A Prize Beyond Jewels

‘I can’t,’ he admitted unapologetically. ‘It will just be fruit and cheese, I’m afraid. It’s where we’re going to eat the food from that’s going to make it the best restaurant in town.’

The warmth deepened in her cheeks. ‘Would you care to enlighten me?’

‘Oh, I’d care to do a lot of things to and with you, Nina,’ Rafe assured huskily as he parked the car in the private underground parking beneath his apartment building, before turning in his seat to look at her. ‘First I want to strip you naked. Second I want to lay you down on my bed before arranging my lunch on selected parts of your delectable body. Thirdly I want to then taste, lick, nibble each tiny morsel of pleasure.’

‘Rafe!’ Nina gasped breathlessly, her heart leaping in her chest just thinking of the intimacies he’d described.

He reached up to release the clasp from her hair, allowing it to cascade loosely onto her shoulders and down her spine. ‘Too much?’ he prompted huskily.

Not enough! It would never be enough for her where Rafe was concerned.

But this, here and now, with Rafe, anticipating the lovemaking yet to come, was exactly what she needed after the last two emotionally traumatic days.

‘Do I get to eat my lunch in the same way?’

He quirked one dark brow. ‘Do you want to?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she breathed longingly.

Rafe nodded. ‘I’m starving for you,’ he murmured huskily, his golden gaze easily holding hers captive. ‘How about you?’

Nina moistened the softness of her lips before answering. ‘Ravenous.’

‘Thank God!’ he groaned his satisfaction with her answer before getting out of the car and moving quickly round to her side of the vehicle to open her door for her, taking a firm hold of her elbow as they crossed the car park to the lift.

The lift doors had barely closed behind them before Rafe took her in his arms and kissed her. Deeply, hungrily, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. As if it was her he wanted to eat and to hell with lunch!

They were still kissing greedily as they stepped out of the lift into Rafe’s apartment. Their lips locked together as they hurriedly threw off their clothes, moving erratically towards Rafe’s bedroom, clothes left scattered down the hallway, both of them completely naked by the time they fell on the bed together and they lost themselves in the pleasure of each other.

* * *

‘So much for lunch,’ Nina murmured a long time later, fingers toying with the damp vee of dark hair on Rafe’s muscled chest and abdomen as they lay entwined together between the silk sheets.

‘Oh, we’re still going to eat lunch, Nina,’ Rafe assured her huskily, his hair rakishly tousled as he moved up onto his elbow to look down at her, thoroughly enjoying seeing the satisfied glow in her eyes, the flush to her cheeks, her lips lush and full, and her hair a wild and silky red tangle. ‘I just—I needed you too much this first time to be able to take things slowly,’ he acknowledged gruffly.

Her eyes widened. ‘You did?’

‘I did,’ he admitted. ‘I wasn’t too rough with you, was I?’ He lightly caressed the dampness of her hair back from her temple.

‘Not at all.’ She smiled shyly. ‘Was I too rough with you?’

‘Not at all,’ Rafe echoed softly. ‘Nina—’ He broke off to chew uncertainly on his bottom lip.

‘Yes?’ she prompted curiously. The Rafe she knew and loved was never uncertain, always seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and why.

He drew in a deep and ragged breath. ‘I promised myself I wasn’t going to do this today, that you’ve had enough trauma for one day...’

Nina’s stomach tied up in tense knots as she looked up at him searchingly, as she wondered if the intensity of Rafe’s lovemaking just now hadn’t been because, for him, this was the end of their relationship.

If it was, then she would accept his decision, had no intention of making Rafe feel in the least guilty about ending their affair. He had been there for her this morning when she had needed him, so strong and so kind. He’d listened without judgement as her father talked of the past, and at the same time been totally supportive of her. So much so that the least Nina owed him was to make a dignified exit from his life, if that was what he wanted.

‘You don’t want to see me any more,’ she accepted lightly.

‘What?’ Rafe’s face tensed. His eyes had darkened to molten gold, his skin taut across the sharp blades of his cheekbones, nostrils flaring, his lips having compressed to a thin, uncompromising line.

‘It’s okay, Rafe.’ She touched his chest lightly, reassuringly, determined to remain strong. There would be plenty of time later for her to break down. As her heart was already breaking at the thought of not being with Rafe like this again. ‘I knew going into this that you don’t do long-term relationships. Or complications,’ she added ruefully. ‘And it seems that my life is just one shocking complication after another!’