She pursed her lips, almost as if she would refuse to answer.
“Grace,” he said, the serious tone of his own voice surprising him. She didn’t let him continue, though. In an instant she was back in his arms, and he molded against her on instinct, arching his hips to meet hers, tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of her neck. It felt like he’d used every ounce of his self-control, and finally, he could give in. He could stop holding himself back. He traced his nose along her jawline before sliding his lips up to meet hers.
She let out a low hum of satisfaction, and he wondered if she was experiencing the same relief he was. She slid her tongue into his mouth, and he welcomed it eagerly. He cupped her ass, lifting her off the ground before she squeezed her legs around him with a delicious pressure that had him feeling feral. Even if Alma was coming back tonight, she’d surely be gone for hours, and Rafael could finally have Grace all to himself again.
Neither of them must have heard the front door opening or the clacking of footsteps in the entryway. Neither of them must have noticed the loud gasp or the sound of keys hitting the floor. He was so focused on Grace; someone might have waltzed right in and robbed the whole place without him realizing it. The only thing that finally managed to pull his attention away from the woman in his arms was the sound of his sister’s voice echoing through the room.
“What the fuck?”
He and Grace both froze, their lips still pressed together. As if in slow motion, they turned their heads toward Alma. “Mierda,”Rafael huffed.
Slowly, Grace unwrapped her legs from around his body and slid her feet to the floor as he gently released her from his grasp.
Alma’s voice grew louder. “Can someone please explain what is happening right now? Gracie, we literally just talked about this. I don’t understand.”
“I—um,” Grace stuttered. “We’ve been planning to tell you, but you don’t need to worry, I swear. It’s not a big deal.”
Rafael stiffened beside her, but he didn’t contradict her. He supposed he should allow her to handle this however she wanted.
“But you said…” Alma stared at Grace in disbelief. “You told me there was nothing happening. How long has this been going on?” Alma asked, glancing between them. “Did you just start having sex as soon as you moved in?” Alma walked toward them, her boots so hard on the wood Rafael didn’t know how he’d missed the sound earlier. She turned to look at him, her face etched with disappointment. “You knew she was vulnerable, Rafa. You knew what she’d been through.”
“Don’t put that on him,” Grace said. “I promise he didn’t take advantage of me. I’m okay.”
Rafael swallowed and interjected to respond to Alma’s initial question. “It started the night before you came here, the night before you and Obinna started fighting. It started before that for me, but that was…” He glanced at Grace, trying to catch her eye, but she was focused on Alma. “It was the first time…” He couldn’t seem to force out another word.
“Seriously?” Alma exhaled.
“We were going to tell you,” Grace said again, still not looking in Raf’s direction. “Wewantedto tell you, but it was happening right at the same time as everything else, and you were going through so much.” She took a few rushed steps toward Alma, her voice full of remorse. “I didn’t want to spring this on you. And it’s nothing to worry about, seriously. We were just having fun.”
Rafael frowned. Once again, he really wished they would have had that conversation about what all of this meant. Was Grace telling the truth? Earlier she’d said she wanted to really know him, and he’d been sure she didn’t just mean sex. He’d held her when she cried. They’dtalkedabout things—not just Picasso. Her grandmother, his father. He’d made her laugh. It had to be more than just having fun, but it wasn’t exactly something they could analyze while Alma was standing there waiting for a thorough explanation that he didn’t seem to have.
“Grace…” Alma looked at her friend with such care and sympathy, Rafael wondered what he could have done to elicit this level of concern. “After everything you’ve been through this year, I just want you to be happy. I don’t want you to get hurt again, and I’m just afraid that’s exactly what will happen. I know Rafael is fun and charming.” She glanced over at him with a sad smile. “But I know you, Gracie. I know how you can’t help caring.” She put a hand on Grace’s arm. “And he’s my brother. That’s why I tried to prevent this when we talked before. I don’t want it to complicate things between us. Between any of us.”
They had talked about this?Rafael looked toward Grace, just starting to understand there was an element of this conversation that had never included him.
“Look,” Grace said, surprisingly calm. “I know you’re worried about me. I know you have good reasons to be concerned. You’ve had to witness every moment of my breakdown this year. But Raf and I are adults, and this just happened. We should have told you, and I was planning to. Really, Alma, I wanted to talk to you about it right away, but I knew how much you were hurting, and I didn’t want to add this to everything you were going through. For once, I don’t want you to focus all of your energy on taking care of me, especially when you’re trying to work things out with Obinna. I’m fine. I promise. And I promise nothing will happen that will mess up your relationship with me or Raf.”
“Do you not remember what it was like, Gracie?” Alma asked, her voice so quiet and sad. “How much you were hurting? Youcan’thandle it.” Alma shook her head, her grip tightening on her friend.
Rafael could see the sheen of tears in Grace’s eyes, and he wanted to reach for her, to hold her again, even if Alma might not have appreciated such a gesture. He refrained, though. He didn’t move. He didn’t even know if that’s what Grace wanted, anyway, if they were just having fun.
“I know how bad it was,” Grace said, deflated. “You think I don’t? I know how much you cared for me, how much you’ve done for me. But this is the first thing in a long time that’s made me feel normal.”
“With my brother, though? Did you have to have a secret fling with him?”
Rafael felt the sting of the comment, but he didn’t react. He knew who he’d been in the past—nonchalant in his relationships, sometimes even cold. He knew Alma had no reason to suspect how much he cared for Grace, that this was something entirely different, but her lack of trust cut him, all the same.
Grace looked as if Alma had slapped her across the face. She retreated slightly, backing
against the wall.
“Alma,” Rafael said sharply.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just meant…”
“I’m sorry,” Grace said. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, and it wasn’t supposed to be a secret. We barely even?—”
“Stop.” Rafael finally broke in. He didn’t want to hear that. He didn’t want her to be sorry. He didn’t want her to think it was a mistake. It wasn’t a fucking mistake. “I didn’t mean for it to happen either. I tried so hard not to do it. I tried to stop thinking about her every second, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get enough of her. And it’s not just fun for me. I—” He turned to Grace and met her eyes. “I know we haven’t talked about all of this yet, but I want to be with you, Graciela.”
