Chapter 13: Disaster

Genevieve:

Genevieve stared up at the large house that had a porch that wrapped around each corner of it. Her heart throbbed in her head, her vision blurred on the edges as her mind raced. Was she really going to do this? Was she really staying with Raphael? In his house, alone. With just him?

Heat bloomed in her chest, and her core grew wet as Raphael threw open the front door to the house. Then Genevieve’s overactive mind replayed what had happened merely hours beforehand, and her entire body was washed with an icy burn that had brought tears to her eyes.

She couldn’t believe she had fallen for the sliver of a chance that Raphael could actually want her in any form other than possibly a one-night stand.

“Hey, you okay?” Vin moved to her side, his thick brow cocked with inquiry.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Genevieve quickly reverted back to her bubbly self, well as much as she could in the situation. “I was just lost in my thoughts, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Gunner sighed as he lugged her suitcase over. “And don’t worry, you’re safe here. We’ll protect you.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s part of our job.” Vin shrugged and pretended as though he didn’t see Gunner glaring him down.

Genevieve knew he was right, and she understood. She would never have crossed paths with these men if it hadn’t been for her stalker. She shuddered at the thought that she was thankful she had the chance to even get to know them, even if it was due to all of this.

“The inside is clear. No one’s been in the house since I last left,” Raphael mentioned as they all approached the stairs to the porch.

Genevieve couldn’t help the question that ran through her mind and leaked out. “How can you be so sure?” A quiet shiver rolled through her body, and it was in that moment that she realized how much this had affected her. How she was more terrified of what might happen than she had let on? She swallowed it down and allowed the strength to take hold once more.

“Every lock is untouched, and I have a security system that would have alerted me to anyone trying to get into the building.” Raphael’s words were comforting, and not in the least bit harsh or concise. Genevieve knew that he was explaining it calmly for her sake and not the two men who were standing behind her. As she was that the look of pure concern and protective guise that Raphael wore was for her as well. She wasn’t sure why he always looked at her like that, yet pushed her away, but her heart couldn’t bear it.

“Oh,” she mumbled before she averted her gaze and refused to lock eyes with him again.

“You’ll be safe here,” Raphael explained, walking down the steps to face her head on.

Genevieve was forced to look up at him now or seem disrespectful. When she peered into his eyes though, her entire body went rigid, a fire licking up her legs and straight into her core as his hooded gaze fell upon her. The dark hue of his eyes were coals that seared into the base of her stomach and caused her weak heart to tremble. She breathed in, a shaky breath, her throat clenching tight, cutting off the air flow.

“Thank you,” she forced out.

Genevieve followed Raphael up the stairs and through the screen door, into the cozy house that she couldn’t even imagine the rough man living in. It was not at all as military sterile of a place as she had imagined he’d be living in, but rather there were family pictures, cozy couches with blankets and pillows resting on them, and even knick-knacks that adorned the shelves on the wall. The kitchen looked up to date from a distance, the attire more homey than was expected.

When Genevieve finished looking around, she turned to find Raphael leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen and watching her. His arms were crossed, and there was a sheen in his dark gaze that she couldn’t quite pick up on the meaning of.

She tried to gather herself to the best of her abilities and swallowed the tremor in her voice as well as the plea that her core did its best to get her to say. “What?”

Raphael only shook his head and remained in the same position. “You look damn good in my kit–”

“Genevieve, I brought your bag up to the second door on the right upstairs,” Gunner interrupted, moving into the kitchen past Raphael who only glowered at him. He pushed off the door frame and pivoted before bounding up the stairs.

Genevieve heard a door slam and then a rush of water that pattered down from above. He must be getting in the shower.

“Are you okay?” Gunner questioned as he leaned his forearms against the island.

“Yeah, I just don’t see him living in a place like this.” Genevieve hid the shiver that took hold of her spine as she remembered the comment Raphael had been making before Gunner had come in. She knew what he was going to say, but it didn’t make sense. He was the one that had pulled away from her in the hotel. He was the one that made it clear that she was his job, nothing more. So why did he have to go and make comments like that?

“Actually, this was his sister’s house before she got married and moved away. Her husband already had a house with everything they needed, so whatever she didn’t have to bring, she left behind,” Gunner explained as he pushed off the counter and moved to the fridge. He opened it and grabbed out a beer. He offered Genevieve one, but she shook her head and smiled. He shrugged and shut the fridge door. “It’s all that he has left of her, since it’s been ten years since they’ve even seen each other.”

“Why’s that?” She couldn’t picture Raphael not wanting to be in his sister’s life. At least, not from what she had learned about him from the last few days.

“Since he came back from enlistment, he’s always kept his distance from those he cared about, especially family. When he started working for Jackson, it got worse. He does a lot of tougher jobs than this one. Sometimes they come back and bite us in the ass. He wanted to protect his sister, even though she argued with him and told him to quit. So it was either her or the job.”

“And he chose the job,” Genevieve nodded as she spoke, not needing the rest of the story. Raphael was keeping everyone at arm’s length, even Genevieve.

“Exactly.”

They sat in silence for a moment and she stewed in the information that had been given.

Genevieve finally cleared her throat and raised her bag as though Gunner couldn’t see it. “I’m going to put my bag in the room and check it out.”

He nodded as Vin walked in and nodded to her before moving to Gunner. They smiled at one another, and Genevieve slipped out before she caught anything she wasn’t supposed to see.

She slowly made her way up the stairs, but it wasn’t until she reached the top landing that Genevieve realized that she hadn’t remembered which room she was told that her other bag was in. She pivoted as though she were going to go ask Gunner, when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Second door,” Raphael growled. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom across the hall, steam billowing out around him. There was a towel draped across his hips, almost too low to hide anything, while another one was in his hand as he dried his hair and chest. His dark eyes were on Genevieve, though, that same hunger that she had caught before in the kitchen still there.

“Thank you,” she choked out before scurrying to the second door and swinging it open. Sure enough, her suitcase was neatly placed on the bed. It was a queen-sized bed with an adorable floral pattern that had no reason for being in the same house as Raphael.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the linework of his tattoos and the way they jutted across Raphael’s arms, dark and vibrant. She released a quivering breath as her heart tightened, and she clenched her legs together to hide her arousal. Even from this distance, she could smell the earthy tones of his bodywash. Wait.

How could she smell that?

Genevieve whirled around to face Raphael who stood just behind her, his delicious body towering over her. Fuck, she couldn’t stop looking at those tattoos, but he was too close, and she wasn’t going to be able to stop herself from the need to touch him.

She squeaked and stumbled back, her weight slamming against the door, pushing it. She felt the world spin as she was on her way to falling down, right in front of Raphael.

Great.