Page 36 of The Dark Obsession

This room is massive; his bed is easily the size of two double beds and covered with a dark red blanket. A desk sits in the corner of the room, and a computer and a large bookshelf is on the other side. Two large glass doors are directly opposite his bed, with a view of the forest that sways in the wind.

Rafael runs towards me, and his body feels like a block of ice as he pulls me into his arms.

My cries morph into embarrassingly loud sobs as he awkwardly pats my back.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispers, pushing my hair from my face.

I struggle to understand what he means as my sobs soak his bare chest.

“I noticed you hadn’t cried much,” he says softly, his body angled from me. “It’s about time you let out some emotion.”

Minutes pass whilst he rubs my back. He whispers that I’m safe now and that it’ll all be okay as he wipes my tears with his thumb. It feels as if my tears will never end. His cold skin feels soft beneath my trembling fingers, but his body is hard. Each time I suck in a breath, I smell an earthy smell, maybe sandalwood, emitting from his neck. His chest slowly warms the longer I stay attached to him. After what could easily have been hours, I finally control myself again.

Rafael’s patience is endless; he smiles gently as he slides himself from my grasp and makes a large space between us.

“Sorry,” I say, finally able to talk coherently.

He laughs again. His cheeks rise spectacularly. His face is angelical in the shadowy lamp-lit bedroom. We sit on the edge of his huge bed, and the mattress shakes in unison with my body.

“Don’t worry about it, but you need sleep,” he says with a deep breath. He stands and holds my hands to pull me upright.

“No … I can’t be alone.”?His eyebrows furrow at me, and he turns to lift the covers off his bed. “Hop in.”

“Huh?”

Rafael rolls his eyes. “If you won’t sleep in your own bed, at least get in mine and let me get some rest.”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” I murmur, sliding under the covers.

The warmth of his bed embraces me instantly.

Rafael walks to the other side of the bed and lies on top of the blankets. His olive-coloured skin shimmers in the light emitting from the lamp next to him. His stomach is defined in his stillness. His hands rest behind his head, and his arms and shoulders seem to be carved perfectly from marble. Each band of muscle stretches his skin. His whole body seems to be toned. His stubble lines perfectly accentuate his chin and jaw. He stares at the balcony doors ahead, too preoccupied to notice my constant admiration.

The thick glistening scar stretches across his stomach and thickens on his hip where it finally ends. I try to imagine what could have caused it, but I cannot conjure anything but horror-worthy nightmares of murderers and psychos. My eyes relinquish to the night, and I fall into a restless sleep.

The shadow stands tall at the foot of the bed. The only thing visible in the dark night is the white-blond hair and the twinkle of the raised knife.

I wake up shivering, my arm wrapped around an unusually cool and solid body. My eyes snap open, and I stare, horror struck, at Rafael.

He’s squashed uncomfortably at the very end of the bed. His arms are still behind his head, the way I saw him before I fell asleep.

I shove myself off him.Oh my God, how embarrassing,I cringe to myself. My cheeks burn as I make as much space between us as possible.

Rafael’s long eyelashes flutter open as he awakes. A huge grin spreads across his bright face, and his eyes glint in the early morning sun. “Sleep well?” His grin only gets bigger.

“Umm, yeah. Better than I could have hoped.” I shrugged, my hopes that he didn’t notice me cuddling him rising.

“Comfy?”

“Cold.” I look down to let my hair filter across my face.

“Well, I dislike blankets. And it was you who chose to sleep on me.” His cheekbones rise in an effort not to laugh.

My heart flutters at the sight of his elated mood.At least he didn’t mind.

“You did kiss my chest once or twice and dribble on me. But I’ll forgive you.” He chuckles and sits upright.

I reach for my lips and focus anywhere but on Rafael. My face burns as if it’s on fire.

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