Page 35 of Rafa's Convenient Wife

“Am I okay?” she fumed. “Am I okay, Rafael? Where were you?”

He winced. “I tried to get here. There were problems taking off, and then there was weather. It was a mess. I got here as quickly as I could.”

“Well, it wasn’t fast enough.” She stormed by him as the elevator doors opened. She crossed the lobby to the office where she had left her purse and other belongings. She snatched up both and stomped by Rafael right back to the elevator bank.

“Sky. Please.” In hushed tones, he sought her forgiveness. “I’m sorry.”

She ignored him and stepped right into the first empty elevator. When he tried to follow, she stabbed the button to close the doors. He scowled and shoved his hand in between them, forcing the doors to open so he could enter. She moved as far away from him as she could, letting the anger that radiated off her in waves act as a buffer.

But he wasn’t easily intimidated. As soon as the doors closed, he boxed her into the corner of the elevator. It wasn’t a move meant to scare or cow her. He wanted her to focus solely on him.

She tried not to look at his handsome face. She tried to keep her gaze glued to his button-down shirt, but the pull to stare into his eyes was too strong. She relented, letting herself take all of him in—the strong jaw, his mouth, that aquiline nose. Shenoticed a cut on his neck, probably from shaving. When she finally met his intense stare, she swallowed nervously.

Unable to contain her fears a moment longer, she blurted out, “Beverly’s right. I don’t know the first thing about a stable home or being a mother. My mother was an addict, and she hated me for ruining her life. My father never really liked me. I was a problem he solved by throwing money at it, but he always blamed me for ending his marriage. I’m nothing but—.”

“Stop,” Rafael commanded. “Not another word.”

She blinked up at him in confusion. Was he disgusted with her now that he knew the truth about the woman he had married?

“You are a selfless, kind, caring and compassionate woman.” He cupped her face and spoke each word carefully. “You are a wonderful, loving aunt, and Jasper is so lucky that you were chosen by his parents to raise him. And I still can’t believe you agreed to let me be your husband and your partner.”

He lowered his head as if he meant to kiss her. Her anger dissipated, and desperate need took hold.Kiss me. Please.

But the elevator dinged, and the doors opened, throwing them back into the public eye.

Chapter Twelve

Rafael cursed his luck. From the moment he had woken up that morning, everything had gone wrong. He had overslept. He’d stubbed his toe getting out of the shower and cut his neck while shaving. He had only arrived at the airport on time because the company’s helicopter had been available to pick him up from the estate helipad.

Once he’d reached the airport, the company jet was down due to mechanical issues, and Dina had taken the second jet to Toronto. It had taken his EA half an hour to get him another flight. Thankfully, his assistant had contact with a real estate tycoon in the area who agreed to lend him his jet since there were no flights out of GDL to San Antonio.

Bad weather had kept them from taking off for a few hours. He had almost insisted the pilot try to get out sooner, but he didn’t dare chance it, not after the loss of Jaime and Maddie in their flight.

He had been texting Sky nonstop since landing, but she hadn’t responded, probably because her phone was in her purse. When he’d approached that conference room and heard Beverly saying such horrible shit to his wife, he had seen red. He hadn’t ever put his hands on a woman, but he had been sorely tempted by that bleach blonde harpy.

“I have my car,” Sky said, interrupting his thoughts. “I can drive us home.”

She ducked under his arm and right out of the elevator. He chased after her, suddenly realizing he had missed something very important. “Wait. Where’s Jasper?”

She frowned as she dug through her purse. “With Taegan.”

“Who is Taegan?”

“Our new nanny,” she said matter-of-factly. She retrieved her phone and unlocked it with the passcode. She must have seen his messages because she said, “Well, I would have tried to delay the meeting if I had gotten these in time.”

“I don’t care about the messages. What do you mean we have a nanny? When did you hire her? I thought we talked about this. About not getting help until after the custody fight is finished?”

“I heard what you said, but I can’t do this alone. I need help.”

“You’re not alone.” He bristled at the insinuation that he wasn’t doing enough. “When I’m here, I do everything I can to help.”

“When you’re here,” she repeated. “When you’re not? I’m drowning, Rafael.”

Taken aback, he stared down at his wife and actuallylookedat her. She never wore heavy makeup, but today, she had applied more than usual. It was artfully done, but he could tell she was covering up her complexion to make herself seem healthier and more awake. It might have been his imagination, but he thought she might have been a little thinner in the face.

She’s not eating.

She’s not sleeping.

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