Raid (Unfinished Hero #3)(41)
“Noted,” I muttered.
“So ask, I’ll tell,” he prompted.
“Whatever you’re going off to do, are you safe?”
His smile faded and I stared in horrified fascination as it did.
Holy Moses!
I’d been guessing!
“It isn’t safe?” This came out as a squeak.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“Holy Moses!” I cried, no longer semi-freaked. I was gone.
“Hanna, we’ll talk about it later.”
“Will you be back later?” I asked, borderline hysterically.
His smile came back. “Yeah.”
“Just pointing out, Raiden, you’re about to drop me off, telling me to take a nap but you’ve got some things to share with me later that you told me straight up I have to deal with. Then you intimate strongly that whatever it is you do is unsafe, and you’re off to do whatever it is you do right now. So I’m not in the mood to smile nor am I in the mood to watch you do it, no matter how hot you are when you do.”
He didn’t quit smiling.
Instead, he asked, “You wanna talk more about us going slower now?”
Was he serious?
I tore out of his arms, twisted to the door and threw it open, announcing, “Time for my nap!”
I found an arm hooked around my waist and was twisted back into the Jeep and Raiden’s arms, this time both of which he locked around me.
Then his eyes locked on mine.
“I’ll be back safe and you’ll be cool with what I do, Hanna,” he declared firmly.
“Right. I believe you. But can I make the request now that I have at least a date number five before you rock my world again?”
Another grin then, “I think I can accomplish that.”
“I’d be obliged.”
“You wanna quit bein’ cute so I can let you go, you can get your nap and I can get this shit done?”
“I’ll remind you not a minute ago I tried to exit this vehicle, but you hauled me back.”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
I glared.
Raiden kept smiling.
Then he muttered strangely, “My reward.”
I lost my glare and asked, “Sorry?”
He lifted up, kissed my forehead and whispered there, “Nothin’, baby.” Then he pulled away, ordering, “Go. Rest.”
I needed to go. I hoped I could rest, but I studied him a moment before I leaned in to touch my mouth to his.
His arms came around me, his mouth opened over mine and my touch became a hot, heavy kiss.
Raiden broke it and ordered again, “Go.”
“Okay,” I mumbled. He let me go and I went.
I stood at the door in numero uno of my Sunday’s finest dresses (I did go to church with Raiden Ulysses Miller) and waved.
He didn’t wave back, but I did see him smile.
I closed the door and wandered up the stairs, listening to his Jeep drive away.
I took off my heels by the side of the bed. I climbed in, pulled an afghan over me (mine, not cashmere but still lush) and stared at my pillow, thinking this was how it felt.
This was how it felt when something huge was happening.
It felt fantastic.
And I was scared out of my wits.
Chapter Eleven
Criminal
That evening…
I sat tucked into the corner of my frou-frou, fluffy, girlie, cutesie couch in my countrified, quirky living room and watched Raiden, who’d just gone to the kitchen to get his second beer, fold his long body at the other end.
The pizza was annihilated, that always awkward sliver of a slice the only piece left. Raiden had got it from the place in town so it was the best and I was hungry so I tucked in, forgetting (momentarily, like always) about the little stomach pouch I needed to get gone.
It was a minor miracle, considering all that was on my mind, but I’d managed a two hour nap.
Then the phone started ringing.
Apparently, the town of Willow had decided they’d given me enough time to cope, that time was up, so all and sundry called to check if I was okay after the Bodhi and Heather debacle. This invariably segued into digging for gold, thus most of them asked if it was true, since I was seen at Chilton’s, Rachelle’s, the Deluxe and at church with him; if I was seeing Raiden Ulysses Miller
It was not lost on me that things were moving fast with Raiden, but regardless I knew very little about him. However, I sensed he was the kind of man who would not be fond of people in his business. So although I confirmed what me being seen all over town with Raiden stated, since it was the truth, I didn’t get into any details. After that, I explained the last few days had been trying, I was exhausted and I needed some time to process it all.
Luckily, the folks of Willow were kind, so they left it at that. Unfortunately, there were a lot of residents of Willow I knew since I’d lived my whole life there, so that message didn’t get relayed quickly enough before others picked up the phone and called.
Therefore I had the phone to my ear when I opened the door to Raiden holding a pizza box in one hand and a six pack of Fat Tire in the other.
He grinned at me.
I rolled my eyes, let him in and did my best to get rid of my caller as Raiden dropped the box on the coffee table in the living room. He sauntered to the kitchen like he’d lived in my house since birth, came out with two plates, napkins and two opened beers. He’d already dug into a slice by the time I beeped the off button on my phone and joined him.