I wondered if that was part of my appeal for him. That he knew whenever he needed to, he could just let loose with me. The thought made me smile.

  Another quirk of Rafe’s was to set two alarms. The first to wake him up, though he’d doze off again, and the second to get him out of bed. He said he didn’t like the feeling of having to jump out of bed as soon as he’d awakened, that his body needed time to accept that it was morning. Worried it bothered me, he told me he’d just set the one alarm, but I didn’t care. I liked knowing these things about him. Like Rafe’s commitment to working out. Even if we’d spent half the night making love, he’d still get up at five in the morning to hit the gym in his building. He’d leave me sleeping in his bed and I’d only get up for the day once he’d returned.

  One morning he’d come back and I was already awake and the sight of him all sweaty and flushed turned me on big-time. He’d kicked off his sneakers and grinned at me knowingly. “After I shower,” he promised.

  I shook my head. “I want you now.”

  A bead of sweat rolled down Rafe’s temple. “I’m a mess.”

  “You’re sexy as hell.” I’d pushed the duvet off and my nightie up in invitation.

  With an unreadable look on his face, Rafe strolled to me. “You want me like this?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah.”

  Then the bastard braced himself over me and shook his head like a dog, spraying me with the fruits of his labor! I squealed, trying to cover myself, and his laughter spread warmth through me as he nuzzled into me. I was still giggling when he suddenly hauled me up into his arms like I was his bride and marched determinedly toward the bathroom.

  “What are you doing?”

  He grinned at me. “Now you need a shower too.”

  I squirmed in anticipation. “You’re an evil genius.”

  “Now you’re getting it.”

  * * *

  • • •

  “If it’s going so great between you, why are you worried about what to wear again?” Jude grumbled.

  My three best buddies stared at me from my laptop screen, their minimalist living room in the background. The reason I had them on a Zoom call was because Rafe and I had officially been dating for two weeks and this Sunday was my first dinner with his family as his real girlfriend.

  I was genuinely nervous this time. It made little sense because I’d met his family, and they all, except for Gigi, thought we were actually dating from day one. Rafe and I had agreed that telling his parents the truth about our start would only hurt them and perhaps even put them off me entirely.

  Even so, I had the nerves.

  “Is that a no to this dress?”

  “I like it,” Roger replied.

  “What about the violet-blue dress? The one with the little white flowers all over it? You look so pretty in that,” Kendall opined.

  Nodding, I shuffled out of the peach dress I currently wore and walked to my closet in my underwear. “What are you guys doing today?” I called over my shoulder.

  “Not a lot. Might go out for a bite later,” Roger answered.

  A loud knock at my door signaled Rafe’s arrival to pick me up. Shit. I walked out of my closet, dress in hand. “Come in!”

  My boyfriend (boyfriend!) walked in and closed the door, his eyebrows lifting in appreciation to find me in my underwear.

  “I’ll be two seconds,” I promised.

  “Hey, Rafe!” Kendall called from the computer.

  Rafe’s chin jerked in surprise as his gaze flew to the laptop. He took in the sight of my three friends’ faces on the screen, then scowled as he grunted a hello at them before walking out of shot into the kitchen. Tension visibly rode his shoulders. I pulled on the dress as my friends made overexaggerated grimaces at me.

  “I’ll call you guys later.”

  “You better.” Kendall gave me big eyes, silently communicating Tell us what the hell that was later.

  I said goodbye, closed the laptop, and looked over at Rafe, who leaned against my counter, unhappy eyes on me.

  “Everything okay?” I fluffed my hair out from where strands were caught in the back of my dress.

  His gaze shifted to the laptop and back to me. “Why were you in your underwear for that video call?”

  Oh.

  I stiffened. “Because they’re my friends and they were helping me pick out a dress while we chatted.”

  “Do you strip to your underwear in front of people a lot?”

  A flush of anger crawled up my neck. “No. They’re my best friends. Not people.”

  Sensing my anger, Rafe sighed heavily and pushed off the counter. “I’m sorry. I . . . just . . . I don’t like it.”

  “That I was in my underwear in front of my friends?”

  “Two of whom are guys who are into women.”

  No. Nope. This wasn’t happening. “They’re my best friends. I won’t change that friendship with them, not even for you. And it’s no different from wearing a bikini in front of them.”

  “One, that’s not what I’m saying. Two, underwear differs from a bikini. A bikini is something you wear in public, not standing alone in your apartment with just three people watching you. There are less sexual connotations with a bikini.”

  I glowered. “I can’t believe you’re trying to dictate who I show my body to. This is my body, Rafe. Not yours.”

  He nodded calmly as he approached me, and I braced myself, still flushed with agitation. “You’re right. But would you be okay if I showed my body to another woman? Just me alone in my apartment with her? Even if I told you she and I were just friends?”

  A different burn of emotion flashed across my chest and my jaw clenched when I realized it was possessiveness. No. I clearly did not like the thought of another woman seeing Rafe’s body.

  Shit.

  That was new.

  He had the decency not to look smug when he saw the answer on my face. “I know this makes me seem like a caveman asshole, but I’m not. I won’t stop you from video calling people in your underwear, because you’re right, it’s your body. But I didn’t like it. Because I’m not perfect, Star. People aren’t perfect.”

  “Explain. Other than the sexual connotations, explain, and I’ll try to understand.”

  “Do you really need me to? I know you don’t like the thought of this if it was the other way around. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I’d like to think I’m a more rational being than that.” I was frustrated that apparently I wasn’t!

  “So would I.” He laughed unhappily. “But unfortunately, feelings don’t always work the way you want them to.” His eyes warmed. “I like that I’m the only one who gets to see you alone in your underwear. That I’m the only one who gets to see you naked. It’s a privilege. I’m selfish. I like how I know things about you very few people know and that I’m the only one who gets that from you now.”

  “So it’s emotional, not sexual?”

  “Oh, it’s both.” He shrugged as if in apology.

  I nodded slowly. “All right.”

  “All right . . . ?”

  “I’ll think about it.” No promises. Even though I could see where Rafe was coming from and I, honestly, would probably hate it if he were to undress in front of another woman in the same scenario, I just couldn’t set a precedent that meant changing the way I interacted with my friends. I had a close relationship with Roger, Jude, and Kendall. They were family, which was why I knew there was nothing sexual in it, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that compromise for Rafe. Moreover, I had to wonder if the whole situation was different for him because his last serious girlfriend had cheated on him. It would make sense that betrayal had planted some insecurities in Rafe, and while I was sympathetic to that, I wouldn’t allow it to dictate how I behaved in our relationship.

  To my surprise, Rafe cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs sweeping my cheeks.

  “You’re not pissed?”

  He shook his head with a small smile. “You wouldn’t be you if that wasn’t your response.”

  Rafe was right. Just like me, he wasn’t perfect. There were things about him I didn’t understand, just like I knew there were things about me he didn’t understand. But I found I liked our differences. And I liked that he could surprise me.

  I just liked him. A lot. “I really like you.”

  Rafe’s eyes darkened as they dropped to my mouth. “I really like you too.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Whatever tension had built between us in my apartment had dissipated by the time we were in his Pontiac, driving to his parents’ in Harrison. I’d told Jude about Rafe’s restoration job on his car because Jude liked old cars, so Rafe had waited patiently while I snapped some pics to send before we took off.

  Five minutes after I sent them, Jude had sent a text in response.

  I approve.

  I grinned because I wondered if he was talking about more than the car.

  I’d shot texts off to my friends to assure them all was well with me and Rafe, and then a text from Gigi lit up my screen. A few days after Rafe and I became official, I called her to apologize for blowing her off, but she was lovely and understanding and we were all good. She was excited to see us at lunch.

  When we arrived, Gigi proved that by running and throwing herself into my arms. “I’m so happy,” she whispered into my hair. “You’re exactly what he needs.”

  Her acceptance meant a lot to me, and I squeezed her hard in response.

  We spent most of the afternoon on the shaded lower terrace, enjoying the warm weather. September was approaching and with it the cooler weather would come and, Rafe warned, more invitations to events. Their social circle was returning from their summer vacations, and there was always some party or function going on somewhere during the fall. Thankfully, Rafe’s schedule meant he couldn’t accept invitations to everything, but family obligation required him to attend some. And he wanted me with him.

  If I could make it through those events pretending to be his girlfriend, I was pretty sure I could do it as his real one.

  Whatever nerves I’d felt soon disappeared too as I fell into a familiar rhythm with his family. Hugo barely looked at me, but everyone else (even Pippa) was great. At one point, I sat next to Jen on the lower terrace, Rafe sat opposite us, and Charmaine, who’d been in the pool only seconds before, ran up and slapped Rafe on the arm. “You’re it, Uncle Rafe!”

  Without hesitation, he grinned and jumped out of his chair. She screamed in delight and took off, and butterflies whooshed to life in my belly as I watched him chase her around the lawn. When he finally caught her, he swung her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and her little-girl giggles filled the air.

  Hot damn.

  I suddenly was finding it a little hard to breathe.

  “I like that.”

  Jen’s voice broke me out of Rafe’s spell. “What?”

  She searched my face and her intensity reminded me of Rafe in those few seconds. Tenderness softened her expression. “I like the way you look at my son. He’s happier than I can remember seeing him in a long time.”

  In the last few weeks, I’d determinedly not allowed myself to think about the future. I was afraid I’d freak out and blow it with Rafe. Therefore, I focused on our present. However, in that moment, I fought the overwhelming urge to burst into inexplicable tears.

  As if his mom sensed the emotions roiling inside me, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it as if in reassurance.

  Not long later, we were back up on the upper terrace digging into the amazing spread Jen and Pippa had set out. I’d asked every time I’d attended if I could help, but they always shooed me from the kitchen.

  “Any line sitting jobs this week, Star?” Gigi inquired across the table. The idea of my job apparently fascinated Rafe’s little sister, because she texted me every week to ask what I was waiting in line for.

  I nodded around a mouthful of pasta and waited to swallow before answering. “A few. One of them is to get an autographed copy of a book. The bestselling thriller writer Pauline Hartcliffe is signing at the Strand. I’m going to get myself a copy too.”

  “How do you manage the commute?” Pippa frowned at me. “You spend most of your time in the city. All that back-and-forth must be exhausting and expensive. You should consider moving to Manhattan.”

  Yeah, ’cause we could all afford city living.

  “Pippa, I don’t know if you know this, but Manhattan isn’t exactly affordable.” Gigi took the words right out of my mouth.

  Rafe’s sister-in-law appeared uncomfortable as she pursed her lips and shifted in her seat. “Right.”

  If Rafe and I were going to do this for real, I had to make it clear I wasn’t ashamed of my jobs or my lack of money. “My apartment on Staten Island has everything I need. And I get a lot of reading done during the commute.”

  “Rafe did say you love books.” Jen smiled conspiratorially. “I’m a big reader too. Who’s your favorite author?”

  Before I could answer, Hugo interrupted. “Is that really your grand life plan? To work crappy-paying jobs, paying crappy rent for a crappy apartment? What happens when you’re old and physically can’t wait in line or people don’t want an old woman dressing up as a Disney princess? Do you have a retirement plan?”

  “Hugo.” Greg heaved a sigh, cutting his elder son a dark look. “If you can’t be civil, leave.”

  I tensed, my fingers curling tightly around my fork, but I smiled brightly at Greg. “It’s fine, really.”

  Hugo grimaced. “Look, I’m sorry if it came out like that, but my question is relevant.”

  “It’s also none of your damn business.” Rafe stared stonily at his brother. Then his gaze shifted to Pippa. “And Star’s commute won’t be an issue in a while, anyway.”

  I looked at him with a puckered brow. “It won’t?”

  He met my gaze and shrugged. “In a while we’ll probably move in together and since my place is bigger, I just assumed . . .” He frowned at my slackened expression. “Or not. We can move into your place. Shit, yeah, we can live there. I know you like being close to your friends.”

  Rafe had completely misunderstood my expression.

  I didn’t care about living on the Upper West Side.

  I cared that he wanted us to move in together. That for him, it was just a given that we were on that path. “Live together?” I murmured.

  His eyes searched mine. Then he said, “We practically do anyway. Right?”

  Instead of the panic I thought I’d feel, I was excited. Living with Rafe meant I’d get to go to bed every night in his arms (because he was definitely a cuddler) and wake up beside him every morning. I could suddenly envision myself on his couch, reading a book while he watched a wildlife documentary. It was all very domesticated.

  And weirdly thrilling.

  “Your place would make the most sense,” I agreed quietly. “You’re close to the clinic and I work in the city most days.”

  Rafe’s lips curled at the corners as his eyes lit with relief. “Yeah?”

  I nodded, trying not to grin like the Cheshire Cat. “Though we’ll need to install some bookshelves.”

  His hand slid under the table to squeeze my thigh. “I think that can be arranged.”

  Heat tingled between my legs and he must have seen the arousal in my gaze, because he swallowed hard and removed his hand. His expression promised me later.

  “Consider carefully.” Hugo interrupted our moment. “The last woman you lived with was Camille.”

  Rafe cut his brother a look. “Star isn’t Camille.”

  “No, she very much isn’t,” Jen agreed, casting Hugo a glare of warning.

  He held up his hands in surrender and dropped his gaze to his plate.

  “Well . . . okay then.” Pippa’s voice sounded high-pitched, drawing my attention.

  Rafe’s sister-in-law stared at me as if she’d never seen me before.

  I’d understand what that look meant later when she announced over dessert, “Star, I don’t know if Rafe told you, but I’ve started freelancing. As an attorney.”

  He hadn’t, actually. “Oh wow, that’s great.”

  “Yes, I’m very excited to get back to work. Anyway, I’m now the attorney for my best friend, Pamela, and she owns a very successful interior design firm in the city. She told me she’s looking for a new assistant. Someone to run errands, book appointments, take inventory, host the clients when they come into the office. But she also wants someone with style and an interest in aesthetics and I can’t think of anyone better than you. You have such a great way with people, you have your own style, and this could be something that leads to more. I can absolutely get you this job if you want it. For me, Pamela would overlook your lack of a college degree.”

  Rafe cleared his throat beside me and I found him frowning at his sister-in-law. It was obvious she hadn’t run this past him, and I wondered if she’d just come up with this a few minutes ago. I smiled at Pippa as I replied, “Oh, that’s such a kind thought, Pippa, but I’ve never done office work.”

  “Oh, this is different from normal office work. Besides, you’re so smart, I know you’d be a quick learner.”

  “Star has a job. Two, in fact,” Rafe told her, his tone almost a warning.