Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (14 page)

The
three of us exchanged glances, then shook our heads.

Shae
folded her arms against the table. “Okay. I’m going to suggest this agreement
stay in effect until Kri and I leave for Ukraine, which is approximately one
month from now. Hopefully, Kri can use that time in Ukraine to reassess her
feelings and to decide which one of you she wants to continue dating
exclusively.”

Everyone
grudgingly nodded, but I had a sinking feeling that we were only delaying the
inevitable. Someone I loved was still going to be hurt in the end, and I was
the one who was going to have to hurt him. I tried not to cry as I began clearing
the table.

“When
does this agreement go into effect?” Kadyn asked. “No offense, but I’m not
about to waste my Saturday with Kri playing Scrabble with the two of you.”

“Hold
up,” Rafael responded as he helped me gather the plates. “Kristine and I had a
date planned for tonight, long before this agreement was negotiated.”

Shae
reached for the Scrabble game. “The agreement goes into effect tomorrow, and I
didn’t go through the effort of mediating this mess, so you could rob me of my
one chance in over six months to play Scrabble.”

I
made a strangled sound that fell somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Shae,
what am I going to do with you?”

She
laughed. “What would you do without me?”

Kadyn,
Rafael, and I cleaned the table and dinner dishes while Shae set up the
Scrabble game. Kadyn grabbed another Sprite while I brewed coffee for Rafael
and me. We filed back into the dining room with our drinks. Shae and I ran down
the Scrabble rules for Rafael while everyone picked their tiles.

The
Scrabble game ended rather amicably shortly after midnight. Kadyn won, although
Rafael came in at a close second. Shae came in third, and I lost. No surprise
there.

Shae
shooed both men out of the house in front of her as she left. Rafael tried to
object, but Shae just shook her head and pointed toward the door.

I
flipped off all the lights before going upstairs. I still couldn’t believe
Rafael and Kadyn had agreed to date me at the same time. I wouldn’t have
believed either of them would have agreed to that, not in a million years. I doubted
it would make it any easier for me to choose between them, but I was relieved I
wasn’t going to have to make that decision anytime soon.

I
peeled off my clothes and slid a short silk nightgown over my head before I
padded off to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. As I lowered the
washcloth from my face, I jumped at the reflection staring back at me in the
mirror. “Rafael,” I gasped. “You scared the crap out of me.” I turned around to
face him. “You can’t keep sneaking up on me like that.”

Rafael
bracketed me in his arms as he leaned against the counter. “Do you know how
much I’m sacrificing… what I’m risking by letting you date Kadyn?” he asked.

My
heart pounded fiercely against my chest. “Yes,” I breathed.

His
eyes softened, then filled with concern. “What happened on the floor earlier? Did
you have another flashback?”

Tears
welled in my eyes. “Yes.” 

Rafael
gathered me in his arms. “I’m so sorry. I honestly thought you could handle it.
I thought enough time had passed. I know I was being hard on you. I just want
to make sure you know how to defend yourself. I want you safe. I’ll dial it
back a notch, but we need to work through those fears, okay? I don’t want you
freezing up like that if someone else attacks you.”

I
nodded against his chest.

Rafael
swept his arm under my legs and carted me off to bed. He settled me under the
covers.

My
eyes widened when he kicked his shoes off and began to undress. “What are you
doing?”

“I’m
spending the night. Sunday is my day, and you’ll be spending every second of it
with me.”

“But…”

Rafael
turned the light off and climbed into bed. “I know. No sex.” He wrapped his
arms around me as he tucked my back against his chest.

“You’re
naked,” I groaned.

He
laughed softly as he nuzzled my ear. “I warned you, Kristine, when you first
agreed to date me. I won’t play fair. I don’t know how long I can honor this no
sex thing, but I’ll try, at least tonight. No promises after that… and don’t forget,
you owe me a rain check on the shower.”

I
burrowed into his chest. As difficult as the day had been, it felt really good
to be back in his arms. “I won’t forget.”

Rafael
nestled my hand in his. “Dream of me,” he whispered softly.

I
sighed contentedly. “I already am.”

“I
smell coffee,” I murmured sleepily.

Rafael
set two cups of coffee on my nightstand. He climbed over me before crawling
back under the covers. “Did you sleep well?”

I
flung my arm over his chest as I settled in under the crook of his arm. “No
nightmares. None that I can recall anyway.”

He
smiled. “You didn’t cry in your sleep.”

“I
always seem to sleep more peacefully when you’re around. Did you sleep okay?
You’ve got to be exhausted after staying up for three nights straight.”

Rafael
propped the pillows behind us so we could recline against the headboard. He handed
me one of the coffee cups before claiming one for himself. “I slept very well.
I think I could get used to this… sleeping and waking up next to you.”

I
smiled as I breathed in the coffee. “Keep bribing me with coffee...”

Rafael
laughed. “So, what would you like to do today?”

I
took a sip of coffee. “Well, I’d like to bake you some of my famous scones for
breakfast, study a little bit of Russian, and beat up that punching bag again.”

Rafael
looked thoughtful as he drank his coffee. “Would you like to go out for dinner?”

I
shook my head. “I don’t think I want to share you with the rest of the world
today. Can we just hang out here or over at your place?”

He
kissed the top of my head. “That sounds perfect. It looks really nice outside.
Why don’t we have a picnic out front, along the river?”

I
took another sip of coffee. “That sounds wonderful.”

“I
ran over to my place to grab a change of clothes while the coffee was brewing. Do
you mind if I shower over here while you make the scones?”

The
thought of Rafael naked in my shower sent my nerves pinging in unmentionable
places. “Um, sure.”

His
eyes filled with mischief as he pried the coffee out of my hands. “Do you want
to join me?”

I
sank into the bed as he rolled on top of me. “Yes, but I know exactly where
that will lead so I’m going to say no.”

Rafael
nipped at my jaw before settling in to suck at the sensitive spot behind my
ear. “What if I promise to be good?”

My
toes curled as his hand slipped under my nightgown to caress my breasts. “Oh, I
know just how
good
you are… but I think your definition of
being good
and mine are two very different things.” I gasped as he settled his legs
between mine and rocked against me. “You really don’t play fair,” I moaned.

Rafael
swallowed my next protest in a fiercely determined kiss. Then he climbed out of
bed and sauntered off toward the bathroom.

I
threw the pillow at him. “You tease!”

He
caught the pillow and laughed. “I just want to make sure you’re as miserable as
I am with this no sex rule.” He tossed the pillow back on the bed before
disappearing into the bathroom.

I
didn’t dare follow him into the bathroom, so I ambled down to the guest
bathroom, opened up a new toothbrush, and brushed my teeth. I walked downstairs,
poured another cup of coffee, and set my iPod to play through my Ella
Fitzgerald collection before gathering the ingredients for the scones.

I
was sliding the scones into the oven when Rafael came downstairs. “You’re
covered in flour…” he murmured as he kissed my nose. “Where’s your laptop?”

I
began pulling fruit from the refrigerator so I could make a fruit salad. “It’s
in the library. Why?”

“I
thought I would load my Rosetta Stone disks onto your computer, so you can
practice your Russian when I’m not around.”

I
dumped the fruit on the counter next to the sink so I could rinse it off. “Thanks,
Rafael, that’s very sweet.”

“
Spasibo,
Rafael,
eto ochen’ lyubezno,
”
he corrected as he walked toward the library.

“
Spasibo?
”
I called out.

He
returned with my laptop and two disks.  “That means ‘thank you’ in Russian.
‘E
to
ochen’ lyubezno’
means ‘that is very kind.’” He set the
laptop and disks on the center island and settled onto the stool.

I
laughed. “So, the lessons begin.”

“
Da
,”
he responded. He popped open my laptop and began loading the disks.

I
handed him a fresh cup of coffee. “I assume that means ‘yes.’”

Rafael
smiled. “You won’t learn it if you don’t repeat it… multiple times.”

I
finished chopping the kiwi, peaches, and strawberries for the salad. I set the
bowl and a large serving spoon on the wrought iron table in the sun room. Then I
set plates, glasses, and juice out while I waited for the scones to finish
baking. As soon as the timer sounded, I piled the scones into an ornate metal basket,
which I had lined with a cloth napkin. I cradled the basket in my left arm so I
could grab Rafael’s hand. “Come on, handsome, let’s eat.”

He
glanced up in surprise. “You think I’m handsome?”

I
pulled him into the sun room. “Ridiculously handsome,” I clarified.

“Ridiculously
handsome,” he murmured, as if turning the idea in his head. He snagged a scone
and bit into the warm pastry before sinking into his chair. He examined the
scone curiously. “What’s in this?”

“Cinnamon
chips,” I replied. I grabbed one of the scones before setting the basket on the
table.

He
quickly polished off the scone. “You really can cook, Kristine.”

“Technically,
scones aren’t cooked, they’re baked,” I responded teasingly.

He
reached for my arm and tugged me onto his lap. “Well, you can bake for me
anytime.” He handed me my coffee as I settled onto his lap.

I
warmed my hands on the coffee cup. “You seemed surprised when I said you were handsome.
Why?”

He
shrugged. “I don’t know. I think most women find me too intimidating to
consider me handsome.”

I
laughed. “When I first met you… well, plowed into you, really… I thought you
were trying to be intimidating, but you failed
miserably
.”

Rafael’s
eyes crinkled with amusement. “Really?”

I
set my coffee on the table so I could twine my fingers with his. “Shae referred
to you as a dark angel when she first saw you sitting out on that park bench. I
think it fits. You’re always watching over people… trying to keep them safe.”

Rafael
lifted my hand to his lips. “I haven’t always kept you safe, and I didn’t keep
my parents safe either.”

Tears
pricked at my eyes. “You were still a child when your parents died. Besides, I
think that’s what gives you those dark edges. Your wings have beat against the
darkest side of life.”

He
shook his head. “I don’t have wings.”

I
rubbed between his shoulder blades. “I think maybe you do. Maybe they were
broken somewhere along the way or maybe you just forgot how to use them…”

A
smile teased at the corner of his lips. “I’m no angel.”

“You’re
my
angel,” I insisted.

His
eyes caught and held mine.

“I
love you,” I confessed in the faintest whisper.

His
face reflected a confusing array of hope and pain, as if he didn’t dare believe
it. “You love me?”

I
sifted through my feelings in wonder. I had no clue where those words had come
from. I met his gaze once more. “I’m not sure I understand how we got to this
place, but I’m quite certain that love is the only word that could possibly
capture how I feel about you.”

His
kiss was so sweet and tender it brought tears to my eyes. He tucked me against
his chest when he finally broke the kiss. “I love you too.”

We
held each other for quite some time before I reluctantly pulled away. “I really
need a shower…”

Rafael
smiled. “You should have taken me up on my earlier offer.” He patted my bottom
as I crawled out of his lap. “Go take your shower. I’ll clean up.”

I
turned, just inside the French doors. “
Spasibo
.”

“
Nyezashto
,”
he responded with a smile.

Rafael
continued to slip Russian words into our conversation throughout the afternoon.
We spent most of the day lifting weights and practicing self-defense. He still
made me run each time I hit the punching bag, but he kept things light when he
tackled me to the floor.