hold my breath until he leaves.

I should have known how it would be being in such a close space with him, but I didn’t realize just how bad it would be.

Even after everything that happened.

The bitterness I felt toward him. The anger. Pain.

Through all that, we still have something, a connection, tethering us together.

I don’t like it. No, I hate it.

How can he still turn me on so much after all these years? I thought I hated him, but I don’t. He walked out on me when I needed him the most. He left me in my darkest hour.

How can you forgive someone for that?

The truth is that you can’t. I might have the darkness buried for now, but it will come to light eventually. It always does.

And then, it will destroy us both once more.





FOURTEEN




HE’S leaning against his four-wheel drive, waiting for me as I walk through the school parking lot, my black pumps clicking on the asphalt with each step. I try to hide my amused grin but fail, because flanking Rake are Cara and Rhett, both craning their necks to look up at the imposing man. He doesn’t look uncomfortable though—no, he looks in control. As I get closer I can hear laughter from the two children, and I try to ignore the pain in my chest at seeing what once upon a time could have been my future.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” I tell them, leaning down to kiss Cara on her cheek and then doing the same to Rhett.

I look up at Rake. “Thanks for getting them from their classes.”

“No problem,” he says, opening the door for the kids to get in the car and then opening the passenger-side door for me.

“Umm, thanks,” I mumble, sliding into the car and wondering how we went from hating the sight of each other to him opening doors for me.

“You want to stop anywhere on the way?” he asks as he pulls onto the main road.

I look into the backseat at the two eager faces staring at me with hopeful eyes. “What do you guys want?”

“Ice cream!” Cara shouts, while Rhett says, “Burgers!”

“Okay.” I grin, turning around and facing Rake. “Maybe we could stop somewhere that has burgers and ice cream. That diner maybe?”