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“Rafe, what are you doing?”
He moved forward until he was between my legs. I sucked in a breath as his body insinuated itself right between my thighs, brushing against me everywhere. The desire that had been simmering in the background burst forth and raced through me, stealing my breath. Damn, the man could just breathe and turn me on.
I tried to look away, but he put a finger under my chin and held me still so I couldn’t avoid his eyes. Even that was sexy, the way he just took control and handled me. I wouldn’t have thought I’d like that, especially coming from a background of such domineering men. But Rafe had a way of doing things that made me feel safe and protected instead of trampled over and ignored. Everything he did seemed to be for my benefit and pleasure.
Especially in the bedroom.
I blushed. The man definitely enjoyed putting my pleasure first and seemed to consider it a challenge to make me lose control.
“I’m talking to you. I’m making sure you know that you can tell me anything.Anything. I’m not going to judge you.”
I bit my lip. It was so stupid that I had this sudden urge to cry. But he was being so sweet and gentle with me. Was it so wrong that I wished it could be real? That I wished we were just normal people who’d met one day and could actually have a relationship? Instead, he was a dangerous former assassin, and I was a stupid girl who’d actually believed I could investigate my father’s death on my own. My investigation was a joke because I still had no idea who had actually ordered my father’s death, and worse, all I’d accomplished so far was falling halfway in love with Rafe.
Not that I thought Rafe was a saint. It was obvious that he was exactly who my research had revealed him to be. Lethal. But he seemed to use his not-quite-legal talents to help protect those who needed it instead of hurting others. So why hadn’t he done the same for my father? Everything inside was screaming for me to make sense of this mystery.
Rafe was still watching me closely, his eyes scanning my face like he could hear my twisted thoughts. “Are you in trouble, Diana?”
“No, I’m fine. Why would you think I’m in trouble?” I answered automatically.
He looked disappointed but didn’t say anything else, just rubbed my arms until I felt like purring. I let out a little sigh and then cleared my throat to cover it. It was dangerous to let down my guard with him. With him rubbing me like that and looking at me with his dark, liquid eyes, I’d be lucky if he didn’t have me spilling all my secrets in no time.
“I’m going to tell you what I think is going on. Okay? You don’t have to say anything, you can just listen.”
I nodded to let him know I’d heard him, but my tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth. His fingers were still dancing over my arms, and I was melting bit by bit with every stroke.
“You are a beautiful woman. I can see that you don’t truly understand how beautiful you are. Women like you often end up with men who don’t appreciate you. Men who take advantage of your sweet nature.”
Rafe’s voice was a quiet rumble between them, the gentle power of it making me feel so safe. I had no idea where he was going with this but couldn’t ignore my body’s response to him telling me I was beautiful. My pussy clenched hard and my nipples drew up so tight that if he looked down, he’d be able to tell.Calm down, I thought, annoyed at the instant physical response. My overeager nipples reacted like he was talking directly to them. Another wash of heat ran through me as I remembered how Rafe had worshipped my breasts every time we made love. It was no wonder my body reacted so quickly just to the sound of his voice.
“But you don’t have to worry about that with me. I would never hurt you. All I want to do is protect you. Ineedto protect you. Do you understand?”
I pulled him closer and held him against me. He softened and folded himself around me. It was a completely unique feeling to want to curl up in his arms and just stay there forever. Before this, I wouldn’t have thought myself a particularly emotional or demonstrative woman, but with Rafe all my vulnerable parts were flayed open, and worse, I was okay with it.
“You can’t save me from this,” I murmured. It was so tempting to confide in him and just tell him the whole story. But no matter how wonderful he was being right now, I had a lifetime of experience with my father and brothers, men who acted one way and then changed when you displeased them. I simply couldn’t take the chance.
“He’s not going to get anywhere near you, sweetheart. I would never allow anyone to hurt you.”
Surprised at the fierce certainty in his voice, I pulled back slightly. What was he talking about?
“Some men have trouble letting go after a relationship, but that’s no excuse for raising your hand to a woman. I’ll never understand those types of men. How can you harm someone who trusts you?” Rafe brushed my hair back from my forehead and pressed a gentle kiss there.
I stared at him in confusion before I figured out he was talking about my fabricated boyfriend. The one I was supposed to be running from.
I flushed, startled to see how quickly I’d lost the thread of my own lies. It was so easy to get caught up in this fairytale, to forget who I was and why I was really here. But I could never allow myself that luxury because Rafe wouldn’t feel this way about me if he knew who I really was. People always talked about unconditional love, but there was no such thing. All love was conditional, based on the person being who you thought they were.
All Rafe’s love would turn to hate if he found out I’d come here with the sole purpose of exposing him to the authorities.
“I’m terrified,” I said truthfully. The enormity of the situation I’d gotten myself into swelled up until it seemed larger than life itself. I buried my head in the curve of Rafe’s shoulder, hoping he wouldn’t see my tears.
“I wasn’t there before, but I’m here now. You don’t need to be scared ever again. None of that ugliness can touch you now.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” I whispered, burying my face against his neck. “You can’t protect me from this. No one can.”
“I can. You have no idea the lengths I will go to for you, baby.”
His endearment just made it worse. I couldn’t even speak because there was nothing to say. Nothing would make this situation right except for turning back time and changing the past. Even that wouldn’t help because then we never would have met.
We were just two people who weren’t meant to be, and to me, that was the most heartbreaking thing of all.
