So I return the awkward embrace with my free hand while she lingers. Raya covers her smile, probably seeing how unrehearsed I am with strangers hugging me, and then she comes to tug her mother off me.
"Don't maul the guest. Let's go in."
Her mother almost pouts as she lets me go, but it's mostly because she's enjoying teasing Raya. I follow behind them as they reach the top of the small, hazardous porch, but then some beast of a man steps into the doorway.
I really hope that's not her overprotective brother.
Considering his militant stance and appearance, along with his muscles and tattoos that scream badass, I'm assuming it is. Maybe he won't kill me this weekend, because I'm not keeping my hands off Raya if she gives me an opening.
"It's about damn time," he says with a grin as he picks her up in a very wince-worthy embrace.
She wheezes, and I fight to keep back, reminding myself how many times she's talked about the fact her brother loves her. Then I see her tap his shoulder three times. Wait? Did she just tap out?
"Damn. Lay off the steroids," she gripes while he puts her down, letting her airflow return. I relax from the tense stance I didn't even realize I had taken.
He chuckles loudly, and then he shakes his head. "Pure and solid, baby sister. Pure and fucking solid."
The second his eyes find mine, his look of softness turns to a murderous glare. Yeah, he's going to kill me if I touch Raya. At lea
st I'll die happy.
"Who's pretty boy?" he asks, the venom in his tone promising me a weekend of pain if I give him one excuse.
Pretty boy. He has no idea about me. It's probably stupid, but I grin. I fight it, but I know it's there.
"This is Kade, my... friend?" she says, making it sound like a question while sounding unsure. "Play nice, Josh."
Friend for now.
"I'll play," he threatens, making no attempt to veil his intentions.
I usually prefer bluntness, but he's actually a little scary. He makes Brock look small, and Brock is—well, was—the biggest guy I know. I've kicked his ass before, so maybe I could hold my own against Josh if necessary.
The beast moves when Raya pushes him, but I know damn well she didn't have the strength to move him without his permission. At least he has a very soft spot for her.
Her eyes move to me as I duck to come in, and I grin at the man lounging in the recliner, subconsciously holding his beer even while he snores. The trailer is small, very small. And the low ceilings have even lower ceiling fans. This could pose a problem.
When I turn around and see the look Raya is giving me, I decide any concussion I might receive from a vicious fan will be well worth it.
"Yes, dear," her stepfather says in his sleep, still clutching a beer can.
The others don't even seem to acknowledge it. It's comical, really, though I have no idea what a woman who looks like her mother is doing with someone who sleeps the day away when he's not at work. Then again, I've never done a lot of manual labor. I'm sure it's exhausting.
"Are you okay?" Ginger, Josh's wife, asks me. "Do you need anything?"
Raya's eyes cut toward me apologetically. I give her a wink, still finding humor in it, even though it should be at the point of annoying by now.
"I'm fine, thank you," I say as graciously as possible, mentally patting myself on the back for not laughing out loud.
Wrapping my arm around Raya's shoulders, I pull her to me, needing to feel her closer before we're forced to separate and go into different rooms. I'm so exhausted, and I doubt I'll sleep much knowing her brother is just down the hall.
I've been hoping he'd hurry up and drink all the wine so he'd be too drunk to do anything more than pass out for at least twelve hours.
"I'm ready to crash," I finally say, yawning for emphasis.
"Me, too. I'll show you the guestroom," Raya says, seeming distracted as she has a silent conversation with her grinning mother.
"Actually, Raya," her mother says with an enigmatic smile, "the guestroom is packed full with some of your brother's friend's things. He needed a place to store some stuff while he moved into a new home. Kade will have to share your room tonight. Your bed is plenty big enough."