Page 141 of In Love and Revenge

I take a deep breath, forcing my voice to work. ‘I love you,’ I whisper. ‘I love you so much, Rafe.’

He pauses. ‘Rafe?’

I stall. I’ve always called him Rafael. And he’s never said a thing about it. But this time ‘Rafe’ slipped out so easily, like it was right.

‘Do you not like it? I just hear your family call you it, and—’

‘Aurora.’ He twists his body, wrapping both arms around me and tugging me closer until my chest is flush to his. ‘You’re my entire world. You can call me whatever you want.’

His eyes glow in the lamplight with a tenderness that makes my legs weak.

‘Do you want to call me Rory? My friends do. Well, Dove does.’

His smile is soft, but there’s a glimmer of hurt in his eyes, like he hates to hear me admit I have no friends apart from Dove. Not since they abandoned me after my father’s conviction.

‘Do you want me to?’ he asks.

I lick my lips. ‘I don’t mind. But I ...’

‘You?’ He hooks my chin and tilts my mouth up, hovering his over mine.

‘Still call me Beauty,’ I breathe.

‘You like being my sleeping princess?’ he asks, rubbing his thumb over my lower lip and tracing its path with his eyes.

‘I like being yours,’ I confess.

His pupils blow wide. ‘You admit that you’re mine?’

I swallow, steeling myself for the moment his lips touch mine as he leans closer until his breath fans over them.

‘I’m yours,’ I whisper. ‘As long as you’re mine too.’

He brings his soft smile down over my lips and kisses me tenderly. ‘I love you, Beauty. Now go back to bed before I spread you out on this table and ruin all my progress.’

‘Are you coming?’ I ask, unable to resist pressing another light kiss to his mouth.

‘Soon,’ he replies.

He kisses my forehead and watches me leave the room.

The following morning Rafael’s rubbing his jaw as he reads a document. I didn’t go back to bed last night. I couldn’t sleep knowing he was down here, working tirelessly to help my father. So we’ve been here, side by side, for hours, doing this as a team.

But I did force Rafael to take a break, despite his protest. He’s now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt; his hair is wet from his shower.

‘Coffee?’ I say, holding a cup out to him.

‘Thanks.’

I sit down in the seat beside him. ‘What next?’

He hands me a thick folder I’ve never seen before. ‘Press articles from the time of the trial. Pull out and highlight any saying anythingother than proven fact. We want to demonstrate public opinion was swayed before your father even set foot inside that courtroom.’

‘Okay,’ I reply.

The two of us work together in companiable silence for another hour. I keep stealing glances at Rafael, and pitch in where I can. He’s intimidating with how intense his laser focus is. But he’s brilliant. Completely captivating. Now I know why his staff have so much respect for him.

And he also looks hot as hell.