They lay in the dark together, their sticky skin still touching wherever possible—Grace’s leg hooked around his middle, his hand on her thigh, her cheek against his chest. He let out a contented sigh, and it was the cutest fucking sound.
Damn it.She was in love with him. Grace pressed her nose against his nipple and nuzzled playfully. She hadn’t wanted that to be true. She wanted to keep as much emotional distance as possible for a little longer, at least until they actually started dating, if that’s what they were going to do next. It would have been nice to go out to dinner a few more times, sleep together once or twice more, before admitting to herself that she was absolutely head over heels in love with this man. Being in love with him meant that there was no way to tread lightly anymore, and if this all went to shit, it was really going to suck for Grace, of course, but it was really going to suck for Alma as well, which is why she’d tried to prevent it from happening from the start. The problem hadn’t exactly gone away just because she had Alma’s blessing.
But they could be adults about this whole thing, even if it ended badly. They could manage not to put Alma in an unpleasant position if they tried hard enough.
“You’re quiet over there,” Raf said. “Everything good?”
“Yes. I just need to stop thinking.”
“Hmmm. Why don’t you just replay everything that just happened in your head again? That’s what I’m doing. Starting with the part where you said you wanted me.” Grace couldn’t see his face, but she could hear his smile. “Actually, starting with the part where you were eating that pomegranate.”
Grace nuzzled into his chest again. “Oh yeah? That’s what does it for you? Spanking some fruit?”
“I never realized it, but the way you slapped the skin on that thing? It gave me chills.” He shivered against her dramatically.
She poked him in the ribs. “Oh how the mighty have fallen. Losing your head over a little light pom dom.”
Rafael snorted. “Pom dom?”
“Pomegranate dominance. Was that a stretch?”
Grace could feel Raf’s chest shaking as he laughed. “The mighty have fallen indeed,” he whispered. Then he kissed the top of her head again, and Grace’s brain started screaming. She loved him, and the words were crawling up her throat, begging to be set free.
What a terrible move that would be. Seriously. It was too soon. It was too much to handle, and she didn’t want Rafael to feel responsible for protecting her feelings just because she’d had a shitty year. She didn’t want to put that on his shoulders.
She pressed her mouth closed. Actually, there were better things to do with her mouth. She leaned up on her arm until she could reach his neck, and licked the soft skin below his ear until he turned his head and started kissing her lips. She just had to keep kissing him. That was the best plan of action. No more talking. And then maybe she could keep her explosive feelings to herself.
They made love again in the dark. At least, it was making love to Grace even if she didn’t know what it was to Rafael. The way he moved his hands all over her was insanely addictive, like he couldn’t get enough of her hair, her breasts, her thighs, her ass. He was everywhere, and she was so on board, offering herself up to him in every way, because she couldn’t get enough of him either.
They showered together in the little bathroom where she’d only dreamed of showering with him before. Of course, she’d fantasized about him when she was in there alone, naked, and he was on the other side of the wall brewing coffee or working on his laptop or scrolling on his phone, and she was just wishing he would walk right in and press her against the shower stall. The fact that this whole scenario could be a real possibility was thrilling, even if she was already completely spent.
She dressed in his clothes, and they held each other again, his soft breath like a lullaby, more comforting than she ever would have imagined.
“What about Alma?” Raf asked.
Grace glanced up at him. “She gives us her blessing.”
“What? She already knows?”
“When she told me about the event and what happened with Christian, she said she thought you really might have changed. She said I could do whatever I wanted, but if I wantedyou,then she’d be okay with that.”
“Alma said that? My stubborn, over-protective sister?”
“I think those are family traits,” Grace said, and Raf pinched her.
“It is unusual for the Ferrer-Martíns to admit they were wrong about something,” Rafael said with a laugh.
Grace shifted slightly. Her only worry was that Alma wasn’t wrong. Maybe she was wrong about the fact that Rafael hadn’t cared, and he wasn’t just trying to get Grace in bed, but what if she was right about all of this being a terrible mistake?
Especially now that Grace loved him. Rafael obviously wanted her. He obviously had feelings for her, but the man had still never been in love. He’d never been in a real relationship, and just a few short months after Grace’s entire world had fallen apart, after her heart had been squashed on the side of the street like roadkill, she’d already lost it again.
Clearly, she was ridiculous, but also, as she looked over at the gorgeous man lying next to her, she wondered what else she possibly could have done. She should have known she would fall in love with him the second she agreed to move into his apartment. And if she would have known, well… She would have done the same thing all over again a hundred times.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Rafael washappy to wake up for the first time in weeks. He absolutely was not the kind of person to wallow, but that’s what he’d been doing since Grace had walked away from him. Wallowing. It couldn’t even be called something as cool as brooding, because it wasn’t even all angry and moody and sexy. It was just sad.
He should probably be scared that Grace had such an impact on his emotions, but it was hard to care when she’d come home with him, when he’d gotten to hear those sounds she made in the dark again without any fear of his sister overhearing, when she’d slept flush against his body like it was right where she wanted to be.
