Secrets and Sins:Raphael(42)

Her heart raced along with her mind. Work on a graphic novel for a book  series she adored? I'm not ready. I'm not that good. I can't- Stop! She  halted the inner voice that sounded like her father's mid-rant.  Excitement and tremulous hope stirred in her breast like a baby bird,  ready but nervous to fly.

"Yes," she whispered. Cleared her throat. "Yes, definitely."

A smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. "Great. I'll let you know-"

The doorbell pealed, and the almost-there smile fell, replaced by a frown.

"Were you expecting someone?"

She shook her head. "No. Just you."

"Hmm." He exited the room, and she followed close on his heels. "Mal,  Chay, and I have keys, so it's probably not either one of them."

He paused at the front door, tapped a button next to the jamb, and a  tiny mounted monitor blinked to life. An image of Noah popped onto the  screen.

A high-tech peephole. Wow.

Gabe glanced over his shoulder. "You know him?"

"Yes, of course. It's my friend Noah Granger."

His dark eyebrow winged up. "And you weren't expecting him?"

"No. But it's okay. He's a very good friend of mine."

He didn't budge, and she squelched the impulse to nudge him out of the  way and open the door. It seemed the protective streak didn't stop with  Raphael and Chay.

After a long moment, Gabe slowly nodded. "Okay. But I'm staying until he  leaves or Rafe gets here." When Greer parted her lips to object he beat  her to the punch. "I'm staying."

She sighed at the soft but steely resolve in his deep voice. Protective  and stubborn. No wonder he and Raphael were best friends. They shared so  much in common.

"Fine," she conceded. Not that she had much choice in the matter.

She skirted around his large frame and opened the door.

"Hey, Greer. I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced … " Noah's concerned  greeting trailed off as he noticed Gabe standing behind her in the  doorway. "Oh. I didn't know you had company," he said, his tall frame  stiffening along with his tone.

"Don't be silly. Come in." She shifted back, waving him inside. "Noah,  I'd like you to meet Gabriel Devlin. Gabriel, this is my best friend,  Noah Granger."

"Nice to meet you, Noah," Gabe rumbled, extending his hand. After a  moment's hesitation, Noah accepted it, pumping Gabe's arm once before  releasing him. "I was just about to go brew some coffee. Would you like a  cup?" he asked Noah, who murmured a "no, thank you."

"Greer? Tea?"

Surprise took her aback for an instant, but she quickly rallied. "No  thanks, Gabe. I'm fine." So he knew about the pregnancy. Of course he  does, she silently scolded herself. The four friends most likely didn't  keep secrets from one another. Not after sharing one faithfully for  twenty years. But still … he hadn't given any indication since he'd  arrived.

Gabe dipped his head then pivoted and headed down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"Come on." She smiled, grabbing Noah's hand. "We can talk in the den."  She guided him through the house to the spacious room at the rear of the  first floor.                       
       
           



       

"Uh, wow." He pulled up short in the entrance, surveying the cavernous  room with its massive, built-in flat-screen television, expansive  entertainment console, scattered couches, fully stocked bar, and  refrigerator. The area was a less Spy vs. Spy version of Raphael's  basement man cave. "This is … wow."

"Watch it there, Noah," she drawled. "You're drooling."

He coughed, tossed her a slightly glazed look, then chuckled. "I think I'm in lust."

She stepped down into the room, snorted. "Men. You're so easy." As he  continued to ogle the room as if it had boobs with a wet T-shirt stuck  to them, she lowered to the couch.

"Sorry. It's impressive. I may not care for Raphael, but I can't fault  his taste," he said, sinking next to her. Then he sobered, and the  concern he'd arrived with returned full blast. "I really am sorry just  to drop in, but I couldn't stay away. I'm so worried about you."

"Oh, Noah," she murmured. She leaned her head on his shoulder, entwined their fingers. "We've been friends for how long?"

"Sixteen. But who's counting?"

"Sixteen years, and you think I don't know you? You're beating yourself  up because of yesterday." She squeezed his hand. "Let it go. How could  you know some masked guy lurked in the women's restroom?"

He untangled his hand from hers, rocked forward, and propped his elbows  on his thighs. With a groan, he tunneled his fingers through his blond  hair.

"On my watch, Greer. I failed you. I should've been there, but where was  I? On my phone outside the restaurant while you were seconds from being  forced out the back." He ground the heels of his palms against his  eyes. "Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Like shit, damn it.  Like grade-A shit."

His tortured whisper tore at her heart. She'd noted his devastation  after he'd raced back into the restaurant to discover she'd almost been  kidnapped. She'd ached for him yesterday, and she did today.

"Look at me." She tugged on his arm. "Even if you'd been sitting at the table, you couldn't have known."

"Raphael did," he spat, bitterness engraved in his scowl and the two  words. "He came looking for you-saved you-while I wasted time on the  phone, and Ethan sat on his ass."

"Noah, please."

"No." He lunged to his feet, paced away from her, strode back. "No," he  repeated, lower but no less vehement. "I know I screwed up yesterday,  Greer. But give me a chance to show you I can take care of you. We all  realized yesterday that you're not safe here. Whoever's behind this has  already located you here and followed you to the restaurant yesterday."  He dropped to his knees in front of her, clasping her hands between his.  "We need to totally disappear. Leave town where we can't be found. Let  Raphael continue to investigate, but let me take you away to my parents'  cabin in the Berkshires. No one will think to look for you there.  You'll be safe. I'll keep you safe," he pleaded.

"Noah," she breathed.

"You're mine, Greer. You've been mine since I tripped over my own feet  and knocked you down on the playground. Even when you were dead-set on  marrying that asshole Gavin, you were mine. I waited while you opened  your eyes to what a cheating dick he was because you were mine. Mine,  Greer. To protect. To … love."

Desperate, almost feverish hope and a desire that crushed her heart  gleamed in his gaze. There it was. He'd laid his feelings out there, no  longer hiding behind the bonds of their friendship. God, I don't want to  hurt you. He was her friend-her best friend. He'd stuck beside her when  no one else ha-

Hold on. He waited …

"What do you mean you waited while I opened my eyes about Gavin's  cheating?" she rasped, slowly sliding her hands free of his grasp. "You  knew?"

He ducked his head, too late to hide the guilt that flashed across his face.

"Greer," he whispered.

"Answer me," she demanded, rising to her feet. "You knew about Gavin and Aubrey?"

Silence swallowed the room, and her throat tightened as if the key to  unlocking her airways would be his denial. His denial of betraying her  with his silence. He'd been the one person she could always count on.

"Noah?" she begged. Please don't take one of the only people I can trust. Don't steal that away from me.

"Yes," he confessed. "I knew." Rising, he held his hands out, palms up in entreaty.                       
       
           



       

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hurt, confusion, anger-it coalesced into a  whirling, fiery ball sitting inside her, gathering steam and power with  each second.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said, reaching for her. But she  retreated, not wanting his comfort. Not now. When the edge of the couch  hit the backs of her knees, she edged to the right, placing much-needed  space between them.

"Greer, please don't do this."

"You didn't want to hurt me," she repeated, ignoring his plea. She hadn't done any of this. He had. "How long?"

At least he didn't pretend to misunderstand. "From the moment he agreed  to your suggestion of no sex before the wedding, I became suspicious. So  I started following him. Greer," he shook his head, "Aubrey wasn't the  first woman. Just the most recent in a long line. I couldn't let you  marry him. I had to make you see."

"You should've warned me, Noah," she insisted. "Instead you let me walk  in on … " She halted, thrust her fingers in her hair. "You let me … "  Sucking in a hard breath, she dropped her arms, stared at him in dawning  horror. "You told me Gavin called. Wanted me to come by his house for  dinner that night. But he hadn't expected me. You lied." She backpedaled  another step. "You set me up."