Page 49 of Raphael

A small gasp escaped her. She opened her mouth, then closed it, her lips thinning in displeasure.

“You are definitely not Aaron,” she snickered.

I chuckled. “You’re right. I’m not.” A satisfied gleam entered her eyes, but my next words squashed it. “I prefer women andonlywomen in my bed. Unlike the pompous prick that hides behind you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that your on-again, off-again boyfriend shouldn’t be a fucking coward and hide behind you to keep his image up. If he prefers men, he should man up and say so.”

“Holy fuck,” she muttered appalled. Okay, it would seem Sailor was unaware of her boyfriend’s preferences. “Aaron is bi?”

“You never knew?” I questioned her, surprised.

She shook her head. “Hell no. I just thought he-” She pushed her hand through that platinum mane of hers. “I don’t know what I thought. It just kind of worked for me because it was merely platonic.”

Fuck, my day was looking up. I didn’t know why it thrilled me to hear there was nothing between her and the pompous prick.

“Anyhow, all of that's beside the point. I won’t marry you.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “You will, Sailor. And you’ll thank me on your knees.” Her cheeks stained red at the insinuation. Truthfully, it wasn’t how I meant it, but I liked the way her mind worked. “You’ll do it for Gabriel. To keep him safe.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, contemplating her options. There were none. But for some reason, I loved tormenting her, letting her believe she had a way out. When she didn’t.

“If I marry you,” she started, “I can leave whenever I want?”

No.“Sure.”

“Will it be safe for Gabriel and me to leave?”

I reached out and took her chin between my fingers. I couldn’t resist running a thumb over her bottom lip. I watched her delicate neck bob as she swallowed. Her skin was so damn fair that my fingers already left imprints on her delicate skin.

“It will always be safe for Gabriel and you.”

But not to leave. Never to leave.

Because my web had been weaved and I finally found you.

ChapterTwenty-Three

SAILOR

We landed on a small landing strip a little after lunchtime.

The moment we stepped off the plane, I took in the idyllic island. Crystal blue waters surrounded the land, and I heard Gabriel gasp next to me.

“You like it?” I asked him, smiling. It was clear that he did. His eyes shifted left, then right, then left again. Curiosity and excitement shone in them.

As soon as my shoes hit the ground, Raphael urged me forward where a black Jeep Sahara waited for us. The top was down, doors were off and Gabriel squealed in delight, running towards it.

“I want one when I grow up, Mom,” he announced as he hopped in the back seat.

“I’ll make sure you have one,” Raphael answered. I glared at him, annoyed that he’d answer on my behalf.

“I didn’t know your name was Mom,” I muttered sarcastically under my breath. Gabriel didn’t hear me but Raphael did. I shot him a side-glance. “Collecting some brownie points?”

He slid into the Jeep and put it into drive. “I need some brownie points with Gabriel’s mom. Any suggestions?”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom loves dogs, ice cream, and the beach,” Gabriel chimed in, grinning happily. “And drinking wine with Aunt Aurora and Aunt Willow.”