Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (17 page)

“I
can see why you like doing this outside,” Rafael murmured.

I
smiled. I still couldn’t believe he was doing yoga with me. “Now you can hop or
step back as we transition into downward facing dog. Hands and feet flat on the
mat as you reach your hips toward the sky.” I looked at Rafael to make sure he
had the pose.

Rafael
chuckled. “I’m really enjoying this view.”

I
glanced over at him, then shook my head. “You should be relaxing your neck and
looking between your legs, not at my bottom.”

He
laughed. “I didn’t realize yoga could be so much fun.”

“Let’s
see how much fun you have with planks,” I teased.

Rafael
followed my lead as I moved into a high plank. “This is easy.”

I
transitioned into a low plank and held the position until my arms burned. I was
determined to make things difficult for him. “I don’t hear you breathing,” I taunted
in a sing song voice.

Rafael’s
voice sounded strained as he tried to hold the low plank. “Okay, this is a bit
more difficult.” He blew out a breath when we transitioned into upward facing
dog.

I
rolled into downward facing dog, then hopped to my feet. “Okay, we’re going to
repeat that sequence a number of times. Ready?”

Rafael
stepped onto my mat and dusted some imaginary piece of lint off my bottom. I swatted
his hand away. “Get back on your mat and breathe!”

“I’m
just trying to help out,” he protested.

“Yeah,
right,” I muttered. I took a deep breath and tried to focus as I dropped into a
high plank. I continued running Rafael through the sequence until my arms were
too fatigued to hold another plank. I relaxed into the child’s pose before hopping
onto my feet. “Now we’re going to work our legs.” I reached up as I settled
into the chair pose.

“I
should do yoga with you more often,” he mused.

I
brought my hands to my heart and transitioned into the twisted chair pose. I was
surprised Rafael was able to maintain his balance through the transition. I
talked him through warrior one and two before transitioning him into the
triangle and revolved triangle poses.

He
kept his balance until the eagle pose. He growled his frustration. “How are you
wrapping your arms and legs like that?”

I
laughed as I switched sides. “I have less muscle to wrap around.”

We
ran through a number of other yoga poses before stretching out on our backs and
ending with the corpse pose. Rafael reached for my hand. I closed my eyes and relished
the soft morning sun and the cool breeze as it danced across my skin. When I finally
opened my eyes, I stared quietly at the few clouds that were drifting by. I was
hesitant to break the peace and tranquility that now surrounded me.

“That
was nice,” Rafael murmured softly.

I
turned to look at him. “Thanks. I really needed this.”

He
squeezed my hand. “I know something else you need.”

I
studied him questioningly. “What?”

He
smiled. “A long hot bath.”

“That
does sound good,” I replied wistfully.

Rafael
stood and pulled me to my feet. “Come on. It isn’t even six-thirty yet. There’s
still plenty of time for a bath before work.” We rolled our yoga mats on our
way back to the house.

Rafael
grabbed my arm when I attempted to unlock the door. “Wait.”

I
glanced up at him as I turned into his arms. “What?”

His
voice turned pleading. “I don’t know if it’s that yoga outfit or the fact that
you’re completely off limits right now, but…” The rest of his words spilled
into a kiss.

I
dropped my yoga mat and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Rafael,” I groaned.

 He
pulled the keys from my hand as he continued kissing me. He reached for my
legs, then hiked them around his hips. The kiss grew more carnal as he pressed
me up against the door. He unlocked the door, kicked the mats inside, and then
kicked the door closed.

“Rafael,”
I giggled. “You can put me down now.”

“No,
I can’t,” he mumbled. He ravished my neck as he carried me upstairs and into
the master bathroom. He stood me between his legs as he sat on the edge of the
tub and pulled my shirt off. He pulled me in for another kiss as he fumbled for
the water faucet. He tugged at my yoga pants until they were lying on the floor.
“You’re so beautiful, Kristine. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

His
eyes widened as mine filled with doubt. He swept his arm under my knees and
abruptly deposited me in the bathtub.

Alarms
sounded as he began to undress. I bolted upright in the tub. “What are you
doing?”

Rafael
kicked his pants aside and slipped behind me in the tub. “I’m taking a bath
with my girlfriend. And before you argue the point, you told me I could join
you in the bath so I wouldn’t have to tax my brain trying to picture you naked
in the tub.” He reached for the bar of lavender soap before pulling me back against
his chest.

I
watched him roll the bar in his hands as he worked up a lather. The tension
eased from my body as he began massaging the suds into my shoulders and arms. My
head fell back against his shoulder as I relaxed. “I’m never leaving this tub,”
I moaned.

A
well-lathered hand lifted my chin as his lips sought mine. I cupped his face in
my hand as I sought to deepen the kiss. He gently lathered my legs. “We should
have skipped yoga and gone straight for the bath,” he mused.

He
lathered my chest as he sought another kiss. He rolled my nipples between his
fingers. Pleasure and pain collided when he pinched the tips. I squirmed as my
body pleaded for more.

Rafael
slid his hand between my legs. I tried to pull away when he began teasing me
with his fingers. “Don’t make me want you like this,” I pleaded. “We’ll end up
breaking the rules.”

Rafael
turned me in his arms before settling my legs on either side of his hips. His
eyes darkened. “Screw the rules, Kristine. I want you… now.”

His
lips captured mine as he crushed me against his chest. I moaned as his hands
slid over my legs… my back… my chest. We were both breathing hard by the time
he broke the kiss. “Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me you’re not dying to
feel me inside of you, and I swear I’ll stop,” he demanded hoarsely.

My
eyes slid closed as my entire body clenched. “I want you so much it hurts.”

My
head fell back as he captured my breast in his mouth. His hands reached for my
hips.

My
eyes flew open as I registered his intent. “Oh, God!” I gasped as he plunged
deep inside of me.

Rafael
groaned. “God, Kristine. You feel so good.”

I
fisted my hands in his hair as his mouth collided against mine. Rafael held my
hips firmly in place as he fought to establish a slow, methodical pace. He
stilled each time I attempted to take control. My body wound tighter and
tighter, until suddenly I couldn’t take it anymore. “Rafael,” I cried. “Please,
God… I can’t take this anymore.”

Rafael’s
fingers dug into my hips. His eyes captured mine as he slowly lifted me. Then his
eyes slid closed. He thrust deep inside of me. A searing heat swept through me
as he found his release. My body clenched, then shattered in his arms.

*
* * * * *

I
tossed my purse on the desk and turned my computer on. I shook my head as I
reflected on my early morning activities. I still couldn’t believe I’d made it to
work on time. I dropped by the break room to snag a cup of coffee before
stopping by Shae’s office. “Well, it’s official,” I announced as I strode into
her office.

Shae
glanced up from her computer screen. “What’s official?”

I
dropped into the chair across from her desk and sighed. “I’m a slut.”

She
laughed. “You broke the ground rule. With who?”

I
slouched in the chair. “Rafael.”

Shae
shook her head. “I suspected as much. Kadyn seems like the kind of guy who
plays by the rules. Rafael does not. The question is… which type of guy do you
want to end up with?”

“I
don’t know,” I grumbled sullenly.

Shae
looked thoughtful. “I think you need to have sex with Kadyn before you decide.”

I
shook my head. “That would make me an even bigger slut.”

She
shrugged. “I think you need to level the playing field before you make your
decision.”

“I’m
so screwed,” I muttered.

Shae
laughed. “Yes, you are.”

I
gave her a dirty look before changing the topic. “How’s your research on
Ukraine coming along?”

She
leaned back in her chair. “Good, I guess. There’s a conflict brewing over the
language issue. The government recently passed a law that establishes the Ukrainian
language as the only official language of Ukraine. A good portion of the
citizens can only read and speak Russian. Now that everything is printed
exclusively in the Ukrainian language, these citizens can’t read or understand
the laws, let alone a common medicine bottle. There’s a movement to reinstate Russian
as the national language of Ukraine, which I think could lead to some
identity-based conflicts.”

I
sipped the coffee and winced. It was bitter and way too strong. I scowled into
the cup before glancing up at Shae. “I think we should map that conflict and
use it in a simulation for the students.”

Shae
smiled. “Agreed. How’s your research coming along on gender-based issues?”

I
set the cup on the corner of her desk as I leaned forward in the chair. “Our
initial suspicions were right. The Constitution of Ukraine prohibits gender
discrimination, but it’s rampant throughout the employment sector, the
education system, and the judicial system. Ukrainian women are abused in one
out of every four households. Law enforcement and the judicial system still
turn a blind eye to this. Women literally have to die before anyone is
prosecuted.”

Shae
just shook her head.

I
sighed. “Ukraine’s economic problems and high levels of alcoholism aren’t
helping any. Even the women who hold PhD’s are finding it impossible to access
jobs that will allow them to live independently, so they see no alternative but
to remain in these abusive relationships. Spousal and child abuse are
considered socially acceptable for the most part. There are very few programs
to help victims of domestic violence.”

“I’m
so thankful we were born in this country,” Shae replied, looking thoroughly
depressed.

I
nodded. Although I’d been a victim of domestic violence, I lived in a country where
the police were willing to intervene and where I could support myself so I
could break out of the abusive relationship.

Shae
gave me an inquisitive look. “Do you see any way to incorporate this into our
training?”

I
sifted through the options before responding. “I don’t see how we can run a
simulation on this. No amount of conflict resolution training is going to help
these women avoid being hit, but I do think we should incorporate this issue
into one of our lectures. We can direct attention to the social and systemic
problems that make it difficult to resolve domestic violence. Who knows? Maybe
someone in the class will be inspired to make some changes… whether it’s
building battered women’s shelters, creating job programs for women, or
strengthening laws against domestic violence.”

Shae
scratched a few notes along the edge of her desk calendar. “That sounds like a
good plan. Cory is mapping the repatriation of the Crimean Tatars and the
resulting land rights issues, so we can use that for a simulation. Sammi is
still researching the political landscape and Ukraine/Russian relations. We
should have enough information gathered to draft an agenda and develop training
materials next week. Oh, and the Russian immersion course begins next Monday.”

I
reached for my coffee cup and rose from the chair. “Why are we studying Russian
when Ukrainian is the official language of Ukraine?”

Shae
pulled some lip balm from her purse. “The USDA doesn’t offer immersion courses
in the Ukrainian language. Besides, most people in Ukraine speak Russian. Those
who speak Ukrainian tend to be fluent in both languages.” She swiped the lip
balm across her lips, then tucked it back inside her purse.

Shae
leaned back in her chair. “Both universities have asked that we teach in
English, to help strengthen their students’ ability to speak the English
language. A lot of people speak English in Ukraine, so we may not have to speak
much Russian. Still, it’s important to make some effort to speak the language.”

I
waved at Sammi as she walked by with a cup of coffee. I glanced back at Shae as
the smell of coffee lured me from the door. “I’m going to brew a respectable
pot of coffee and get started on those lecture notes. Let me know if you want
to join me at Starbucks for lunch.”

Shae’s
voice rang down the hall. “You need to see someone about that coffee
addiction!”

*
* * * * *