Page 53 of The Dark Obsession

Adriel’s laugh booms around the echoey circular room.

Rafael’s lips press into a very straight line, his eyes narrowing at Adriel. “I told you, I slept with her once.” His eyes dart to Adriel and back to me.

“What about the fact that you slept with her mother too?” Adriel laughs harder.

I chuckle while staring at Rafael, waiting for an explanation.

“I know it sounds bad, but I didn’t know. Lucy got a bit obsessed.” Rafael’s lips turn upward. “I was expecting a new client, and apparently, Lucy had set it up with her mother so we could meet and that it would make her closer to me.”

Adriel remains silent, as if waiting for a punchline.

“We were on my office desk when Lucy walked in with some coffee.”

Adriel’s wave of laughter hides Rafael’s guilty sigh. “Mother, I didn’t expect you to be here,” Adriel mimics a girly voice.

“She still believes she has some weird claim over me, and, well, she likes to check I’m not sleeping with everyone who walks through the door.” He chuckles awkwardly before turning to look me in the eyes to assess the damage.

I laugh slowly, my giggle turns loud, and before I know it, I have a tear streaking my face. I feel so free, to laugh again.

Both Rafael and Adriel stare at me, their mouths open, before joining the contagious laughter.

“Sir,” a timid voice comes from behind Rafael. “It’s one a.m. Is it okay if I get some sleep?”

“Of course. I’ll be going up now too,” Rafael says to her with a smile.

She giggles annoyingly and turns to go upstairs.

I stand, automatically ready to go up and have the alone time with Rafael that I crave.

“I’ll hang down here a little longer, request that information you need,” Adriel says, glancing in my direction.

Rafael stands, nodding in thanks, and leads the way upstairs.

The walk to the bedroom is charged with a different energy than I remember. I feel excited as I rush into my room and change into my shorts and vest. I trip over my jeans and giggle dizzily. My heart beats so fast it feels like a constant vibration in my heated chest. I go to Rafael’s room and knock on the door.

He calls for me to “Come in.”

The glass is firmly back in place, so the room is warm and cosy. The lamps at the end of each bed light the room just enough, projecting a drowsy atmosphere. I hear water trickling in his bathroom, the shower running. My heart seems to skip a beat when I lean back on his large bed, pulling the covers halfway up my body.

The room’s warmth feels amazing on my face and arms. I heat up much too quickly, and suddenly, I’m wishing for the cold wind to be blowing through the balcony door to cool me down. The calming sound of the running water in the bathroom stops, and silence inhabits the room. For reasons, I shy from admitting to myself my stomach flips in somersaults.

Only seconds pass before Rafael opens the bathroom door and walks through, a light grey towel wrapped around his waist. He glances at me. “Sorry.” He grabs something off the top of his table.

“No, I don’t mind,” I say, surprised at my confidence. “I definitely don’t mind.”

Rafael chuckles, studying me. He steps forward, a grin spreading across his wet face. “You sure you don’t mind?” He climbs on the bed and leans over me. He holds himself in a prone position, his bare chest hovering only inches above me, his lips closing in on mine.

My heart pounds as if I’ve run a marathon, and I stop breathing.

“Rosalie.” Rafael laughs, lifting off me, and heads to the bathroom.

My face flushes. I’m sure I must look like a cherry. I take several deep breaths and move the blankets farther up my body.

Rafael returns, wearing only a pair of baggy shorts. “You like?” He twirls on the spot.

I laugh loudly. “Beautiful.”

He winks at me before lifting the blankets and getting in at the other end of his bed. His eyes linger on my legs, then he pulls the blankets over me, leaving his side of the blankets only covering his lower legs.

---