Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish

Author:Roan Parrish [Parrish, Roan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-63476-903-7
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

WHEN THE doorbell rings, I’m just getting out of the shower and I almost break my neck getting tangled up in my sweats as I drag them over still-wet skin.

Relief floods me when I see that it’s Rafe. I haven’t heard from him since he left my house Sunday morning. I even texted him a few times, but he didn’t respond, which isn’t like him.

I find myself smiling automatically, and Shelby practically climbs the leg of his jeans. Rafe gently detaches her from his leg, but sets her down on the floor without playing with her. Also not like him.

“Hey,” I say.

“I need to talk to you.” He sounds like he’s trying really hard to keep his temper.

“Okay.” I back away from the door.

“I’m going to ask you a question and I need you to be honest with me.”

I nod. He’s still standing just inside the door.

“Do you wanna sit down?”

But he shakes his head. He looks like a different person than the Rafe I woke up to on Sunday morning. The one with the warm, sleepy kisses. The one who told me I was beautiful—even if that did make me blush and smack him. The one who said he liked being at my house because his apartment felt lonely since Javier died. The one who cooked me breakfast and hugged me tight before he had to leave.

“Were you alone with Anders here on Monday night?” he asks, voice tight.

My heart starts to pound. “Uh… no? Not here. But yeah, he came to the shop. Wanted to talk.”

Rafe puts his head in his hand and groans, like Anders wanting to talk to me is some kind of horrible nightmare.

“I mean, I’m sure he’d have rather talked with you, but he didn’t know where you are when you’re not at YA and he knew where I worked, so….”

“I’m not—Jesus, Colin, I’m not jealous. I just can’t believe you would do something so monumentally stupid! Fuck!” Rafe drops down onto the back of the couch. “What were you thinking? Were you alone with him? Who else was there? Did people see him?”

“Hold the hell on. What are you implying? I didn’t… I didn’t do anything to him!”

“Yeah, unfortunately, that’s not the point. That’s why there are protocols for working with youth. You have to be absolutely beyond fucking reproach at all times or you leave yourself open to every accusation under the sun. And I’m the one who brought you on as a volunteer, so if it looks like you’re being inappropriate with the kids, then it’s on me!”

“Well, how do I know this shit? I was trying to help.” Okay, my first response had been irritation that Anders had come to the shop, but I got over it.

“You don’t know so there are times you can’t help,” Rafe says, like I’m an idiot. I hate it when he does this. Acts like there is this whole set of rules that I’ll never understand. Not that he’s wrong. It’d just be nice not to be reminded that I fuck up everything I touch.

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