Chapter Five

Raphael’s irritated stare deflated some of her bravado. He’d called her princess and had spoken to her as if she were some spoiled young thing who was completely clueless about what he was offering. She wasn’t.

“Go ahead.” Alexa lifted on her toes. “You know you want to.”

His brow raised slightly. “I don’t mess around with married women.”

She waved her left hand, showing him her bare ring finger. “It didn’t work out.” Her confidence threatened to slip away with her admission, but she held onto it. “I’m not married.”

Raphael’s eyes narrowed on her face.

She could almost hear the conversation undoubtedly playing in his mind, questioning her sincerity, wondering if she was worth the trouble. She was. She’d prove it to him. Alexa’s calves strained as she raised higher and brought her lips nearer to his.

“Fuck it.” He closed the distance.

The hat fell to the floor.

Yes! Triumph quickly escalated to lust with the glide of his tongue over hers. The minty taste of his mouth and the pleasant musk of sweat and cologne on his skin saturated her senses. She existed in that kiss, craved it more than her next breath. Unlike their first, this one exploded with urgency. It conveyed blatant, unrestrained want. Greedy for more, she tightened her hold on him and deepened the kiss. Carnal hunger awakened a frenzy of need.

He broke from her lips but kept his arms firmly around her.

His gaze roamed over her face, searching. “Alexa?”

Warning her about what was to come wasn’t necessary. She wasn’t stopping, and if she had any say in the matter, neither was he. Alexa stroked his chest and abs, then moved her hand lower and cupped his erection. “Yes.” A caress along his length solidified her answer as she went back in for another kiss.

He held on to her and pulled her willingly past the threshold.

The door slammed shut.

Muted light illuminated gray walls.

Her single-minded need blocked out everything else.

She shoved down his jeans.

He dragged up the skirt of her dress.

He took care of his briefs, and she shimmied out of her bikinis.

Caught up in the sight of his hard cock bobbing against his taut abdomen, she teetered on the polished wood floor as she stepped out of her underwear.

She reached for him, but he won the exploration game.

He trailed his finger along the seam of her sex then plunged it inside of her.

She gripped his biceps and arched her hips.

His thumb drifting over her clit pulled a moan out of her. Hard thrusts with featherlight strokes in between…just the way she liked to be pleased. She canted her hips, starved for the lush sensations washing over her.

He captured her whimpers of pleasure in a kiss.

Her heart pounded. She was so close, but his talented touch wasn’t enough. She needed him. “You…I want you.”

He swept kisses along her throat. “Condoms are on the other side of the room. You’re almost there. Let me take care of you.”

His teeth nipping sensitive skin raised shivers. “No. Wait. I have one.” She fumbled with the zipper on her bag. Digging past her cell, driver’s license, credit card, lip gloss, and a twenty-dollar bill, she found the lone, Do Me condom.

Raphael grabbed it.

He tore open the package, and she plucked the red circle from his grasp. Now it was her turn to explore. As she rolled it on, her heart rate kicked up with the thrill of feeling him pulsing against her fingers.

He sucked in a ragged breath. “Not the time to play, princess.” He cupped her ass and lifted her up.

She grasped onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist.

In one quick thrust, he impaled her. The delightful shock of being filled completely left her stunned.

He pulled out and drove back in.

A wash of heat and pure decadent sensation consumed her. Alexa raked her nails over his back. “Raphael…yes.” She dug her heels into his butt every time her back smacked the solid surface of the wall.

He hitched her legs higher on his waist. “Damn, you feel good.” Raphael pumped into her harder. Deeper.

Quivers erupted low in her belly. Tingles spread. Heat blazed. An orgasm rushed through her, and she squeezed her inner muscles around him, prolonging the moment.

He tensed, and his hips moved faster. Shudders rocked him, and he pinned her firmly against the wall. Burying his face in the side of her neck, he groaned and found release.

Alexa reveled in bliss.

Their harsh breaths filled the silence.

Moments later, he lowered her to the ground.

Her legs trembled.

He swept a kiss over her cheek as he held her waist. “You all right?”

“Yes.” Dreamy warmth settled over her. She fought the urge to lay her head on his chest and close her eyes.

He stepped back and took off the condom. “Bathroom’s around the corner to the right.”

A metal bench sat along the opposite wall where he pointed.

She needed to sit down. Alexa smoothed the skirt of her dress. She glanced at the full condom in his hand. “You go first. I can wait.”

A slight smile ghosted over his lips as he dragged up his jeans. “I’ll make it quick.” He went into the bathroom.

Lethargy hovered over her. It took effort to snag her bikinis from the floor.

The neatly made black, wood-framed bed with a charcoal comforter beckoned in the far left corner.

Cuddling up after sex was her definition of the perfect encounter, and that bed was made for two people to curl up in for the night. Only she wouldn’t, because she wasn’t hanging around.

Track lights embedded in white ceiling beams sectioned off four rectangular skylights and illuminated the small studio. An azure couch with gray and blue geometric pillows sat in front of long, dove-gray drapes. A matching patterned rug and dark wood coffee table added to the seating area.

The cushions and the pillows across the room looked awfully cozy, too.

She dropped onto the bench.

A walk-in closet and a galley-style kitchen on the right with an island and tall, high-backed chairs completed the space. He’d even managed to tuck a heavy bag in the other corner. Everything was so neat. Sealed and empty boxes, along with packing material, cluttered her five-bedroom house.

Bubble wrap. She’d forgotten to buy more rolls.

Her phone vibrated and jingled with a text. She slipped it out of her purse. It was Nat.

Where r u?

One answer would suffice. With Raphael the Dream Maker. A smile tugged at Alexa’s mouth. What would Nat have to say about that?

Seconds passed before Nat responded. I’m going home. Need to take care of something.

Something? That word usually meant there were problems with Nat’s ex. Worry drove Alexa to her feet. On my way. Meet you out front.

No! Stay. Have fun with him. Cori grabbing a ride with a friend. U good to get home?

Water ran in the bathroom sink.

Nat didn’t like it when they fussed over her. Yes. TTYL.

They would definitely talk later. Nat acted like the ending of her marriage didn’t matter, but when her guard slipped, pain and sadness showed in her eyes. She was the strongest of the three of them. Keeping things bottled up was her way of dealing with problems, but everyone had their limits. Alexa put her phone away. Eventually she and Cori would have no choice but to make Nat spill it, for her own good.

Raphael walked into the entryway. “The bathroom’s all yours.” His gaze landed on the phone in her hand. “Guess your friends are wondering where you are?”

She pushed out a breezy laugh. “Yeah. I should get back.” As she slipped past him, her skin tingled, and desire warmed inside of her. She still wanted more of him, but she knew his question was his polite way of telling her she should go.

She cleaned up as quickly as she could, then came out of the bathroom.

Raphael was standing in the kitchen drinking clear liquid from a tall glass. He’d paired dark jeans with a black polo that had the club’s gold CE logo stitched on the left side of his chest. “Want some water?”

“No. Thanks, Raphael.”

“Rafe. Raphael is my stage name. Back here, I keep it real.” He walked over to her. His muscles bunched and released underneath his clothes.

The urge to touch him almost overwhelmed her. She clipped her belt with the purse around her waist. “In that case, I’m Alexa, not princess.”

He grinned. “Fair enough. Were you and your friends planning to hang out at the club after the show?”

“They didn’t mention it.”

“You should. Midnight is when the party starts around here.”

Sitting at a bar alone in a club was the equivalent of a neon sign flashing the words, “Woman desperate for a hookup.” She wasn’t. Having sex with one guy and moving on to the next in the same night, or the same month for that matter, wasn’t her style.

“Thanks for the offer, but not tonight.” Being with Rafe had served a purpose. Cork popped. Goods sampled. Enjoyed him. Done.

He opened the door.

The black cowboy hat lay on the white tile.

Rafe scooped it up and sat it on her head. “It was made for you.”

Attraction like gravity made her lay her hands on his chest. She met him halfway for a kiss. Her tongue tangled with his. His erection pressed to her belly reignited the slow, luscious burn of desire.

The need to breathe forced them apart.

He nipped and sucked her lower lip. “I don’t have to go back to work yet.”

A deep kiss stole her attention. Her friends were busy. She was on her own. Why should she settle for a sample of Rafe, when she could have all of him? Why shouldn’t she make her fantasy a reality and experience a night with him, naked, in that nice, big bed?

She smiled against his lips. “You know, we did have a deal. Something about me only wearing this hat.”