Page 19 of Cursed Gift

My eyes watered, and it had nothing to do with the smoke.

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Chapter Nine

Alexei stuck close to me after that.

The plan was to drive back to the airport and to leave China right away. With what we’d seen there, I couldn’t wait to lift off the ground and leave this whole place behind. It had been a short, but sad trip.

However, things didn’t work out the way we’d planned. The pilot that was supposed to come on to fly us back to the states never showed. The pilot that brought us here could take us, but he needed to rest first. An overnight stay in the nearest hotel was now in the works. Within moments, Papa Connor had the whole thing worked out and had the drivers take us to the airport hotel.

After dropping my things off in my own room, I didn’t waste any time. I went straight for Felix’s. The guy could be an ass, but he also showed heart. He’d seemed so open and honest with me standing there in the middle of Clan Chang’s ceremonial room, begging me to understand something.

I raised my hand to knock on his door, but another voice rung out.

“Izzy?”

I turned quickly, noticing Rafe standing just outside his hotel door. His eyes were sad. The usual carefree expression on his face was marred with an intensity that immediately drew me his way. “What is it?” I asked. I lowered my hand and went up to him.

He held his hand out to me and I took it. When he pulled it toward the interior of his room, I didn’t stop him. I was too consumed with the sudden change in his appearance. Sure, he’d opened up to me on the plane, but it seemed like a lot more was weighing on his mind now than it had then.

He shut the door, and I stood in the center of the room that was a replica of my own. It was foreign looking, but familiar all at the same time. Maybe it was just me that seemed odd being there. Like my very presence in this country was strange.

Rafe gave me a quick tug, and I fell into his arms. Immediately, he lowered his lips until they were on mine. His ferocity surprised me for only a moment, then I was all-in. His hands clawed at my back desperately.

I knew the feeling. I wanted more. Needed more. Today was all about sadness and emptiness and uncertainty. I wanted something sure and real and Rafe was that, right? He was a solid body right in front of me.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue parting my lips as easy as could be. Like we’d kissed a hundred times before.

My body hungered for more. I moved closer though we couldn’t possibly be any closer. Yet, it still wasn’t good enough.

He took my hips and yanked them forward. They melded with his, but I still wanted more. My arms went around him, and I hung on tight, sealing our upper bodies with a fierce grip as he worked on my hips, pulling us closer and closer together until we fell back on the bed.

We finally broke. The jarring of the movement split us apart for only a moment until he was right there again. On our sides, he pulled me close while my head rang, and breath sawed in and out. His fingers stayed on my skin, feeling its way up and down, never leaving me once. “You told me when I wanted to do that again to not ask.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said, Then, I moved closer, hovering over him. “This is me not asking.”

I initiated the kiss this time. His hands stayed on me, butIwas in control. This was what I should’ve done on the plane. I wanted to kiss him, and I knew he wanted to kiss me, so why didn’t I just do it? Who knew how much time we all had left? This was the time to just go in head first without a care in the world.

Rafe made a noise in the back of his throat that made the area between my legs throb. I gasped and pulled away.

“I’m sorry,” he said immediately.

“No,” I said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. There was nothing he should be sorry about. “That was perfect. I just surprised myself is all.”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I feel like I want to be closer when we’re pretty much as close as can be.”

I nodded. He took the words right out of my mind. “It’s probably because of today. That was rough.”

“It was,” he said. But then he sighed and propped himself up on his elbow, his free hand coming to rest on my stomach. It made small, lazy circles that made my skin tingle. “But that isn’t all of it for me. I told you why I came here initially. I thought maybe you’d shun me when I opened up to you on the plane about it, but you didn’t. You understood. You let me in. After what happened today only solidified for me that I want what I want, and I don’t want to wait any more. I might not have come here under the clearest of intentions, but I have one now.”

“I want to be one of your mates, Isabelle Ravana. I want to be someone you look to when you have a bad day. I want to be someone you can trust. Most of all, I want to be there when things like this are going on. I want to protect you and hold you. I was just sitting in my room thinking that I hoped someone was taking care of you because you really shouldn’t be alone right now. Then I thought, if I just told you how I feel, I could be the one doing it.” His throat worked. “Izzy, I want to be your mate. I’m officially proclaiming to you my intention and beg that you accept me. Either way, I’ve found my true purpose, and that’s helping our people, but I’d rather be doing that while pledging myself to you. If that’s not possible, I understand, but—”

What do you think? Are you ready to accept Rafe as one of Izzy’s mates?

If yes, please continue reading!

If not, continue to Chapter Ten or Location 1056.

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