Irreplaceable
Chapter 6

Rafferty didn't know when it happened, but by the time the credits rolled on the movie, he knew she was fast asleep. Earlier, when she had answered the door, he was sure she had been sleeping. Which might explain how she had let her guard down enough to let him inside. When he had made it back to town, he had driven by her place, and when there had been no lights on in her apartment, he had to make sure she was home and not stuck in the ditch or lost. Though she had been drinking at the bonfire, he didn't think she was too drunk to pass out but drunk enough not to drive. And drunk enough that he was worried about her.

He had noticed her right away at the bonfire, but he always noticed her right away wherever they were. No matter the location or the size of the crowd, she was always who he looked for and found. Since the night out at the bar, she had been avoiding him. Well, she wasn't talking to him, but every time he saw her, she was looking his way.

After an hour at the party, he couldn't help but talk to her, to touch her. All he had wanted to do was slip his arms around her and kiss her again, but he had opened his mouth and stepped in it. Before he knew it, she was attacking him. And he was loving it. Mia was a feisty fighter, and to have that feistiness in his arms was amazing.

He had actually been about to kiss the fury away when Anderson had pulled her off of him. He still wondered what she would've done if he had kissed her. Would she have fought harder or kissed him back? With Mia, he never knew.

Running his hand over the now paler purple hair, he noticed it had faded in the last few weeks from when they were in the bar. Though the color was weird, it was soft and silky, and it made him never want to stop touching it. Up close, he could see her real hair color coming though, a rich brown that made her hazel eyes look brown. The purple made them look more of a gray.

He could spend the night like this, with her head on his lap, but he knew Mia would be stiff and sore, which would make being on her feet the next day miserable. Carefully, he slid out from under her and went into her room. Pulling back her covers, he looked around the room and smiled. He saw her personality in every corner. Fun and homey.

Returning to the living room, he picked her up in his arms. He had heard her complain about the extra weight that she carried, but she was still easy to lift. Laying her gently on the bed, he slid the robe she was wearing off her shoulders. Underneath, she wore just a white tank top and pink lace panties. The material of the tank top was so thin that he could see her breasts, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Lifting the blanket over her sexy body, he paused to take one more look. swearing quietly in regret he ran a thumb over one of her nipples, only to be rewarded when it pebbled, and she moaned in her sleep. His c**k twitched at the sound, and he swore again as he pulled the covers to her chin.

She mumbled something as he went to shut off the light in the bathroom she had left on. Then he once again got her a glass of water and two aspirin, and put them on the bedside table. Taking her phone, he opened it-she hadn't set a password-and turned on her alarm for five am, since she had to open the café at six. He hoped she only needed an hour to get ready.

Kissing her forehead, he was about to leave when he turned back to her. Pulling a condom packet out of his wallet, he ripped it open and put the wrapper next to the water glass. This time he didn't do anything to the condom, just dropped it on the carpet, still tightly rolled. She loved a good practical joke.

Smiling, he kissed her forehead again. Because he could.

On his way out of the apartment, he turned off the TV. Shutting her door behind him, he chuckled. Once again, she was going to be so pissed at him. Maybe it would end in her attacking him again. He could only hope.