Chapter 46
Skye
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, cataloguing every one of my features. My pale eyes, my high cheekbones, the slightest dimple in one cheek when I grinned. As much as I didn’t want to believe it…
I did look like him.
The man from the Gulf.
The Crusader.
Avery.
Almost every memory of my family Chain growing up was now tainted.
Was Ben’s easy going attitude toward my affinities due to the fact that he wasn’t actually my father, so my upbringing wasn’t a concern for him?
Was Levi’s treatment of me because I’d been born from someone out of the Chain?
And maybe the worst one…was Levi’s possessive nature the result of my mother having…cheated?
It made sense. Painful sense. I could see any of the men in my own Chain acting similarly if I were to step out on them. Aiden and Rafe insisted they didn’t mind sharing me, but something told me they wouldn’t be so forgiving if it actually happened.
Aiden…my sweet boy would probably be okay with it. He might feel a little self-conscious initially, but he’d move on quickly.
Rafe would appear okay outwardly, but he’d probably have some inner turmoil.
And Wyatt…
Something told me Wyatt would be the angriest.
I shook my head. I’d gone from not wanting one man, to wanting two, to rejecting one…and now…
There was a polite knock on the door just as I started the shower. Aiden wouldn’t have knocked, so I knew who it was as the door swung open.
Rafe grinned at me, bracing himself against the door frame and looking so delicious I forgot what’d upset me.
“Plans?” he asked.
“I have school tomorrow and I haven’t been in several days. I need to study,” I said flatly.
Rafe waved a hand. “Take your shower and then wear something comfortable. You and I are going to have some fun.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Rafe sighed, a little exasperated. “Not that kind of fun…unless…well, I can’t lie to you. I definitely want you in my bed afterward, but until then we’re going to do something fun.”
“Fine,” I sighed, closing the door in his face.
Rafe and I did have fun. A lot of fun.
He’d picked some pasta recipe he found online for us to do together from scratch. I didn’t tell him I knew how to cook, it was too funny watching him try to measure things when he was confused on conversions.
As I took a bite of what was supposed to be carbonara, I couldn’t help but smile. Rafe had some flour on his cheek, and his expression was deeply thoughtful while he chewed.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Not bad,” I replied.
“God, that means it’s awful.” Rafe ran his hands through his hair, and somehow, there was flour left behind. “Should I make us a pizza?”
I snorted, not wanting to know how long that would take. “This is fine, it’s perfectly edible. We don’t need pizza.”
He believed me.
I watched him more while he cleaned. He was deep in thought, still.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
Rafe shook his head. “No. I just want to make sure I’m doing this right.”
“You are,” I said softly. “This was really nice. Thank you.”
Rafe approached me slowly, then turned the barstool so that I faced him. He ran his hands over my face, then kissed me slowly before speaking against my lips.
“I think I’m starting to love you, Skye.”
My breath caught in my throat.
A shadow wrapped playfully around my calf, and I shivered at the cool touch. If I hadn’t felt the temperature change, I may have thought I was dreaming.
In what world was there a prince telling me he was starting to love me?
“I…” I trailed off, the words catching in my throat. Rafe’s dark eyes stayed on mine, darting back and forth between them while he patiently waited for my reply. “I think I’m starting to love you, too.”
Rafe breathed a sigh of relief, then kissed me so fiercely I was left reeling when he pulled back.
“Come with me,” he said, pulling me by the hand. I looked at the mess still littering the countertops, and Rafe waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll fix it, just not now. I’m too happy.”
We stumbled down the hall, giggling like a couple of kids. Rafe grabbed my waist, directing me into one of the extra rooms I never bothered to go in.
The door closed behind us, and shadows flickered over the lamps, illuminating the room in a soft, orange glow.
I took in the space, huffing a laugh.
This was clearly Rafe’s room. The bed was lined with silky plum sheets and matching blackout curtains covered the balcony doors.
There was a fluffy purple rug halfway under the king sized bed, and a black velvet chaise at the end.
A large TV was mounted on the wall above a faux fireplace, where he’d turned the flames to a deep purple.
I spun around to face him where he was looming behind me.
“How long have you been staying here?”
“Since the first night,” Rafe replied. “You saw me in my sleep clothes, darling, you knew I’d been staying here.”
He sauntered past me, the scent of his rich-boy cologne washing over me and making my thighs clench. He poured himself a drink from an honest-to-god drink cart, then stopped before glancing at me over his shoulder.
“Is this in poor taste? Because of Aiden?” There was genuine concern in his eyes.
“I don’t think so,” I said, coming to a stop next to him. I took the glass from him, then swirled it around before passing it back. “Aiden seems like he’s doing alright. Didn’t you hear how our connecting cured him?”
Rafe took a sip of the drink, his dark eyes locked on mine so intensely I almost shivered. “That old wives’ tale?” he asked.
I blinked, because I’d completely forgotten what we were talking about.
He held the glass out to me and I shrugged.
“I can’t get drunk,” I said.
Rafe smirked, which could have set my panties on fire. “I know that, darling. You can still appreciate the taste of good bourbon, though, I hope?”
“Probably not,” I replied. “I don’t know what to look for in the taste since I never drink it.”
Rafe looked at me for a long moment before he beckoned me with two fingers, and even though we were already so close together, I moved even closer.
Our chests brushed as he raised the glass back to his lips, and he took another sip, then held it in his mouth as he gripped the back of my neck.
He pulled my face to his, then brought his mouth to mine, letting some of the drink trickle into my mouth.
My skin was on fire. I hardly noticed the burn of the alcohol since I could barely breathe.
I was so lightheaded, Rafe’s breath this close to me was more intoxicating than any alcoholic drink he could have offered me.
We’d messed around before, but we hadn’t been alone in a while, and we hadn’t gone all the way.
That was changing tonight. I’d already made up my mind. I’d been looking for a night alone with Rafe, and even though my emotions were all over the place, I knew I wanted this. Now was the time.
Rafe took another sip of his drink, and I didn’t think he intended to share again, but as I leaned into him, my lips parted and he gripped me by my hair, pulling my head back so he could kiss me again. This time the angle was different, so the alcohol burned on the way down.
Rafe’s glass hitting the floor startled me, but a moment later his lips were back on mine, and it was forgotten.
Rafe didn’t know how to kiss me without consuming my entire soul in the process.
He made me feel like he needed me so that he could breathe properly.
The jealous side of my brain didn’t even consider that he’d kissed other girls this way before, because I just knew he hadn’t.
This was only for me, and I cherished every moment of it.
Rafe pulled back with a gasp, his hand tightening and loosening on my hair every few seconds.
“I can never catch my breath with you,” Rafe said.
His eyes darted across my face as he moved my hair back, over my shoulders.
It definitely exposed my hard nipples poking through my tank top, but I didn’t even care.
I wanted him to look. I wanted him to be so taken with me that he couldn’t control himself.
I wanted to see this Prince completely undone.
“Where is this going?” he asked, and I could have laughed. It was obvious where this was going, but I’d never complain about a conversation on consent.
“To the bed,” I replied slowly, taking his hand and pulling him.
He grinned, then chewed his lip. “And after that?”
I almost groaned. “Do you want to connect with me or not?”
Rafe pushed me back suddenly, and I yelped as I tumbled back onto the bed. He climbed up over me, completely covering my body with his, his breath fanning across my lips as he spoke.
“Of course I do. I’ve wanted nothing more than to connect with you from the moment I realized what you are.”
I raised my eyebrows slowly.
“What I am…”
“To me,” he growled. “What you are to me. Stop playing this game of thinking I don’t want you.
I wake up thinking about you. I go to sleep thinking about you.
I followed you everywhere for months, I watched you sleep and nearly revealed myself every time you had a nightmare.
Yes, you are extraordinary. Yes, I am attracted to that, as one should be.
But above all else, I am attracted to you.
Who you are. Believe me now or I’ll repeat this to you every day for the rest of our lives. ”
I shivered under him, then lifted my hips slightly to rub up against him.
“Was that supposed to be a threat?” I whispered.
“Yes,” Rafe growled.
I huffed a laugh. “I believe you,” I whispered. “But still tell me everyday.”
Rafe gave me a beautiful, blinding smile, and then he was on me again.
I was trapped underneath him but I didn’t want to leave. I was content to stay here forever, trading kisses and touches as we fumbled with our clothes.
Rafe’s shirt hit the floor first, and mine followed. He rose up to his knees, then helped me squirm out of my tiny shorts. I grabbed at his belt buckle, pulling his hips to me, looking up at him while he loomed over me.