Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
A few minutes of quiet followed in which he trailed his rough fingers over her bare arm. She breathed in, closing her eyes and letting his musky scent fill her along with allowing the warmth of his body to coat her in safety.
“Tonight’s work wasn’t dark,” he pointed out.
She stiffened, afraid he’d want to dissect her feelings.
“I liked it,” he said, his tone still sexy and rough, but filled with appreciation.
She felt his lips against her hair and then he kissed her neck. Her skin tingled and her sex grew full, her body primed for his. All he had to do was hold her and she became aroused, but right now, her feelings, both physical and emotional, were so much stronger.
Smiling because he couldn’t see her expression, she murmured another thank you.
More silence passed and she waited for him to move, act, initiate… something. But he didn’t and soon she was groggy and falling into a deep sleep.
He chose that moment to speak again, this time in a whisper. “Thank you for the poem and for trusting me with your feelings. I’ll do my best not to abuse the privilege.”
The next morning, certain she’d imagined those words, Raven focused on the day ahead. They went into work early so Remy could go over the books and work on some phone calls for his PI job. Raven always had things to keep her busy at the bar.
Stevie arrived shortly after, and they began discussing her friend’s nonexistent love life and Stevie bemoaned the lack of good guys out there in the world.
“Ones like your man are certainly few and far between,” Stevie said.
Raven shook her head, immediately going into denial mode. “Remy’s not my man.”
Stevie raised what could only be described as a cynical eyebrow. “I caught you two in a clinch in the hallway on Saturday. Are you really trying to lie to me? I’m hurt, Raven.”
Normally, Raven would brush off her friend’s words as a joke but the depth of feeling in her tone told Raven that Stevie wasn’t kidding.
She turned to face her friend. And that’s what Stevie was, Raven realized, despite all attempts to keep her at arm’s length. Getting dressed together for Zach and Hadley’s wedding, helping one another with their makeup, being there for one another. Wasn’t that what girlfriends did?
Raven sighed. “I’m sorry.” In need of something to do, she picked up a rag and began to wipe down the bar. “I have reasons for pushing people away. Serious reasons but—” And this next part was hard because Raven wasn’t used to letting people in. “I promise to share them with you one day, okay? Just not right now. And not here, while we’re at work.”
Stevie’s pout and hurt expression eased a bit. “We all have our issues but I hope you know you can share yours with me. We’re friends.”
“I know.” Raven forced a smile. “Maybe you can come by one night and I’ll explain.” She immediately realized that she was staying with Remy and she’d have to confide in Stevie about that, too. Raven decided she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. Especially since Stevie’s eyes had lit up with gratitude and Raven couldn’t bring herself to dull it by nixing the idea altogether. Staying and sleeping with the boss. Stevie would just love the information, Raven mused.
“I need to go freshen up. The first customers should be here soon for lunch,” Stevie said. When she wasn’t serving, she tended bar for extra hours and money.
She strode off and Raven was grateful for the badly needed space. She was even more thankful for managerial busy work as she dove into bookkeeping and forgot about everything else.
After the lunch crowd lessened, Raven sat herself down on a barstool, a large glass of water in front of her. She took a sip and closed her eyes, grabbing a much-needed break.
“Caroline!” A familiar, shrill voice broke into her meditative state.
God, no. Not here. Not now.
She opened her eyes to see her mother standing in front of her, dressed up as if for lunch at The Plaza and not The Back Door bar. Her auburn hair was freshly blow-dried and fluffed, her makeup done to perfection, her lips accentuated with a deep red color, and her Botox prevented her expression from moving.
Rising from her seat, Raven faced her mother. More like the woman who’d raised her. Why give Cassandra a name Raven didn’t feel?
“What are you doing here and please don’t call me Caroline. You’ll confuse people and I’ve told you I go by my birth name now.” Raven would press that issue for as long as it took until she won.
When the Kanes adopted her, Cassandra had changed Raven’s name, her first step in molding her into the perfect little girl she’d wanted Raven to be. When Cassandra discovered Raven had a mind of her own and a strong will to be her own person, years later she’d had Cara in order to fulfill the dream. She’d lost on that score too. The only child that was like Cassandra was Lance, something Raven found frightening.