“No,” he answers quickly. “But…” He licks his bottom lip. “I wouldn’t be able to let you go. I’ve tried. And I would hurt somebody else, anybody else who touched you.” I balk a little at his honest response, and there’s no doubt he’s telling the truth.
I could pretend that his words are forcing me to choose him, to be with him, so he doesn’t hurt anyone else, but I would only be lying. It’s so stupid and so unhealthy, but knowing he’s a little obsessed with me is empowering. It gives me a smidgen of security that he won’t leave me.
“Stalkers are creepy guys who have bad skin and live in their parents’ basement.”
Rafe opens his arms and shows me his body. “Or they are slightly unhinged assholes who have a penchant for beautiful women who can steal souls without even knowing it.” I give him a dubious glare. “Okay, more than slightly unhinged. Psychotic assholes who will stop at nothing to get what they want,” he amends.
When he unhurriedly starts to approach me, I shift a little, and he slows even more. His jaw tics as he clenches his teeth, and his lips turn down in a slight frown. “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?” I ask.
“Probably.”
“You couldtryto lie and make me feel better,” I mutter sarcastically.
“You want me to lie?” He gradually walks over, like maybe he can get close enough to grab me without me noticing if he moves slow enough.
“No, I was joking.” I huff. “But it would be easier if I did.”
“I’m not a fan of easy.”
“No shit,” I curse.
“Watch your mouth.” He scowls down at me after finally stopping right in front of me.
“Or what?”
Rafe traces his fingertips over my jaw so tenderly, I barely feel it. “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something,” he murmurs absently, watching his hand against my skin. I turn into his touch. Even after knowing the truth, I still want him. Maybe I’m the one who’s slightly unhinged.
Rafe bends down so his lips caress my ear as he whispers, “Invite me up to your room.” It’s not a question, but it’s certainly an invitation. His quiet words send goose flesh down my arms, and I shiver a little. I feel the curve of his smile against my neck, he already knows he’s won.
I pull back enough to look into his eyes, to watch his face. “What if it was all about the challenge? How do you know it’s really me you want and not just the idea of me?” This scares me more than most of the other answers I’ve gotten tonight. The truth is, Rafe already has a big piece of me. A piece I’ve held onto so tightly for the past two years that as soon as I allowed my heart the tiniest bit of freedom, it grabbed hold of him, and I don’t want to let go.
I notice the slight shift in his features as the tiny lines near the corners of his eyes deepen just a smidgen. “I thought about that.” He leans forward and scoops me up by my butt, holding me in his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist as if it’s natural. “I have some bad news for you.” I feel my stomach drop. “You’re so deep inside me, I couldn’t cut you out if I tried.”
I relax against him and lower my chin to his shoulder. “Good,” I murmur. “Just remember, if you ever change your mind, I grew up on a ranch and I know how to get rid of a body.”
Rafe pauses mid step, then tosses his head back and howls with laughter. We really do belong together, because I’m not even joking. Okay, well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but it’s nice to hear him laugh, and I’m not wholly convinced I wouldn’t do it.
Chapter 27
“Are we really going upstairs?” I ask when he passes his truck.
“Yes.” He’s breathing a little harder, but not enough for me to ask him to put me down.
Instead, I nibble on the side of his neck and whisper, “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to your place?”
“No, I want to take you in that silly little bed you sleep in. Keys,” he demands.
I was in such a rush to get out of the house I didn’t even lock it. “It’s open.”
He grunts and takes one of his hands off my ass to open the door. Once inside, he resets the alarm and moves right toward the stairs. “Let me walk.” I don’t want to tucker him out before the good part.
“No.” He sounds like a child refusing to give up his toy.
“I just don’t want you to have a heart attack, old man,” I tease. He squeezes my ass hard and bounces faster up the stairs. I’m sure it sounds like a stampede to my mom, but the thought is fleeting.
Rafe really is breathing heavily when he kicks my bedroom door closed. “I thought we were being stealthy?”
“Fuck pretending. I want you too badly.” He stands near the side of my bed and drops my butt like a ton of bricks. I lean back, but my bed is just a full, so my legs hang off the side of the mattress. He looks down at me and tilts his head to the side. “You know how many times I thought about this moment?” He kneels on the bed and climbs over me.
