The sudden charged silence opened her eyes. Rafe stared so intently she averted her gaze. Even with the ice packs firmly in place, he’d only moved to give her chin a gentle tug up. The intensity on his face made her squirm. On the outside, he fit in with the dangerous clientele at Maria’s bar. Lethal. Dark. Dangerous. But the hard outer package wasn’t what unnerved her.
Bright blue and a hint to his mixed heritage, his eyes darkened and dropped to her mouth. Something told her a kiss from Rafe would be as dangerous and uncontrollable as the comfort gained from being in his arms. To give in to either urge would pop apart her safely bubble-wrapped life. But damn, she wanted a taste of both.
“We’ll find a way to get Rachel back, Red.” Rafe’s voice lowered, his thumb caressing the corner of her mouth. “You don’t need to subject yourself to…this.”
“This is nothing compared to what Rachel’s probably going through. If it brings her home, I’ll go through this and a hell of a lot more.” Her voice caught in her throat.
Years of keeping tears at bay ended when moisture brimmed her eyes. Man, she was a raging mess, so near the edge that a few nice words and a simple touch could push her right over the cliff.
She hated crying, loathed the exposed feeling it always left behind. And that’s how she’d felt since that last frantic e-mail from Rachel. Exposed and open. Standing this close to Rafe, feeling the scorch of heat building with their prolonged silence, only made that sensation worse. The man was a walking, breathing supernova. There was no way she wasn’t going to get burned.
“I really appreciate the fact that you and Alpha are willing to help me find her,” Penny said truthfully. “It’s not like I don’t trust you all, but—”
“But she’s your family,” he finished.
She swallowed the forming lump starting to clog her throat. “My only family. I can’t with good conscience step aside and watch others do for her what I should be doing myself.”
Rachel always came first, and Penny knew the feelings were returned. It was the way it had been even when her father was alive. Because even as a young girl, she’d quickly come to the realization that unless she slipped into Navy dress whites and memorized every tactical maneuver from A History of War and Conflict, she wasn’t enough to keep a man like her father content and happy.
The look on Rafe’s face was unidentifiable—lips tightened, eyes narrowed. His gaze roamed her face as if trying to memorize every slight dip and freckle.
“This isn’t going to be a walk in the park.” His voice drew Penny from her daze. “We don’t know more than we do, and Fuentes always seems to keep one step ahead.”
“And here I thought he’d erect flashing neon lights that would point us in the right direction.”
Rafe’s large form, still less than an inch away, chased the chill from her body. The seriousness of the moment was slow to drain away, but it did, replaced by something infinitely more dangerous. A sense of security. Protection. Penny couldn’t remember the last time she’d let someone hold her.
Rafe’s hands steadied her as she lifted onto her toes and touched her mouth over his. It started off as a faint brushing of lips, but then Rafe’s fingers slipped into her hair and his mouth moved with hers. His near-instant reaction threw her so off-balance, she clutched his shirt and leaned closer, gently taking his bottom lip between her teeth.
Her chest flush against his, Penny appreciated the stark contrast of his hard body and soft touch. His large palm skated up her back, catching beneath the hook of her bra while his other gently held her in place for the slow tangle of lips and tongue.
As far as first kisses went, this was high up on her list of best kisses ever. Like, the very top. She savored every glide of his hands and shift of his hips. Her hardened nipples brushed against his shirt while his thick erection pushed against her stomach.
Rafe’s touch was better than any ice pack or drug—right until her body protested her desperate need to get closer by blasting a shot of pain between her ribs. She sucked down a hiss.
Rafe ignored her disapproving whimper and pulled away. Their heavy breaths mingled as their chests rose and fell. She couldn’t even remember her own name as his gaze scoured every inch of her face. “We better stop right here, Red. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She almost asked if he meant emotionally or physically, because she could take physical pain as long as he kept touching her. Before she had the chance to make a fool of herself, booted steps thudded up the back porch.
Rafe reacted in an instant, pulling a gun from the back of his pants before turning toward the open doorway leading into the kitchen.
Chase barreled into the house first. “We’ve got a fucking problem on our hands.”
Rafe tucked both his Glock and Penny’s half-naked body at his back. “Plan B?”
Sean’s face looked even grimmer than normal as he stepped into the kitchen. “We’re moving straight to D. As we speak, Charlie’s polishing up everything we have for the grand appearance of shipping magnate Rafael Manuel. It’s all or bust.”
Penny peeked from around Rafe’s large body. “Who’s Rafael Manuel?”
“Our Hail Mary,” Rafe answered, face grim. “And you’re looking at him.”
CHAPTER SIX