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Diana
“Oh no!” I jumped up as the red liquid spread across the surface of the glass table.
I should have been upset that my plan had just been ruined, but truthfully all I felt was… relief.
“It’s okay. I’ll get a towel.” I could feel Rafe’s eyes on me as I rushed into the kitchen.
The dish towels were in a drawer on the island, and as I grabbed one, I took the time to calm myself. Yes, my plan to get him talking had just been ruined, but that didn’t explain why I felt so relieved.
Was I getting attached to him? And why was I feeling guilty?
The man was a killer, and I had only planned to ask him questions…well to tie him up, ask him questions and search his place. I wouldn’t have hurt him. I wasn’t like him; I didn’t harm people even when they deserved it.
“Are you okay?” Rafe’s voice over my shoulder startled me slightly. “I should have asked that earlier. That was intense, and you have every right to be upset right now.”
I turned so that he wasn’t at my back anymore. Having him so close was unnerving. “I am. A little. But I just did what I had to do. I’m trying to remember that. Besides, he would have killed me if he’d had the chance.”
I walked back to the table, aware of Rafe following me. He took his seat and just watched me with those eyes that seemed to see everything.
“You’re right, he would have killed you. Then it would have been even worse for him. Because if he’d touched even one hair on your head, I would have killed him. Oskar checked on him after I called the incident in. He’s fine. He’s in the hospital. A tourist saw him knocked out and called for an ambulance after we left.”
Warmth burst through my chest at his rough declaration. Our eyes met and held. In that moment, I had no doubt he meant what he said. And I had a feeling if he ever got his hands on my imaginary ex, there might be some blood spilled.
No one had ever stood up for me before. Sure, growing up my father had been indulgent, but he’d always been too busy for me. And my memories of my mother were hazy. I just remembered my mother as smiling and loving. And certainly my brothers had never been protective. For the most part, they’d been either disdainful or just ignored me.
But somehow a perfect stranger had made me feel like I would never be alone again if I didn’t choose to be. I needed to get my mind around that.
More like get your mind around the fact that you have Stockholm Syndrome! You shouldn’t feel this way for a man you know is a killer!
I ignored the screaming sound of my common sense trying to catch my attention. Every time Rafe had raised his glass, I’d held my breath, torn between anticipation and guilt. I hadn’t been sure whether I wanted him to drink the drugged wine or not. Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes, the way he looked at me when he told me I could trust him. But I wanted to trust him. Wanted to believe that the connection I felt was real.
You are a traitor.
There was an internal war waging in my brain. There was the part of me that needed to know the truth. But was this the way to get it?
And then there was that part of me that was a woman. The part of me that wanted to believe the sincerity I saw in his gaze. The part that melted at how protective he was of me. The man had leaped into a ravine to save me. He’d invited me into his home because I had nowhere else to go. And I knew that if anyone ever tried to hurt me, Rafe would stop them.
“I wouldn’t want you to do that,” I finally whispered.
He leaned forward so I couldn’t avoid his eyes. “You may not want it, but I wouldn’t be able to stop it. You do something to me, Diana, trigger something in me that I can’t control. Any man who hurts you might as well have a signed death warrant on file because he doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air you do. I wish you would tell me the name of the man who did that to you.” He inclined his chin toward my ribs.
Despite how violent his words were, something inside me responded like he’d just offered me flowers and chocolate instead of my imaginary ex’s head on a platter. Why was his insistence on protecting me so insanely sexy? There was something I found in his eyes, a mixture of longing and need and concern. He wasn’t like any man I’d ever known.
“You don’t have to protect me. I haven’t met many guys who want to do that,” I finally said, and I was no longer playing a role. Truthfully, I hadn’t come across any men who wanted to treat their girlfriends the way Rafe described. Unless you counted the heroes in the romance novels I devoured.
“You hadn’t met me yet,” he growled. “You deserve everything, Diana. To be protected and cherished every single day.” His voice lowered. “Then debauched thoroughly every night.”
And ladies and gentleman, just like that my panties were toast, incinerated by the blazing heat generated between them.
“Oh my God,” I stammered, completely taken off guard by his raw, blatantly unapologetic statement.
Why did it have to be this guy to awake the sleeping libido monster inside me? Why did I feel this way with him? Why not any other guy?
None of that mattered to me in this moment. Because every instinct in my body told me that I could trust this man. Every instinct told me that this was what I needed to do. That I had to touch him.
So for once in my life, I didn’t overanalyze or plan out a detailed scheme to accomplish my goal. I followed my instincts.
His eyes registered only the briefest surprise as I sat in his lap and curled my hand around his neck.
