“What?” She shook her head. What was he saying? It made no sense. Her sister had come on to him? When she knew she’d been promised to Rafe practically her entire life?
Annalisa hated him. Could hardly stand looking at him. Though she’d suspected more than once that her sister was jealous, she certainly never believed she would take it so far.
“She doesn’t like you,” Cat insisted. “She says the worst things about you. She thinks you’re a disgusting pig.” Was she trying to convince Rafe…or herself?
“Ah, thanks for that reminder, my lovely little Kitty Cat. I already know she’s not my biggest fan. But she did come on to me that evening. Rather boldly too.”
“You must’ve misunderstood her.”
“There was nothing to misunderstand.” He scrubbed his hand along his jaw, sighing loudly. “She was drunk. And rather talkative—awfully touchy-feely too. I tried to push her off of me, thinking she was too drunk to be responsible for what she was doing, but then she said some things that made me realize maybe she’d harbored a crush on me for a while.”
“What sort of things?” Cat asked, feeling overtly skeptical. But it was just so hard for her to comprehend, Annalisa lusting for Rafe. Since when?
“She said we were the better match. That she wished our fathers had put us together and not you and I. She thought you were too young and silly for me.”
Pain lanced at her with every word Rafe said. “She couldn’t have said that,” she said feebly.
“She did.” His gaze met hers and he frowned, standing so he could pull her into his arms and comfort her, but she withdrew from his embrace, needing the distance to understand everything he told her.
“I don’t understand why she would say such horrible things about you when supposedly she wants you. It makes no sense.”
“Maybe she’s trying to turn you against me so she could go after me instead? Not that I’d ever be interested.” He reached for her again and she sidestepped him, thankful she was clad in his T-shirt versus naked. Naked would’ve left her feeling vulnerable.
Not that he seemed vulnerable in his nude state. The man was so comfortable in his own skin.
“I don’t know what to think about this. Why didn’t you tell me before?” She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her chilled skin. She didn’t like the implications behind his words. What if Annalisa really was interested in Rafe? What if her constantly bad talking about him was her way of trying to get him to be hers? It made no sense.
Yet, it also did…
“I didn’t want to hurt you or upset you. She’s not important to me. The more memorable moment of that night is when I kissed you.” He grabbed her, and she let him this time, going into his arms easily. “Once I had a taste of you, I knew I’d never let you go.”
“But you did. When I asked for time.” She’d asked for it only after Annalisa’s encouragement that night. She hadn’t thought of asking for any time—she’d always been so eager to be Rafe’s wife. But Annalisa had convinced her it was the right thing to do…
Now she wondered if Annalisa had started in on her before or after she tried to make a play on Rafe.
“You shocked me. I had the kiss of a lifetime and then the only woman who could make my head spin with the brush of her lips asks me if we could have some time? I was so dumbstruck I said yes.”
She rested her head against his chest, weary of rehashing the past. “I’m tired of talking about it. I just want to focus on our future.”
He rubbed a hand over her hair, his fingers tangling in the strands. “I agree.”
“I won’t let Annalisa get in our way,” she promised.
“I believe you.” He kissed the top of her head. “The two of us together, we’re an unstoppable force, aren’t we?”
“We are,” she agreed, her stomach twisting with nerves.
She certainly hoped they were.
The plane had been stuck on the tarmac at JFK airport, weather inhibiting their takeoff. The flight finally left nearly two hours late, Rafe encouraging Cat to slip into the tiny bedroom and catch some sleep.
He’d joined her, because he couldn’t get enough of her and wanted just a few more hours of quiet intimacy with this woman before they had to face the harsh realities of her family, her business. He’d rather pretend nothing else existed but the two of them.