Protected

Chapter Thirty-One: Aurora

The subtle clink of ceramic on glass stirred me from sleep, but my eyes sealed heavily. Comforted by the warm aroma of coffee wafting into the air, I inhaled a deep breath and rolled onto my back. Stretching my arms, I opened one eye to confirm it hadn't been a dream. I was still in Spain. Holding the back of my left hand close to my face, I studied my fake wedding ring. 

I'm still with Rafael.

I knew from the cold covers at my side that he hadn't slept in the bed, which meant I didn't have a nightmare. And, as I thought back to last night and how vulnerable I'd become, I was torn.

Would something have happened if I wasn't alone in that bed?

Rolling onto my side, my view was of the balcony, where Rafael sat alone with a steaming cup of coffee. His fingers intertwined against the back of his head, giving way to his flexed muscles that captivated my attention when I'd realized he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Maybe he is trying to kill me.

Everything about him was lethal, and I knew he had the power to break my heart while I stared at him from behind. The golden glow of the sun kissed his skin while he seemed so relaxed, which wasn't the man I'd known those last days, but he was proving to be a mystery to me with a new layer of his humanity peeled open each day we spent together.

Watching him sip his coffee and simply be, my chest ached. Rafael belonged there, calm and human, with me. I swallowed the lump in my throat knotting with my heart. He flipped my world upside down but, for the first time in thirty years, it felt someone had flipped it right. Rafael had consistently been present, committed, and the way my heart trusted him irrevocably left me terrified.

His wedding band tapped the ceramic mug when he lowered his left hand to pick it up. I wondered what he was thinking about as he sat out there, and also how long I'd slept because the sun was low in the sky.

Pulling a blanket around my shoulders, I shuffled across the room to the balcony. He heard me coming and scooted out the chair next to him.

"Hi," I quietly greeted him, plopping into the chair. He sipped his coffee and smiled. "What're you doing out here all alone?"

"I wasn't alone. My bodyguard was sleeping the whole time. She missed breakfast, the sunrise, and she's about to miss sunset," he joked, lifting my ankles into his lap. The casual gesture caught my breath. Nobody had ever cared enough to do something so heavily simple. Rafael squeezed his hands around my ankles as I sighed, gazing around.

"Things look different," I observed. "What time is it?"

He smirked. "Time for dinner. You slept the entire day. I didn't want to wake you. We both know you needed that rest."

"Since when do you also take care of people like me?"

"People like you?" Rafael rolled his eyes. "You mean, my best friend?"

His smile softened the ache I had felt, letting it unravel in my chest.

"Where'd you sleep?" I thought back to the bed and tightened how the blanket wrapped around me, grateful when some hair fell over my eyes because then I wasn't fixed on staring at his chest.

"Floor."

I lightly kicked my heel on his leg, watching him feign injury. "Stop doing that. You need to sleep in bed, too. I'm not some delicate princess, Rafael. I don't need you to spoil me at your expense."

He coughed a laugh and moved my feet to the ground, then he stood and towered over me, blocking the light behind his imposing frame.

"I know what you need," he declared.

"Yeah, Muscles?"

Hands on his hips, Rafael glanced to the side while he laughed, letting me steal a look at him.

Sighing with his deliriously beautiful smile, he told me, "You need one night to live."

"You say that like it could be my last." I shuddered. It had always been hanging over me, but being with him those last few days made me feel alive again, and like nobody stood a chance against me as long as Rafael protected me... And now protected whatever was between us. Maybe I'm losing my mind.

He took my chin in his fist, lifting my gaze to meet his intensely narrowed eyes.

"Never," he declared. My heart unraveled like molten layers of acceptance while his pointed stare burned into my vision. Lifting an eyebrow, he tipped his head and smiled, smoldering moment over.

Rafael handed me his coffee cup. "Drink some coffee, take a shower, and get dressed. I'm taking you for dinner. Or breakfast to you, I guess." He combed his fingers through his hair and gazed out over the balcony. "We're not going far."

"But," I paused, looking away, "we can't go somewhere, and we can't without a weapon."

"Hello?" Rafael folded his palms over my shoulders and I swore I melted as they moved down my arms to hold me in place. My eyes shifted everywhere but him, knowing he'd sensed my worry. "Eyes up," he commanded, his voice low, continuing only when I met his concerned gaze. "I'm yours, your weapon, your shield." I nodded, letting a breath slip through my pursed lips while I calmed the familiar nerves twisting my throat. "Your friend," he added, his hopeful smile tugging his lips, stifling my anxiety.

Nodding, I accepted his coffee before he followed me into the room.