Raf & Shane & Wendy
From the center of the room, she studies the setup as the delivery crew hauls in the first piece of a midnight-blue leather sectional.
Next: the minimalist coffee table. Raf brushes her hand over the glass surface. “Right there, that’s the focal point.”
A thick, textural rug arrives last. She directs them, kneeling to adjust the corners.
“You know what I think?” Shane asks.
She looks up just as he approaches, smiling down at her. “What’s that?”
“I think I just found a new reason to love this place.”
Raf laughs softly, avoiding his eyes as she rises, then reaches for a nearby box. “Imported from Uzbekistan,” she says, holding up the decorative pillow.
“Uzbeki-where?”
“The embroidery’s called Suzani,” she remarks, as if fending something off.
He’s closer now. Raf looks away, a flush rising as she fights a grin. She freezes as his arm slides around her waist.
“Whoa,” she says, breath catching.
“Hey.” He meets her gaze. He could pull her against his chest. She could let him. He could kiss her. She could kiss him.
But instead, she turns. Glances back. And with a flick of her hand, swats him lightly on the butt as she slips past.
“Did you just grab my ass?” he asks, half surprised, half impressed.
Raf doesn’t mean to smile, but she does. “Don’t get used to it.”
Their laughter drifts out through the open window, across the courtyard, past the pool, just as Wendy pushes through the gate. She’s halfway to the stairs when she hears it—a door opens. More laughter, Shane’s this time. Then Raf: “Thanks, darlin’. It really does look amazing.”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Wendy watches from across the courtyard as Raf pulls Shane’s front door closed. Goyard tote slung over one shoulder, phone already in hand, she strides toward the gate, until Wendy steps directly into her path.
“Well, well. What a surprise,” she says, giving Raf a slow once-over.
“I’ll say.” Raf squints, like she’s trying to place a stranger. “Wendy, right?”
“Mhm. Busy day, I see.”
“Always,” Raf replies. “Shane’s place is really coming together.”
“I’m sure he’s very appreciative of your guidance.”
“He is. But Shane’s got great instincts. And fabulous taste.”
“Well, some people are easily impressed.”
“Funny,” Raf says, already stepping around Wendy. “I was just thinking the same thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She veers right, skirting the edge of the pool. Wendy turns to watch her go, then looks back at Shane’s apartment door.
Fine. Now it’s my turn.
She walks straight up, pauses only long enough to smooth her blouse, and knocks.
“Let me guess,” Shane jokes as he opens the door, surprised but smiling. “Just in the neighborhood?”
Wendy doesn’t wait for permission, just walks in, tossing a glance over her shoulder that’s not quite innocent.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything… important?” she asks.
“Not at all.” He raises a brow, sizing her up. “I was just heading to Icons.”
“Go later,” she moans, already settling into the brand-new couch like she owns the place. “The bar won’t fall apart without you.”
Shane hesitates, then closes the door. He crosses the room slowly, watching Wendy with the kind of look that says he already knows how this ends. He drops down beside her, close enough to make the point, one arm stretched along the back of the sectional.
“Nothing to say about the apartment?”
“Oh.” Wendy shrugs. “I hadn’t noticed. Looks nice.”
“Brand-new couch.”
She runs her fingers along the seam of the back cushion. “Did she pick it out?”
“Raf? Maybe. But I paid for it.”
She leans in slightly, lips brushing the edge of his collar as she breathes him in. “Ugly pillows,” she says. “But the smell of new leather’s sexy.”
He tilts his head, giving her a sidelong look. “What are you trying to do, Wendy?”
“Stay,” she murmurs, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down on top of her.
“Like you ever give me a choice.”
Their lips meet. Her fingers find the back of his neck. His hand slips under her shirt. She gasps against his mouth, then bites his lip, just enough to make him grunt as he presses her deeper into the couch, the cushions giving under their weight.
Then Wendy breaks the kiss.
“Wait.”
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She looks up at him. The concern on his face almost makes her laugh. Then she smiles. “Hope she picked something stain-resistant.”
Shane smirks, shocked but delighted. “Oh, you’re bad.”
“Shut up,” she says, pulling him back in, letting him crush her as she sinks into the kiss.