As he skimmed his fingertips down her back, Hammer held her. Liam deserved more than half the credit for Raine reaching this moment, and Macen wished his friend could be here now to witness their girl’s progress.
Raine sniffed, then shifted to stare into his eyes. Hammer pressed his lips to hers once more.
“Feeling better now?” he asked.
“I think so. It’s still strange, being so open and all.”
Hammer nodded in understanding. “It will be, at least for a little while. Anything worthwhile requires practice.”
“Well, that sounds nifty,” Raine groaned.
He laughed. “You’ll grow accustomed to freeing your emotions. One day, keeping them to yourself will feel as awkward as revealing them seems now. Whether you’ll have half as much success curbing your sarcasm remains to be seen.”
She chuckled. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“I know better,” he assured her. “You’ve grown so much—and so quickly. Don’t minimize your achievements; celebrate them.”
A tiny smile curled her lips. She almost looked proud of herself. “I’m working on it.”
Raine was, and he was thrilled for her. But that subversive part of him just wanted to lay claim to her again.
Hammer drew in a steadying breath and set her on her feet. He couldn’t let her confuse progress with sex. And he didn’t need to derail her thoughts now with pleasure. Hopefully, there would be time for that tonight.
She stood as if she’d unloaded the weight of the world off her shoulders. “Thanks, Macen.”
“You’re welcome. We’ve got all afternoon before dinner. What are you going to do?”
Heaven help him if she said she wanted to spend the time between the sheets with him. He didn’t think he’d be able to stave off his primal side.
“Actually, I need to run a ton of errands. I’ve neglected getting groceries. I’ve got a package to drop at the post office. Then the drugstore…that kind of stuff.”
Unease skittered through Hammer’s veins. Bill was out there, somewhere.
Macen glanced at the pile of paperwork on his desk. He felt the weight of his silent phone tucked in his pocket. Stay and wait for Liam’s return or go with Raine and make sure she stayed safe?
“I’ll come with you,” he offered.
She frowned. “Why? You hate errands. I think the last time you picked up your own dry cleaning was before I got a driver’s license.”
That was probably true. “I’d like to spend time with you.”
“And I’d like to stop somewhere and get some sexy lingerie for tonight so it will be a surprise.” She batted her lashes.
Damn, he hated to argue with that. Besides, Bill had been spotted twice at Shadows. The sick fuck was mad at him. He wanted money, not Raine. She’d probably be safer elsewhere, in broad daylight, in public.
“Keep your phone with you,” he advised. “We’re going to leave about five thirty, so you’ll need to be back and ready before then.”
“Can’t wait.” She pressed another kiss to his lips.
Macen looked forward to the chance to come clean with her about Gwyneth, the baby, Bill—everything. “Me, too.”
With her hand in his, he walked Raine to her car, scanning the parking lot and the surrounding buildings. No sign of Bill or trouble. He kissed her lips softly and watched as she pulled onto the street. God, he hoped that asshole showed up now that Raine had left. Hammer withdrew the gun from his back and pocketed it. He was ready.
The minute Liam pulled into the car park at Beck’s condo complex, he turned to Gwyneth. Finally, he could take control of the situation. She was no longer blindsiding him or tearing into his best friend. He didn’t have to shield Raine from his ex-wife here. No more reacting or putting out fires. She’d be on his turf, following his agenda, playing by his rules.
Let’s see what you’re all about, shall we?
The doorman beeped them up, and as they entered the condo, sunlight streamed through the wall of windows lining the entire back of the place with incredible views of blue ocean as far as the eye could see.
“Liam, this is lovely. A bit cozy…” She glanced around the small space as she wheeled her suitcase in, gliding her fingertips across the back of the leather sofa. She rounded the bar toward the kitchen, fingering the door to the balcony and looked out with delight. “But Kyle and I will be happy here temporarily until the three of us find something together.”
Carting in bags of groceries, he turned to glare at her. He was tired and bloody hungry and he didn’t have much patience for the manipulative wench being deliberately thick. But he intended to set her straight—once and for all.
Liam set the necessities on the kitchen counter, along with Kyle in his new carrier. He put away the food and staples, watching Gwyneth sigh like the cat that ate the canary. No doubt, she had something planned.