Sleeping with the Enemy

Rafael finally lets go of me, and I move as fast as my shaken limbs would allow, desperate to clothe myself because being naked in his sight no longer feels good.

Now, I just feel sick and humiliated, and as I yank my panties up my thighs, all sorts of thoughts are running wildly in my head.

What do I do now?

Do I tell Stone what happened?

Do I just move on or do I want revenge?

I'm in so much pain that I can't even cry, but the moment I turn around and look at Rafael, I realize I'm not the only one who's in pain, and the way my heart is suddenly aching so, so badly makes the truth excruciatingly clear.

"I know you expect me to hate you," I say jerkily, "but I don't. I get where you're coming from. I understand why you thought you wanted this. But I just wish...I just wish you gave us a chance, Rafael. You didn't have to hurt me. You could've just told me you're hurting, and I would have...I'd have g-gladly s-shared in your pain."

Rafael

I can feel my face whitening the moment Zee finishes speaking.

I've prepared myself for her tears and her anger. I've prepared myself for almost everything...but once again, she still ends up doing something so fucking unpredictable—-

That when she finally makes a move to leave, I'm still rooted in my place, my mind still reeling from her words.

I just wish you gave us a chance, Rafael.

The memory of her words hits me like a vicious kick to the guts.

You could've just told me you're hurting...

I want to block everything out, but it's fucking impossible.

And I would have...

I don't just hear her voice in my mind. I see her, too.

I'd have g-gladly s-shared in your pain.

And it's only now, dammit.

It's only now that I see everything too damn clearly, and I realize that she was right...and I might've just thrown away the best thing that's ever happened to me.

God, no.

I burst out of my room in a panic, and I catch sight of her just as she disappears into a corner. I run like hell, and though I want to call her name out and beg for her to wait - it's not a risk I can afford to take.

Everything's different now, and I only have myself to blame if I lose her—-

Fuck!

It's almost as if she's sensed me when she suddenly looks over her shoulder, and my chest constricts at the way her face pales at the sight of me.

"Zee—-"

Her face crumples at the sound of my voice, and self-loathing burns inside of me.

"Let's talk—-"

But she doesn't even wait for me to finish, and my heart clenches when I hear her choking back a sob. She tries to run away, but she doesn't have a chance. I don't just catch up to her. I'm right in front of Zee in a matter of moments, and I catch hold of her arms when she nearly stumbles back in her shock.

"H-How—-"

"Being slow can literally kill me while being fast," I say tautly. "It's saved my life more than once...like it's doing now."

I see Zee's violet eyes start to turn hazy with tears, and the sight nearly kills me.

"You were right, Zee," I say rawly, "and I was wrong."

Her tears start to fall, and when I try wiping them away, it only has her tears falling faster when she sees how badly my hand is shaking.

"I fucked up, bella. I should've given us a fucking chance, and—-"

She starts shaking her head, and my heart turns into lead.

"Please, Zee." The tightness in my chest makes my voice uneven and taut.

But she keeps shaking her head, and my chest keeps getting tighter until I'm barely able to breathe. This is it then. I've truly lost her. I've hurt her too fucking much, and when I hear her whisper my name—-

"Rafael."

I can feel my face losing color as I prepare myself for her next words, which I know would be nothing short of a killing blow.

"You still can."

But I was wrong.

A smile trembles over her lips. "You can still give us a chance—-"

I have her in my arms in the next second, and Zee laughs and cries when I end up hugging her a little too tightly for comfort.

"Sorry, bella." I force myself to loosen my embrace before I end up cracking her ribs.

"It's fine." Her voice is soft and tender, but there's something about the way she's looking at me...

"What is it?" I ask quietly.

"I was just wondering..." Zee bites her lip and then whispers, "Do you think this is still just sexual chemistry between us?"

The question surprises me, but the answer to it is something I don't even have to think of.

The way my heart's hasn't stopped racing the moment I have her back in my arms is all I need to know the truth, and when I tip her chin and see the same truth shining in Zee's eyes...