Page 233 of Wrong Marriage. Right Groom
And set me down carefully.
As if I were something he was trying very hard not to break—or lose control over.
Before I could fully process it, he was over me.
One hand beside my shoulder, the other bracing on the mattress, his body lowering until he caged me in without pressing down on me.
Fully clothed. Still restrained. But the restraint felt... temporary now.
“You tempt me every single day, Loretta,” he muttered, staring down at me like he was finally allowing himself to say something he had been swallowing for a long time.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Damn...” A rough exhale left him. “You are so beautiful.”
The words hit differently than I expected.
My gaze dropped instinctively—just for a second.
And I saw it.
The unmistakable strain of him against his trousers.
The proof of everything he had been fighting to contain.
Heat rushed through me so fast it almost stole my breath.
I shouldn’t have looked.
But I had.
And now I couldn’t unsee it.
Rafael noticed my reaction immediately.
His eyes sharpened slightly, like he was deciding whether to pull away or give in further.
Neither happened.
Instead, he leaned down.
Slower this time.
His lips met mine.
The first kiss was controlled—measured, almost cautious, like he was still testing the boundary he had spent weeks refusing to cross.
But control never lasts forever when it’s already breaking.
The second kiss deepened.
Then the third lost any patience entirely.
My fingers curled instinctively into his shirt as the space between us vanished completely.
His mouth moved against mine with growing urgency, no longer restrained, no longer careful—just hungry, consuming, as if something inside him had finally snapped free.
His hand slid behind my neck, anchoring me closer.
