Courtship

Part 34

Rafe was going to be blunt. And he was going to step up the ante. Time to be assertive. "Who is the guy you're with tonight?" He stopped at the door making no attempt to go in as he waited for Marina's response.

Marina blinked in confusion then blurted out, "What?" Then she remembered Nick. She had come to the party with Nick! So what the hell was she doing walking hand in hand with Rafe. And where was Nick when she needed him? Typical. "Erhm, Nick." Marina announced and scowled at Rafe before she looked pointedly at her hand. It was still in his grasp. "Can I have my hand back?" She asked drolly. Time to start thinking straight. Do not get involved here, she reminded herself. Too late came the instant silent retort.

Rafe ignored her question as he posed another of his. "And Nick is your..." He let the question peter out and waited for her response. His thumb brushed gently across the knuckle of her thumb. Clearly he'd wasted far too much time, but then, all those years ago he hadn't really stopped to get to know this woman, or to be fair, he hadn't lowered his professional guard. She was a junior colleague so he had kept things professional. On the surface at least. Though by all accounts his reaction to her had manifested in over compensation, determined not to step out of line his subconscious had clearly put up barriers. Or was it simply that until recently he hadn't seen her for who she was, but had kept in mind who he assumed her to be. Based on what?

"Friend." She murmured automatically and fought off the urge to swoon. Did women swoon in this day and age? Was it just down to being really warm? Couldn't be given they were still outside. She tried not to let her emotions run riot. But really the man needed to stop caressing her hand. She tried to remember what strategies she had used when they were working together in the hospital. Things had been professional, on her front at least. She had kept things professional despite knowing her schoolgirl crush was far from over. So what had she done back then to maintain her equilibrium? She nearly chuckled, she hadn't let him touch her for starters! No finger linked, no lip to ear contact, no hand in the small of her back, no thumb stroking! Simple. No contact.

"Friend?" He pushed and felt relief fill every cell. That meant just friends, didn't it?

"Yes. Friend. Why?" She huffed, "And you need to let go of my hand!"

"Why?" His eyes danced with relief as he teased and responded to her question while posing one of his own using one word! His eyes were mischievious as he brought his hand up, and while still maintaining eye contact lowered his head, intending to place a kiss on the back of her hand, "Because..."

"Hey! Rina! There you are! I thought Claire said you'd gone for a dance!" Both Marina and Rafe spun to see Nick heading for them. "I really didn't fancy trying to find you in that mob!" Nick grinned as he got closer, "It's mental in there." He'd seen that near kiss, and based on what Marina had told him earlier that evening, she needed him to protect her. So he'd interrupted. But from that fleeting look that he'd seen in her eyes, he thought he might have got things wrong! Did she or didn't she want him to run interference to help her avoid the man who had nearly kissed the back of her hand? Women! So bloody complicated. If she didn't want him to kiss her hand, and wanted to avoid him, why had she agreed to dance with him? And why weren't they dancing?

"Yes." She looked somewhat sheepish. Then decided she needed to get a hold of the situation. So she took a swift breath. " We know." Marina said drolly, tugged her had free and stepped past Rafe and into the room. Nick watched the interaction and figured that either he had got things seriously wrong or she had a serious case of head in the sand syndrome. For Rafe looked exasperated. Marina took another couple of steps toward Nick, putting a bit of distance between her and Rafe. "That's why we decided to get a drink instead." She narrowed her gaze at her friend. "Which you were supposed to be getting me, remember?"

Nick nodded, and with his usual charm said, "Yeah, yeah, sorry. I bumped into Matt, and we got talking! Sorry. I took so so long." He held a glass out toward her, and grinned even as his eyes attempted to see past that shield she had put up. "Here you go. No ice."

"Thanks." She looked over her shoulder, "Do you two know each other?"

They nodded. Sort of." Nick said. "Know of each other is probably more accurate. Or at least I know of Rafe. Spoken a couple of times I think. But only in passing." He waited for Rafe to confirm that and when Rafe nodded, Nick said, "But can't say I've spoken to you in a while." That took the three of them on a review of how and why they all knew each other. Unfortunately, given they now had company that meant for Rafe, it also put paid to any intention he had making some headway in asking Marina out on a date. But at least he knew she wasn't going out with Nick, and that she and Nick were just friends. Good friends by the looks of things, but just friends. That made Rafe smile. Just because he couldn't ask her out tonight did not mean that was the end of it. He glanced across at Marina. Their eyes met.

Now what? Marina wondered and practically gulped when she thought she read his intention in his eyes. She blinked. She must have imagined that. Surely imagined it.

Marina wasn't sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that Claire arrived at that very moment and the conversation swiftly moved onto other topics.