“She’s all right. I bear good news.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Well, do share this good news.”
Raph stepped further into her chamber with the confidence of a predator.
“We spent time in the stables today, and she… opened up.”
“What did she speak about?”
“She spoke about horses and her mother.”
Camelia stilled as she took this in. She wanted to know more, but her fear of rejection was greater than her curiosity, so she remained silent.
“You were right to push for it.”
“I haven’t done anything, Raph. This was all?—”
“No, Camelia. This was all you. It would never have happened if you hadn’t pushed me to tell her the truth.”
She smiled softly at him. “And how has she reacted to the truth?”
“She’s progressing.”
Camelia’s lips curled into a playful smile, and she decided to tease him to lighten the air.
“Progress with Pamela? My, Raph, it seems a rigid schedule isn’t always the answer, is it? Who’d have thought a little rebellion could do so much good?”
Raph’s jaw ticked, but a reluctant smirk broke through, his voice gruff. “Don’t gloat, Duchess. You have to agree that those schedules kept her safe and kept everything in order. You don’t understand. Having the father I did, the one my sister and Iendured, I learned early to predict outcomes, to control them. It’s how I protect the people I love. It’s how I became… useful.”
There was a vulnerability in him that Camelia couldn’t help but admire. Even if he only offered her a glimpse of it.
“You must admit that I was right.” She stuck her nose in the air and eyed him with a raised eyebrow.
Raph shook his head and chuckled. “You are a strong-minded, difficult woman. But yes, you were right.”
Camelia’s heart softened. “Protection isn’t just keeping someone safe, Raph. It’s making themfeelsafe, heard, and seen. I believe that Pamela’s starting to feel that way because you listened to her.”
“I believe so, too.”
Camelia hesitated. The truth pressed against her ribs, fragile and unwelcome. She looked away for a moment, gathering the nerve she rarely allowed herself to show.
“And… what about me?”
“What do you mean, Camelia?”
“Do youseeme?”
Raph’s eyes locked onto hers, dark with a mix of desire and vulnerability. He approached her with slow, steady steps.
“I see you, Camelia. I see every part of you when you’re nearby. And when you’re far, I still see you. You haunt my thoughts, my dreams, and my reality.” He cupped her face, and his lips claimed hers in a deep, passionate kiss.
Camelia melted into him, and her hands slid up his chest. The kiss deepened, their tongues dueling, entwining deliciously.
Camelia pulled back slightly to look up at him. “Raph, you’re here, in my chamber… What does it mean?”
The lessons Raph had vowed to deliver consumed Camelia’s thoughts. Each of his whispered promises ignited a heady mix of excitement and thrilling anticipation for what awaited her in the heated privacy of their next encounter.
And now we are alone.
