“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 justknewhe 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 areto 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 attractedto you. Whoyouare. 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.
“This is a perfect view,” he purred cupping one side of my face.
I blinked, dropping my gaze because his dark eyes were way too intense. He wasn’t looking at me like I was just a hookup, which I could appreciate, but this look was…some deeper emotion I wasn’t ready to face.
I shivered, unbuckling Rafe’s belt as he ran his hands over my shoulders, then down my collarbone. One hand lingered around my neck for a moment, then slid to the back of my neck before he angled my face upward.
“This is important to me,” he said carefully. “If this isn’t where you wanted to be, we can…we can go somewhere else.”
“Where would we go?” I asked softly, pulling his belt free and dropping it onto the carpet.
