Page 64 of The Dark Obsession

I can no longer control the rage filling my lungs, almost choking me. “Rafael!” I open the front door. The wind slaps my face, the cold rain drenching my hair. I stomp through the wet grass, squinting to see Rafael’s car.

I reach the car and can see the light of my house barely through the sheets of rain. I can’t hear much through the billowing wind. Some muffled shouting and shadowy movements by the house hopefully indicates Rafael is coming to me. I stand still, unable to breathe through the angry huffs. The lights of Rafael’s car blink, and I pull the handle and climb inside. My body shivers from the freezing rain that has soaked me.

Rafael’s borrowed white shirt glows in the headlights. “Rosa.” He slides into the car. His shirt is wet again but not soaking. He starts the engine, and the heating blows cool at first, making me tremble intensely.

I shrug off my jacket, leaving my arms bare. The woollen vest seemed like a good idea this morning in the sun. Now it just clings onto my body, worsening my annoyance as I try to unstick it from my skin.

“Rose.” He turns my face to look at him. His calming fingers squish my cheeks.

The rain thrashes against the car, banging loud enough to drown out my heavy breathing. I look frantically around the car, out the windows, then back at Rafael. “Can you drive? Please.” My rage threatens to bubble to the surface again.

Rafael starts driving, the wipers’ efforts at swiping the rain away are useless. The headlights give us visibility of barely two metres ahead. Rafael ignores the annoying beep of the seatbelt alarm as he leans forward over the dashboard, his glasses over his eyes. “I can’t see,” he whispers, the wind shaking the car.

For five minutes, he drives in silence, slowing to 10 mph often. The rain shows no sign of surrender when Rafael turns unexpectedly down a very tight lane and pulls up next to what looks like an abandoned barn. “Rosa, I can’t see enough to drive any farther.”

I focus on my hands, unable to speak, to explain the anger I have at my father, my outrage at Dale for his lies and manipulation. I glance at Rafael’s concerned eyes—Rafael, the man who’s done nothing but good; Rafael, who’s uprooted his own life to protect me. My heart aches from the betrayal of my father. “I’ve had enough! I’m breaking! I’mbroken!”

Rafael’s lips turn down. “Rosalie, please. What’s going on?” He says impatiently.

“Dale, he’s … he’s told my father it’s you who is bad.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Dale told my father he’s been trying to protect me fromyou!”

Rafael’s calm response shocks me. He blinks dumbly a couple times and smiles.

“Why are you smiling?” I almost scream again, my rage cracking my voice.

“Well, it’s just you should have expected Dale to try to manipulate your family. Your father just wants you safe. He will see sense.” Behind his smile is a dangerous shadow. I watch his poker face showing no sign of surrender.

“But—”

“No, Rosa. We mustn’t show him any weakness.” He takes my wrists and kisses each palm.

Sucking in a deep, shaky breath, I force a grin.

“United,” he leans in and whispers. His lips move against my ear and along my jaw. He releases my wrists, and his fingers brush down my neck and across my collarbone. His frozen fingers leave a burning trail across my already cold skin. He brushes my vest strap down my arm and kisses my shoulder with his icy but plump lips.

The pit of my stomach ignites, burning through my skin. I throw back my head.

Rafael’s lips move across my neck as the rain pelts the window. The barn across the road looks like it’s about to topple in the wind, and long shadows sway in the wind.

My arms prickle painfully as I scan the fields for any sign of Dale. The feeling of not being alone has followed us from my house.

Rafael’s lips touch my jaw, and I lose my train of thought.

I try to suppress the next shudder and bite my lip.

He regards me through his long eyelashes.

“United,” I murmur.

Rafael straightens up. “This rain won’t give up anytime soon. Let’s get back to my house.”

His chest rises and falls heavier than usual. His wide eyes glance at the side mirror, and he reverses the car. An excitement fills Rafael like I’ve never seen before. His knees bounce rapidly and his hand on the gear stick taps vigorously.

The rain is a rhythmic pitter-patter on the windows now. I cross my arms and watch the ever-darkening sky illuminate in a flash. The lightning carries its way across a field ahead, the thunder mere seconds behind it. We turn onto his road and wait outside the gates for them to open. I replay his lips on my shoulder, his fingers push my hair off my neck and rubs my tense neck muscles as we creep onto his driveway and stop outside his house.

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