Chapter Three #2
Cross again, but not with him, she walked off, expecting him to join her, or not expecting anything. It was embarrassment that had her speeding off, but Rafiq caught her hand and halted her, turning her to face him. He would look her in the eyes when he gave his response.
‘Then he’s disgusting,’ Rafiq told her. ‘And you should have thrown your hand to his cheek rather than money to his table.’
‘I abhor violence,’ she said all pious and sweet, then added with a wry smile. ‘More to the point, he might have slapped me back.’
‘Don’t meet up with men you don’t know,’ he warned her and then sighed at the contrariness of his own words. ‘Says the man you don’t know who has taken you to the middle of nowhere. However…’
‘It’s not the same.’ Liliana said. ‘We met…’ She couldn’t think of the word but Rafiq gave it to her.
‘Naturally.’
‘Yes.’
‘You deserve better, Liliana.’ Her heart skipped as it did when he used her full name. ‘And you shouldn’t have to be online looking for a date to avoid your manager.’
‘I know,’ she admitted.
‘You have to make it clear that you’re not into him.’
‘I’ve tried. That’s why I told him I’m seeing someone.’
‘But you don’t need an excuse.’ He saw her sigh; knew it was too late for that. ‘Do you have to go to this ball?’
‘I do. I’ve made a few excuses to avoid Christmas functions.’
‘Is it that bad?’
‘It is,’ she admitted. ‘Unfortunately, our head of HR is his cousin.’
‘Okay.’ He wanted to arm her with defences. ‘I’ll tell you what to do.’
To use the little time they had, to give her all the tools.
He wanted to protect her and that was not a feeling he knew.
Rafiq decided he would give her a few tips, since he had a lot of experience closing down conversations and advances. However, it was a little hard to think when they were facing each other, so close that their white breaths mingled.
‘You give them a look.’
‘A look?’ she echoed.
‘To warn them, back off. Like this.’ He snapped a warning glare at her, but clearly it didn’t have its usual effect, because she laughed. ‘You try it now.’
She did so.
Only it had no effect.
In fact, it had the reverse of the desired effect…
If anything, it accentuated desire.
‘Okay,’ he said brusquely. ‘Suppose I ask you to dance, and you don’t want to.’
‘Don’t be so ridiculous.’ She smiled. ‘I’d love to dance with you.’
She touched the lapel of his coat in a sort of playful thump.
And Rafiq was not used to playing, yet her hand on his chest, and the way it remained, felt sweet rather than cloying.
He wanted to capture her hand, or move her closer into him. He would like to touch the skin of her cheek, just to feel if it was as soft as it promised to be, or kiss that full mouth.
Instead, he stood there, feeling the touch of her hand on his chest, as light as a bird landing on your palm, but way, way more potent.
‘Alright.’ He would give this another go. ‘Suppose I was to ask you the same question that that bastard did?’
‘We’ve already established you wouldn’t do that.’
‘You’re not making this easy,’ he said. ‘I am trying to give you a few pointers.’
‘I know you are.’ She pulled a serious face. ‘Okay. Ask me again if I want to dance.’
She was thinking of more serious answers, yet her hand was still resting on his chest as she braced herself to respond more suitably.
‘Liliana, would you give me the pleasure of this dance?’
Her face turned so red there must surely be steam coming from her cheeks and her voice was a squeak as she duly responded. ‘No, thank you.’ Oh, but she did; she wanted to lean on his chest and feel his arms wrapped around her, so badly she wanted to dance.
‘What if I were to move in to kiss you?’
Liliana had not been expecting that, nor for the feel of his dark eyes moving down to her mouth.
‘What then…?’ he asked, his voice soft and low. His fingers moved a stray curl from her forehead and smoothed it behind her ear.
‘Are you pretending to be my manager or that awful guy?’ She could hardly breathe, let alone finish a sentence. To be so close, to feel his breath and inhale his scent and not respond was an impossible feat.
And he could feel the heat from her cheeks and her hand was now gripping the lapel of his coat and he knew the effect he was having.
Could feel her effect on him too.
Rafiq had been born a flirt but that part of him had died a long time ago. Now he was too solemn, and anyway, it was unnecessary in his world. It was something though that came easily tonight, because he looked down at her plump mouth and grazed it just a little with his.
She moaned as he pulled his head back.
‘Push me off,’ he said, his lips hovering.
‘I don’t want to.’
‘Slap my cheek,’ he said as his shadowed jaw grazed her own. ‘Knee me in the groin.’
She actually whimpered, shocked by her own thoughts for they dashed straight to his groin and it took two hands to grip the lapels of his coat now, just to stand up.
‘I can’t play this game with you,’ she admitted. ‘Because I want to dance and I want you to kiss me…’ Oh, but she did. ‘Please do.’
Kisses, if there were to be any, should surely come later, yet here they were right at the start of this night, and when he did as asked, she closed her eyes to the bliss, his kiss soft, gentle as if relishing her.
And relishing her he was.
Rafiq was not one for tender kisses by a lake, not one for sweet kisses that led nowhere.
Yet tonight, he liked the labyrinth, the slight feeling of being lost, the thrill of discovery, because this gentle, slow kiss had her sigh, and he cupped her cheeks, parting her lips and sliding in his tongue.
Liliana had been kissed before.
At least she thought she had been, only nothing compared to this.
She was pulling him closer, the kiss deepening, when usually it was Liliana pulling back.
Usually, she was thanking her date for a lovely night and then fleeing.
There was no thought of fleeing now; he was melting her with each stroke of his tongue.
All that seemed to exist was the feel of his mouth and strong warm body against her own.
With a will of their own her hands moved to his thick black hair and this was everything a kiss should be, everything she had never known.
It made her want more.
So much more.
And that startled her, enough that he must have sensed it because he pulled his head back a fraction.
‘Okay?’ Rafiq checked.
‘Yes…’ She nodded a little, and then more fervently, because she wasn’t in the least upset by their kiss. More she was completely shocked at her own body’s reaction. ‘Yes, it’s just…’
She knew she had to tell him, for that had been a kiss of lovers.
Passion had poured from her, and she could feel him aroused against her stomach, feel her own body alive with an unfamiliar ache, and she rested her head on his chest. She had always felt safe with Rafiq but had never felt safer than now, being held in his arms, and she gazed at the swans and tried to fathom what was happening.
Finally, there was someone she could be honest with.
Completely.
‘None,’ she said. ‘The answer to the question that guy asked is—none.’