“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 longthatwould 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.
Inwhat worldwas there aprincetelling me he was starting toloveme?
“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. Thebed 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?”
