Chapter Sixteen #2
Rafe was enjoying the most delicious dream filled with tender curves and the sweet scent of lilac.
He made a tentative thrust with his hips and was thrilled when they encountered the soft cushion of a woman’s body made for pleasure.
His cock throbbed in delight, heat pooling in his loins and growing at a steady rate.
It had been so bloody long since he’d had a dream so vivid, felt so content; he intended to take full advantage of the fantasy.
His fist twisted in soft, thin fabric, dragging it up and over the gentle hills and valleys he’d traced. Lithe thighs. Graceful hips. A trim waist. He couldn’t wait to explore the wetness between those legs and test the weight of what he suspected were utterly perfect breasts.
A soft gasp made his eyes snap open.
His pulse stuttered.
This was no mere dream or fantasy.
Rafe blinked dazedly as the woman in his bed shot up, her dark hair falling loose and wantonly around her shoulders, as she hastily readjusted her nightrail and dressing gown. She moved so quickly and his mind was so exhausted that it took him a few seconds to decipher the situation.
He was most certainly in his own bed.
The woman scurrying out of his grasp was Victoria.
And he’d been sleeping with her.
Just…sleeping.
Never in his life had he spent the entire night with a woman. He would spend as many hours pleasuring them as they both liked, but, in the end, he’d always retreat to sleep on his own. Always.
He’d always felt the act of sleeping beside one’s bed partner to be too intimate, too vulnerable, and it had ever made him feel such a powerful sense of discomfort that he’d avoided it at all costs.
But he’d just woken with his wife in his arms with no recollection of how she’d come to be there, and—he did a mental check of his body and realized he was still wearing his breeches—they had not engaged in intercourse.
He tried to feel disappointment in himself for compromising on his beliefs—even if it had been subconscious—but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
In fact, drinking in the sight of Victoria’s flushed cheeks, her drowsy, sleep-leaden eyes, her hair falling free from the plait she’d once worn, Rafe could not entirely recall why he had made that rule for himself in the first place…
His cock twitched, doing everything in its power to convince him to draw Victoria back into his arms, back into his bed, and beneath him. What he wouldn’t give to be inside his beautiful wife right then.
Rafe cleared his throat and subtly (or so he hoped) adjusted his breeches to make more room for his rampant crisis.
“Good morning,” he muttered, his voice rough from sleep and need.
Victoria made a little sound of acknowledgement but did not provide much more in the way of a reply. Then, he caught sight of Faith’s bassinet around Victoria’s shoulder.
All at once, the previous night returned to him with all the force of a landslide.
He remembered attempting to console his niece for hours, fully expecting her to waste away before his eyes.
While most men might have turned to God in the pits of despair and grief, Rafe was not a religious man. Instead, he’d prayed to his sister.
For hours, he’d paced and walked, alternating speaking to the whimpering baby in his arms and the sister who had so unfairly and unwillingly left her behind.
He’d begged for guidance, assistance, and then mercy as the night wore on—anything to give the baby some relief.
Placing her on his chest had been like a balm to her soul-deep wounds.
She’d calmed enough to eat. The rhythm of his heart had lulled her into sleep like nothing else had in days, if not weeks.
And slept, she had. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Rafe could hardly recall a time when he’d seen her so peaceful; he could have wept with relief.
In fact, a tear or two may have escaped his eyes when Victoria held his hand.
He remembered his wife arriving in his rooms, her tears when she found out the baby was showing signs of improvement.
Her genuine joy and relief had touched him deep, deep inside, moving him in a way he hadn’t known was possible.
Her reaction had been more than someone grateful for another life; it was that of someone who cared deeply for another.
His body had ached to hold her, but he’d had to settle for taking her hand in his and hoping it would convey his gratitude and everything else he was incapable of putting into words.
Now that he knew she’d remained beside him throughout night…he was moved all over again. His niece was not her child or her blood—not to mention, Rafe had made an ass of himself as of late. Still, she’d remained.
He tried not to read too much into it.
“How is the baby?” he asked instead.
Victoria’s shoulders seemed to slump with relief when the focus shifted from her and the fact that they’d woken in one another’s arms. She peered into the bassinet.
“Still sleeping soundly,” she whispered after a few heartbeats of observation.
“I can take her and ring for Nan and the wetnurse. She should probably eat again, and you can get some more rest.”
Rafe declined her offer with an immediate shake of his head; he doubted he’d be able to sleep with the memory of his wife’s curves still lingering on his fingertips. “I will rise and send a note for McCullom if she eats again. He will want to know of her condition.”
Victoria nodded and stood, holding her dressing gown tightly around her body like a shield as she turned to retreat to the door and, likely, the safety and privacy of her chambers.
“Thank you,” Rafe said gently. “Thank you for staying with me.”
To his surprise, Victoria halted her steps and offered him a small smile. “Of course.”
“You did not have to remain all night.”
“Whyever not?” she asked with a frown.
“She is not your family, and I do not wish for you to feel obligated to care for her and her siblings as you do, but I…appreciate it. Sincerely.”
Was he mistaken, or was that an amused tilt to one side of her lips?
“As far as I am concerned, we all became one family the moment our marriage was finalized. Your wards are now mine. I have and will continue to treat them as such, and nothing will convince me otherwise. The children have been through enough already. I am determined to show each of them that love and stability remain in this world. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to speak with Nan and prepare for the day. ”
As she finally left, Rafe stared after her and wondered at the woman he’d married.