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“Tell me you’re not the one doing this to me.”
“I’m not.” He arched, grinding against her in a way that sent a shower of sparks sizzling through her, and her grip on his back tightened.
Her hands stumbled over his skin, slipping. “I want to believe you.”
“Then believe me.” The words were fierce.
Donni closed her eyes, shutting them tight against the syrupy darkness as he shuddered against her. Powderpuff growled softly, echoing the guttural sounds that came from Rafe’s throat. Which was strange, Donni thought, because she had never growled at Rafe before.
“This is what I want.” He crushed his lips against hers, cradling her face in his hands as he finished inside her with a low groan. “You—and nothing else.” He kissed her underneath one eye. “I’m going to keep you safe. From me. From everything.”
From him?Her heart skipped a beat. “Rafe—”
“Let me take care of you.” His teeth scraped down her throat and she felt him grip her night shirt. “At least until you come.”
She inhaled sharply as he moved lower. Powderpuff whined from her basket.
“You’re scaring my dog,” she whispered.
You’re scaringme.
But fear was not enough to stop him from doing what he did next, and when he tugged her down the sheets, she let him push her legs apart, even if she couldn’t watch.
If she had, she might have seen that Powderpuff wasn’t looking at Rafe at all.
She was looking at a very small hole that had appeared in the wall.
And the red light blinking on the other side.
Chapter Fifteen
A Home for My Demons
For the second time that week, Donni woke up in a man’s arms. The heat of him was shocking after so many nights alone. His forearm was draped over her waist, his face buried in her hair. She could feel his breath stirring the strands at her throat. When she gave an experimental tug, his hand tightened reflexively and she felt his breathing stagger.
Fuck, she thought, staring at her dresser and cluttered shelves. She was surrounded by the remains of the life she had once tried to build over, but it seemed that no matter how much time she spent trying to escape herself, she couldn’t seem to find a way to claw her way out of the deepening mire of her problems. The image of a hamster running in a wheel popped randomly into her head. Speeding headlong into nowhere, she thought, except in her case, she knew exactly where she was headed. She had been the one to pick up the phone, after all.
Deep down, maybe she’d known that eventually it would come to this. Some passions were too dark to be denied. She’d felt that way, too, once.
After last night, she wondered if she could feel that way again. One last flicker before it all went dark.
Donni shivered against him, unconsciously tracing the path he’d kissed. Nothing had felt this good in a while. Why should she have to be the sole voice of reason to his madness?
There was a click somewhere in the house. Like the catch of a latch. Her eyes, which had slipped closed, popped open, going automatically to her door. It cracked open and she met her housekeeper’s startled blue gaze.
“Oh!” said Madge, staring for a moment before hurriedly backing out with her clattering rack.
A delayed cry escaped Donni. Most of her body was still covered by the sheet but she wasn’t sure how much of Rafe was visible with his face partially screened by her hair. Madge had been hired on after he left the house, but he was well-known enough in town that she might still be able to recognize him.
She gave another, harder tug. “Wake up.”
“No,” he groaned softly.
“The housekeeper saw us. You need to get up.”
She felt him stir at her back. “You have a housekeeper?”
She tried not to notice how deep his voice sounded. “Yes,” she said. “How do you think this place stays so clean?”
