anything so beautiful in his life as this woman moving gracefully above him, looking down at him through eyes shining with the same intense desire that clawed into his very soul, leaving him weak. He held her hips, moving faster, wanting to see her expression as she came undone. When she did, arching her back and crying out, he was again filled with awe that he’d been privileged enough to be the one to put that look of ecstasy on her face. Then he followed her with his own cry of rapture as he gathered her close to his pounding heart. A heart he knew would never be quite the same again.
* * *
Rafael awoke to the feel of a slender shoulder pressed against his collarbone and a round, firm bottom spooned against him, and instantly began to harden at the sweet sensations and memories of last night’s incredible lovemaking. Never had he experienced something so beyond the physical with a woman. Something that had demanded engagement from his heart and mind and soul every bit as much as his body.
He softly kissed Gabriella’s hair, the hair he so loved to look at and touch. The golden fire that was such a part of who she was both inside and out, feisty and angelic, determined and dazzling. He moved his lips to the soft curve behind her ear, which he’d learned was a sweet spot she particularly enjoyed him kissing, but she didn’t stir. Apparently she felt as worn out by their time together as he did. Worn out by the emotion of sharing their secrets with one another as much as their late-night lovemaking.
Finally hearing her story about her ex had been satisfying. Not completely, because he had a feeling there was more to the story than she’d wanted to talk about last night. But knowing she’d trusted him enough to share at least part of the reason she confessed she’d hidden away the past two years felt good. He wanted to be the person she danced with in the sunlight now that she’d decided to come out to play.
But he couldn’t be that person, couldn’t risk hurting her, and that reality blasted his sense of triumph to smithereens. He wouldn’t be here for her. Couldn’t be her forever love, because such a thing didn’t exist.
He tucked her warm, captivating body closer, closing his eyes to breathe her in, and the ache in his chest told him one thing for certain. At least one person would hurt like hell when he moved on from L.A., and it would be the first time in his life that ending a fling would make him feel anything but guilt or relief.
The muffled tones of his cellphone had him searching for it in the bed, finally finding it when he slid his hand beneath Gabriella’s pillow. This time she did stir, and his good morning murmur in her ear got cut off in mid-word when he saw who was calling.
His brother.
What could he possibly want? His brother’s life was full of responsibilities that Rafael was more than happy to not have. Also more than happy that his brother rarely called, because when he did it was usually to scold him for embarrassing the royal family, as if it wasn’t enough to hear it from both his mother and his father.
He nearly ignored the call, but finally swung his feet to the side of the bed and stood, striding to the bathroom so as not to disturb Gabriella. “To what do I owe the honor, Alberto?”
“Unfortunately, I have bad news. Mother has had a heart attack, and you need to come home right away.”
GABBY DID HER best to focus on work but, despite repeatedly yanking her attention back to her job, she kept making silly mistakes. Thankfully none had been too important, but still. How often did she normally drop things? When was the last time she’d walked into the storage room before completely forgetting what she’d needed? It had happened twice already. And giving a patient still water when she’d asked for sparkling...? Never.
And she knew it was because Rafael and his family were weighing on her mind. When he’d told her he had to leave and why, he’d sounded very matter-of-fact, but she knew him now. Knew that behind that suave and confident exterior was a man with a sensitive heart who cared passionately for others. No matter what he’d said about his family, about his conviction that they were disappointed in him, that he’d let them down when he’d decided to take a different path than what they’d planned for him, she could see he wasn’t indifferent to it. That he cared about that more than he’d ever let on. And when she’d looked into his eyes after he’d told her his mother was ill, the calm mask on his face hadn’t concealed the worry in his eyes.
Of course he’d been worried. No matter what kind of relationship anyone had with their parents, they were still important. Still loved.
She stared, unseeing, at the tray of supplies in her hands. Love. Such a complicated and confusing thing. She’d been so sure she’d loved Ben, had made a baby with him and had been planning to marry him. But now? Now she knew the truth. That it had all just been easy. They’d dated, he’d seemed like a good, stable man, and when she’d gotten pregnant had figured it was time to get married. Wasn’t that what most people would have done?
But she’d never really loved him.
She knew that now. Knew because she was crazily in love with Rafael Moreno. Arrogant prince, excellent doctor, and tender lover. The knowledge balled her stomach, and her heart swelled at the same time it pinched tight. How had she let herself fall in love with the man? A notorious playboy, an international jet-setter who didn’t stay in one place very long, and a man who freely admitted he didn’t believe in forever-after love.
Truth was, though, she couldn’t blame herself. It hadn’t been a question of letting herself fall for him. It would have been like trying to stop an ocean wave as she swam in the Pacific, because Rafael was a force of nature every bit as mesmerizing and powerful.
She loved him. And when he’d kissed her goodbye, she’d known there was a good chance he might never be back.
The ball in her stomach rolled and her knuckles whitened on the tray, but she lifted her chin as she picked up her pace down the hallway. Somehow she had to focus on what she did best, which was work. It wasn’t Rafael’s fault she’d fallen so hard for him. If he called to report back about his mother, which he’d promised to do, she’d do everything in her ability to listen like a friend would and not let him know how much she missed him. How much she hoped he’d come back to L.A., but at the same time part of her hoped he wouldn’t.
The love, the connection she felt with him seemed huge and overwhelming and uncontrollable. But the thought of having a real relationship with someone again? Something more than the short fling she’d decided to allow herself with him? Just the idea of it scared her to death.
“Why do I even care, Freya?”
Gabby hesitated at the sound of Mila’s upset voice, not wanting to walk by the open lounge door while she was obviously having a personal conversation. “He already broke my heart once—shouldn’t that have been enough to make my feelings turn to stone where he’s concerned?”
“We can’t just turn our feelings on and off like a faucet, Mila,” Freya said in a soothing tone. “It’s okay to feel the way you do.”
“I mean, it almost seems like he’s flaunting his new girlfriend, doesn’t it? Like he’s deliberately waving her in my face to upset me.”
“I think James...well, he might be having his own struggles, Mila. He’s never been one to let emotions control him, you know? Maybe his behavior is some unconscious reaction to seeing you again. I don’t know what else to say, except you should tell him what you just told me and give him some time to think about it.”
Now tearful, Mila continued to talk, and Gabby pivoted, deciding to go back the other way so as not to embarrass her. Her already aching heart hurt a little more, feeling bad that Mila was so upset. Why did life have to be so hard? Why did love have to hurt?
Giving your heart to someone made you horribly vulnerable, she knew. So where, exactly, did that leave her when it came to Dr. Rafael Moreno?
* * *
Everyone