Page 42 of Married to the Enemy

Mia froze, the warmth in her chest flickering slightly. “Why not?”

“It’s better this way,” he said firmly. “For you and for them.”

Her throat tightened. It stung more than she expected. She wanted to believe last night was real. That it wasn’t something to be hidden.

But she saw the resolve in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched. She might have pushed away from him in that moment, but he shifted, his hips pressing intimately against her and she gasped. This had to happen. It had been building to this for too long to stop. So she nodded. “Fine.”

He saw it as protection. She saw it as rejection. Neither admitted the truth. Raffe hadn’t told her who he really was, or that he was determined to take her father down and put him in prison.

But this was more important than the truth and they both knew it. She was finally in his arms, pulling his head down so she could kiss him. The secrets didn’t matter anymore. The issues that faced them outside of this moment didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered in this moment was kissing him, touching him, and letting him kiss and touch her.

He clearly felt the same way, pulling her closer, his fingers diving into her messy bun, tugging at the strands to pull her head back so he could deepen the kiss. His other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her against him. All the weeks of avoiding this moment seemed to coalesce in an explosion of need. The surreptitious glances, the unavoidable touches, brushes of bodies as they passed each other in the kitchen, the sharing of space, life, and responsibilities.

True, there was a lot they still needed to resolve, but Mia knew in this moment that nothing could stop them. No lights would come on. No one would barge into the hallway and stop them…probably because Raffe was kicking the door to her bedroom shut behind them. How they’d gotten into this bedroom, Mia didn’t know, nor did she care. Her entire world had narrowed to only Raffe.

One of his hands left her body and she groaned in frustration. She pulled back enough to frown at him, but then he did that sexy tug with one hand behind his back, pulling his shirt off over his head. She gasped as all of those muscles were finally revealed to her. Yeah, she’d caught glimpses occasionally when he hadn’t fully buttoned his shirt. But nothing could compare to seeing it completely. No clothes, no towel, nothing to impede her view. And she took full advantage of that expanse of skin, her fingers exploring the smooth, taunt muscles, reveling in his strength.

“Mia,” he sighed, holding still for a long moment while they both watched her fingers caress his bare skin.

He pulled her back into his arms, scooping her up, then setting her carefully on the bed. With deft movements, Raffe stripped her clothes off. Sweatshirt, leggings, panties, and bra were removed and tossed away. When she was naked, he took a moment, just as she had, to admire her body. Mia wanted to protest, but she discovered that Raffe was naked as well, holding his impressive erection, stroking the shaft and she had to admit that she was envious of that hand. Scooting forward, she reached out and took over stroking, exploring every hard, throbbing inch of him. Her hand wrapped around the girth, her thumb smoothing over the tip, the ridge, then down again. She explored lower, cupping the softness before coming back to stroke the length.

“I want to taste you,” she whispered, then leaned forward to do just that. But he put his hands on her shoulders, holding her a little away.

“I couldn’t take it, not right now,” he replied, his voice rough with need. “Later,” he promised, then pushed her onto her back and coming onto the bed to cover her with his body.

She gasped as their bodies made contact, wrapping her arms around his neck as he peppered her face with kisses. His hands slid down her back to her waist, then upwards to cup her breasts. Mia’s hands stilled on his shoulders, her eyes closing as she writhed at the feeling of his hands exploring those sensitive mounds.

“Raffe, I need…,” she started to whisper, but then his thumbs caressed her aching nipples and she forgot how to speak.

“What do you need?” he prompted, his thumb and forefinger pinching lightly before his thumb stroked again.

“That,” she moaned, arching her back to encourage him to keep going. He did, pinching, sucking, and nibbling, until her head was spinning with desire. She shifted one leg and Raffe took advantage, sliding his hips between her thighs.

“More,” she hissed, dragging her nails lightly across his shoulders. She was surprised by how soft his skin felt. But even more surprised when he moved his head lower, kissing her stomach.

Then he spread her legs wider. She held her breath, on fire for him. So, when he slid one finger into her heat, she nearly splintered apart. “More,” she hissed, meaning she wanted him to use that other part of him instead of his finger. Instead, he inserted a second finger, while also sliding lower, kissing his way down her belly.

With her fingers still tangled in his hair, she realized what he was about to do and tried to stop him, but then his mouth latched onto that throbbing, insistent nub and she moaned, her hips lifting, needing more. When his tongue flicked against that nub, all the days and nights thinking about doing this with him welled up inside of her and she screamed as her first climax washed over her. It was too sudden, too intense, and she shuddered as he continued to tease her.

Finally, the waves of pleasure eased and Raffe moved higher onto her body. While she recovered, he dug in the pocket of his jeans for protection, rolling it down over his shaft.

“Thank you,” she whispered, meaning the protection, even though she was on birth control. He grinned, coming back to her and pulling her closer, lifting her leg so that he could fit against her more perfectly.

“Happy to provide,” he teased, nibbling at the inside of her elbow as his erection pressed against her core. She lifted her hips, holding her breath as she waited for him to come to her. When he was too slow about it, she groaned and reached for him, needing to feel him fill her up, to become a part of her.

When he slid into her heat, they both sighed and stilled briefly. He stared into her eyes, shifting slightly as if to test the friction of their bodies coming together. Then the fire started. With those small shifts, the heat and urgency intensified. She opened her mouth to say something, to give Raffe guidance, but he was already doing it. Already sliding into her, pulling back, then thrusting into her again. It was perfect. It was amazing.

Mia dug her nails into his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him deeper into her body. With every thrust, every movement of his body against hers, the pleasure built higher. It was almost too much, then he stroked her with his thumb and she shifted against his hand, needing that pressure and her body exploded again, leaving her blind and breathless as the pleasure overwhelmed her.

Mia clung to him as his urgency claimed him, riding the crest of her pleasure. It was almost too much, too intense. Then she felt him shudder, felt his body clench tighter…! A moment later, Raffe collapsed against her.

Wrapping her arms around him, she cradled him, stroking his hair while they slowly remembered how to breathe.

“That was…! Wow!” she whispered against his shoulder. Mia couldn’t stop touching him. He just felt so good under her fingertips. Plus, she needed to touch him, to ground herself with his skin and the scent of him.

“Yeah,” Raffe replied, lifting his head to nibble at her neck with his lips.

He knew that what had just happened made things significantly more complicated. But in this moment, he didn’t give a damn. Mia felt so incredibly right in his arms. He wasn’t going to think about tomorrow. After going into the bathroom to clean up, he came back and pulled her into his arms, draping her over his chest.