Page 134 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
Something flashes in his gaze, but it’s gone so quickly I decide I imagined it. “It would have been too obvious. It’s better we stay somewhere off the grid until things settle down.”
That makes sense. “So where are we going?”
“To one of Orrin’s houses.”
“Will Dem and Vale come to see us soon?”
Ras coughs. “I’m not sure.”
“Will you ask the next time you call Dem?”
There’s a slight pause before he says, “I will.”
“When can I call Cleo?” I want to know how she’s doing. She must be worried about me, although Vale’s probably told her I’m with Ras.
“I’ll get some burner phones in town when we go shopping tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I smile at him.
We drive for about fifteen minutes and then turn onto a windy cliff-side road lined with simple houses, so I’m not expecting the stunning villa that appears when we reach the end of a narrow driveway.
“Wow,” I breathe. Whitewashed walls, terracotta-tiled roof, and vibrant-blue wood shutters on the windows. The property is tucked behind a dense barrier of trees, so it’s completely hidden from the main road.
Ras unlocks the antique-looking wooden door and holds it open for me.
The interior of the villa is just as stunning as the exterior. I manage to take in the high ceilings with wooden beams that run across them and the rustic furniture, but the showstopper is the view. My jaw falls open. “Holy shit.”
The windows face the Mediterranean, and the breathtaking view of the water is framed with two olive trees.
“Do you like it?” Ras asks, appearing at my side.
For a moment, fantasy merges with reality. It’s so easy to believe that we’ve just arrived at a perfect vacation home where we plan to spend the next few weeks wrapped up in each other.
We’re here all alone.
Ras and I can do whatever we want without fear of being discovered. Without checking the clock to make sure it isn’t time for us to be somewhere else.
The realization sends a tingle down my spine.
It’s just him and I in this beautiful house, pretending we’re dating.
Dating.
The word feels woefully inadequate to describe what’s happening between the two of us right now.
“Of course I like it,” I whisper, watching as a flock of birds cross the sky in a V-formation.
I get it then—what Vale meant when she said she wanted a clean break from her life in New York. Our flight couldn’t have been more than nine hours, but it feels like we’re a world away from that place. The idea of letting go of everything that happened there is seductive, even if only for a few days.
Can I let myself forget? Can I enjoy these moments with Ras and take some time to heal without all that baggage hanging over me?
I’m not sure. But I resolve to try for a few days.
I slip my hand through Ras’s. “Let’s go explore everything.”
He looks down at me with a tender smile and my heart swells in response.
We spend the next half an hour exploring every nook and cranny of the property before finally lying down on a daybed that overlooks the hot tub and the pool. Ras tucks me against his side and wraps his arm around me, careful to avoid the area that’s hurt.
