“All boys. I’m going to guess you and your brothers were a rambunctious bunch.”
“Tell me about it. Sometimes we would drive Mom crazy. Actually, it was mostly the others. I was the angel of the family.”
“Now why don’t I believe that?” Anya shook her head. “The way you say it I can bet it was just the opposite.”
Rafe laughed. “You guessed right. I was the black sheep of the family. Still am.”
“You? Are we talking about the same man who spent extra time with a little boy, trying to help him deal with his grief? Are we talking about the same man who thinks nothing of wiping snotty little noses, soothing bumps and bruises and drying tears? Somehow I don’t see ‘black sheep’ there.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence. Come tell all of that to my family, will you? I’m not sure they’d believe you, though.” He gave her a rueful grin. “They kinda think I’m the brat in the family and I can’t tell a lie. I’ve given them plenty of reason.”
“Well, whatever you did to make them think that way, you’ve changed.” Anya was adamant. “You’re kind and caring and mature, and the children could not want a better teacher.”
Rafe gave her a look of surprise. “Wow. I really need to take you back to Iowa. With you singing my praises I’ll be son number one for sure.”
Anya blushed. Where had all that come from? She hadn’t meant to gush like that.
“Maybe,” he said, cutting into her thoughts, “it’s because I’ve been associating with the right kind of people. People like you.”
What was he trying to do? Turn her pink as a petunia? Needing some kind of distraction, she reached for the wine list and then she remembered he didn’t drink. Under those circumstances the list wouldn’t be much of a discussion topic, would it?
But then he rescued her with a question. “Since I got back to Bremen this is the first time I’m getting the chance to ask about your summer vacation. How was it? Did anything special?”
Relieved that he’d changed the subject, Anya shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I spent a week with my father in Bonn and a week with mom. She’s in New York. What with Helga calling me every day to cry over her crazy husband, the time away did me some good.”
“Who’s Helga? And what’s that about a crazy husband?”
“Helga’s my neighbor. She lives across the street. Her husband…” Anya paused, not wanting to be discussing her neighbor’s private life but then she relaxed. It wasn’t like Rafe knew her, anyway. “Her husband is abusive so I encouraged her to make a police report. She got a restraining order so he had to leave the house but then she called me every day for three weeks straight, crying that she missed him.”
“A man who was abusing her?”
“You would think she would be glad to see the back of him, right?” Anya shook her head. “Anyway, it got to the point where I had to get away. It was just too much.” Then she gave a tiny grunt. “And if that weren’t bad enough, I ended up having to take out a restraining order against her husband, too.”
That caught Rafe’s attention. He sat forward in his chair, a frown darkening his face. “Explain that one,” he said, his voice brusque. “Was that man harassing you, too?”
Anya grimaced. “You could say that. Just the other day he woke me up after three in the morning, pounding on my door, cursing me out. He blames me for his wife finally throwing him out.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he does. That night he made such a racket that I wasn’t the only one who ended up calling the police. Lots of neighbors heard him, too. When the police picked him up off my back porch he was stinking drunk."
“Jesus. Supposed he’d broken in?”
“He wasn’t armed. I could see that. If he’d put one foot in my house he would have suffered the consequences. That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Tough words, Anya, but you’re a woman living alone. I don’t like-”
“Don’t worry about it, Rafe. I’m not stupid. That’s why I took out the restraining order. And if he ever shows up again,” she said, eyes narrowing, “I’ll be ready for him.”
Rafe was shaking his head and, to her chagrin, he wasn’t looking impressed by her bravado. “Listen, I don’t want you to take this lightly. Do you have an alarm system installed?”
“No, I never thought of having one.”
“Get one installed immediately.” Rafe’s tone brooked no argument. “I don’t want you to take any chances with this guy.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t.” Anya was almost beginning to regret she’d even mentioned the incident. All of a sudden Rafe was Mr. Super Protective and independent spirit that she was, it was beginning to grate on her nerves.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Rafe said, startling her. “I can see it in the way you set your lips just now. You’re a stubborn little cuss but I’m not going to stop bugging you until you get it done. I’ll come over and install it myself if I have to.”
“A stubborn little what? What did you just call me?” Anya was trying hard to look offended but she couldn’t help the grin that was slipping in to spoil it. “Is that some kind of American insult?”
“Don’t you worry about that.” He was the one giving the stern look. “I’m not going to let you leave this restaurant until you promise me you’ll do as I say.”
“What? You’re going to tie me to the chair?” she challenged, giving him a look of defiance.
“I’ll do better than that,” he whispered, his voice now low and silky soft. “I’ll..."
He broke off and the seductive look he’d been giving her suddenly disappeared. It was when he glanced up and nodded that she knew why. The server was heading their way. It was dinnertime.
After that, Rafe didn’t bring up the alarm system argument again. Anya almost wished he would. The way his golden eyes flashed when he’d met her challenge, the way his voice turned smooth and sexy, the promise he’d been about to make…they’d been such a turn-on. Rafe could not have known it but at that moment if he’d said he would kiss her…or more…she wouldn’t have said no.