Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (28 page)

My
smile faded as I grew serious. “I’m so glad you came. I’ve missed you, Kadyn.”

He
nodded. “I’ve missed you too. I’m still not happy that you’re dating Rafael,
but I can see that he truly cares about you.”

My
feet stalled. The lump in my throat made it impossible to speak.

Kadyn
sighed as we resumed dancing. “I don’t want you to think I’ve given up on us,
because I haven’t.”

I
met his gaze, then nodded in understanding. “Have you decided to stay in the
military or are you separating at the end of the month?”

Kadyn
strengthened his hold on me as he rotated us on the dance floor. “I decided to
separate from the Air Force. I’ve accepted a position with the Department of
Homeland Security in Customs and Border Protection.”

I
stumbled through my next step. “Will you be staying in DC?”

Kadyn’s
eyes locked on mine. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here, Kri.”

My
breath rushed out all at once. “I’m glad. Can I call you when I get back from
Ukraine, so we can talk?”

Kadyn
pulled me flush against his chest as the song ended. His voice broke when he
spoke. “I’d like that. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head home now. You be
safe in Ukraine, Kri.”

I
peered up at Kadyn through watery eyes. “I will.”

He
ran his thumb over my lips. His thumb slid away as his lips brushed against
mine. “Happy birthday, Kri.”

I
hugged him as hard as I could. “Thank you, Kadyn.”

“Be
safe,” he repeated as he turned to walk away.

I
stood motionless on the dance floor as I watched him say goodbye to Lexie. He
glanced at me one last time before he walked out the door.

“Are
you okay?” Rafael asked as he joined me.

I
nodded as I wrapped my arm around his lower back and leaned into him. “Thank
you for inviting him.”

Rafael
hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my face toward his. He studied my
face, then brushed away the tears. “I would do anything to see you smile.”

“Anything?”
I asked teasingly.

“Anything,”
he confirmed.

I
glanced over at Lexie. “Would you drive my cousin home so she can ride in your
car? I’ll ride with her husband so he doesn’t get lost.”

Rafael
chuckled softly. “I can do that. I assume they’re staying in your guest room?”

I
nodded. “I want you to spend the night too.” I stared at my hands as they lingered
on his chest. My eyes slid shut when I felt his heart beat against my hand. I
longed to press my chest against his… to feel his heart beat in time with mine.
My fingers clutched at his shirt. “How will I ever leave you?”

His
forehead fell against mine. “I pray you never do.”

*
* * * * *

I
zipped my suitcase, set it upright, then rolled it toward the door. I glanced
over at Lexie, who was sprawled out on top of my bed. “Well, that’s it in a
nutshell.”

Her
bangs fluttered against her forehead as she blew out a long breath. “Wow. I
don’t envy you that decision one bit.” She sat up and fluffed my pillows before
reclining against the headboard. She patted the spot next to her. “You know how
much I like Kadyn. I think he’s a phenomenal guy, but I’ve known him longer
than Rafael.”

I
climbed onto the bed and stretched out next to her. “It should have been easy
for me to slide back into a relationship with Kadyn. I love him, and I know
he’s a good guy, but when we tried dating again, nothing felt right. It seemed
like we were trying too hard and the timing wasn’t right.”

Lexie
sighed. “How do you feel when you’re with Rafael?”

“I
can’t seem to resist Rafael.” I laughed softly. “Not that I’ve really tried. He’s
so easy to be with. For some reason my relationship with him just feels right. I
trust him… I love him… shoot, I think I may even be
in love
with him. I
don’t know how he did it, but the guy has completely stolen my heart in just
six weeks’ time.”

Lexie
squeezed my hand. “I hope I can get to know Rafael better while I’m here. He
seems like a really good guy, and he’s obviously in love with you. I’m kind of
surprised he’s not going to Ukraine with you, though. Why is that?”

I
rolled over to face her on the bed. “He’s been pushing to go to Ukraine with
me. I told him I need to prove to my coworkers that I can do this on my own.” I
sighed heavily. “He’s going to Paris to talk to Michael while I’m in Ukraine.
He wants to talk to him in person about the two of us dating and his intentions
for our relationship.”

A
single eyebrow arched questioningly over Lexie’s bright blue eyes. “His
intentions?”

I
smiled. “For some crazy reason he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He
told me he has every intention of marrying me.”

Lexie
groaned dramatically. Then she giggled. “I’m not surprised. I tried to tell you
the guy was in love with you when he brought you to Great Falls in November,
but would you listen to me?
Noooo.
”

I
grabbed the pillow from behind my head and smacked her with it. I laughed at
the stunned look on her face. “You are such a know it all!”

Lexie
scrambled to her knees as she hit me over the head with the pillow. “Well, if
you’d listen to me, you wouldn’t get into so much trouble!”

I
reached for Lexie’s pillow just as Rafael cleared his throat. “If I’d known you
were having a pillow fight, I would have come up a lot sooner.”

Lexie
bashed me in the head with the pillow as I turned to face Rafael. I glared at
her. “You don’t fight fair.”

She
shrugged. “Never have. You’ve known me for thirty years, Kri. You should know
that by now.”

Rafael
laughed. “I hate to break this up, but someone has a flight to catch.”

I
grudgingly climbed out of bed. I finger combed the knots out of my hair as I
turned to face Lexie. “Do you want to come to the airport with us?”

She
shook her head. “No way. I’ll cry, then you’ll cry, then your makeup will be a
mess. They’ll make you sit in the back of the plane because you look so hideous,
and then you’ll be mad at me the entire flight.”

I
lunged for Lexie, pinned her to the bed, and whacked her with the pillow
multiple times.

Rafael
pulled me off of her. “Give her a hug and say goodbye.”

Lexie
eyed me with a bit more respect as she climbed from the bed. “You’ve been
working out.”

I
nodded as I pulled her in for a rib crushing hug. “I love you, cuz.”

“I
love you too,” she responded softly.

Rafael
glanced at Lexie as he reached for my suitcase. “Are you still up for going out
to dinner tonight?”

Lexie
grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“You’re
taking my cousin out to dinner without me?” I whined irritably. “Why?”

Rafael
laughed. “I kind of like her. How could I not after she threatened to kick my
ass if I ever hurt you?”

I
narrowed my eyes at Lexie. “You behave yourself while I’m gone. You can use my
jeep, and you can stay here as long as you’d like, but don’t even think about redecorating
my place with that wild, contemporary art you like so much… and don’t try to
negotiate any cows or goats out of Rafael in exchange for my hand in marriage.”

Rafael’s
face lit up. “She can do that?”

Lexie
laughed. “I hold more sway than her dad!”

Rafael’s
eyes met mine. He looked like he’d just won the Super Bowl. “Good to know.”

I
tracked Nate down and gave him a quick hug before following Rafael out to his
SUV, which he’d parked in front of my garage.

Rafael
shoved both suitcases into the back before pulling the passenger door open for
me. He reached for my arm just before I slid into the seat. “Wait.”

I
tossed my purse onto the passenger seat and turned to face him. “For what?”

His
eyes warmed. “For this.” He gathered me in his arms and gazed into my eyes for
a good six or seven heartbeats. “I love you,” he finally breathed.

My
heart stumbled against my chest as he held my gaze. “I love you too, Rafael.”

He
crushed me against his chest as he pulled me in for a passionate kiss.

My
lips parted on a sigh. Rafael deepened the kiss. I locked my arms around his
neck. I didn’t want to let him go. He hiked my legs around his hips and
staggered against the side of the SUV. My head fell back as he began kissing my
neck. He nipped at my breasts through my thin cotton shirt.

Desire
spun through me as he pressed every hard angle of his body into mine. I tangled
my hands in his hair, then gently tugged him from my chest. “You can’t get me
all worked up, then leave me hanging like this… not for eighteen days.”

He
glanced at his watch, then slammed the passenger side door. He locked the
Navigator with his key fob as he carried me toward his garage door. I was still
wrapped around his hips and neck.

I
giggled as he struggled with the code to his garage.

He
grew fiercely determined as he typed the code once more. The garage door hummed
as it slid into the ceiling. “You’re lucky Reagan National Airport is ten
minutes up the road,” he growled.

He
strode through the garage before climbing the stairs to his kitchen. He sat me
on top of the center island, pulled my shirt and bra off, then quickly
unbuttoned my jeans. I kicked my jeans and panties off. He removed his shirt while
I unbuttoned his jeans. I watched as they fell to the floor.

Rafael
pulled me to the edge of the counter. I wrapped my legs around his hips. His
warm mouth latched onto my breast just before he thrust into me. “Yes,” I
moaned.

Rafael’s
lips made their way to my other breast as he pressed me against the cold
granite countertop. His hands tucked under my back and clamped down on my
shoulders as he drove into me. Stars bit at the back of my eyes.

His
lips met mine as he pulled me off of the counter. In two short steps, he had me
pinned against the wall. His eyes were dark. His voice was husky, possessive,
and raw. “I want you to remember this… remember how my body feels buried inside
of yours… remember how much I want you… how much I love you, Kristine.”

Rafael
held my hands against the wall as he slowly eased away from me. He plunged
forcefully back inside, then stilled. My fingernails dug into the backs of his
hands as my body quivered. I tightened my legs around his hips, trying to draw
him in as he pulled away from me again. “More,” I whimpered.

He
drove inside of me in long, hard strokes. I hung suspended with need as he
released my hands. He reached behind me to brace his hands between my back and
the wall before thrusting even harder.

I
braced my elbows on his shoulders and tangled my fingers in his hair. “Yes,” I
whispered. “Harder.”

That
one word was his undoing. Rafael’s lips crashed against mine as he slammed into
me hard and fast… winding me tighter and tighter… then pushing me toward
release. We both stilled as he unleashed the perfect storm. I clung to his neck
as the waves pulled me under, over and over again.

Rafael
held me against the wall until we caught our breath. I untangled my legs from
his hips and slid down his body until my feet were on the floor. Rafael kissed
me one last time before he released me.

My
legs shook as I gathered up my clothes. I glanced at Rafael as he pulled his
jeans on. “How am I supposed to live without that for the next eighteen days?”

He
tugged his shirt over his head, then grinned. “I make long distance house
calls. You say the word, and I’m on the next plane to Ukraine.”

I
laughed as I stepped into my jeans. “I just might do that.” I pulled my shirt
back on and grabbed my shoes as we made our way back to the SUV.

Rafael
helped me into the passenger seat before sliding behind the wheel. He glanced
at me as he turned onto King Street. “Do you have your passport?”

I
pulled the cell phone from my purse and snapped a picture of him. “Yes, I have
my passport.”

He
looked mildly annoyed as he turned onto Route 1. “What are you doing?”

I
shrugged. “I want to be able to look at your handsome face while we’re apart.”

He
chuckled as he reached for his cell phone and snapped a picture of me. “That’s
actually a very good idea.” He glanced at the picture and sighed. “Do you have any
idea how difficult it is for me to let you go?”

My
heart clenched as my eyes met his. “This isn’t easy for me either. Saying
goodbye to you has always been difficult for me.”

 “I
really wish I was going with you,” he noted softly.

I
nodded. I was already regretting the fact that I’d told him not to come. “You
need to talk to Michael. I think that’s far more important than tagging along
with me. Besides, I’ll be teaching all day. The only time we’d get to be
together would be in the evenings.”