Page 50 of The Dark Obsession

“Not exactly. My brother heard. He wasn’t happy, so I went upstairs. Dale followed again, and yeah.” I cross my arms and look away from Rafael, not wanting to see the judgment in his eyes.

“I’m not thinking bad of you, Rosa.” He leans forward and untangles my arms to hold my unstable hands. The rage that shows on his face, I know is only the tip of what he really feels. “Keep going,” he whispers, his eyes on mine.

“The night you and I had dinner, when I went to his, it was late in the evening, and he asked what your deal was, asking whether I had feelings for you, though he didn’t even give me chance to deny it before getting threatening. He got in my face and squeezed my cheeks. I went home that night.” My back gets hotter.

Rafael encouragingly squeezes my hand, sending vibrations into my elbow, and shuffles a bit closer to me. This time, his hand rests on my knee. “Rosa, do you want to take a break?”

I stifle a loud sob, nod, and clasp onto Rafael. The dust mote that glitters in the bright sunlight appears to move with my emotions, twisting and twirling in a never-ending spiral.

He brushes my hair back, gazing softly into my eyes.

My heart flutters as I move closer to him, my lips not even an inch from his. I watch his face, confused and conflicted.

“Why are you doing this?” Rafael whispers.

My insistent lips touch his, parting them. I feel his trembling minty breath. I taste the whiskey on his sturdy mouth, my insides bubbling passionately as his lips relinquish and mould against my own.

Barely a second later, not anywhere near long enough for me to feel satisfied, Rafael releases me. He stands swiftly, his hands on the back of his head, and paces the room. His phone rings. “My brother.” Rafael sighs and glances at me. His face is flustered, and he grabs his glass off the table, drinks it all, and answers the phone. “Adriel. You’re always welcome here. I do have company though.” He eyes me. “Rosalie, my brother is arriving in town tonight. Do you mind if I have him here?”

“Raf, this is your house. Of course, I don’t mind.” I can’t help my heart sinking at the thought of no longer being alone with him.

Rafael laughs for a moment and ends the call, grinning, and sits at the other end of the sofa. He looks at me, his face suddenly serious again and reddening with every passing second.

“Did I … Did I do something wrong?” I mutter, staring at my hands.

Rafael laughs, shaking his head, his beautiful, troubled face, his lucid green eyes staring at me. “It’s not about what you’ve done. It’s about what I’ve done. You’re in a sensitive place. I shouldn’t have allowed you to kiss me.”

I slide across the leather to get closer to him. “Can you at least sit by me?” I scowl.

“How have I made you mad?” His eyebrows rise.

“You aren’t allowing me to have feelings,” I say, looking down. “Unless you’re rejecting me, gently.” I turn away again. If I were embarrassed before, it’s nothing to how I feel now.

“Rosalie.” He moves next to me. “Don’t.” He brushes my hair back from my face.

“Don’t what?”

He frowns. “Just let me protect you for now, and when this is over, you can see how you feel.” He puts his arm around my shoulder. His body, for the first time, feels unnaturally hot against mine. He’s more rigid than usual. His body angles away, and his hand barely touches my shoulder.

I behold his face, my eyes still teary from rejection.

He takes a deep breath and kisses my forehead, then rolls his eyes when I give him a little grin. “You’re something else, Rosa.” He chuckles and hands me my drink.

Chapter 19

Rafael calls Lucy to bring some snacks.

She arrives soon after with continental meats and cheese.

I munch on them in silence, not wanting to disturb Rafael, who sits as still as a statue, deep in thought.

The day moves swiftly in silence, the cloudy day barely brighter than this morning. Rafael comes in and out of the front room with different paperwork each time, and at one point, he sits with his iPad in silence for what felt like hours. I occupy myself with double checking Rafael’s paperwork, and I must have fallen asleep, because when my eyes flicker open, the room is dark, and the sky outside is almost pitch black.

Rafael smiles wearily at me from the other side of the sofa. “You ready for some more questions?”

“How long did I sleep for?” I ignore his question and rub my eyes.

“About three hours,” he says with a chuckle.

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