Page 56 of Hidden Raphael
Chapter 16
Thunder crackled outside the window, and Kimberly rolled in her sheets toward Raphael's strong arms. He was warm and her arms outside the blanket were cold. She sighed in contentment.
Raphael squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back. "Are you up?"
"No." She refused to open her eyes. The inferno of earlier still sent sparks through her body, and she needed rest. Multiple times had never happened before, and she savored the moment.
He rolled on his back. She scooted closer. "I thought it was the man who needed rest, and the woman who had bundles of energy after sex."
Did Raphael talk after sex? This was a first for her. She laughed, but kept her eyes shut. "What happened with you was so different than anything I've ever experienced. Why are you awake?"
His body stayed still. "Kimberly, I should take you back to your room."
What now? She opened her eyes and stared into his big, sexy eyes. She swore she saw pain there. "Why?"
He met her stare. "I'm not a man for any decent woman."
"I'm hardly dressed for decent." She gave him a huge grin and adjusted the covers. Then she rubbed his chin. "Relax. We're not talking forever. I'm here until spring. I won't add to the mountain of guilt you carry on your shoulders."
He turned and held her hand. "Are you on the pill?"
Had she taken her pills since she found her bag? She bit her lip and replayed her morning routine. Then she nodded. "Yes. They were in my suitcase. With how I crushed on you, I thought it was a good idea."
"A crush?" His eyebrows lifted for a second. Then he squeezed her hand. "How much do you have?"
"My crush was pretty big."
He smiled, finally. "Not that. The birth control."
"Three months." She shrugged. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out later."
"If I stay near you, I'll want forever, and that's impossible."
He would? Forever? She was never a guy's forever. She wasn't upset or pessimistic about life. She was happy on her own. She swallowed. "Why? Are you already married?"
He shook his head fast. "No."
She kissed his forehead. "I told you at the beginning. Forever is not for me."
Marriage was not on her agenda. It never was, and if she thought about it, then she'd screw up her thinking.
He caressed her side and she closed her eyes. She'd never thought about marriage, weddings, or anything else normal women dreamed about. "Go to sleep, Rafe."
He traced her face, and she smiled at him. He smiled back. Thunder roared out the window. "Kimberly, I've never met anyone like you."
Then she relaxed next to him and drifted back off to sleep.
The crack of thunder in the air woke her up hours later. Did it always storm here? She sat up and stretched. Her room had been nice, but the tower gave her an entirely new perspective on castle life. Then she blinked and stared at the empty side of the bed.
She reached down. Raphael’s sheets were cold. He'd left a while ago. With a thump, she threw the blankets to the side and stood up.
Her nakedness made the draft chillier, and she ran to pick up her clothes. They weren't on the floor. What happened? She turned toward the bed and stared at the chair next to the bed, which held her folded clothes.
Meg must have come in the middle of the night. Kimberly's face turned red. Did the maid not have boundaries?
Footsteps echoed in the hall. Kimberly quickly dressed and turned toward the door. Her heart beat wildly and she hoped for Raphael, but thought it might be Meg. Was there something else to clean here?
No one came. Kimberly made the bed, and then trekked out of the room and headed back downstairs. The castle was quiet, except for the moments when thunder boomed outside. Today's storm was bad.
