Harder, faster, harder, faster. He grit his teeth and somehow held on as she trembled and finally screamed her climax, her entire body quaking with the force of it.
She reached up and began yanking on his jeans. He took the hint. He undid his button and stripped naked while she did the same. And then he was over her again, his hands thrusting through her hair at the same time he plunged hard and deep, his engorged member sliding into her hot, moist sheath.
She arched her back, bent her knees and not only accepted all of him but pulled him impossibly deeper. He thought he’d explode right then.
Her fingers gripped the back of his hair, and he pulled out, only to thrust in harder.
“Rafe!”
She called out his name, a mix of pleasure and pain, and he understood. He couldn’t take it, either, but he definitely couldn’t stop. In. Out. In. Out. All the while, her ragged breathing sounded harsh and wonderful in his ear.
In. Out. In. Out. She gasped, her breaths more rapid now.
He couldn’t hold on another second, but he had to take her with him.
In. Out. In. Out.
“Come with me,” he said, his words gruff, barely out of his mouth before the most intense orgasm shook him, body and soul. Quaking tremors rippled through him, over and over, along with “I love you,” words he’d never meant to utter but couldn’t control.
SARA LAY AWAKE in Rafe’s arms, cuddled together on the couch. He’d passed out on the couch, falling into a deep sleep. He didn’t move a muscle when the phone rang, nor did he roll over as Sara wiggled free. She missed the call and let it go to voice mail, but the message left by the captain couldn’t have been clearer.
Drive home tomorrow. Court the day after.
Not a minute too soon, Sara thought.
In fact, the order had come way too late. Too late to protect them from the inevitable heartbreak she’d known would come. There was a way to make it easier, though.
Sara saved the message for Rafe to hear. Then she took a quick shower, tossed her things into her suitcase and was ready to leave within the hour.
She knew from Coop that Amanda’s fake story about Rafe and Sara’s honeymoon departure was ready to run on the Bachelor Blog with the hit of the send button. As soon as she was in the car, Sara would call Coop and have him tell Amanda that it was time. The Internet would spread the story in seconds. The Daily Post would follow up with it on the evening edition. Morley and his men would think Sara had fled the country rather than testify, and nobody would be expecting her back in New York.
Ready to leave, she paused only to stop by the couch where Rafe slept. She took the knitted blanket on the arm of the sofa and covered him. Then she knelt by his side. A lock of hair had fallen over his forehead, giving him a boyish look she rarely associated with him, making him seem more vulnerable than she knew him to be. Hurting him was the last thing she’d ever want to do, and she believed that her leaving without forcing them to rehash their opposing views was kinder to them both.
But kinder did nothing to diminish the pain slicing through her heart, because she loved him, too.
She didn’t miss the irony, either. She, the big bad cop who wasn’t afraid of anything—except for believing in love and happily ever after.
She pressed a kiss to his cheek and rose to her feet. Nausea filling her, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
She didn’t leave him a note. She wouldn’t know what to say, and the answering machine message would provide enough of an explanation.
NICK HAD JUST LEFT their second try at marriage counseling. Another session of him doing the talking and Angel maintaining her silence.
Nick had had it.
He’d done what was expected of him by his brother and the rest of the family. He’d put himself out there and opened himself up to his wife. He’d reached out and tried to understand—and even accept Angel’s need to run her own business. All before she’d ever given an inch in meeting him halfway.
He was finished trying. If she wanted to fix their marriage, she’d have to come to him.
RAFE JUMPED UP and realized he’d fallen asleep on the couch. Loud banging on his door told him what had woken him, and when he stood, he discovered he was still naked.
Where was Sara?
He pulled on his jeans while the knocking on the door continued. “I’m coming!”
He headed for the door and let his visitor inside. “Nick! What are you doing here?”
“I have to talk to you.” He glanced beyond Rafe and looked around the room. “Where’s Sara?”
Rafe rubbed his eyes, still groggy and half-asleep. “She’s probably in the shower.”
Nick shook his head. “Her car’s gone.”
That woke him up. “What?” He started for the door, but Nick’s voice stopped him.
“Her car’s gone.”
Rafe’s gut churned. “Maybe she went to the store.”
His churning gut denied that possibility.
They’d made love, and she’d taken off?
What the hell… He looked around the family room for a note and didn’t find one.
He headed for the bedroom next. Sure enough, all signs of Sara were gone. From the open suitcase on the floor, to the toothbrush in the bathroom and piles of clothes on the floor in between.
Gone.
Rafe walked back into the other room.
“There’s a message on your answering machine,” Nick said, pointing to the kitchen counter.
Feeling like a ball of lead had settled in his stomach, Rafe strode to the machine and hit Play. The captain’s voice flooded the room. “Court date scheduled for nine o’clock in the morning day after tomorrow. Hit the road in the morning. See you soon.”
“Well, that explains the why,” Nick said too cheerfully.
Rafe shot him a dirty look. “We’d agreed that when it was time to go back, we’d go together. She had all day tomorrow to get on the road.”
They’d made love, and she’d taken off.
That explained the why. He’d told her he loved her and then, stupidly, contentedly, fallen asleep.
“What the hell was I thinking?” he muttered.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Rafe ran a hand through his hair. “Tell me why you’re here.”
Nick groaned. “Because I’m participating in one-sided marriage counseling, and it’s pissing me off.”
“And you want my advice?” Rafe let out a harsh laugh. “What do I know about love? Sara’s gone.” And it damn near killed him that she could walk out the door after all they’d shared.