Untamed Fire (22 page)

He remained tucked back in the shadows of
the arches and watched as she began to dance. Her movements were
graceful, slow, and provocative. There was no urgency in her steps.
It was as though she waited... waited for someone.

The meaning of her dance struck him then. It
was an invitation, an invitation of passion... but for whom?

Rafael found his anger and passion explode
at the same moment and he walked out of the shadows toward
Gaby.

She ignored the dark silhouette that stood
only a few inches away from her. She knew he had been there
watching, though she would not acknowledge him... not yet.

Gaby continued to dance slowly, her languid
movements erotic while her eyes assessed Rafael. His intense eyes
glowed hot blue, a molten, fiery blue. His stance was rigid,
controlled, yet filled with contained passion. His jacket was gone,
his black ruffled shirt open to the middle of his chest, his dark
hair unkempt. He looked dangerous, sinfully dangerous.

She whirled around him, closer and closer
she danced. Her skirt fanned his pant leg, her sleeve brushed his,
touching, yet not touching.

“For whom do you dance, Gaby?” he whispered
as she stepped closer once more.

She stopped, backed away from him, a little
fearful and apprehensive. She would tell him the truth, no matter
the consequences. “You, Rafael.”

He stepped forward and ran his finger gently
down her soft cheek and across her full bottom lip. “No one else,
only me?”

His finger rested by her mouth when she
opened it to speak. “Only you.”

He ran his finger between her open lips and
Gaby couldn’t stop from catching it between her teeth and nipping
lightly as he pulled it away.

His words whispered on the warm night air,
tickling Gaby’s skin. “Dance for me,
querida
, only for
me.”

Her heart hammered in her chest, her
breathing grew difficult, and her stomach tingled.

“Dance!”

His aching demand filled her ears and she
obeyed. She moved as she had done earlier in the evening,
enticingly, bewitchingly. It was easy to dance with such
abandonment when passion filled one’s veins.

Gaby lost all control. She forgot where she
was, who she was, her only thought... to dance, dance to ease the
heat that consumed her.

Rafael stared mesmerized. He felt the
urgency building in him, the need. He wanted to touch and taste
every inch of her and make love to her all night long. The desire
had been there long before he had watched her dance. He wondered if
it had been there since the first time he had seen her, sitting
astride Bella. Her slim legs had been bare and they had been spread
wide across Bella’s back. Had he considered then how they would
feel wrapped around him?

His emotions exploded. He could bear no
more. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

Gaby came to a crashing halt against his
chest.

Rafael’s free hand captured a handful of her
long hair and pulled her head back so she would look straight into
his eyes.

“No more games,
querida
. I want
you.”

His kiss was so urgent it hurt. His mouth
bruised hers, demanding she give back, demanding she surrender.

Gaby whimpered from the force of his kiss,
and he slowly released her mouth.

He relinquished the tight hold on her hair
and gently brought her head to rest upon his chest. He stroked the
dark strands while she listened to his wildly beating heart.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered
harshly, as if the thought of doing harm to her pained him.

Gaby remained silent, not wanting to speak
or move. Her cheek rested against his bare chest, and though it was
hard from the thick muscles, there was also tenderness to it. She
was certain the feeling came from deep within his heart, and it
comforted her.

Rafael gently took her face in his hands,
his palms cupping her cheeks. “I want you.”

He scooped her up into his arms and her arms
went around his neck without hesitation.

“I’m going to make love to you,
querida
, all night until sunrise peaks on the horizon. Tell
me now if you do not want this and I will release you to return to
your room.”

Gaby looked into his eyes. He was sincere:
if she didn’t want this he would let her go. He would not force
her. He wanted her willing and with the understanding that there
would be no promises. No guarantees. No marriage. The decision was
hers. She had been honest with him and now he was offering her the
same.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to
think of what she should do, what was right and proper, but it was
difficult with being tucked against him. She could feel the
strength of him in his arms, his chest, and his legs as he held her
so effortlessly.

Gaby looked into his eyes and without a
word, but with a smile, rested her head on his chest and
surrendered.

“You won’t be sorry,
querida
,” he
whispered and walked from the courtyard toward his room.

I know. I will never be sorry. I love
you.

Rafael lowered Gaby’s feet to the floor in
his bed chamber and ran his finger along her chin before lifting it
up and kissing her softly. He turned, walked to the door, closed
it, and pushed the metal lock shut.

Gaby wasn’t sure what to do or how to react.
This was all so new to her and she was more than a little
frightened. Should she begin to undress? Should she wait? She
wished she knew what to do. She felt so helpless.

Rafael remained by the door, watching her.
She looked like a small frightened animal, caged and ready to run.
He didn’t want her this way, full of fear. It was passion he wanted
to see in her eyes, feel in her response. It had been there only
moments before. What had suddenly caused her emotions to shift?

A thought flashed through his mind, and he
walked toward her.

Gaby lowered her head as he approached,
focusing on her bare toes, which she was wiggling.

“Gaby.” His voice held no sternness or
demand. “Look at me.”

She lifted her head slowly, tilting it
slightly to the side, and peeked at him from the corners of her
eyes.

He smiled and Gaby’s heart melted. It was a
rich, sensuous smile, one that could easily disarm a woman in one
glance, and that’s exactly what it did, frightening her even
more.

She made to turn her head away, but Rafael
prevented it with the touch of his hand to her face. She found her
warm cheek cradled against his palm and it felt good. The rough
texture, the smell of leather, and clean flesh, yes, this was
right, so right and she wanted to linger in its comfort.

“Gaby, I need to ask you a question and I
need you to be honest.”

She looked at him then and waited.

“
Querida
, don’t look at me such, or
my resolve will melt away and you shall be stripped and spread on
that bed in seconds.”

Gaby swallowed the sudden lump in her
throat. She wasn’t certain how she was looking at him. She wasn’t
even certain how to prevent the look, so she tried as best she
could to wear a blank expression.

It must have worked for Rafael continued.
“Tell me, Gaby, have you ever been with a man?”

Gaby was startled. “Does it matter?” she
asked without thinking.

“Yes, very much.”

Gaby was about to lash out at him, but he
silenced her with his finger to her lips.

“It matters because I do not wish to hurt
you. I do not want you to feel pain or fear.”

She was touched by his thoughtfulness. He
didn’t have to ask her, but he cared enough to do so. It proved his
feelings ran deep, and she wished she could find a way to release
them and free his pain.

She answered the only way she could, with
honesty. “I have known no man.”

He ran his fingers down her neck and stroked
the silky flesh. “Then we will go slowly, easily, gently.”

His words soothed her, and she felt some of
her apprehension slip away, leaving only enough to make her wonder
over the evening ahead.

“Stay where you are,” he ordered in a
whisper.

She obeyed without thought, since she wasn’t
exactly certain what she should do.

Rafael walked about the room with Gaby’s
eyes following him. He proceeded to snuff out the candles with his
fingers. The one on the table near the window, the two on his
writing table, the one on his chest until there remained only one.
It sat on the small table next to his bed and cast a warm glow
across it. It bathed the blankets and pillows with a flickering
light while the rest of the room was consumed in darkness.

He came to stand before her, the darkness
nipping after him as he approached. It would have been difficult to
see him had he not been standing so closely. He reached his hand up
and began unfastening his shirt. He pulled it from his pants and
slipped out of it, letting it fall to the floor.

His chest was bare. It was wide and thick
with muscles. His arms too were sinewy. Gaby was certain her hand
could not even span half of his biceps.

He lowered his hands to his waist and untied
the red sash; it joined the shirt on the floor. He then reached out
to her and she jumped, startled by his unexpected touch.

“Easy,
querida
,” he whispered and ran
his hands down her arms, soothing her. “This night is ours.”

He was right. The night was theirs and only
that night... one night to love. Tomorrow was left for dreams.

His hand tugged at her blouse, pulling it
from her waistband until it was free. He leaned over and kissed her
as his fingers stole beneath, running along her warm flesh to her
full breasts.

His kiss bore no urgency and as he pulled
away, his teeth captured her lower lip and playfully tugged at it
before letting go.

Quickly he pulled the blouse up and over her
head, tossing it to the floor. Gaby stood perfectly still as he
took her hand in his and drew her toward the bed.

“Come, I wish to see you,” he said and
walked to the end of the bed, sitting down and drawing her between
his open legs.

He pushed her long hair away from her
breasts and quite calmly took one of her nipples into his
mouth.

Gaby felt the sensation to the tips of her
toes. He teased the nub with his tongue, licking, swirling,
nibbling. She placed her hands on his shoulders for support,
certain her legs would not hold her up much longer.

“You taste perfect, so perfect,” he said,
moving to the other nipple which was quick to respond.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders and
closed her eyes. He never left her breast as his hands freed her of
the remainder of her clothing. And when he was through, he held her
away from him to look upon her.

His eyes explored her slowly, and his hand
followed, caressing her breasts, gliding down over the curve of her
generous hips and along her flat stomach, until finally slipping to
the dark patch of hair between her legs. He rested there, snuggling
his fingers against her wetness.

“You are so beautiful,
querida
.”

Gaby quivered against him.

“No,” he whispered and spanned her waist
with his hands, lifting her and bringing her down, as he went, to
lie beside him. “Do not be afraid.”

He kissed her softly, offering
reassurance.

She found comfort in it and courageously
placed her hand against his chest.

He took her hand and brought it to his
mouth, kissing the palm. “I want to feel your flesh against
mine.”

He stood and removed the rest of his
clothing. He remained for a moment at the end of the bed, wanting
her to view him, wanting to dispel her fear.

Gaby looked upon him in fascination. He was
powerful, all of him, but it was a primitive power, and it
intimidated her.

He returned to stretch out beside her and
when he moved to pull her close, her hand shot out to press against
his chest as if to stop him. He eased it away slowly, drawing it
behind her back gently and bringing her chest to rest against
his.

“Oh,” she half-moaned enjoying the feel of
his warm hard flesh.

He laughed softly and the smile that
remained afterwards held a hint of wickedness to it.

She couldn’t help herself from saying, “You
feel good.”

He snuggled closer to her, slipping his
large leg between hers. “I’m glad you like the way I feel, but
there’s more to feel, much more.”

His mouth claimed hers so quickly that it
took her breath away. He kissed her fiercely, as though he had
waited a lifetime to claim her. She responded in kind, following
his lead, matching his strong desire with that of her own.

He eased his hand between them, his knee
spreading her legs. He had thought she might protest at his first
intimate touch, but she didn’t. She stiffened slightly, but as he
began to play against her moistness, her kiss took on a new
urgency. She felt so warm and wet upon him that it fueled his
passion. He wanted to know every part of her, taste every part of
her.

He tore his mouth from hers and sought her
breasts once again. Her fingers raked his hair as he tormented her
until she moaned with the want of him.

“Rafael.” His name was vital upon her
lips.

“Easy,
querida
, let me love you
slowly.” And with that, his fingers began to stroke her languidly,
working in a hypnotic rhythm that relaxed and tormented her all at
once.

Gaby pushed her head back and dug her
fingers into the blanket. Never had she thought a feeling like this
possible. Her body throbbed all over. She tried to twist and
turn—to pull away or draw nearer to him, she wasn’t certain. But he
held her firmly, his caress intimate, his kiss branding her skin
wherever his lips touched.

She felt as though she hung from a
precipice, waiting to fall and yet somehow she didn’t fear the
descent, she looked forward to it.