Soon they were all busy with their meals, enjoying the food and the balmy breeze under the Kentucky Yellowwood tree. The conversation was light and funny and Anya found herself laughing so hard she began to worry they’d think she was tipsy. Although tipsy from what, she couldn’t say. It wasn’t like she’d been drinking anything stronger than grape juice. The only thing that could come close to making her tipsy was a certain handsome fellow who was lounging beside her, lying so close that his leg was touching hers. He probably didn’t even notice but, as innocent as it was, it held a hint of intimacy that had her thinking thoughts that were admittedly inappropriate. Oh, if only she could keep her mind on the casual banter. Come on, Anya. Focus.
“So what’s the hardest part about traveling with Rafe?” she asked, trying to start a conversation thread that would distract her from the leisurely sensuality of the man who lay beside her.
“I can answer that,” Lion piped up just before he stuffed the last piece of pound cake into his mouth.
“Hey, no more talk about me,” Rafe said, looking like he was glad Lion’s mouth was too full for him to speak. “You’ve already embarrassed the heck out of me. Enough already.”
“Never enough,” Anya said, egging Lion on. “Rafe’s told me so much about his adventures but only the good parts. I want to know about the real Rafe Kent, good and bad. Tell me more.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Rafe growled but it was too late. By then Lion had swallowed the last of the cake and was looking like he was ready to roll. Talking was definitely his thing.
“Rafe,” he said, his gray eyes sparkling with mischief, “is the pickiest person when it comes to…” A cell phone rang, cutting him off midstream.
“Sorry, guys,” Rafe said, digging into his pocket. "It’s mine.” When he glanced at the screen he frowned. “I’ve got to take this. Excuse me a minute.” He tapped the screen to answer the phone then got up and put the device to his ear. “Speak.”
As Rafe walked across the grass and away from them Khalil shook his head. “Don’t expect him back any time soon. From the look of things it’s going to be a while.”
“Yeah, so where was I?” Lion asked with a shrug. “Oh, yeah. We were talking about Rafe’s bad habits.”
Anya gave him a tiny frown. “I don’t know if we should talk about that when he’s not here.”
“Why not? It’s not like I’m saying anything I wouldn’t say to his face.” Lion rolled over onto his stomach like he was getting super comfortable. “Yeah, he’s picky,” he continued, “when it comes to food. It makes life on the road really tough when we can’t find the right kind of food for Rafe. I remember this one time in Brittany we went to four restaurants before he found one that did his baked salmon just right.” He shook his head. “Picky, picky, picky. I wish he’d be as picky with his women as he is with his food.”
Anya’s head jerked up. She was just in time to see Khalil give Lion a warning glare. “What did you just say?” Her voice was deceptively cool.
“I…nothing. I just…” Lion’s voice trailed off and he glanced at Khalil as if for support.
But Anya was having none of it. He’d made a comment that demanded an explanation. So Rafe wasn’t picky with his women? What did that mean? He’d found a love interest at every stop and she was just one among many? “Why would you say something like that?” she asked, her voice soft and amiable, reflecting none of the fire that was beginning to burn inside. She even managed a small smile. “What did you mean?”
Now Lion was beginning to look really uncomfortable. “It was nothing,” he said with a shrug but the color that was slowly creeping up his neck belied his casual tone. “I just meant he shouldn’t be quite so popular, that‘s all.”
“Popular with the ladies, right?” She gave him a pointed look.
“Yeah,” he said slowly, practically groaning the word. “But it’s not what you might think. It’s just that he had this girlfriend, right? And she hurt him so ever since then he’s got this policy where he just-”
“I got this, Lion.” Khalil broke in just when his friend’s babbling would have given Anya the information she needed, the information that would have told her who Rafe Kent really was. “Don’t pay any attention to what Lion said, Anya.” Khalil gave her a grave look. “Rafe’s a really cool guy. There’s nothing about him you need to be concerned about.”
Anya looked at him askance. “You’re his friend. I don’t expect you to say otherwise.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” he said, looking annoyed that she’d had the audacity to question what he'd said. “Don’t judge him by what Lion said. Lion just talks too much sometimes.”
“You're right.” To Anya’s surprise Lion was actually agreeing with Khalil. Instead of looking upset that his friend had called him a virtual blabbermouth he looked contrite. “I always talk too much and sometimes it ends up getting me in some deep doo-doo.” He sighed. “Like now.”
Anya didn’t say a thing and neither did Khalil. In fact, he looked like he didn’t intend to say a word to Lion for the rest of that afternoon.
But in the end Anya was glad Lion had been loose with his lips. It taught her a valuable lesson and right in the nick of time. Just when she was beginning to really like Rafe, even harboring fantasies that he might like her enough to want to stick around in Bremen for a while, this thing happened to drag her back to reality. The man was a womanizer, so bad that his friend couldn’t even keep from commenting on it. He was the last sort of man she should ever get involved with.
So to Rafe she was just another conquest, was she? Well, he would soon find out she was not that kind of girl.
She wouldn’t even ask him to explain himself. When he came back from his call she would just be good and gone.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rafe was shaking his head as he walked across the grass, back to the picnic party. It never rained but it poured. Bert was calling much earlier than planned. He’d found even more evidence of Michael’s transgressions. On top of that, it was now looking like there was an insider, someone within Rafe’s company who was helping Michael embezzle funds. What he’d found out, Bert surmised, was probably just the tip of the iceberg. But he needed more time, he told Rafe. Within a week he should have enough information for Rafe to get involved. But not yet.