Page 85 of Keep Her from Them

“Because he’s a real danger.”

Which brought me neatly back to his parting words when we left Gabe and Effie’s house. “So you’ll stay single forever, when your brother and sister are both happily paired off? While they have kids and settle down, you’ll remain alone?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face, his gaze on the floor. “Yes. Ariel’s right. I don’t have girlfriends. If ever I consider it, I remember the reasons why it’s a bad idea. What if he finds out and uses them to hurt me? I’d never forgive myself.” His gaze lifted to mine, pinning me with the weight of a thousand sleepless nights he must’ve had over this. “What if he discovers the famous woman his second son is hanging out with and sees the opportunity of his lifetime?”

I flinched at the description. The easy dismissal of how we were far more to each other than two people hanging out. I hadn’t imagined it. The way he looked at me. The late-night chats and the fever in his kiss. Raphael was anything but casual.

“What if that woman is becoming resilient? What if she walked away from people trying to drug her, and a family using her for God only knows what?” I stood from the bed and moved directly in front of him, claiming his gaze with mine. “What if she trusts the guy she’s with to keep her safe, always, because she’ll do the same for him?”

Emotion brimmed over in Raphael’s eyes, so thick it hurt to witness his pain. “What if he becomes the reason for her facing a greater risk than any her family could throw at her?”

With trembling fingers, I reached for his hand, cupping it between mine. I didn’t pretend I had an answer, not one that would satisfy him. The one thing I knew and trusted in was the draw between us. The unending, relentless need we had that wasn’t one-sided. He wanted me, despite everything he’d described. It wasn’t something either of us could stop.

My pathetic need for him to call me his girlfriend fell away, because this was so much greater than that. Raphael stared straight back at me.

I was out of my depth and drowning, and certain I had one chance to get this right. He wouldn’t let me touch him, not in the way I wanted. If I told him I had feelings for him, he’d lock down tight and use that as an excuse to walk away to protect me.

“And yet, we have this.”

I pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips to his.

He stiffened but didn’t stop me from stealing the chaste, warm kiss. It was his slight roll towards me when I pulled back that spurred me on.

Holding his gaze, I commanded, “Follow me.”

I turned and walked away, relief fluttering in the beats of butterfly wings when I peeked back to find him following. I knelt on the bed then grabbed one of the pillows, placing it against the base at the end. Then I sat against it with my legs crossed and gestured for him to take the opposite position at the headboard. Slowly, Raphael lowered himself to sitting, his gaze never leaving me.

My white dress had buttons all the way down the front, from the sweetheart neckline to the hem, and I undid the first, holding my breath until I saw the surge of lust in how his focus tracked my movements. “Copy me.”

For a beat, he dropped his head back to the wood, gazing at the ceiling like he couldn’t look at me. Yet his fingers found their way to the button at the base of his throat, revealing another inch of his strong chest.

I popped the next on my dress. “Your turn.”

Raphael followed suit but still didn’t look.

I undid the third and fourth, the material opening to reveal my lace bra. “Be a good boy and keep your eyes on me.”

He liked praise. Every day, I’d make sure to tell him that he was good. That the choices he made were sound. I wasn’t going to leave that out of the bedroom.

As expected, his dark eyes trained back on me, sliding down to my chest.

He didn’t need the instruction to continue his slow reveal, but it took him a moment to concentrate, his chest rising and falling.

“All the way off,” I instructed. His shirt had far fewer buttons than my dress.

Raphael stripped it and gave me the view I loved. Tonight, he’d described his motivation behind his career choice and why he honed such a strong body. All that power, all that devotion. It made me want to rub up against him like a cat. I carried on, undoing every button down to my waist then lifted my chin to him.

“Now your jeans.”

Raphael stared at my body. “All the way off?”

“That’s a good boy.”

He breathed through his nose but obeyed, settling back on his pillow in just his boxer shorts. “Dress. Gone.”

A thrill danced through me, both from anticipation of what I wanted to do and at the fact he was allowing this. Aiding it along. I made quick work of the remaining buttons and peeled back the material, on my knees so the straps could fall down my arms.

We were both in our underwear now, locked away in a secure cottage with one of his team next door and cameras monitoring the grounds. In such a remote corner of the country, I’d never felt so safe. It was all to do with the man in front of me. He’d given me this.

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