Chapter Thirty-Eight
chapter thirty-eight
RAFAEL
I sit on one of the rustic wooden stools that sits under May’s kitchen island. She shunned me to this spot after I got too ’in her face’ as she makes dinner on the other side of the kitchen.
I cringe as she adds a bit more pepper into the pot than I would. My leg is bouncing up and down on the footrest of this stool. I can’t take it anymore.
May’s head whips around as she hears my stool move against the floor.
“Nope.” She points her wooden spoon at me. “No way. Do I need to lock you in the bedroom?”
“Only if you’re coming with me.”
She rolls her eyes, and I grab her by the waist, pulling her into me. “Excuse me! I have a meal to continue if you didn’t notice.”
“I don’t know about that. It looks a bit too far gone.”
She squeals as she tries to escape my grasp, but I don’t give her an inch. “It is not too far gone. You have your family recipes, and I have mine. Trust me.”
I just raise my brows at her. “Oh yeah? How many times have you made it?”
She looks anywhere but my eyes as she says, “More than once…for sure. ”
“Oh, that’s really convincing.” I reach for the spoon, but she’s holding it just out of reach.
Her eyes snap to the front door. “Marisol!”
I let go and turn around to see my sister…or not. She’s not here. I turn back around, and May is standing over the cooktop.
“Gotcha.”
My heart rate slows. We invited Marisol to have dinner here tonight, but she’s not due for at least another hour. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. She’s my sister, for god's sake. It’s only that I haven’t seen her in two years, let alone heard from her. When she left, it was like she dropped off the face of the earth. Well, from my life anyway. For everyone else, that’s when she appeared, becoming a famous model almost overnight. Her fans probably know more about her than I do at this point, and it stings to think about that. That she never even tried to contact me, like I wasn’t her brother anymore. We were the only family each other had left, and then she just vanished.
“Hey.” May rests a hand on my arm. “You can stir the stew if it means that much to you.” She holds the spoon out to me.
That pulls a laugh out of me. I’m sure she knows that I’m not standing here stewing about her stew, but she effortlessly knows how to pull me out of my head. I snatch the spoon from her grip. “Let me taste this thing.”
“But it’s not done.” She tries to grab the spoon back from me as I walk over to the pot. “No, wait, I take it back. You’re not allowed.”
“I’m gonna have to try it eventually, you know, when you serve it up for dinner.”
When I’m just about at the stovetop, May bumps her hip into mine, sending me stumbling across the small kitchen. I let out a laugh in pure shock as she snatches the wooden spoon right from my hand and goes to stand in front of the cooktop. “Did you just hip bump me out of the way?”
“Uh-huh,” she says, not lifting her eyes to mine, but I can see the little smirk on her face .
“Oh, you think you’re strong, do you?” Her smirk widens as her cheeks redden, but she still won’t look at me.
I reach out and pull on the top of her shorts, easily yanking her away from the food. She squeals and I bend down, wrapping my arms around her legs and throwing her over my shoulder.
“Rafael! The stew!”
My palm lands on her ass and the slap echoes through the small living space. “The stew can wait.”
I throw her down on the couch and stand before her. “Something tells me you are hungry for something else.” Her eyes glitter up at me. “Am I right?” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she nods.
“Have I been too lenient with you, Whitley? Do you need reminding of who’s in control here?”
“It’s just a stew. Didn’t think it was such a big—” She cuts off when I pull my pants down, my cock sitting right in front of her face.
“What’s big?” Her eyes flick from my eyes to my cock and back to my eyes again.
I take a step forward and her mouth opens instinctively. I grip my cock by the base and guide it into her warm mouth. My eyes flutter shut as her lips close around me. I groan. “Why have we not done this until now?”
She hums in response, sending vibrations through my entire body before she flattens her tongue and drags it along the underside of my dick, ever so slowly pulling back. Too slowly.
I wrap my hands in her hair and push myself back into her mouth, far enough that her eyes water. “You okay?” I ask.
She nods and uses one hand to grip the base of my cock for more control. She holds it tight as she quickens her speed, back and forth as her tongue explores the size of me in her mouth. She uses her other hand to squeeze my balls, and it’s wickedly pleasing. Her consistent speed drags me to the edge.
“Do I need to pull out, or are you going to swallow for me?” I grit out .
She reaches a hand out and grips my ass, urging me forward, and I can’t hold back another second before I’m exploding into her mouth.
I groan as my release tears through me. I slowly pull out and look down to see May’s throat working as she swallows my cum.
Before I can say how fucking sexy that was, she says, “Since when were you so worried about being gentlemanly?”
I shake my head. “Would you rather I have my way with you?”
“Please.”
Jesus, every time she uses that word, I'm like putty in her hands.
I tuck my still hard cock back into my pants and stride down the hallway towards her bedroom.
“Where are you going?” She yells.
When I reach her room, I crouch down next to the bed and reach for the handcuffs that I spied under there last week. But as my hand feels for the metal, I feel something else. I pull it out from the shadows and realize I’m holding the sex toy that she used that night.
The first night I saw a glimpse of my little spitfire.
I walk back down the hall to find May waiting patiently on the couch. Her eyes sparkle when she sees what I’ve got in each hand. “I seem to recall you saying once that handcuffs could be fun.”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and I notice the way her legs squeeze together. A devilish smile blooms on her face as I get closer.
“Should we test that out?”
She nods.
“Take that off,” I nod to her t-shirt. She complies within seconds, leaving me staring at her gorgeous tits in a pretty pink bra. I drag my eyes away to look down to her shorts. “And those.”
She pulls them down her legs, and of course, she’s wearing matching pink lace panties. My mouth salivates at the sight of her.
I place the toy down on the table. “Lie down. ”
I climb over her where she’s now laying on the couch. “Hands up.”
She does as I say, and I clasp the handcuffs around her wrists, making sure the chain is behind the leg of the little table that sits just above the height of the couch.
She tugs on them and the table wobbles. “Perfect,” I say.
Her chest is already heaving, and I haven’t even touched her. “You’re a needy little thing for me, aren’t you, May?”
She moans in answer, her eyes fluttering shut just at the sound of my voice. “God, you are so beautiful.”
Her eyes open at that, just in time to see me grabbing her toy off the table. I press the switch and it whirs to life, the whole thing vibrating in my hand. I click all the different buttons, playing around with the settings as it’s in my hand, leaving May wriggly beneath me, her body anticipating the pleasure.
Once the setting is where I like it, I lower it to her body. Her breath shudders as the toy vibrates between her tits.
“How does that feel?”
“Mmm, good,” she breathes.
I slowly drag it down her body, letting it vibrate across every inch of her skin as I trail it down her stomach, closer and closer to where I know she’s aching for it.
I pull her bra down, and pause the movement of my other hand, leaving the machine vibrating just above where I know she’s throbbing as I bring my mouth to her nipple.
“ Oh ,” she yanks on the chains, as if out of instinct, wanting to thread her fingers in my hair. She groans in frustration, but it quickly turns into a moan of pleasure as I circle my tongue around her hard nipple. I suck it into my mouth and I take my time.
“Please,” she moans.
“Please what?”
“You know what,” she growls.
I grin against her skin and pull her nipple between my teeth as I let the toy slip a little bit lower.
She moans. “Oh, fuck. ”
I move the toy up and down, teasing her through her panties. I pull my mouth away and she whimpers at the loss of my touch, her hands yanking against the chain once again.
“How are those handcuffs?” I ask. “As fun as you thought?”
She groans and moves her hips, seeking more than the tease I’m currently giving her.
“Do you want this inside of you?”
She nods frantically. “Please.”
I lean back on my heels so I can see all of her as she writhes beneath me. I inch the toy further down, rubbing it right against her entrance. She moans again and I contemplate teasing her for longer, if only to hear those needy moans a few more times. But I want to see my girl explode.
I pull her panties to the side and see just how needy she really is. “God, you are soaked, aren’t you?”
I slip the end of the toy into her wetness. Her body twitches as it teases her entrance, the vibrations rolling through her. Her eyes are screwed shut, but her mouth is hanging open, allowing every beautiful sound she makes to effortlessly slip off her tongue.
“Tell me again that I’m the only one that makes you like this.” It’s petty, but I want to hear it, nonetheless.
“Rafael,” she whimpers as I move the toy over her soft pussy.
“ sì ?”
Her eyes meet mine. “No one has ever made me feel like you do.” I push the toy into her with no warning.
“Oh my god!” she cries out.
I switch the setting to the pulse, and May moans as I work it inside of her. “Is that what you like, baby?”
She nods. Her mouth is still open, but she can’t speak.
I pull the toy back until it’s almost completely out of her. Her eyes open to look at me as I leave it there, pulsing just past her entrance. I inch it back inside of her, slowly, making sure her eyes are locked on mine with every second I spend pushing the toy inside of her. She closes her eyes, moaning as it hits the spot she likes .
I work it in and out of her, quickening my pace as she writhes, dragging her feet up so she can press against the couch for leverage, and I let her, wanting her to find her pleasure, as my own builds in my pants.
“ Rafael ,” she moans. “Oh god.”
She’s moving her hips frantically, and that’s when I slide the toy completely out of her. She gasps and her eyes fly open, but within a second I’ve got my pants yanked down, and I pull her panties down her legs before I slide the condom from my back pocket down my length and push into her.
“ Fuck ,” she screams as I push myself all the way to the hilt.
I don’t waste time with slow strokes. I resume the pace I was using with that toy and slam into her.
She cries out and her arms pull on the chain, sending the table jolting against the couch. “Don’t stop,” she says.
I use both of my hands to prop her legs over my shoulders so I can drive even deeper into her.
“Fuck, Raf,” she sighs. My core burns when she says my name like that. With no sarcasm, no annoyance, just pure, salacious need.
The table jerks against the couch with every thrust, the sound of items falling onto the floor doing nothing to deter either of us.
I lean down between her legs to capture her lips between mine, swallowing every beautiful moan that escapes her mouth. She bites down, pulling my bottom lips between her teeth, and I groan as I feel heat building at the base of my spine, ready to erupt into her.
I thrust my hips again and again as I suck on the base of her neck.
“Oh my god, Rafael.” Her voice takes on the high pitch that it does when she’s about to come, so I slide my fingers down between us and flick her clit.
“Oh, fuck!” She yanks hard on the handcuffs, making the table lift off the ground as her orgasm crashes into her beneath me. Her moans not stopping until I explode above her and slow my movements. I feel so perfectly empty as I rest my forehead against hers. The only sound in the whole house is our panting. And then I hear it, the distinct sound of something bubbling.
May's head snaps up, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh my god, the stew!”
“I think you just need to add a little more spice,” May says over my shoulder with a giggle.The aroma of spiced meat is floating throughout the cottage as I stir the pot of stew in front of me. May nearly cried when I said I’d throw the stew out and make something else, so here I am, trying to salvage what was left after it boiled over.
“You’re hilarious. Have I ever told you that?”
She smacks my arm. “Shut up.”
A knock at the door interrupts our teasing. My stomach drops.
“Hey,” May grabs my face in her hands, pressing a kiss to my lips. “This is going to be great.”
“Hmm,” I mutter. Great .
It’s not that I’m not happy to see my sister, I am. I just don’t know what to say to her after so long.
May skips over to the door and pulls it open. “Welcome!” She says, holding the door open for my sister.
“This cottage is adorable, May.” Marisol’s voice floats into the space.
May shrugs. “I got lucky. I actually nearly burnt the whole place down a couple of months ago.”
Marisol frowns, looking around the space. “Really?”
May nods. “To be honest, I probably would’ve died if your brother here didn’t come and save me. My knight in shining armor,” she says wistfully, but I hear the sarcasm laced in every word .
“Really?!” Marisol says again, this time directing the question at me.
I envy the way that May can talk to her so casually, so effortlessly, when any words I want to say get stuck in my throat.
“I wouldn’t have picked you to be the hero,” Marisol says, filling the silence I leave.
“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t know much about me these days, would you?”
She flinches, every word hitting her like a bullet. Guilt pulls red heat up my neck. “Marisol…”
“No,” she holds her hand up, “I deserved that.”
May’s eyes flick between us, as if she’s unsure where to go next. I don’t know either. I’m just happy she’s here with me.
Marisol stayed at my house last night, but I couldn’t face her, so I stayed here. In the comfort and sanctuary of May and her little cottage.
After spending more time around here, I can understand why May hated it when she came to stay at my house. It feels empty and cold compared to this cottage, where warmth bursts at the seams. Life is molded into every surface, with dinks in the wall and scuffs over the floorboards. It feels like the place where life should be lived slowly, warmly, but to the fullest.
“What are you making?” Marisol’s eyes gesture to the pot.
“I’m, uh…trying to salvage a stew .”
May rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to say stew like that.”
I just smirk and focus back on the pot in front of me, it’s the one thing I can control about this situation.
“It’s a family recipe,” she says to Marisol. “But Rafael here doesn’t trust me to not serve you up poison.”
“To be fair, you did let it boil over,” I chime in.
May scoffs. “Okay, I was a little distracted.”
“Little? That’s not exactly the word I would choose.”
“Uh,” Marisol murmurs. “You do realize I’m right here.” For a second, I almost forgot she was .
“Oh my god! No! Sorry, I don’t really have a filter sometimes,” May scrambles to explain herself. More like all the time .
“I don’t have an excuse,” I add.
Marisol just laughs. “I didn’t know you guys were a couple when I saw you in Sorrento.”
I see May shake her head in the reflection of the window. “Oh, we weren’t. I hated his guts.”
“No, you didn’t.” I catch her scowling at me in the reflection. I meet her gaze and wink at her, and she immediately looks away.
Marisol giggles again. “My brother always had the ability to annoy someone into liking him. I see he hasn’t lost that ability.”
I wish my stomach would stop doing that dipping thing.
“Definitely not,” May says. “But it seems to work out in his favor.”
“Apparently,” Marisol says, taking a glance around the space, her eyes lingering on May a little longer than necessary.
After another five minutes of May filling the awkward silence between my sister and me, I serve up the dinner, and we all move to sit on the plush couches.
“If you spill this on my furniture…” May glares at me as I sit down.
I wave her off. “Yeah, yeah, eat your stew.”
She sits down on the couch with Marisol, and I’m left with the lone chair. It feels a bit symbolic.
“So, how do you like living in the city?” May asks.
Marisol hesitates. “Oh, uhm…I like it, lots to see.”
May narrows her eyes. “Yeah…that wasn’t so convincing.”
Marisol’s eyes snap to May, as if she wasn’t expecting the honesty. She’ll get used to that.
She laughs nervously, but May and I are both looking over at her. Maybe she’s used to getting out of conversations she doesn’t like in the city by batting her eyelashes, but it won’t work here.
She swallows, resting her fork on the side of her bowl. “Jack is trying to ruin my career, so uh, it’s not so much fun at the moment. ”
“What do you mean?” I ask. I might be annoyed with my sister, but that doesn’t stop me from caring about her.
She sighs. “After that night in Sorrento, I went digging, and I found out that he’d been cheating on me the entire duration of our relationship. I was so angry, but I was content to let it go, just pretend it never happened and keep out of each other's lives.” I scoff and shake my head, but May cuts me a disapproving glare and I go back to my stew.
“But when I tried to cut my contract with him…it didn’t go down well. I ended up getting out, but he’s made it his personal mission to tear my career apart, to ruin any reputation I’ve built for myself over the last two years.”
May grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze of encouragement.
Marisol shakes her head. “He’s told everyone he can think of that I was cheating on him , that I’ve been a nightmare to work with and that he was the one who broke our contract. I’ve reached out to other agencies, but I haven’t heard anything. Not even a ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ Just nothing.”
I shake my head. “I always knew that guy was bad news,”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, you know best, Rafael, as per usual.”
May lets go of her hand and sinks back into the couch, moving out of the firing line.
“Sorry I don’t live my life the way that you want me to,” she says, her voice laced with venom, and it stings more than it should.
“Of course not, Marisol. If you would’ve done what I wanted you to, you wouldn’t have left this town when I begged you not to!” That shuts her down.
May clears her throat, placing her plate on the coffee table. “I’m gonna shower. It’s been a long day.”
She pushes off the couch in her not-so-subtle attempt to leave us alone for whatever is going to come next. She gives me a kiss on the cheek as she passes me, and I run a hand along the back of her thigh before she’s out of reach, needing to feel her skin to ground me .
Just when she’s about to disappear down the hallway, she pins me with a ‘sort this shit out’ kind of look, and it kicks me into gear.
“Marisol, I’m sorry?—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” That leaves me with nothing to say. She leans back into the couch. “You’re right?—”
“What?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re right. Jack was always an asshole. I was just blinded by his confidence in me, in the opportunities he could provide for me, that I ignored all the other stuff. Some of it…I really shouldn’t have.” Her eyes soften. “I should’ve never left.”
I struggle to disagree. “You did what you felt was right at the time.”
She lets out a humorless laugh. “No, didn’t. I did what was easiest for me. In the face of grief, I was…I was a coward.”
I open my mouth, but she stops me. “Don’t try to disagree. I know that’s what you think of me.”
I look down at my hands in my lap, fiddling with the ring on my pointer finger as a point of distraction. “I needed you,” I say. “I’m the older brother, the one who is supposed to be strong, and I did fine. But I could’ve used my sister by my side. I’ve missed you, Mari.”
She nods, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I know you think I’m only here now because of what’s happening with Jack, but if I’m honest, seeing you in Sorrento was like a punch to my gut. I missed you more than I realized, and it freaked me out. I’m sorry that I didn't hang around for longer that night.”
I stand up off my chair and join her on the couch, pulling her into my side. “He really was a dickhead.”
That makes her laugh. “He was,” she sighs before changing the subject. “She’s perfect for you, huh?”
“What? You've known her for five minutes and you figured that out, did you?”
She punches me in the side. “Well, I’ve never met any of the women you used to see. You definitely wouldn’t have made stew for them.”
I let out a chuckle. “No, I wouldn’t have.”
“I can see that she challenges you. In a good way.”
I nod, because I don’t know what’s left to say.
I know, Marisol.
I think she’s the one.
I’m in love with her.
I’m in love with her and I don’t know how to tell her.
“Leo came to the house today,” she says, switching the topic again.
“Did he now?”
“God, he looks different. I haven’t seen him since we were teenagers. I barely recognized him in Sorrento, and now, seeing him up close…” She shakes her head.
“Yeah, well, he’s still just as much of a dick now as he was then.”
Her grin widens. “That’s not hard to believe.” Marisol rests her head on my shoulder, and I realize my stomach hasn’t dipped since we’ve been sitting here. We haven’t sorted everything out yet, not even close. We still have a lot to talk about, but as I take a deep breath, I feel like this is a good enough place as any to start.