Page 54 of The Doctor's Promise
Noemi opened her eyes.The moon shone through the open drapes, casting a blue light in the room. Rafa was asleep, his face turned towards her, his arm around her waist. Noemi watched him sleep for a while, stroking his cheek gently then slipped from the bed.
She checked in on Bepi, seeing he was fast asleep, then walked to the farthest corner of the house. Only then did she let herself break down. The attempt on Rafa’s life had been the last straw, and now she buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly, releasing all the pent-up emotion from the last few months.
Mouse padded quietly to her owner, nudging her hand with her muzzle, and Noemi hugged the dog to her, burying her face in her fur as she cried. Mouse seemed to sense Noemi needed comfort in the way all dogs seem to know by instinct and licked her face. Noemi half-laughed, half-cried. “Oh, Mousie… I can’t lose him.”
Noemi cried herself out and then got up and walked to the kitchen, splashing water on her face. She let Mouse out to pee and stood in the doorway, breathing in the cool night air. Rafa is okay. He’s not hurt… much. She guessed he would ache in the morning from being hurled across the room by the blast but that was a small price to pay for survival. Who the hell would want to kill Rafa?
Noemi tried to figure out why anyone would want to hurt Rafael Genova, the sweetest man she had ever met. A suspicion had started in her mind about Zani’s mysterious time in Europe, but she hadn’t wanted to ask Rafa what he thought. They had enough trouble with Zani as it was.
There was the creep in the park, but she was sure he was just a douche bag who thought he could intimidate a lone woman. The photos disturbed her, but Seattle wasn’t that big a city… maybe he had followed her, taken the photos…
“Don’t be absurd.” She rubbed her face and sighed.
“Can’t you sleep?”
Rafa’s voice was low as he padded quietly to her. She shook her head, gazing up at him, stroking his cheek.
He smiled down at her then bent his head to press his lips against hers. Noemi slid her hands over his bare chest, and when he broke away, his eyes were questioning.
She nodded, and he picked her up, setting her down on the counter and pushing her robe apart. He sucked on her nipple while his hand slid between her legs, his thumb fingering her clit as he slid two fingers deep inside her. Noemi ground against his hand, curving her legs around his waist, her own hands stroking his cock into a state of such hardness it was no effort to thrust into her.
Rafa gently pushed her down and tugged her hips closer, slamming into her as she writhed with pleasure. He stroked her belly, caressing her breasts as he fucked her, and Noemi repaid his love by tightening her thighs and her cunt, contracting around his cock as it plowed deep into her.
He drove her to a shattering climax, and Noemi had to muffle her cry of ecstasy. Rafa, coming hard, triumphantly, slid her to her feet and turned her around, bending her over the counter.
Noemi gasped as he eased into her ass, panting hard as he made love to her, curving her body up against his, her legs spread wide. Rafa’s lips were on her neck, biting, sucking, kissing, tasting her skin. He made her come again, then they lay together on the cold tile floor, as the breeze from the window blew in.
Noemi turned her head to gaze at him, but they had no need for words now. Rafa stroked her face lightly with the tip of his finger, and she nodded—a silent assent. They would make it through this.
Whatever it took.
24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zani Genova shifted impatiently in his chair. Group sessions were the worst. He hated sitting here in this room with these other addicts telling stories of their habits. He couldn’t tell the truth about his.
He looked around the room as another attendee was speaking. They were good people who got lost. He, on the other hand, knew he was the scum of the earth, someone whose cowardice knew no bounds.
When they’d told him an attempt on Rafa’s life had been made, that had been the moment to come clean. Tell his security team, tell the police, the FBI. Tell Rafa. It was because of him, Zani, that he had nearly lost his life.
And yet he had stayed silent, still looking after number one—again. It had already cost Sophie her life… Zani was disgusted with himself. What if Bepi had been at the office? He was sure the little boy would not have survived a blast. What if someone delivered a package to the house? Bepi, Rafa, Noemi…
He was still remonstrating with himself when he got back to his room, still arguing about it in his head when the door opened, and Noemi greeted him with a sweet smile. She really was a cutie.
“Hey, Zani, how’re you feeling? Docs tell me you’re doing well?”
No. No, I’m not, and you could die because of me, lovely lady… “I’m good. Getting clean was the only way left, really. How’s Rafa?”
Her smile faded a little. “He’s okay. A little muscle soreness from being thrown around but apart from that, he’s good.” She sighed. Zani thought her eyes looked a little puffy, and there was a deep line between her eyes.
“Hey,” he said, forcing a smile. “Never seen you in your doctor gear before.”
She was wearing her white coat with Dr. Noemi Castor embroidered on the pocket. Noemi nodded. “Time to get back to work. Stops me obsessing about who the hell would want to hurt Rafa.” She looked down at her hands, then shot a glance at Zani. “You don’t have any ideas, do you?”
Zani felt dismay flood through him. Tell her. Tell her and maybe you’ll save everyone’s lives. “Noemi…” Images of Sophie’s dead body floated through his mind. “No,” he said, looking away from her. “I don’t.”
He couldn’t bear to look at his brother’s lover. “Noe, I’m pretty bushed.”
