When Ari did shatter, Rafe was right there with her, following her over the edge in a seemingly unending wave. Her body gripped him, pulsing over and over as her cries mingled with his groans of ecstasy.
When the passion play finally came to a close, Ari had nothing left. If it hadn’t been for the restraints keeping her up, she’d have collapsed to the floor. Being with Rafe drained her, but in a wonderful way, in a way she feared she’d never experience with another man.
How could she possibly feel anything as magical as what she felt in his arms? Barely conscious, Ari hardly noticed Rafe freeing her from his contraption. She rested her head against his shoulder as he carried her to her bed.
When he laid her against the cool sheets, she whimpered, not ready to let him go. Her last thought was shock and pleasure as he climbed in next to her and tugged her into his arms. She knew she’d wake alone, but she was with him for now.
Chapter Fifteen
Ari climbed out of bed and winced. Her body felt as if it had been repeatedly run over during rush-hour traffic. Thump-thump, thump-thump… She’d never imagined that someone could have such an insatiable appetite for sex. If she had to continue the nighttime marathons, she’d have to start doing some intense workouts to get her strength up.
“Rafe?”
Ari waited, and when there wasn’t an answer, she let out the breath she’d been holding. It wasn’t that the sex wasn’t great — it was out of this world. But it was just too much. How did people do it so many times in a single week?
She’d been Rafe’s mistress for three weeks with only four days off during that time, and two of them only because he’d had to take a trip without her. He’d tried to get her to give up her other precious days, and she’d emphatically refused, saying that she needed them for rejuvenation. He’d made up for it the morning after each one.
Walking slowly into the kitchen, she smiled when she found a full pot of coffee and a note.
We have a business function tonight. I’ve hired a personal stylist for you who will be at the condo at ten. You have the day off. My driver will pick you up at noon to escort you to the salon.
Rafe
Ari really didn’t feel like having a bunch of strangers plucking at her hair and body, especially after her last salon visit. It hadn’t been pleasant. They’d waxed her in places a person should never be waxed, offending her innate modesty. And her visit with the doctor last week had been almost as bad. Rafe had insisted because he didn’t want an unexpected pregnancy to throw a wrench into their relationship.
Their relationship. That was a joke. So far, she’d managed to get a job she actually liked, doing charitable work. Though she knew he was simply humoring her, she chose to work as hard as possible and therefore take pride in what she was doing. The reality was that she was being told what to do night and day and had enacted so many scenes from the Kama Sutra that she didn’t remember what the missionary position was anymore.
The thing that really confused her was that she wasn’t miserable. Rafe wasn’t treating her badly — quite the opposite, in fact. He was distant most of the time, but not unkind.
Glancing at the clock, she was relieved to see it was only eight. She had two hours until she was bombarded. That was plenty of time to soak her sore muscles in a nice hot bath.
Grabbing a thriller novel off the shelf, Ari walked to the bathroom and turned on the tap. No way she wanted to read anything having to do with love or romance — she wasn’t sure she even believed in the mythical emotion anymore.
Ari remembered her mother warning her that sex wasn’t love’s equal, and telling her that she had to be careful because too many people equated the two. Ari could now see how that could happen.
When she was in the throes of passion in Rafe’s arms, she had strong feelings toward him. When he left her lying in the bed all alone afterward, she felt an overwhelming emptiness and couldn’t prevent the abundant tears from soaking her pillow. How was she supposed to keep her heart uninvolved when the man was there each and every day?
Sinking deep down into the water, Ari closed her eyes and inhaled the subtle scent of mango oil. The water jets soon soothed her legs and lower back. And after lying back for fifteen minutes and relishing doing absolutely nothing, she started to feel human again, so she took a sip of her tea and decided to lose herself in her newest read.
An hour later, Ari realized the time and put down Stephen King’s Under the Dome, though she did so with great reluctance. What sort of barrier could have possibly sealed off the townspeople in the story? She would much rather soak in the tub all day and read make-believe than attend some stuffy function with a bunch of uppity strangers.
Since her puppet master had commanded her to dance on his strings, it looked as though she didn’t have a choice. What if she stood him up? The thought brought a smile to her face. She knew she could tell him to kiss off, in so many words, but he’d honored his end of the bargain, and it felt wrong to not give a full effort on her end.
Working for the charitable side of his company, reading donation requests and sending replies, was very engrossing. Some of the letters coming in had brought her to tears.
What had completely surprised her were the thank-you letters that frequently arrived. Not only did Rafe donate millions of dollars to worthy causes, but he also made personal appearances. She’d stolen one of the pictures an elementary school class had sent.
Rafe was surrounded by six-year-olds and he was wearing a T-shirt they’d obviously made him with their handprints all over it. The letter thanked him profusely for the donation enabling them to go on field trips that year.
Letter after letter came pouring in, full of gratitude for everything from computers for senior centers to money for programs cut for lack of funds. Rafe had a generous heart. Why he guarded it when it came to women she didn’t understand.
So what if his ex had cheated on him? That was an old song that many had danced to. Most marriages ended either because of infidelity or financial problems. Divorcés and divorcées didn’t normally turn into coldhearted monsters.
What Ari was learning about Rafe, though, was that he was far from a monster — he just wanted women to think of him that way. What it would be like, she wondered, to peel back a few of his hardened layers?
Was she bold enough to do just that? She honestly didn’t know if she was. Maybe he would behave abhorrently one too many times, and she wouldn’t care enough to find out what lay beneath. She could certainly imagine that scenario a lot more easily than one in which he had a change of heart.