My cheeks heat as I shake my head with a small smile. “Are you telling me I’ve just wasted an entire afternoon teaching you to play, and you haven’t even been paying attention?”
He just arches an eyebrow, his gaze raking over every inch of my face. “Oh, I’ve been paying attention alright.” Then he sits closer, resting his elbows on his knees with a grin. “When you don’t know what to do with your hands, you tuck your hair behind your ears.”
“No, I don’t—” I break off, realizing I’m in the process of doing just that.
He chuckles indulgently. “You bite your lip when you’re nervous?—”
“Everyone does that!”
“And your eyes turn into pools of the darkest ocean as you worry that lip between your teeth.” He smirks before tossing me a wink, and every cell inside my body vibrates to life.
“In fact, you’re doing it right now.”
I’m entirely too flustered when the bell signaling the end of Nico’s meeting chimes. My eyes blow wide at the thought that we’ve been talking and playing chess for close to five hours, so I swiftly rise to my feet, knocking the chess board and all the pieces as I do.
“Shit.”
I drop to the ground, quickly picking everything up as Rafe kneels beside me to help, and as I finish, he places his large hand atop mine. The tingles spread across my entire body this time, and I suck a deep breath in through my nose.
“Can I see you later?”
I can’t quite meet his eyes, feeling like I’ve led him on, and wishing my answer could be anything but what it is. “I’ll be working later. And I’m kind of in a…situationship, so I don’t think?—”
“I only want to talk.” When I look up, he shrugs with a wry grin. “And maybe try to suck a little less at this dumb game.”
I can’t help grinning as I berate him. “You’d suck less if you’d paid more attention.”
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “True, true. All I can say is that I’ve learned from the error of my mistakes, and I will take it very seriously next time.” Then, he solemnly holds up a three-finger salute. “Scout’s honor.”
I can’t help giggling, so finding myself unable to say no outright, but knowing that I absolutelyshould, I murmur a soft, “Okay.”
With a rushed goodbye, I fly from the library, straight to Nico’s room on the first floor, where I quickly strip down as I run a bubble bath. I’ve just climbed in with my hair piled atop my head when Nico breezes through the door.
As he strides straight for his drinks cabinet, I can tell that he’s pissed off. My shoulders sag beneath the bubbles, knowing he always takes me much too hard when he’s in a mood, and already I’m still sore from this morning.
“My father needs to kick the motherfucking bucket already.” Entering the room, he rams the door open with his foot. His face is drawn up in a scowl as he knocks back his glass of bourbon before he spears me with a look.
“And I thought I told you to be naked and ready. The bubbles are a fucking irritation I could do without, Elodie.”
I immediately stand, letting the water and white foam flow down my body until I’m bared to his hungry gaze.
He stalks closer with a predatorial look while I try my hardest to keep my smile in place.
“Fuck, baby girl.” He runs his hand down my collarbone, and over the swell of my chest before he cups my breast in hand, squeezing harshly. “I willnevertire of fucking this body.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
Over two hours later, he’s blessedly passed out when I ease my aching body from his bed and tiptoe back to my own room.
I waste no time, changing into my bikini before throwing on a robe and zipping upstairs to the roof jacuzzi. It’s open, under the stars, and feels a million miles removed from everything else. Not to mention, the water will soothe my sore muscles.
It’s exactly what I need right now.
I’ve barely sunk into the warm water when I hear someone slip in through the door, and I twist my head about to spot Rafe coming closer in a pair of black trunks. He’s looking around and hasn’t spotted me yet, so I take a beat to admire the beauty of his body.
Several interesting-looking tattoos decorate his upper arms and pectorals, and a smattering of dark hair continues from his chest right down until it disappears beneath the waistband of the trunks.
When his eyes land on me, his face breaks out in a broad smile that puts an answering one on my own face even as I lower myself deeper beneath the bubbles.
