Rafael (17 page)

“May I have this
dance?” Rafael sat both of their glasses on the outside bar and held out his
hand. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her close. She wasn’t a very
good dancer, but she soon found out if the man leading you was, you could just
follow along. The song was jazzy but sexy, slow and seductive. It allowed the
dancers to sway to the tempo or grind to the back beat. Oh, how she wanted to
grind.

All night the
intensity between her and Rafael grew more palpable. Every look, every touch,
felt like a live wire was connecting them, growing stronger and tighter with
each moment. She allowed her hands to play in the soft curls at the edge of his
collar. She loved his hair and told him so.

 “I love yours
too. I know why you wear it up for work, but I hope you’ll always wear it down
when we’re together.” Rafael leaned in and inhaled.

She should find
that weird but instead she knew why he did it. Not as boldly, she breathed in
the aftershave at his neck. It was intense yet subtle. How could that be? The
same way the man could be an alpha and still hold himself in reserve to
appreciate the simpler things like flowers and solitude.

His hand that
was on the small of her back dipped lower, softly caressing her cheek. The
other hand wound itself around her hair once again. With the four inch heels
she was wearing she was only a few inches shorter than Rafael, bringing them
almost eye to eye. Her lips parted, caressing his chin. She continued up his
jawline until she got to the soft spot under his ear. With each touch of her
lips, the hand fisting her hair tightened just a little more. When she nipped
his earlobe with her teeth, her head was pulled back, and his mouth was
crushing hers. She didn’t make him work for it. She opened for him, searching
for his tongue with her own. Their bodies were moving in sync with the music
floating on the air. The grinding of their hips matched the rhythm of the
drums.

Kaya felt
Rafael’s hand leave her back and move toward the front. Slowly he caressed each
spot along the way until he reached her breast. He kept his hand underneath,
rubbing his thumb back and forth. When he rubbed over her already aching nipple
she moaned into his mouth.

Rafe was about
to lose control. If he didn’t claim this woman soon, he was going to phase and
then he would really be in a mess. “Kaya,” He breathed into her mouth. He
wanted their first time to be special, perfect, but he was too close. He was
ready to pull her dress up and take her right there. He must back off and get
himself under control.

He tried to pull
away, but this strong warrior had a mind of her own. She wasn’t ready to let
him go. “Kaya.” She continued to lick and nip at his neck. Reaching behind his
head, he grabbed her wrists. “Kaya, stop.” She looked confused. “Love, if you
want to do this properly we need to go into the house. Otherwise I’m going to
take you here, now, and it will not be gentle. Your decision.” He could see her
warring with herself. He could smell her arousal. She wanted him just as much
as he did her.

Thinking she
would choose the bed, she surprised him when she grabbed his hard cock and
began rubbing him through his suit pants. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Rafael. I
don’t want to wait.” He slammed his mouth to hers again while he yanked her
dress up over her ass. Feeling bare skin, he nearly came right then. Had he
known she wore no panties, he probably would have already been inside her. She
was fumbling with his belt while he was pulling his shirt from his pants.
Before his pants could slide down his legs, he was grabbing for his wallet. He
pulled out a condom, tearing the wrapper with his teeth, the foil flittering to
the ground. He rolled the sheath on, stroking his already rock hard length.
“Kaya, are you certain?”

“Yes dammit, I
want you.” He spun her around and bent her over the table. Stretching her arms out
in front of her, he held both in place with one large hand. Rafael nudged her
legs apart with his foot while rubbing his fingers through her folds. Holy fuck
but she was wet. He pumped two fingers inside her pussy, rubbing along that
spot that made women come unglued. And she would, but not yet. He teased the
spot a few more times.

Kaya was pushing
back against him, arching that beautiful ass higher. One day. One day he would
shove his cock in her forbidden hole but not this day. Tonight was about the
already primed and ready-to-go slick piece of heaven. He removed his fingers
and placed them in his mouth, savoring the flavor of her juices. He then
grabbed his cock and lined up the engorged head with her cunt and with one
thrust he was in up to his balls. She pushed back and groaned. Fuck! Rafael
remained still. Dizziness threatened to take over. His cock filling Kaya’s core
consumed his mind, his soul.

 “Keep your
hands where they are,” he demanded as he let go and wrapped one arm around her
waist to keep it from crashing into the edge of the table. His other hand was
gripping her throat, not hard enough to cut off circulation but with enough
pressure to let her know he was in control.

“My sweet Kaya,
my beautiful woman, how do you want it? Tell me what you want me to do with my
cock.” He held himself back. Over the years, he had learned to control his
baser needs, but this was Kaya. This was his mate. He was ready to let the
beast loose. She reached back for him, and he smacked her on the ass. A groan escaped
her as she put her hand back on the table. His woman liked that.

“Hard. I want
you to fuck me, hard.” She was panting and curling her fists. Her wish was his
command. “Move your hands to the edge of the table and hold on. Hold the fuck
on.”

Rafe began to
move torturously slow, giving Kaya time to adjust to his size. When he felt she
could take him, all of him, he gave her what she asked for. Never had Rafe
enjoyed the kind of raw, carnal sex he was having now. If she wasn’t feeling
his dick in her womb, he would be surprised. He released her neck and moved his
hand to between her legs, circling her clit. “Are you with me?”

“Yes, oh yes. Oh
God Rafael, Oh my God!”  She was rocking back into him, her ass and thighs
meeting him thrust for thrust. “Oh God, fuck me harder.” He moved his hands to
her hips, bent over her back, and pistoned into her pussy relentlessly. The
heat was tangible, and the sparks were flying. He felt his fangs nipping his
lower lip. He would not bite her, not yet. He felt her pussy clench around his
dick as her orgasm hit. Feeling her inner walls tighten around his cock
shredded the last bit of control in his grasp. With a fiery release, he yelled
her name to the stars.

Kaya couldn’t
move, couldn’t breathe. Her knuckles were probably white from her grip on the
table. Any previous sexual act was long forgotten. What in the name of all that
was holy just happened? That was so far beyond the scope of anything she could
ever have imagined. She felt soft kisses being placed on her shoulder, strong
hands now gently rubbing where they, just a few minutes ago, gripped tightly.
She would probably have a bruise.

“That was beyond
unreal,” she finally managed to say. She tried to turn her head to look at
Rafael, but he was intent on her back. “Rafael, look at me.”

“Not yet.” He
was keeping his face hidden.

“Please,
Rafael.”

She heard him
sigh and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” He turned away from her as he was
removing the condom. He tied a knot in it and pulled his pants together with
the other hand. He disappeared into the kitchen leaving her with her bare ass
in the air.

“What the fuck?”
She said out loud. “Was it that bad?” She pulled her dress down and grabbed her
wine, downing all that was left. She wanted a refill. She wanted the whole
bottle.

Rafael returned
with his pants intact, carrying a wet washcloth. “Here let me clean you.”

She grabbed the
rag and muttered, “I’ll do it myself.”

He grabbed her
arm and pulled her to him. “That was the single most wonderful experience of my
life, Kaya Kane. You were amazing.” He gently took the warm cloth from her hand
and wiped between her legs. “I just needed a minute to compose myself.”

The loving look
on his face stole her breath. He was telling the truth. She grabbed his face
and pulled him in for a kiss. “Thank you.”

He raised his
eyebrows in surprise. “For what? I am the one who should be thanking you. Here,
let’s sit down.” He led her to a cushioned glider and pulled her down into his
lap. “Kaya, that was not how I envisioned our first time being. I wanted more
for you, so much better than just a quick fuck over a table. I’m truly sorry.
And embarrassed.” She couldn’t believe the honesty coming from this man. A
little piece of her heart floated out of her body into his.

“Hey, look at
me.” She made sure he was focused on her eyes. “You gave me the choice,
remember? You told me you didn’t want down and dirty.” She grinned, hoping to
lighten the mood. “I wanted fast and furious, Mr. Stone, and you gave it to me.
Boy did you give it to me. Next time, we will do slow and steady, or however
you want it, okay?”

Rafael didn’t respond with words; he just leaned closer and answered
her with his mouth.

Rafael
absolutely hated lying to Kaya but until she knew what he was, he couldn’t let
her see how she affected him. He never had trouble controlling his phasing, but
the intensity of the sex fucked with him. One thing was for certain; his woman
was a goddess. If she could get him that riled up their first time, he could
only imagine what they would be like in a bed.

His phone began
ringing, and he thanked the gods that it hadn’t been earlier. “I apologize but
I have to take that.” She stood so he could get to his phone.

“Rafe.”  “Godsdamnit!
Where?” He looked at Kaya. “There’s no need. Chief Kane is here now. I will
pass this along myself, and she can handle it from there. No, don’t touch
anything. We’ll be right there.” Rafe thumbed off his phone and hung his head.

“Rafael, what is
it?” Kaya was touching his arm. It might be the last time she ever touched him
freely.

“That was
Julian; you met him Saturday. After the murders at the warehouse, I thought it
prudent to install security systems on the other buildings since we have no
immediate plans to use them or tear them down. Julian went to install the last
camera and found a body. It’s bad.”

“How bad?” He
wanted to reach out to her but wasn’t sure she would appreciate it.

“Maybe you
should sit down.”

“Rafael, just
spit it out.”

“It’s your
detective, Jorgenson.”

“Goddamit, I sent
him out there!”  She grabbed Rafe’s glass of watered down scotch and tossed it
back. “I don’t have my car. Come on, you gotta drive me.” She didn’t wait on
him to follow; she just took off through the house to the front door.

Kaya was already
in the Jag by the time he reached the car. She was on her phone calling for CSU
and the medical examiner. When she hung up, she asked, “Won’t this thing go any
faster?”

“I wasn’t sure
how you would feel about me speeding.” He accelerated a little, still hovering
close to the speed limit. Kaya dialed her phone. “This is Chief Kane. Detective
Kyle Jorgenson’s body has been found, and I am headed to the scene. Please
alert those on patrol that I am traveling west in a black Jaguar XK convertible
with the emergency flashers on.”

Rafe turned the
flashers on and put the Jag in the wind.

By the time they
reached the warehouse, several cruisers as well as the ME’s van were there.
Someone had set up temporary lighting outside. Dante and Julian met them at the
car. They both knew Kaya, so introductions weren’t required. Julian held out
his hand, “Chief, I’m the one who found the body. I’ve already given my
statement to Detective Craven.” Kaya shook his hand and turned to Dante.
“Well?”

“Detective
Jorgenson has a single GSW to the head. CSU is still looking for the bullet
casing though it appears he was shot somewhere other than here. His body is in
his cruiser yet there are no bullet holes in the vehicle. Rigor mortis puts
time of death approximately 24 to 36 hours ago.”

Kaya was walking
toward the warehouse when Rafe picked up the unmistakable sound of a rifle
slide. “Gun!” he yelled right before he threw himself at Kaya. Not knowing who
the intended target was, he didn’t take a chance. He felt the hit to his
shoulder just before he took Kaya to the ground.

“Kaya, are you
okay?” He knew that any damage she had incurred was from him landing on her in
the gravel parking lot.

Dante told
Julian, “Cover the King.”

“I’m fine, just
find the motherfucker.” All of this was said in whispers so the humans couldn’t
hear them.

Kaya still
hadn’t responded. “Kaya, baby, talk to me.”

“Rafael, what
the fuck was that? I’m fine except I can’t breathe. You’re heavy. You can get
off me now.”

Rafe didn’t
move. He watched as the others all scrambled for cover. “I’m not moving until I
know there won’t be another shot.” He did however slide to the side a few
inches so that all his weight wasn’t on her.

When there were
no more shots fired, Rafe finally stood up and helped Kaya to her feet. He had
to get away from her before she saw the wound healing. Dante was now at his
back. “Chief Kane are you all right? Do you require medical attention?”

Kaya brushed the
gravel from her knees and looked at her arms. “No, I just have minor
scratches.” Her officers were all headed her direction. There was a moment of
chaos as they tried to figure where the shot came from and where the bullet
landed. Luckily, Rafe had been able to pocket the evidence before standing up.

Kaya looked at
him. “How did you know? That shot had to have come from those trees over there,
and you knew.” The look on her face was one of skepticism as well as distrust.

“I heard it.”
That was the truth.

“You heard a gun
from this far away?” Her hands were on her hips. He really shouldn’t but he
loved when she did that.

“Yes, I did. I
have exceptionally good hearing.” Truth again but he could tell she wasn’t
buying it.

“Mr. Stone, if
you would come with me, I will look at your shoulder.” Dante was running
interference and trying to patch Rafe up at the same time.

“What’s wrong
with your shoulder?” Kaya tried to get around him to look, but he held out his
hand. “Nothing, just a scratch.”

She wasn’t
having it, “Let me see.”

“Oh my God, you
were shot!”  Kaya was no longer scowling. “You saved my life.”

“Really, it’s
just a little nick. I’ll be fine.”

“Mr. Stone, I
really should look at that.” Dante knew the wound would close up quickly, and
Kaya didn’t need to see it happen.

“Yes, go.” Kaya
looked as though she were going to cry. He reached out and touched her arm.

“Hey, I’m okay,
I promise. Let me get patched up. You still have a job to do here.” She nodded,
and he waited until she turned to her officers. He followed his brother to the
van. He unbuttoned his shirt and lowered it off his shoulder so Dante could put
a bandage on it.

Julian appeared
beside them and glanced at Rafe’s shoulder. “I found where the shot came from
as well as the casing. I examined it as thoroughly as I could without touching
it. It’s appears to be from an L115.”

“Isn’t that
British?” Frey was the expert, but Rafael knew a little about weaponry himself.

“Yes it is. The
scent of cigarettes was strong, like the shooter was chain smoking. I did find
one discarded butt that happens to be in my pocket. There was no sign of the
shooter. I followed his scent, but it disappeared into thin air. He is either really
fast, or I’m losing my touch. I’m pretty sure it’s the same shooter from
Saturday.”

Rafael froze.
“Excuse me?”

“I might have
taken a bullet when I met Miss Kane on Saturday.”

“And you’re just
now thinking to mention that fucking fact?” Rafe was almost yelling.    

“My apologies,
but I’m telling you now.” Julian had his hands up in the defensive position.

“First the
murders and now attempted murder? Rafe, we have to assume at this point someone
is after us.” Dante placed the final piece of tape on his shoulder and pulled
his shirt back up.

“Whoever it is
must be watching us. They knew someone would eventually find the bodies so the
shooter must have been waiting. Were the shots meant for us or Kaya?”

“That is the
question of the hour. I finally have all the security cameras in place.  Fin
and Uri are on around the clock shifts monitoring the feed. So far they have
seen absolutely nothing. Our killer is either lucky or better than we are.”
Julian was scanning the area as he spoke. “Your woman does not look happy.”

The three of
them turned at once to see Kaya looking at Rafael.