Page 88 of Until Death Do Us Part (Beauty in Lies 4)

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Isa

Rafe led me to his office, his focus intent there despite that I’d expected to be directed toward the bedroom. Something inside me clenched, both apprehension and arousal warring within me, in spite of the conflicting emotions from saying goodbye to Gabriel and the death of the sister I shouldn’t have cared about.

He was everything I wanted, but fuck if he didn’t scare me when his eyes went hard with that glint. Rafael’s schemes never ended well for me.

The moment we walked into his office, I saw the blood-covered queen chess piece on his desk, gleaming in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. He had to have taken it from the library at Pavel’s house.

He picked it up, touching the cleaner part of the base and carefully avoiding the blood and gore at the top. “I was wrong,” he said, smirking at the shock he must have seen on my face. He moved to the bookcase at the other end of the room, placing the piece high on the top shelf where he could see it from his desk every day like it was a point of pride. “I’m glad you knew to aim for the eyes, but I still don’t regret branding you.”

I laughed at his audacity, shaking my head to show how ridiculous he was. “Does that mean there are more lessons in my future?” I asked, approaching him and shoving him down to the sofa. He let himself fall, grabbing me around the hips and hauling me into his lap until I straddled his legs.

“I’ll give you all the lessons you want, my queen,” he murmured, grasping a fistful of my hair in his grip and tugging me forward until his face buried in my neck. He nipped at the skin sharply, his teeth sinking into my flesh like he needed to remind me just who was in charge.

I might have been on top, but there would be no doubt about who controlled our sex.

His free hand lifted my dress up my thighs, exposing my underwear to his wandering hand so that he could shove a hand inside and stroke his fingers through my folds. He found my clit with ease, bumping against it with his thumb and drawing a ragged moan from me.

Two fingers slid inside me, and I was powerless to stop the writhing of my hips above him as I fucked his hand.

He chuckled into my neck, the whisper of his breath over my skin making it pepper with goosebumps. “Did you want something else to ride,mi reina?” he asked, his deep voice setting something loose inside me when he finally released his grip on my hair and reached his other hand between us. His fingers left my pussy, so he could free himself from the pants he’d slipped on before going to the dock to say goodbye to Gabriel.

The moment he pulled himself free, I reached between my legs and tugged my panties to the side. When he guided himself to my entrance, I sank down on him and groaned at the mix of pleasure and pain that filled me.

He’d been voracious the night before, taking me over and over until I all but passed out in his arms from exhaustion. My flesh felt swollen and sore in the wake of that, but I wouldn’t have changed anything.

He didn’t give me time to adjust to the sudden fullness, his hands steady on my hips lifting me and guiding me until I shattered around him and he followed me over the edge into a fast, blinding orgasm.

I had the feeling it would be the first of many through the day. After all, he was right.

We had all the time in the world.

* * *

We lay together in the bathtub later that night, the sun starting to set over the horizon as I thought through everything that had happened in such a short time.

“I don’t want my family to know the truth,” I murmured, watching the sky tint with purples and oranges. It was beautiful, a stark contrast to all the evil in the world. In the face of that, I wanted to offer them something that was just as beautiful as what I saw when I looked out my window every day.

“They’ll always wonder what happened to her. I think that’s worse,” Rafe said, running gentle fingers over my arms. With his strength at my back, I felt like I could conquer anything.

Except giving my father more heartache.

“I want to send them postcards from Odina. Little notes about the places she’s visited on a whirlwind adventure. It wouldn’t be unusual for Odina to go and see the world, especially after everything that happened. She’s always been impulsive,” I murmured, turning my body to look up into Rafe’s face.

He stared down at me, understanding exactly what I intended. “We can take pictures of you. They’ll never know that it isn’t her.”

“We would have to leave the safety of the island for it to work. Is that...is that okay?” I asked, hesitating. I had been so sure that I never wanted to leave my sanctuary.

“Give it some time. Send the first few postcards without photos, and once we’re sure it’s safe, I’ll take you to see the world,” Rafe agreed.

“Do you think it’s a bad idea? Will it only hurt them in the end?” I asked.

“You’re letting them believe that Odina is out living her best life. You’re giving them peace,” he murmured, leaning down to touch his lips to mine.

That peace might not have been the ugly truth, but it was such a beautiful lie.