She’d more than learned her lesson. She’d been burned badly. Never again.
‘Rafael, unless you want to spend the rest of the morning sitting here burning to a crisp, I suggest you zip it and help me get you indoors.’
With a put-upon sigh, he opened his eyes. His low laugh bounced on the morning air before ricocheting through parts of her she didn’t want to think about or even acknowledge. ‘All right, sex pet. I’ll keep my lustful thoughts to myself. But if at any time you want a demonstration, don’t hesitate to ask.’
‘I won’t.’
His smile grew even more wicked, more dangerous than she felt able to cope with. ‘You won’t hesitate?’
‘I won’t ask,’ she stated firmly, dragging her eyes from the sweat-sheened torso that gleamed mere feet from her.
For several seconds he held her gaze, challenging her with the unabashed heat in his eyes, as if daring her to refuse him.
Raven stood before him, bracing herself and silently praying he would give up or move. Or something!
Finally, he dropped his gaze and reached for his walking stick. With the other hand he pulled her closer and braced his arm over her waist.
‘So, you’re concerned about my moral compass?’ he asked in a droll voice.
‘Don’t let it go to your head. Sergey seems like a decent man. Are you not concerned about how he’ll feel when he finds out you’re intending to call his wife for a tryst?’
His laugh was deep and long.
‘A tryst? That sounds so...decadent.’
She leaned forward, hoping her hair would hide the renewed flush of her cheeks. ‘Don’t mock me, Rafael. I can still ensure you never walk again.’
‘Spoilsport.’ He gave a dramatic sigh. ‘Before you unleash your many weapons on me, I have no intention of calling or trysting with Chantilly. It’s a little dance we do. She slips notes and numbers in my pocket. Sergey and I pretend we don’t notice.’
She stopped dead. ‘You mean he knows?’
His expression was world-weary and full of cynicism. ‘He’s old enough to be her grandfather, bonita. He knows she’s not with him for his virility and good looks. Sorry if that bursts your happy little moral bubble.’
The rest of the slow journey to his study was conducted in silence. Raven concentrated hard on ignoring the relief fizzing through her.
She succeeded only because with every step his body bumped against her, his warm, tensile body making her so hyper-aware of her own increased heartbeat. His scent washed over her. She swallowed, the knowledge that it was wrong to feel this way about her patient doing nothing to stop the arrows of lust shooting into her abdomen.
By the time the reached the long sofa that faced the large floor-to-ceiling window in his study, Raven wasn’t sure which one of them was breathing heavier.
Rafael slumped into the seat and rested his head on the back of the sofa. Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. Her heart lurched for him.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Nothing a new hip won’t sort out.’
‘I can get you some painkillers to ease the pain?’
His jaw clenched. ‘No.’ From day one, Rafael had refused pain relief, opting for physical therapy to heal his body.
‘You have three meetings tomorrow before we leave. I think you should cancel them. Your pelvis isn’t as fluid as it could be...and please, no double entendre. I mean it. I...I advise you to rethink and let Marco to take over.’
Every last trace of mirth left his face and eyes. His jaw clenched tight and he speared her with suddenly cold eyes. ‘I’m not cancelling anything. And my brother and Sasha will be staying exactly where they are.’
The sudden descent into iciness made her shiver. ‘Is it true you tried to break them up?’ she blurted before she could stop herself.
His gaze grew colder. ‘You’re straying into none-of-your-business territory, chiquita.’
‘I thought we were past that? After all, you seem to feel free to stray into my life whenever you feel like it. I’m merely returning the gesture.’
He locked gazes with her for endless seconds. Then he shrugged. ‘Okay. Yes, I tried to break them up.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it seemed like a great idea at the time. Obviously, it didn’t work.’
‘It wasn’t because you loved her?’
Why was she doing this? Asking questions she was fairly certain she didn’t want answers to.
‘Love? Yes, love. I did it out of love. Twisted, isn’t it? If you had a lover too, I’d probably try to separate you from him.’
She frowned. ‘Why would you do that?’
He laughed, a half bitter, half amused sound that chilled her nerves. ‘Haven’t you noticed yet, Raven? I like chaos. I like to cause as much damage as possible wherever I go. Haven’t you learned this of me by now? I’m trouble with a capital T.’