Obsession (21 page)

Hope.

Chapter 14

When she awoke the next morning, Jessica struggled to remember where she was. Shafts of pale sunlight broke the gray dawn and spilled through the floor to ceiling windows of the bedroom. She blinked hard and sat up, the sheet tumbling to her waist.

She was naked, her body sore and wonderfully used. A soft smile touched her mouth.

But Raphael had left. Jessica rolled over, clutched his pillow and inhaled his scent.

“Good morning.”

Glancing up, she saw him standing in the doorway, dressed in jeans and a tight green T-shirt. Silent again.

Flushing, she sat up and pulled the covers over her naked breasts. “You’re too quiet.”

He laughed and sat on the bed, toying with her mussed hair. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I went for a run, worked out, then showered and dressed.”

“And then wrote another video game, read
War & Peace
and knit a sweater for one of the ranch horses, right? You must do something about that lazy streak of yours, Raphael.”

Humor twinkled in his gaze. She was glad to see it chase away the darkness there, and felt another strange tug of pride she’d caused it.

“I should get dressed and get back to the house before Alexa starts asking questions.”

Raphael shook his head. “You won’t be missed. J.J. took Alexa into town for a night out. They didn’t return until after two. J.J. always lets me know where he is, because I’m in charge of his security.”

Well, that rather sucked. She’d hoped to corral Alexa over coffee, have a good talk with her. She felt tightly wound, needed to release all the emotions tumbling through her after finally having sex.

Disappointment speared her. Her best friend wasn’t there to listen as she shared a very special experience. Jessica cast a shy glance at Raphael. Extremely special.

He tweaked a red curl. “Don’t look so downcast. I’ll make you breakfast and run you over there. I have several meetings today, otherwise I’d spend the day with you.”

He kissed her, his lips soft and warm, and desire flared all over again. But beneath the desire came the stirrings of unease. Raphael was ensnaring her in his sensual web, making her forget all else but him, just as she’d feared.

Perhaps it was best to spend time apart…until she could finally get the information to find her brother.

All morning, she lounged around the main house, hoping for a glimpse of Alexa, needing her best friend to talk things out. But Alexa didn’t emerge until noon, and when she did, her friend had a happy glow of her own.

Dressed in black sweatpants and a pink sweatshirt, Alexa wandered into the kitchen. Jessica sat at the round table, eating a turkey sandwich she’d made for herself. Everyone else in the house still slept, clearly exhausted from the rodeo.

Alexa snagged a mug and poured coffee. “You’re up early.”

She pointed to the round clock over the kitchen sink. “It’s nearly noon.”

“Oh.” Alexa sipped her coffee. “Jane isn’t up yet?”

“I gave her the day off. She looked tired. I told her I could fend for myself. I know how to make coffee.” Jessica smiled. “That’s a fresh pot. I figured you’d need it.”

Yawning, her best friend joined her at the table. “We had such a lovely time last night. Aiden insisted on taking us out on the town. Did you enjoy the rodeo? I love watching the cowboys on their horses. They’re so skilled.”

“Very much so.” Raphael had done some fine riding of his own last night.

She set down the sandwich, quivering with anticipation. Wait until Alexa found out what happened.

“Morning,” a deep male voice said.

Jessica glanced at the doorway at J.J. Details of last night were too intimate to discuss with Alexa’s mate. She suspected he also wouldn’t be very happy to hear Raphael had slept with her.

The billionaire owner of the Double B walked into the kitchen and dropped a very thorough kiss on his mate’s mouth. Jessica looked away, reminded again how Alexa had changed. She had a mate and didn’t need her best friend anymore.

The happy warmth of last night’s sex faded, leaving her shivering and cold, feeling alone once more.

“I’ll make us breakfast,” J.J. said softly to his mate. Then he glanced at Jessica. “Want some?”

Jessica pointed to her sandwich. “I had breakfast AND lunch, you lazy bum. It’s past noon.”

“Lazy bum?!”

“Yeah, well, I thought ranch owners were up at the crack of dawn. You’re ruining your own image of the hard-working male.”

He laughed and headed to the stove. Determined to stay upbeat, she made light conversation about the rodeo and the plans for the day as J.J. cracked open eggs and scrambled them and fried bacon. Alexa told her they had to play host and hostess in the afternoon.

“I’m sorry to leave you alone again, but you can catch up on your reading,” Alexa said.

Oh, she had plenty of reading to do. Jessica had borrowed a book from J.J.’s library on the history of western Lupine packs, hoping to find clues to her family’s past. The internet was still down, and she couldn’t access even her email.

“Sure. And then maybe we can have dinner tonight, just the two of us. Like old times.”
I have so much to tell you…

Alexa sipped her coffee. “That would be great. I’d love to catch up. I’ve been so busy we haven’t spent any time with you since you got here. I hope you weren’t bored last night.”

“Far from it,” she murmured. “I can always find entertainment.”

And Raphael had been extremely entertaining.

* * *

Late afternoon, Raphael stopped by and found her reading on the back porch. Instead of kissing her mouth, he picked up her hand and brushed a soft kiss over the knuckles.

Charming. Urbane. But the knowing gleam in his eyes was pure wolf. Jessica set down the book. Odd how once she’d longed to do nothing but read, and now could barely focus, because Raphael had claimed her thoughts.

He sat in an adjacent rocking chair. “How do you feel?” He leaned close and murmured, “I hope I wasn’t too hard on you last night.”

Just hard enough.
She smiled. “I feel wonderful.”

“Not too sore?”

Flushing at the intimate question, she shook her head.

“I had work to finish, but cleared my schedule. Would you like to come over to my house for dinner?”

“I’m supposed to have dinner with Alexa.”

“J.J. and Alexa have a business dinner with a ranch owner they met last night. It’s one of those long dinners that will last for hours. They won’t be back until after midnight. She asked me to offer her apologies. And asked me to make sure you were not alone.” His gaze glinted with good humor. “I am most willing to fulfill her wishes.”

Her disappointment faded as she saw the hunger flaring on his face. Not hunger for food, but her.

“I’d love to have dinner with you. What’s the main course?”

He smiled. “You.”

Her nipples tingled at the promise in his smile. “As a matter of fact, I’m starved. Maybe we should eat right now.”

He stood, held out a hand and helped her up. “That’s my Jessica. I love your appetite.”

* * *

One steak, three stalks of asparagus, a cup of mashed potatoes and four orgasms later, she lay in Raphael’s bed, sated with pleasure. Four. She’d counted each one. He’d touched her in places she didn’t know she liked being touched.

He’d insisted she bring some things to spend the night. She’d packed a few belongings, including her purple belt. Jessica didn’t want to leave it unguarded at the house.

Now, as they lounged on the bed, perspiration slicking their bodies, she felt replete with satisfaction. Jessica almost could forget all her cares and woes.

Almost.

But she’d never felt this sizzling connection to another, this depth of pleasure. Surely it was okay to give herself a night off from her mission to find her brother.

I’ll research more tomorrow, she promised herself.

Soft light glowed from the twin lamps on either side of his king-sized bed. The soft Egyptian cotton sheets beneath her felt luxuriously soft, and the man lying beside her hard as granite. Nude, Raphael rolled off the mattress and turned on the iPod. Strains of Chris Isaak’s
Wicked
drifted through the speakers. Wicked, like Raphael’s mouth brushing over every inch of her naked body.

On the nightstand, his cell phone gave a quiet chirp. Jessica turned onto her stomach, watching as Raphael grabbed it and then walked to the window, phone to his ear. The horrid scars on her back contrasted to the smoothness of his muscled butt.

When he thumbed off the cell, he turned and saw her watching him. His expression became guarded. “What were you looking at?”

“You have a gorgeous bottom, Mr. Raphael Amador.”

Dropping the guarded look, he joined her on the bed. Jessica reached up and squeezed his very firm ass. Muscles rippled beneath the smooth skin. Such a perfect male specimen.

“Do you know how sexy you are?” she whispered. “What a fine ass you have?”

Something flickered in his dark gaze. He reached over and caressed her bottom with a gentle palm. “So do you.”

He administered a light swat, then rubbed his hand over the sting. “I like spanking your ass. Does it hurt you?” He looked at her. “If it does, I’ll stop.”

It hurt, in a good way. Jessica smiled, daring to admit she enjoyed it. Maybe it would shock him, but she didn’t care. “It feels good.”

Nostrils flaring, he smiled. “It turns you on.”

Jessica nodded. “I suppose that makes me seem kinky.”

His gaze softened. “No, it makes you Lupine. We are a sensual people.”

Raphael sprawled out on the bed, his penis twitching, as if he desired another round. Then he sat up.

“Get dressed. I have something to show you.”

Jessica eyed his half-erect penis. “I think I’ve already seen everything you have.”

Playful, he swatted her bottom again. “Minx. I have something else to share. Now, put your clothing on.”

Curiosity filled her. She still did not know much about him. She knew how he liked to bite and nip during sex, how he’d taken care to ensure she’d received pleasure from the act. But everything seemed on the surface.

Jessica longed to peel back the real Raphael, the male who had endured such suffering, and fought his way out of a steel cage.

“What do you want to show me?”

“You’ll see.”

After they’d dressed and went downstairs, he snagged a sheepskin jacket off a wood peg near the door and handed it to her. “It’s a little chilly out.”

Then he opened the drawer of the hallway table and removed a set of keys and pocketed them in his jeans.

Taking her hand, he led her outside to the forest. Raphael unlocked the gate to his property, then locked it again. They continued down a paved pathway that snaked through the woods.

“Where are you taking me? I feel like little Red Riding Hood, about to be devoured by the big, bad wolf.”

Raphael’s mouth quirked in a mysterious smile. “Perhaps you will be.”

After a short walk, the woods opened to a clearing with a small wood cabin. “J.J. built this house originally for newly mated couples who needed privacy. Then he decided to build them their own cabins instead, and turn this into…something else.”

Jessica’s heart began to pound as he fingered the gold key in his hand.

“Sometimes Lupines have a craving for more than mere sex. A craving that goes deeper into the soul, especially among males who like to dominate.”

He unlocked the door and stepped aside.

The door opened to a living room with a sofa of butter-soft leather before a stone fireplace hearth. There was a small kitchen with gleaming appliances off the living room, and a closed door.

Everything looked normal.

Then Raphael went to the closed door.

“This is what we privately call the room of forbidden pleasure.” Raphael took another key and unlocked the door. His gaze glittered fiercely as he turned to her and stepped aside.

Jessica entered, her senses alert and aware.

The wood-paneled room smelled of rich leather and coconut oil, but resembled an ordinary bedroom at first glance. It seemed luxurious, masculine and dark, the reflection of Raphael’s real personality. Dominating the space was a king-sized bed covered with a green satin comforter. Pillows were piled upon the bed. She glanced up and saw a mirror.

Shelves containing leather paddles and other instruments covered the walls. An S-shaped cushion sat below a pair of shiny metal shackles dangling from the wall.

Sweat popped out on her temple as Jessica walked over to the shelves. She’d just lost her virginity and now walked into a room that would make a BDSM expert blush. Or not. The experience should have alarmed her, but instead, she felt edgy with desire and curiosity.