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fantasies about staying here with Rafe. The only way out of this is to disappear to somewhere no one will ever find you.
“If you run from me, I will follow. You have no idea the things that people like that would do to you. The kinds of things men like me are capable of.”
“No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?”
Di wasn’t sure where she got the courage to ask such a question, but as soon as it was out there, she realized she truly wanted to know. She knew that he’d been a killer. He had files on other killers. He’d worked for some place called ORUS, and he’d once been FBI, but she didn’t know much else. There was so much information to sift through.
And once she’d seen the information on her family, she’d been too sick to look further. It was clear she should never have seen that information. Rafe kept referring to his past and saying that he wasn’t good for her. But what did that mean exactly?
She felt a sudden and intense need to know exactly what Rafe had survived and what horrible things he had done that he deemed beyond redemption. Was it because she wanted to get to know him better or because she felt guilty for not knowing more about a man that she was halfway in love with?
More than halfway, if she was honest with herself.
“Don’t ask me that. At least now you still look at me like I’m a hero. If I told you more, you’d never look at me that way again.”
When he released her, Di felt like something was being ripped away from her. But it was probably for the best. Although Rafe seemed to think that he could He-Man his way through this, Di didn’t want him to. It would just put him in harm’s way for no reason. If she just vanished, her brothers would probably assume that she’d found the Jewel of the Sea and disappeared with it. This was about profit for them. If they believed she’d stolen the jewel back, they’d focus their resources on looking for her and leave Rafe alone.
It was the only way to protect him.
“So what do we do now?” Di asked. She wasn’t sure what Rafe was planning.
“We don’t do anything. I am going to call off the dogs who would see you hurt for what you stole. You are going to keep your pretty ass in this room where you’re safe.” Rafe’s dark eyes zeroed in on her, and she squirmed under his scrutiny.
“Do you really plan to keep me here against my will? How did you plan to do that? Tie me up?” As soon as she said it, she bit her lip, knowing exactly where he’d take that statement.
As expected, his lips curled up into a dirty smile. “I can definitely tie you up. Would you like that, sweetheart? To be tied to my bed, waiting for me to get home and play with you?”
Her stomach flipped at the thought. She definitely wouldn’t mind being tied to Rafe’s bed, and he no doubt knew exactly how wet just the thought of it made her. Damn him! The man could play her emotions like a violin, and she couldn’t afford to get distracted.
But Rafe’s distractions always felt so good.
Suddenly the idea of letting Rafe handle everything didn’t sound so bad. Di was exhausted. It hit her in that moment just how tired she was of lying, hiding, and trying to determine who was friend or foe. The whole thing was maddening, and it was so tempting to allow Rafe to take over everything while she stayed safely under his protection.
But she loved him. It was stupid to pretend otherwise, and the last thing she wanted was to put him in harm’s way. Although she hadn’t been close to her brothers growing up, she knew they had always been as determined as their father. They would never stop searching for her, and they would hurt anyone who got in their way. Rafe could take care of himself, but what about the other people she’d met since coming here? She thought of Lucia and her adorable little girl. Then she thought of Rafe’s sweet grandmother and how grateful he seemed to have her in his life. He could protect himself and probably her too, but what about the others? He couldn’t be everywhere all the time.
“I would definitely like being tied up by you.”
His eyes lit up at her statement, and when she crooked her finger at him, he crossed the room in two seconds flat. Di gave in to his kiss, desperate for one last taste of him. He was so hard against her, and she relished the feeling of her breasts pushing against his chest. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to commit the silky strands to memory. It would be the kind of memory that kept her warm when she was alone and Rafe was just another part of her past.
And then… she kicked him in the nuts.
Rafe doubled over in pain, falling to the ground at her feet. Di didn’t kid herself. The only reason she’d been able to get that shot in was because he trusted her and had let his guard down slightly. Something he’d probably never do around her again.
“I’m sorry. So sorry,” she called over her shoulder as she ran out. She didn’t let herself look back again.
Chapter Five
If Rafe hadn’t been ready to kill Diana before, kicking him in the nuts was certain to solidify that now. She couldn’t believe she’d done it.
She hadn’t gone there looking to start trouble. She’d just wanted to warn him. But then he’d caught her.
Diana flushed as she jogged up to her door at the motel, thinking about what just happened.
Him catching her, the icy quality to his voice, the distinct heat. When he’d used his arms to cage her against the wall, part of her was terrified. Maybe that was the rational part of her brain talking. But deep down, Diana knew Rafe would never hurt her. Yeah, instead, you keep hurting him.
If she had told him to stop or that she didn’t want that, he would have backed off. But she had wanted it. She’d wanted him not to be angry with her. She had wanted him not to treat her like she was fragile. She wanted that intensity that Noah and Lucia had. She’d wanted raw, unfiltered, and desperate.
Rafe DeMarco was the only man who had ever given her that. The forceful way he’d gripped her hips and slid home. Every damn inch of him.
