Page 25 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

Not knowing his plans or how fancy this date would be, I put on jeans and a nice blouse. I decided not to wear heels or my cowgirl boots as they would make me taller than him. I sort of had a complex about being taller than the guy I was going out with.They don’t make you taller than Rafe, that voice taunted.

I took a picture of myself and sent it to Whitney to get her opinion.

Thumbs up!

I thanked her and was going to put my phone in my purse when it buzzed again. Another message from Whitney.

Have fun. Not too much fun. You can say no. And no again. And more no.

Tommy Davis was an adult now, not a teenage boy. His reputation in high school shouldn’t follow him around his entire life. Shaking my head, I responded.

I got it. You’re making me feel like I’m back in Pastor Dave’s “health education” class.

She sent me some smiley face emojis, and I heard Tommy’s car pull up. Hurrying downstairs, I came to a halt on the bottom step. Rafe stood in the front room, looking out the window. He had his back to me, his broad shoulders blocking any possible view of the yard.

I didn’t want any more confrontations. Not between me and him, and not between him and Tommy Davis.

Tommy Davis opted out of any potential fight by blaring his horn. Shock slammed into me. Did he really just honk his horn at me?

“You don’t have to respond. You’re not one of Pavlov’s dogs.” Rafe’s low voice filled the room.

“They responded to a bell, not a horn.”

His regal profile was lit up by a nearby table lamp. I wondered if Tommy could see us through the window. “Regardless, it was disrespectful.”

Rafe and his respect and honor and chivalry. I put my hand on the knob to leave when he suddenly reached out for me. He tugged at my wrist, pulling me close against him. My blood heated and raced as he put his hands on the side of my face, like he was afraid I might pull away. But the look in his eyes did the trick. I couldn’t have moved even if I wanted to.

Then he kissed me. And there was nothing gentle or tender about it. It was all heat and desire and want. The passion shut down my ability to think, leaving me with only the ability to respond.

And oh boy, did I respond.

Chapter 8

I had to stop this. I couldn’t let Rafe just kiss me whenever he wanted. I was in control, right?

One of his hands moved to the back of my head, his fingers kneading my scalp. I fell toward him, my knees giving out. He held me up with his other arm around my waist. I had been fooling myself. I had zero control. That whole I-am-the-boss-of-myself philosophy didn’t seem to be working too well. Instead I curled my fingers into his sweater, holding on like I was falling off the side of a mountain.

This. I remembered this. I’d missed it. The blazing wildfire, the overwhelming sensations, how everything else stopped and we were the only two people in the entire world. That kissing him felt like the only thing that mattered and how I wanted it to go on forever.

Just when it got really interesting, he broke off the kiss. My chest was heaving as short little breaths compressed my lungs much too quickly. I leaned against the wall for support.

He seemed totally fine. “Have a good evening.”

Then he walked out of the room, like he hadn’t just laid the greatest kiss on me since Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the rain inThe Notebook.

Dazed, I walked outside. Tommy Davis sat in his truck waiting. He waved and smiled at me, which let me know he hadn’t seen the glandular combat I had just engaged in. He did lean over and open the door from the inside, which I supposed was something.

I climbed up, closing the door behind me, and buckled my seatbelt. My lips still tingled, the skin around my mouth sensitive from where Rafe’s scruff had rubbed against it. I still hadn’t gotten my breathing back to normal. I could smell Rafe’s cologne on my skin. I wondered if Tommy Davis could, too. I touched my fingers to my lips, because I couldn’t believe that had really just happened.

Tommy Davis was talking, and it sounded really far away. Like I was standing in a tunnel and he was at the opposite end. I closed my eyes, exhaled a deep breath, and forced myself to pay attention. “I’m sorry, what?”

He didn’t seem to notice my Rafe-induced temporary insanity. “I said, where to?”

“Where to?” I repeated.

“Yeah. Where did you want to go?”

“Oh.” He’d asked me out. I had at least expected him to plan something. Not that I had dated a ton, but I’d gone out on enough dates to know that the person who asked was in charge of that part.

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