He leaned in for a quick kiss, then stood. "I'll see you tonight, then." He made it all the way to the bedroom door before stopping, turning, and coming back to the bed with purposeful strides. Before I could ask what he was doing, he'd tangled one hand in my hair and kissed me thoroughly, the kind of kiss that made my toes curl and my brain short-circuit.
When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard. "That's to hold you over until tonight." And then he was gone, leaving me flushed and breathless and half-tempted to chase after him.
Once I heard the front door close, I flopped back against the pillows with a disbelieving laugh. A date. My husband wanted to take me on a date, as if we weren't already married, as if we hadn't just spent a night fucking each other senseless.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and pulled up my group chat with Evie, Kate, and Izzy.
Me: Lunch today? I have news.
Three dots appeared almost immediately as one of them typed a response. Of course it was Izzy.
Izzy: TELL ME EVERYTHING. Is it about Rafe’s dick? It's about his dick, isn't it?
I snorted as my fingers flew over the keyboard.
Me: You're disgusting.
Izzy: You love me for it. So? Did he finally unleash the monster? We talking length or girth or the magical combination of both?
Kate: Isabella Marie Rivera! It's 9am on a Tuesday. Can you not?
Izzy: Sorry not sorry. Some of us need to live vicariously. So, Cece? Spill.
Evie: I'm both disturbed because Cece’s my sister and intrigued because Rafe’s one of my husband's best friends. I don't know how to feel about this.
Me: You'll have to buy me lunch to find out. The usual place at 1?
Kate: I'll be there.
Evie: Wouldn't miss it.
Izzy: Oh I am DEFINITELY coming for this tea. Maybe Cece is too, if Rafe is as good as they say.
Me: I hate you.
Izzy: No you don't. See you at 1!
Setting my phone down, I grinned like an idiot. Telling them about my feelings for Rafe would make it real in a way that whispering it against his skin in the dark hadn't. I was nervous, especially about Evie's reaction. If my sister didn’t approve… No, I didn’t want to go there.
After a long, hot shower—during which I discovered several interesting marks on my body that would require strategic clothing choices—I dressed in a simple green wrap dress that Evie had once told me made my eyes pop. It was casual enough for lunch but could transition to dinner with the right accessories.
As I headed for the door, Edward appeared in the hallway, his usual impassive expression firmly in place.
"Good morning, Mrs. de Luca."
"Edward, please, it's Cecelia." I smiled at him, but his frown only deepened.
"Mrs. de Luca," he repeated firmly. "Will you be going out today?"
I nodded. "Lunch with my sister and friends."
His lips thinned. "I'll arrange for a car—"
"That's not necessary," I interrupted. "I'm just going a few blocks. The fresh air will do me good."
"Given the recent... incidents, Mr. de Luca was quite clear about security protocols."
The implied threat of the stalker gave me a moment’s pause. But I pushed down the cold knot of fear that formed in my stomach every time I thought about those notes, the dead roses, the knowledge that someone was watching me.
