by Madyson Grey
Rafael grinned, studying her, admiring the way her face lit up. The soft giggles were like melodious bells, music to his ears. It was the first time since collecting her from her house that he saw her completely relaxed. He could listen to her laugh all evening. Alarm bells went off in his head. What was the matter with him? He’d wanted Victoria since laying eyes on her. In his bed, that is. Why was he staring at her and grinning goofily like a teenager with a crush on the prettiest girl in school? And practically entranced by the sound of her laugh? Her laugh for pity’s sake.
“I can’t believe you heard all of that from my father. Why would he discuss such things with you?” Victoria was utterly confused. She couldn’t imagine her father sitting and discussing his personal affairs, his family with his enemy. According to Marian, Rafael was a ruthless rival.
“I told you, we did business together.”
“Yes, but it seemed strange that he would share such a story with you during a business meeting.” Rafael held her gaze, not responding. She squirmed in her seat when he continued to stare.
“We discussed many things,” he finally said, vaguely. His eyes left hers and flew to the ocean behind her. “Our drinks are here.”
He was glad for the interruption, as he wasn’t quite sure what to tell her. He and her father had an unconventional relationship but she didn’t need to know that, not now. There were things he couldn’t reveal to her at the moment and if he delved into the explanation of his relationship with David, she would definitely have more questions.
The waitress set their drinks down. “Enjoy,” she said with a smile and quickly left.
Rafael lifted his glass. “Here’s to wonderful memories.”
Nodding her agreement, Victoria touched her glass to his. She took a sip and glanced around.
“I just realized that inside is full, but we’re the only ones out here. Do the other diners know something we don’t?”
“I called ahead and reserved the balcony for us.”
“The entire balcony?”
“Mhmm.”
“Why would they allow that? They’re losing quite a few coins this evening.”
“The restaurant’s coffer will be just fine. All of the seats are paid for.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh. I see.”
Victoria lifted her glass to take several sips, effectively hiding her pleased expression. Dining out on the balcony with a gorgeous view, absent the crowd was just what she liked. How the hell did he know what she liked? Oh, crap. She could like Rafael. Perhaps she already did, and that would not do.
“In that case, we can grab a menu from an empty table. They forgot to leave one at ours.”
“No menus necessary.” He grinned at her perplexed expression.
“Of course we need menus. How will we know what they have and what to order?”
“Who needs a menu when we’re having everything?”
Victoria eyed him as if he had lost his mind. “Well, that’s just- oh my.”
The sliding door opened again and several waiters appeared, rolling tables with an array of dishes. Her eyes widened at the amount of food. She let out a small laugh.
“Are you serious? We can’t possibly eat all of that.”
“I know, but this way you will get to have a taste of everything. You can pick, choose and refuse. It’s not a trip to Thailand, but it will have to do.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
This was amazing. So far things were going well, and not at all like she had expected. He knew everything about her. Rafael had been a gentleman from the beginning. He impressed her by bringing her to this particular place and with his memory of a silly story from her past. Now, she had the opportunity to sample everything in the restaurant. She knew it would have been hard to choose if she’d had to. They were now surrounded by food and a bottle of wine was placed on the table. The waiters filed back inside, leaving them alone.
“Just say ‘thank you, Rafael. I’d love to go out with you again’.”
For some reason she found herself echoing his words. “Thank you, Rafael. I’d love to go out with you again.” She clamped her mouth shut, horrified.
All he did was smile. “Good. Let’s dig in. Now what should I try first? You’re the expert.”
Victoria studied the many dishes on the long table stationed on her left side, then to the table on her right.
“Um, let start out with a little soup. Are you allergic to shrimp?”
“No.” He let out a small laugh. “I don’t think I’m allergic to anything on the face of the earth that can be eaten.”
“You love to eat, huh?”
“That I do.”
She smiled and lifted a bowl placing it between them. In the back of her mind, she was worried about how natural being with Rafael felt. They made small talk and she was comfortable with him. There wasn’t anything wrong with pushing the real reason why she was with him aside, and enjoying the evening was there? Of course not. Focusing on revenge could come back into play later.
“Here, have a taste.” She surprised herself by lifting a spoon with soup toward him.
Rafael bent forward and accepted what she offered, his eyes never leaving hers. His brown eyes seemed to darken. Or was it her imagination? What was meant to be an innocent gesture suddenly turned into something sensual.
“Mhmm.” The moan of pleasure reverberated in his chest. “This is delicious. What is it called?”
Victoria realized her mouth was gaping open and her breathing had accelerated. She quickly closed her mouth and blinked. Her fair skin, which always gave away how she felt inside, turned pink.
“Uh, Tom Yum Goon, spicy shrimp soup. And you’re right, it is delicious.”
Did he detect the breathy quality of her words? She shoved the bowl of soup toward him and reached for one of her own. It’s a good thing there was two of everything. She couldn’t believe she’d just fed Rafael soup. Needless to say, it was a new experience for her, feeding a man. It was only one spoon, but still out of character for her. Thank God, there was no one else on the balcony to witness the intimate act.
They feasted, sampling everything that was lined out on the tables. Eventually, Victoria sat back.
“If I take another bite, I might just burst.”
Rafael grinned. “We can’t have that now, can we?”
He eyed the tables beside them. Some of the plates were still full, but a good portion of them were empty or almost empty.
“You did good. I’m proud of you,” he teased.
“Like you didn’t help. You ate more than I did.” He had shoveled food down as soon as he realized how delicious everything was.
“I am now a fan of all things Thai.”
Victoria beamed. “I’m glad you’ve been converted.” She almost verbalized that maybe they could come back together, but caught herself before the word came out. “Dinner was absolutely lovely. Thank you,” she said instead.
“Are you sure you don’t have room for anything else?”
“Are you kidding? I might need your help cutting me out of this dress as it is.” The minute the words tumbled from her lips she regretted it.
“Now there’s a task that I would welcome,” Rafael said seductively.
His eyes dipped to the swell of her breasts above the neckline of her dress. The view of the creamy flesh had been driving him crazy for the past two hours. Helping Victoria out of her dress was something that he would love to do tonight. He wouldn’t mind taking her back to his place and tearing the little dress off with his bare hands and maybe spread her across the dining room table that he never used. Yes, that would be the perfect ending to their night.
But, he wouldn’t do that. He had to pace himself for once, with this particular woman. He wasn’t a complete sex-driven animal. It wouldn’t look good to ravish her on their first date, one day after she had buried her father. He willed the bulge that had begun to grow at his crotch to go down. Not tonight, but soon, very soon. He rea
lly should get her home before he decided to throw all thought of being a gentleman right over the balcony.
Victoria grasped her wine glass and down the remaining contents in two huge gulps. Did he have to look at her like that? And did his tone have to drop to such a suggestive, sexy timber? Rafael brought his gaze upward to meet hers.
“If you’re sure you don’t want anything else I should take you home.”
Disappointment went through Victoria, taking her by surprise. She should be relieved that he wanted to end the date. Why wasn’t she? It must be because she hadn’t gotten any intel on him yet. That had to be it. There was no way she felt disappointment because she’d had such a good time simply eating and making small chat with Rafael, as if they’d known each other for years. No, no, no. That couldn’t be it.
She suppressed a sigh. Who was she kidding? She didn’t want the night to end so quickly. For a couple of hours she had laughed. The pain of her father’s death had eased somewhat and she had forgotten all about Marian and revenge on Rafael. She’s simply enjoyed his company along with great food. And she hadn’t been bored out of her mind by the conversation as she usually was Harry. Oh no! Harry. She’d even forgotten about poor Harry.
“Are you all right, Victoria?”
Her eyes snapped opened to see his concerned expression. She hadn’t realized she’d shut them tightly.
“Huh? I um- I’m fine. Yes, I should get home. I’m sure you have other things to do tonight.”
Rafael didn’t respond. The other thing he had going on for him tonight was to go home alone, desire unfulfilled. Then he would take a cold shower and have a few stiff drinks, hoping said unfulfilled desire would dissipate and with any luck, he’d fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. But, she didn’t need to know any of that. He turned toward the glass door and got a waiter’s attention. Within a few minutes, he had paid the bill, left a hefty tip, and was escorting Victoria through the door.
Chapter Eight
“Here we are,” Victoria said, stating the obvious.
She winced, grateful that the interior of the car was dim. There was only a faint light from the porch filtering in thought the window. It was hard for him to see her embarrassment. This wasn’t something she was used to. The few dates she had been on before Rafael, she’d driven her own car. There was small talk after being dropped off, wondering if there would be a good night kiss, wondering if she should invite the guy in. At twenty-six, her dating life had been pretty mild up until now.
What did she do now? Just thank him for a good time and make her exit? Well, she definitely was not going to invite him in for a nightcap, not with her mother inside. She shuddered at the thought Marian stumbling in on them. It would be incredibly awkward considering what they were up to. She felt the familiar wash of guilt at the thought. The feeling was something she was getting accustomed to. Each time she thought of what she had agreed to take part in, destroying the man beside her, she felt the guilt wash over her like a tidal wave.
“Yes, we’re here. What is that frown doing on that pretty face? Didn’t you enjoy yourself?”
“Oh, yes, of course. I had an amazing time. The location, the food, the company, everything was wonderful. I’m just-” Feeling guilty as all get-out. She let out a sigh. “I should get inside, let you go.”
She reached for the door handle. A hand wrapped around her arm, firm but gentle. She felt herself being pulled backward until she landed against a hard chest.
“You didn’t think I’d let you go without a good night kiss, did you?”
Victoria shuddered as she stared wide-eyed at him. Her lips parted in anticipation. Yes! Oh how she wanted to be kissed by him. Finally, she would get to feel his lips against hers. Rafael’s head descended slowly, very slowly. He gave her enough time to protest or pull away. As if. He wouldn’t know how badly she wanted it. Her eyes dropped to his mouth, such a kissable mouth. Her palms were pressed against his chest and her fingers curled into his shirt, her breaths coming out in short puffs. When his mouth covered hers her eyes fluttered closed. His lips grazed hers at first, teasingly. The kiss soon became rougher, the movement of their lips more urgent. His tongue swept into the warm cavern of her mouth and Victoria swore there were fireworks going off nearby. No, wait. That was electricity zipping through her body. Rafael pulled her fully across the seat, onto his lap.
Her arms snaked up to wind around his neck, pulling him closer. Her tongue slid against his shyly. His low moan gave her the courage she needed, her tongue now meeting his thrust for thrust. Rafael bunched the fingers of one hand in her hair, gently pulling her head back so that he could deepen the kiss. She felt his other hand sliding up her thigh, caressing her skin, leaving a trail of fire everywhere he touched. His fingers traveled upward, moving dangerously close to her mound. A soft moan sounded in her throat when he brushed against her. A shudder ran through her entire body. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been touched so intimately. Her underwear instantly became damp, as if her body was begging to be touched. Reveling in it.
Victoria nearly jumped out of her skin when his finger slipped in the waistband of her underwear, finding her sensitive bud. She jerked when he caressed her, sending shockwaves through her system. She wasn’t the only one who was aroused. His erection pressed against her buttocks, rock hard. It delighted her to know that she had driven him to such a state. Unable to help herself, she wiggled her hips, brushing against his hard flesh. Rafael hissed, his mouth still devouring hers. She felt him slip a finger inside her, taking her by surprise.
“Rafael.”
Victoria’s startled gasp penetrated his sex-hazed mind. Tearing his mouth from hers and slipping his hand out of her underwear, he lifted her, settling her back into her seat as if she were a small child. His breathing was as ragged as hers. He wiped a hand over his face.
“Victoria, I’m sorry. I got carried away.” He sucked in a breath. “Let’s get you inside. Now.”
Victoria couldn’t speak, couldn’t think.
“Huh?” She asked dumbly.
His expression was grim. “If you don’t go inside now, I will end up taking you right here in my car.”
She almost asked what was wrong with that. Victoria shook her head. What was she thinking? Everything was wrong with that scenario. She barely knew Rafael. They had only been out once. Who had sex after a first date? Certainly not prim and proper Victoria.
“Y-yes, right, inside.” Oh, but how her body still cried out for more. Listen to your brain, not your body.
Rafael was out of the car, and opening her door before she even realized he had moved. She eyed his outstretched hand warily. After what just took place, the way she lost control, dare she touch him?
“Victoria,” he prompted.
With a sigh, she accepted his hand. It was a good thing because as she stood to her feet, her knees felt weak. She followed him to her door on wooden legs. Reaching into her purse for her keys, she took them out. She noticed Rafael looking around with a deep frown. Was he already regretting kissing her?
“What is it?”
“You had to get out of the car to open the gates.”
“Uh, yes. How else would we have gotten in? I’m not very good at scaling gates, you know. I don’t work out much.”
She smiled at her own feeble attempt at a joke. Rafael’s frown stayed in place.
“It isn’t safe. Your father had someone stationed in the security house at the gate. What happened to him?”
Victoria shrugged. “I suppose Daddy let him go. Lena, Marian, or me open the gates from inside during the day. But I didn’t want to bother anyone so late, so I had to open them myself. What’s the big deal?”
“What’s the big deal? What happened if you’re alone coming in at night? I don’t want you taking the risk of getting out of your car.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that since my car is in another state. In case you have forgotten, my father is dead,” she hissed. “His company is go
ne. I doubt there was much for him to leave us so we can’t afford to have twenty-four hour security. Shoot, I doubt we even have enough to keep this house much longer.”
All passion and sexual desires dissipated, replaced by rage. She glared at him. It was his fault yet he dared to be outraged by the lack of security. “What the blazes do you care anyway?”
“I care,” he grounded out through clenched teeth.
“Is that so? I suppose that’s why-” she stopped.
She couldn’t let him know she was aware what he had done to her father, her family. It might blow her cover. He would surely get suspicious as to why she was accepted his dinner offer, any other offer that was to come.
Rafael took a step closer. “That’s why what?”
“Nothing. Just forget it. I’m going inside now.”
She whirled around to open the door, but failed miserably. Her entire body was vibrating with anger, causing even her hands to shake. Strong, warm hands wrapped around hers to steady it. With Rafael’s help, she got the door open.
“What just happened, Victoria? What did I say to get you so upset?”
“I’m not upset.”
“You’re shaking with anger.”
“I-I’m just frustrated with everything that had happened to my family. “
She was able to look him in the eyes because she wasn’t lying. She just didn’t mention the part about her hating him for the part he played in the events. Did she really hate him, though? Could a person enjoy the company of someone she hated? Allow him to kiss her, touch her so intimately and like it? She needed to get her emotions sorted out and fast.
“I apologize for my outburst.”
Rafael sighed. He wondered if he should tell her that he was the one who bought her father’s company. It didn’t seem like she knew. If she didn’t, it was for the better. No, he couldn’t tell her, not yet, it would ruin everything that he and David had planned. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand.” He cupped her cheek and planted a kiss on her forehead.