Flinging a towel onto a nearby chair, she whirled to face him. She tried to tell herself her heart pumped with outrage but underlying that was another emotion she flatly refused to examine. 'For the thousandth time, I'm here to make sure you heal properly, not be your sex pet!'
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully in the morning light, a smile teasing his lips. 'Sex pet. Dios, the sound of that makes my pulse race, especially seeing as you're just the right size and shape for a pet.' He shut his eyes, one long arm lifting to trace the air. 'I can just see my hand gliding over that glorious raven hair, sliding down the side of your elegant neck. Of course, you'd gasp in outrage. That's when I'd slide my finger over your full, sexily kissable mouth. And if you were to nip it with just the right amount of pressure-'
She gulped. 'Dammit, Rafael-'
'Shh! Don't spoil my fantasy. The sweat trickling down your chest now just makes me want to undo those no-nonsense buttons and follow it with my tongue.'
Raven glanced down and, sure enough, a bead of sweat was making its way between her breasts. Heat slammed inside her, setting off trails of fire everywhere it touched as if seeking an outlet. This wasn't good. Fires like this eventually escaped, sought the oxygen they needed to burn. Oxygen that looked temptingly, deliciously like the half-naked man in front of her. She could never let it escape, never let it burn because she had a feeling this particular conflagration would be nearly impossible to put out.
She'd more than learned her lesson. She'd been burned badly. Never again.
'Rafael, unless you want to spend the rest of the morning sitting here burning to a crisp, I suggest you zip it and help me get you indoors.'
With a put-upon sigh, he opened his eyes. His low laugh bounced on the morning air before ricocheting through parts of her she didn't want to think about or even acknowledge. 'All right, sex pet. I'll keep my lustful thoughts to myself. But if at any time you want a demonstration, don't hesitate to ask.'
'I won't.'
His smile grew even more wicked, more dangerous than she felt able to cope with. 'You won't hesitate?'
'I won't ask,' she stated firmly, dragging her eyes from the sweat-sheened torso that gleamed mere feet from her.
For several seconds he held her gaze, challenging her with the unabashed heat in his eyes, as if daring her to refuse him.
Raven stood before him, bracing herself and silently praying he would give up or move. Or something!
Finally, he dropped his gaze and reached for his walking stick. With the other hand he pulled her closer and braced his arm over her waist.
'So, you're concerned about my moral compass?' he asked in a droll voice.
'Don't let it go to your head. Sergey seems like a decent man. Are you not concerned about how he'll feel when he finds out you're intending to call his wife for a tryst?'
His laugh was deep and long.
'A tryst? That sounds so...decadent.'
She leaned forward, hoping her hair would hide the renewed flush of her cheeks. 'Don't mock me, Rafael. I can still ensure you never walk again.'
'Spoilsport.' He gave a dramatic sigh. 'Before you unleash your many weapons on me, I have no intention of calling or trysting with Chantilly. It's a little dance we do. She slips notes and numbers in my pocket. Sergey and I pretend we don't notice.'
She stopped dead. 'You mean he knows?'
His expression was world-weary and full of cynicism. 'He's old enough to be her grandfather, bonita. He knows she's not with him for his virility and good looks. Sorry if that bursts your happy little moral bubble.'
The rest of the slow journey to his study was conducted in silence. Raven concentrated hard on ignoring the relief fizzing through her.
She succeeded only because with every step his body bumped against her, his warm, tensile body making her so hyper-aware of her own increased heartbeat. His scent washed over her. She swallowed, the knowledge that it was wrong to feel this way about her patient doing nothing to stop the arrows of lust shooting into her abdomen.
By the time the reached the long sofa that faced the large floor-to-ceiling window in his study, Raven wasn't sure which one of them was breathing heavier.
Rafael slumped into the seat and rested his head on the back of the sofa. Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. Her heart lurched for him.
'Are you okay?'
'Nothing a new hip won't sort out.'
'I can get you some painkillers to ease the pain?'
His jaw clenched. 'No.' From day one, Rafael had refused pain relief, opting for physical therapy to heal his body.
'You have three meetings tomorrow before we leave. I think you should cancel them. Your pelvis isn't as fluid as it could be...and please, no double entendre. I mean it. I...I advise you to rethink and let Marco to take over.'
Every last trace of mirth left his face and eyes. His jaw clenched tight and he speared her with suddenly cold eyes. 'I'm not cancelling anything. And my brother and Sasha will be staying exactly where they are.'
The sudden descent into iciness made her shiver. 'Is it true you tried to break them up?' she blurted before she could stop herself.
His gaze grew colder. 'You're straying into none-of-your-business territory, chiquita.'
'I thought we were past that? After all, you seem to feel free to stray into my life whenever you feel like it. I'm merely returning the gesture.'
He locked gazes with her for endless seconds. Then he shrugged. 'Okay. Yes, I tried to break them up.'
'Why?'
'Because it seemed like a great idea at the time. Obviously, it didn't work.'
'It wasn't because you loved her?'
Why was she doing this? Asking questions she was fairly certain she didn't want answers to.
'Love? Yes, love. I did it out of love. Twisted, isn't it? If you had a lover too, I'd probably try to separate you from him.'
She frowned. 'Why would you do that?'
He laughed, a half bitter, half amused sound that chilled her nerves. 'Haven't you noticed yet, Raven? I like chaos. I like to cause as much damage as possible wherever I go. Haven't you learned this of me by now? I'm trouble with a capital T.'
She tried for a shrug. 'Some women go for that sort of thing, I hear.'
'But not you, sí? You remind me of one of the girls I went to Sunday school with.'
Shock held her rigid. 'You went to Sunday school?'
He nodded, the unholy gleam in his eyes lightening the blue depths. 'Religiously. My mother was very keen I got into heaven.'
She laughed at the very idea. She knew no one more devilish in temperament and looks than Rafael de Cervantes.
His grin widened. 'The idea of me in heaven is laughable?'
'In the extreme. You'd corrupt all the other angels within seconds.'
'And they'd love every minute of it.'
'I bet.'
Laughter faded, slowly replaced by an incisive look that should've been her first warning. 'You hide your pain underneath a veneer of blistering efficiency.'
'While you hide yours under the cover of irreverent, sometimes callous charm.'
He reached out a hand for her, and Raven found herself moving towards him, his aura drawing her in like a moth to a flame.
When he patted the seat next to him, she sat down. 'What a pair we are,' he muttered.
She shrugged. 'I guess we must do what we need to do to protect ourselves.'
'From the outside world, yes. But we know what the other is. So there's no need for pretence with us.'
His smile slowly faded to leave a serious, probing look that made her whole body tingle. Slowly he reached out and clasped his hand around her nape. Effortlessly, he drew her forward. She wet her lips before she could stop herself. His groan echoed the deep, dark one inside her.
'What do you want from me, Rafael?' she muttered, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth.
'Nothing you aren't prepared to give me.'
'Don't pretend you won't take more than your fair share.'
His head dropped an inch closer. 'What can I say, I'm a greedy, greedy bastard.'
'What the hell am I doing?'
'Letting go. Living a little. Just because you were hurt before doesn't mean you have to stop living. Pleasure, in the right circumstances, with the right person, can be the most exhilarating experience in life.'
'But you're the exact opposite of the right person, I can't even see how you can say that with a straight face.'
'Sí, I'm the devil. You would never be satisfied with a Normal Norman. You'd be bored rigid in three seconds flat.'
He kissed her before she could countermand his assertion. As first kisses with the devil went, it was soul-stealing and Raven was eternally grateful she was sitting down.
Because Rafael devoured her as if she were his favourite fruit. No millimetre of her mouth went unkissed. When he was done ravaging her lips, he delved between to boldly slide his tongue into her mouth. The toe-curling sensation made her fingers bite hard into his bicep. She needed something solid to hold on to. Unfortunately, Rafael-unyielding, warm-no, hot-heady, sexily irreverent Rafael-was the last anchor she should've been seeking. And yet she couldn't pull away, couldn't summon even the smallest protest as she let him devour her lips.