I’ll let that go for now.
But Carina just predicted her future.
Carina
I’ve never cared about money.
Until I didn’t have any.
“Did you see the price on this?” I ask through a fake smile. My hands shake and I have to loosen my grip on the dress before I accidentally destroy it. “This is stupid, especially since I only plan to wear it tonight.”
The cost of this evening gown could house me and my sister for months. I haven’t lost sight of my overall goal, which is to free her. Unfortunately, there are many steps until I can do that. And shopping is one of them. Rafael is hell bent on clothing me to the max. I’ve received a new wardrobe, consisting of all four seasons because he said I needed a new jacket.
So, I guess he really did burn Federico’s.
This formal wear boutique is the last stop. And thank goodness for that. Rafael didn’t seem paranoid about being out in public with me, and though that’s what we want to accomplish at some point, I’m still worried about my father or Caruso sending another hitman after me. Luckily, Rafael’s men have been following us around everywhere, which has made this day not as stressful as I anticipated.
Rafael waves a hand in dismissal. “Quit worrying. I like the purple one the best so far. Why don’t you go try it on?”
Indecision battles in me until I figure there’s no point in arguing with him. This is needed for the ruse we’ve begun and I can always sell the garment later on. Besides, it’s not as if Rafael will even notice the charge to his account. This amount of money is nothing to someone like him.
I nod and select four gowns to try on. He grips the back of my neck and yanks me to him, smashing the material between our bodies. His lips are devouring me before I’m able to make sense of what’s happening, but when his tongue sweeps over mine I melt into him.
Until I remember myself.
With a lightly powered shove, I break the kiss and create a small space between us. Rafael tightens his hold on my neck until I wince.
“I’m not sure which I love more: you obeying like a good girl or you fighting me, which gives me the opportunity to subdue you.” He pulls me to him again, this time with less aggression. “Don’t forget, love, we’re in public so you have to play the part of an infatuated fiancée.”
My insides burn at his arrogance, just as much as my sex heats at his words. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to him speaking to me like that. It’s filthy, foul, and inappropriate on so many levels.
So why does it have me wet and aching?
“You’re right,” I say. I smile up at him sweetly and flutter my lashes. “We both have a part to play, so maybe you should try being less of an asshole. Hmm?”
He laughs and then kisses me again. This time I don’t lean into him.
But it’s a near thing.
“Okay,viziata. Go on now.”
I scrunch my face at him. “Spoiled?”
He winks at me. “The ‘brat’ is implied.”
With a final glare at him, I throw back my shoulders and head to the dressing rooms, selecting one and locking the door. Alone and without scrutiny, I collapse into the plush seat located in the corner of the large room. A wall-length mirror reflects my bewildered expression. Rafael is getting to me. Not because he’s a dick. Not because he’s arrogant.
It’s because Rafael looks at me as if I’m everything he could ever want.
A sigh flows past my swollen lips and I touch them, recalling how his gaze ignited when I stood up to him. Rafael may or may not realize he likes that part of me, but I do.
He’s the only man to ever appreciate it, to see it as something other than a threat.
My father has always hated my behavior and never missed an opportunity to punish me for it. What he really meant was he hated who I was as a person, not just my actions. That type of rejection is hard to accept, and although I have, it doesn’t mean the pain is gone.
Rafael comes from the same world as my father and is fully entrenched in the evil of it. Yet, when he punishes me, it’s with pleasure. I can’t understand this convoluted logic, nor do I quite comprehend why I like it, as well as the domineering side of him.
Whatever the reason, he can become more detrimental to me than any hitman.
