Chapter 34 Aurora
Aurora
It’s dark outside as I pad barefoot into the kitchen.
‘Here you are,’ I say, stifling a yawn as I spot Rafael, standing hunched over the dining table in just a pair of joggers, staring at the paperwork laid out on it.
I curl my hand around his bicep and rest my cheek against his hot skin.
‘How long have you been down here?’
I scan the table. Earlier today it was just my notes. Now the sea of paper has doubled. Handwritten comments are hastily scribbled on to Post-its and stuck to new email threads and client contacts I’ve never seen before.
‘Wow! How did you get all of this so fast?’
Rafael jots something down on another Post-it and reaches over the table, slamming it on to a piece of paper. ‘I couldn’t sleep,’ he grumbles.
I run my fingers up his bicep, loving the strength that ripples in the muscle as it flexes beneath my hand like he can’t stop his body reacting to my touch.
‘Come back to bed. You’ve got work in a few hours.’
‘I’m taking the day off.’ His brow is set in a deep frown of concentration as he surveys the papers.
My heart soars at the determination on his face. ‘To work on this?’
He turns his head, pressing a kiss to my temple, but doesn’t answer.
‘Rafael?’ I urge.
He keeps working, so I snake my hand up to his cheek and turn his head to face me. His eyes are bloodshot, and he looks like he hasn’t slept for a week, let alone one night.
‘Come back to bed,’ I whisper. ‘You need to rest.’
He sighs, looking into my eyes with an adoration that makes warmth blanket my chest.
‘Aurora, you haven’t rested since your father was convicted. And I’m not going to rest now that I know he’s innocent.’
‘You’re doing this for me?’
‘Yes . . . And because it’s the right thing to do.’ He turns away again.
I can’t help it, I break into a wide smile. ‘And to think we used to hate one another. And you thought he took your money,’ I tease.
He keeps scowling at the papers like they hold the answer, if he can only find it.
‘Rafael? Did you hear what I said?’
‘I heard,’ he clips.
I roll my eyes. I love that he’s doing this, but I don’t want to see him make himself ill by not taking a break for an hour or two.
‘You say it like it amuses you,’ he adds, his attention still fixed on the tabletop.
‘That we hated each other, and now we’re . . .’ I snuggle into his bicep with a soft sigh as the heat of his skin warms me.
‘And now I’m in love with you and dreaming of the day you’re my wife and the mother of our children and share every penny I have to my name?’ he finishes.
‘What?’ My voice clogs my throat.
Rafael looks at me from beneath lowered brows. ‘What’s wrong?’ His expression morphs into worry as he scans my face.
‘Um . . . nothing. You sound very sure, that’s all.’
‘I am sure. I love you,’ he replies seriously. ‘What else could I possibly need to be surer? I want to marry you, Aurora. But first, we’re going to get your father out.’
‘We are?’ Hope lifts my voice at how confident he sounds.
His eyes flick back to the paperwork and a muscle clenches in his jaw. ‘My wife is going to dance with her father on her wedding day.’
I blink at him, unable to speak from the emotion bubbling in my throat. For months no one except Dove has believed me. And now, not only does Rafael believe me, but he’s making it his mission to help me.
He isn’t going to stop until my father is free.
I take a deep breath, forcing my voice to work. ‘I love you,’ I whisper. ‘I love you so much, Rafe.’
He pauses. ‘Rafe?’
I stall. I’ve always called him Rafael. And he’s never said a thing about it. But this time ‘Rafe’ slipped out so easily, like it was right.
‘Do you not like it? I just hear your family call you it, and—’
‘Aurora.’ He twists his body, wrapping both arms around me and tugging me closer until my chest is flush to his. ‘You’re my entire world. You can call me whatever you want.’
His eyes glow in the lamplight with a tenderness that makes my legs weak.
‘Do you want to call me Rory? My friends do. Well, Dove does.’
His smile is soft, but there’s a glimmer of hurt in his eyes, like he hates to hear me admit I have no friends apart from Dove. Not since they abandoned me after my father’s conviction.
‘Do you want me to?’ he asks.
I lick my lips. ‘I don’t mind. But I . . .’
‘You?’ He hooks my chin and tilts my mouth up, hovering his over mine.
‘Still call me Beauty,’ I breathe.
‘You like being my sleeping princess?’ he asks, rubbing his thumb over my lower lip and tracing its path with his eyes.
‘I like being yours,’ I confess.
His pupils blow wide. ‘You admit that you’re mine?’
I swallow, steeling myself for the moment his lips touch mine as he leans closer until his breath fans over them.
‘I’m yours,’ I whisper. ‘As long as you’re mine too.’
He brings his soft smile down over my lips and kisses me tenderly. ‘I love you, Beauty. Now go back to bed before I spread you out on this table and ruin all my progress.’
‘Are you coming?’ I ask, unable to resist pressing another light kiss to his mouth.
‘Soon,’ he replies.
He kisses my forehead and watches me leave the room.
The following morning Rafael’s rubbing his jaw as he reads a document. I didn’t go back to bed last night. I couldn’t sleep knowing he was down here, working tirelessly to help my father. So we’ve been here, side by side, for hours, doing this as a team.
But I did force Rafael to take a break, despite his protest. He’s now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt; his hair is wet from his shower.
‘Coffee?’ I say, holding a cup out to him.
‘Thanks.’
I sit down in the seat beside him. ‘What next?’
He hands me a thick folder I’ve never seen before. ‘Press articles from the time of the trial. Pull out and highlight any saying anything other than proven fact. We want to demonstrate public opinion was swayed before your father even set foot inside that courtroom.’
‘Okay,’ I reply.
The two of us work together in companiable silence for another hour. I keep stealing glances at Rafael, and pitch in where I can. He’s intimidating with how intense his laser focus is. But he’s brilliant. Completely captivating. Now I know why his staff have so much respect for him.
And he also looks hot as hell.
I stretch my arms above my head, eyeing the way his navy t-shirt hugs his broad chest. We need another break.
As determined as I am to find something that will help my father, I know that when I push myself for too long, I make mistakes.
I miss things and have to circle back around to them again.
Looking at Rafael and how capable he is, I’m not sure he has the same issues.
But I still want to make sure he doesn’t give himself eye strain or worse.
‘I need to film a blog post for some items a brand sent me. Can I use your dressing room?’
He frowns, eyes still on a court transcript. ‘Course you can. You don’t need to ask. And it’s our dressing room.’
‘It’s for a new summer line. Lots of cute dresses. Short ones,’ I add.
His focus doesn’t break.
I twirl a strand of hair around my finger. ‘Can you . . . hold the camera for me?’
That gets his attention. His eyes lift to mine with a gleam of interest sparking in them. ‘You want me to film you?’
I tilt my head, my tone suggestive. ‘That depends. Are you going to touch yourself while you watch me?’
He sits back in his chair, his gaze dragging down over me and hovering on my breasts in my t-shirt.
He licks his lips. ‘If I don’t, I’ll be wishing I was.’
‘Come on.’ I stand and hold out my hand. He threads his fingers inside mine, following me upstairs to his bedroom and into the large dressing room.
Row upon row of immaculate suits line the walls, but there’s a section that’s been cleared, which now homes my meagre collection of clothing.
‘I’ll film with your things in the background. It’ll look better,’ I tell him, crossing the room to open the box I’ve been sent from one of the brands I regularly work with.
‘We need to take you shopping again,’ he grunts, scowling at my clothes like they’ve personally offended him.
‘It’s fine.’
‘It’s not fine,’ he huffs. ‘You’ve hardly got any clothing, Aurora.’
‘Thought you preferred that.’
I roll my eyes when he keeps glaring at my pathetic-looking rail of items.
‘We’ll go tomorrow. I have a personal shopper who can help us source everything. Get you some new dresses. New shoes. Handbags. The lot.’
‘Why?’ I shrug. ‘It’s not like I’ll wear fancy designer things when I’m cleaning people’s houses for them and walking their dogs.
Unless . . .’ My throat burns. ‘You’re not embarrassed to be seen with me, are you?
’ My mind flits to Seraphina and how stylish she looked that night at the restaurant.
‘I know I’m not polished and wearing all the latest—’
‘Bloody hell, Aurora. Who put that idea in your head?’
His outburst has me snapping my eyes to his. His nostrils flare. He looks ready to go into battle.
‘No one,’ I flounder. ‘I was just thinking out loud.’
His face softens. ‘Beauty, the only reason I want to take you shopping is because I want to give you everything. Not because I want you to look a certain way. I love you whatever you wear, but . . .’ His eyes drop over me as I shimmy into the first new sundress I need to film.
‘But that one you’re definitely keeping. ’
‘You like it?’ I smooth my hands over the front of the white dress. It’s got tiny red rosebuds embroidered all over it, and the chest area gathers and ties in a bow, lifting my breasts up.
‘Does it come in more colours?’ Rafael asks.
‘Pink with white daisies, I think.’
‘Order that one as well. And get two.’
‘Two?’
‘In case I rip one off you.’ He reaches down and squeezes the crotch of his jeans. ‘Damn, I can’t get over how sexy you are.’
I giggle and open up the camera on my phone, ready to film.
‘How many clients do you have?’ he asks, watching me.
‘Only a few who I clean for and organise their wardrobes, that sort of thing. And one whose dog I walk a few times per week.’
‘Dog?’