But the fact that she’d brushed him off made him incredibly sad.
15
The next day, Rafael woke up early, like he always did. His body was used to the schedule, and the schedule kept him in tip-top shape.
Only today was different.
It was different because he’d arranged a morning off for himself and Felicity. She’d said she was exhausted the night before and gone to her bedroom alone. That, at least, made sense—the meetings and roundtables she’d been attending for International Women’s day had happened one after the other, with a bit of travel in between.
He went down to the palace gym, trying to shake off the unease he’d felt at the gala. It was down to stress, he told himself. Felicity had stepped up—way up. It wasn’t an easy thing to do.
But it was over now. He lifted weights, relishing in the rush of exercise. All that was over, and things could go back to normal…starting with a visit to Felicity this morning. He was determined to reconnect with her, even if it meant scheduling more time off.
He showered and dressed in comfortable clothes, taking his time. Rafael wasn’t going to ruin this by waking her up too early. That would be an amateur mistake.
Felicity was still sleeping when he crept into her room. It wasn’t too early, but it was early enough that Hope was still quiet in her crib and Sara hadn’t yet come by to start the day. He set his coffee on a low table by the door and crawled into the bed with Felicity.
She was gorgeous, even in her sleep. Felicity lay on her back, her golden hair spilling over the pillow and her camisole hiked up to display the curve of her breasts.
Yes. This was his Felicity, and this was the moment they were going to get back on track.
She stirred as he tugged the blankets down to reveal that she was wearing only a pair of panties along with the camisole. “Mmm,” she said, her voice husky with sleep. “Did I miss my alarm?”
“No alarm except this one,” he said in a low voice, pressing a kiss to her ribs, then another to her belly button. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down. Felicity lifted her hips to help him, and the smile that came to her face was one that he recognized. Finally.
She giggled as he pulled them off her ankles and tried to sit up.
“No, no.” He pressed her back down to the pillow. “This is going to be the most enjoyable alarm you’ve ever had. Keep your hands up by the headboard.”
“Okay,” she whispered, and he ran his hands down her waist, to her hips, then between her thighs, spreading her legs wide. He blew a breath over her sensitive flesh, making her shiver…and then he couldn’t wait anymore.
She was simply too slick, too sweet, and he wanted his mouth between
those folds. That’s where he put it, exploring every inch of her with the tip of his tongue until she was wriggling and writhing beneath him. Her hips danced so much that he had to pin them down to the bed, which only made her moan more.
Rafael licked her with long strokes until the very last of her words were gone, lost to her moans and noises, and then he did what she liked best. He moved his lips up to her clit and sucked, pulses of pressure and swirls of his tongue that built and built until she came hard into his mouth in a new burst of sweetness.
“Oh, stop—stop!” she gasped, and he pulled his face away, grinning. She was always so sensitive afterward. He reveled in knowing that fact about her almost as much as he reveled in her pink, satisfied face.
He sat up on the bed as Felicity stretched out, working the feeling back into her feet. “I’ve missed this,” he told her, in the quiet of the room.
“Me too,” said Felicity. “Though…maybe things were a little better when I was busier.”
“What do you mean?”
Felicity pressed her lips together. “It gave me something to do, and it made our time together more precious, in a way. Maybe…maybe we should keep up our schedules like that, so we never have a chance to…” Her voice dropped. “…get tired of each other.”
It almost seemed like a question. “I’m not sure about that. In fact, I think you were right.”
She opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbow. “Right about what?”
“About taking breaks.” He looked into her eyes. “I’m ready for a break. A vacation, even.” It was true. He’d been ignoring it long enough. “A proper one, this time.”
Felicity laughed, shaking her head. “There is no break. You know that. The wedding—”
“The wedding is next week. This evening’s press conference is the last one before the ceremony. And then we can start planning for a break. The referendum results will be in on our wedding day, so…there won’t be anything left to debate, after that.”
At the mention of the press conference, Felicity’s face fell. She sat all the way up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. A robe hung over the chair next to the wall, and she tugged it over her shoulders, still not looking at Rafael. “Sometimes,” Felicity said softly, “I don’t even feel like it’s my wedding. I really haven’t been involved in any of the details. There have been packets here and there, but…”