It took only a few short minutes for her to shatter, her cries swallowed by his hungry mouth. With supreme effort, Rafe pulled his hand from her still quivering body and leaned back to look. Ari’s flushed face and shocked expression almost made up for the fact that he was now rock-hard and hurting.
“You may hate me, but you fall apart in my arms,” he whispered as he brought his finger to his lips and licked the taste of her from his hand. Her eyes widened, making his erection jump with unfulfilled desire.
He’d been planning to prove something to her, but his lesson had royally backfired on him. He needed a minute to pull himself together. Just as she got her clothing straightened out, the flight attendant entered their cabin, and Ari jumped. He knew she was mortified at how close the two of them had come to getting caught with her half-naked. Her face heated as Rafe stood up.
Ari was offered a drink and something to eat, but she didn’t seem able to speak as his efficient staff member waited patiently. Rafe sent the middle-aged woman off to start their meal before throwing one more scorching look Ari’s way. When she refused to meet his gaze, he turned around.
Without saying another word, he walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. After about five minutes he was calm enough to join Ari again, but he knew if he didn’t take her that night, he might suffer permanent damage to his nether regions.
As Rafe leaned back in his chair, Ari’s gaze strayed to his, fear and excitement mingled in her eyes. He knew she was unsure of what was to come, and that was a good thing. It was best to keep her slightly out of control.
The less time he gave her to dwell on their situation, the more likely they both got something they wanted from each other. She needed him — he just had to make her realize that.
For the next fifteen minutes, the cabin remained uncomfortably silent as Rafe pulled out his laptop and checked through his e-mail. Ari’s gaze didn’t stray from the window, and as their meals were brought out, he had had enough.
“Why do you continue blaming yourself over your mother’s accident?” He wasn’t accusing her of anything; he truly didn’t understand it. For a moment, he thought she was going to refuse to answer him, but then he saw a sigh escape as she turned in his direction while picking up her fork and toying with the food in front of her.
“I was the one who called her out that night. She never would have left the house if it wasn’t for me.”
“You didn’t cause the accident. You didn’t cause her cancer. She had many unfortunate incidents occur in a row that were no one’s fault. As for selling the property, you had little choice. The medical bills had to be paid.”
“I would think you of all people would understand this, Rafe. You may despise women, but you obviously adore your parents and siblings. It doesn’t matter how much you or my mother or anyone else tells me that it’s not my fault, I still feel responsible. I can’t seem to make that feeling go away.”
“Would you be here now if you didn’t feel responsible?” He held his breath as he waited for her answer. She looked at him as if truly considering her words.
“Yes. I’m not here because I feel guilt over causing the wreck. I’m here because whether it was my fault or not, I have the chance to make my mother’s life a little bit better. She always sacrificed everything for me, and now it’s my turn to do the same for her. This has nothing to do with whether I’m responsible or not; this is about making my mom’s life a little bit better.”
“And if I tell you I want your total submission?” He felt himself holding his breath as he waited for her response. When a genuine smile flitted across her face, he fought not to join her with his own grin.
“Then I’d tell you that you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
Ari took a few bites of her meal, but when his attendant came back, she gave her the tray, then leaned against the seat and looked back out the window. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, her features relaxing as she involuntarily let down her guard.
Rafe found that he could gaze at her for limitless amounts of time and be perfectly content. Frustrated with himself, he opened his laptop back up and forced himself not to think about Ari for the next couple of hours. He had her where he wanted her — now he needed to focus on other priorities in his life.
It was easier said than done.
Chapter Three
“Ari, we’re here. Ari?”
Startled awake, Ari opened her eyes to find Rafe peering down at her. Darn, his little foreplay on the jet had zapped every ounce of her energy. She moved her neck, then winced as she felt the pinch. Sleeping while sitting up in a seat — even a chair as comfortable as the one on Rafe’s jet — was murder on the muscles.
“We’re in New York?”
“Yes, we’re pulling up to the hangar now. It’s seven, so I thought we’d grab a bite to eat before reaching the hotel.”
Ari’s nerves twisted into a tight coil when he mentioned the hotel. She knew what he expected, and it wasn’t a cold night in their room. What in particular was on the horizon? She had a suspicion that her obedience training would begin without delay.
Excitement wasn’t what she expected to feel coursing through her, but that’s exactly what it was. Rafe had a way of turning her body to jelly; say what she would, being with him wasn’t the end of the world.
Ari’s biggest fear in these precious last moments of freedom was of falling in love with him. He’d been more than honest in setting forth his feelings about their relationship. It was about sex and only sex for him — nothing more. Yes, she’d be a fool to fall for him. If he continued acting like an irredeemable jerk, it would be much easier for her to despise him. It was the moments of kindness he exhibited that scared her. She couldn’t resist his tenderness.
“I’m going to use your bathroom for a minute,” she said as she stiffly rose to her feet, grabbing her clutch before making her way to the back of the jet. As the large aircraft cruised to a stop, she had to hold on to the counters as she moved. She was thankful the jet stopped as she closed the bathroom door. She understood now why you weren’t supposed to leave your seat until the aircraft had come to a complete stop — it was difficult to remain standing.
Taking her time, Ari knew Rafe was probably glancing at his watch every fifteen seconds, but she didn’t care. She needed to pull herself together, so she washed her face and reapplied her makeup before choosing to join him again.