Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 10

Rafe's POV

What the hell was that?

I stood there, watching Teresa walk away, her clothes damp and her hair sticking to her face. A small, breathless laugh escaped her lips as she glanced back at me, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what had just happened.

And honestly? Neither could I.

Gardening? Running around with her like a fucking child?

I clenched my jaw, shoving a hand through my hair as I tried to make sense of the whirlwind that had just blown through me. I wasn't that guy. I didn't play around. I didn't joke, and I sure as hell didn't go chasing after girls with watering cans like we were in some damn rom-com.

I was Rafe Cameron. Loose cannon. The guy everyone whispered about behind their hands, the one they warned others to stay away from.

But here I was, grinning like an idiot and splashing water at Teresa like some lovestruck teenager.

What the hell was I doing?

I let out a low, frustrated growl, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. This wasn't part of the plan. I was supposed to be gaining her trust, keeping her close, making sure she didn't dig too deep.

And now... now I was playing fucking gardener? Running around with her, laughing, teasing—like we were normal? Like I wasn't the guy who'd put a bullet in her aunt's chest?

"What's wrong with you, Cameron?" I muttered under my breath, shaking my head as I turned away, trying to push down the swirl of emotions churning in my gut. "Get a grip."

But no matter how hard I tried to shove it down, the memory of her laugh, the way she looked at me when I pinned her to the ground, the way she'd smiled—really smiled at me—it stuck. Clung to me like a damn parasite.

I hadn't meant for any of this to happen. I'd gone out there to see what she was up to, to make sure she wasn't poking around or asking questions she shouldn't. But then she'd been there, all stubborn determination and fierce energy, and before I knew it, I was... what?

Flirting?

God, I was pathetic.

But I couldn't help it. There was something about her that got under my skin, made it impossible to think straight. Maybe it was the way she didn't back down, didn't let me bulldoze her like everyone else. Or maybe it was the fact that, for once, I wasn't the monster she thought I was.

For a few minutes, I was just... Rafe. A guy planting flowers, getting a little too competitive with a girl who made my head spin.

I let out a sharp breath, raking a hand through my hair again. This had to stop. I couldn't afford to let this get any further out of control. I had a job to do. I had to keep her close, keep her from finding out the truth. That was it. Nothing more.

But even as I told myself that, the memory of her eyes—bright and alive, locked onto mine—refused to fade.

"Fuck," I muttered, shoving my hands into my pockets as I headed back toward the house. I needed to get away, put some distance between us before I did something even more reckless.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to feel anything—least of all whatever this was.

But I did.

And that scared the hell out of me.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to keep moving, keep putting one foot in front of the other. I needed to pull myself together, get back in control. Because if I didn't...