by Fiona Murphy
Table of Contents
Rafael's Woman (BBW Erotic Romance)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Rafael’s Woman
Carrie Whitney’s young twin brothers have messed up one too many times and if she can’t get Rafael Castillo to change his mind then they are going into juvenile detention and they’ll be lost to her. She has no choice but to go to Rafael to beg for her brothers to be given another chance. Nothing goes as planned, and in a whirlwind of tears and accusations Carrie finds herself in the arms of a man she knows has the power to make or break her world. He wants her, short and chubby Carrie never believed a man like him could want her but she knows it from the look in his eyes and his touch. Never expecting to find someone like him, she is willing to take him anyway she can get him. Too soon and yet not soon enough she’s begging him for what she knows he’s only prepared to offer her. A relationship based only in her bedroom, no promises, no holding hands and she’s sure she can hold out long enough until he figures out he cares about her the way she knows he does. Yet, as the weeks turn into months without the words she needs Carrie isn’t sure she can continue. Far too quickly the question becomes, has she read into his touches and kisses more than there was or does he love her as much as she loves him? If he does love her then why won’t he move them out of the bedroom into the world outside of it and if he doesn’t how long can she continue to simply be Rafael’s Woman?
Rafael Castillo wasn’t expecting the tiny woman with the bright blue eyes to turn his world upside down and he doesn’t like it. It doesn’t matter what he wants, family expectations mean a woman like Carrie is off limits. She’ll want and deserve marriage and she isn’t the type of woman he’s expected to marry. Her offer of a sex only relationship is a blessing and curse, he doesn’t care what she says he can see the love in her eyes. Lying to himself he takes what’s offered and plunges deep into something he never thought he’d feel or know again. He’s always disdained the hot-headed Latin stereotype so why the hell does the idea of sharing or seeing Carrie with anyone else but him send his temper soaring? This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go and now that he’s lost in her beautiful body the way out of their nights locked in her room away from the pressures of expectation is harder to find.
Rafael’s Woman
By Fiona Murphy
Copyright © 2013 by Fiona Murphy
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design by Cheeky Covers
Chapter One
For the fifth time, her eyes strayed to the antique gilded grandfather clock in the corner of the room. She wanted to scream when she saw she had now been left waiting for over an hour. Squeezing her hands into fists she flexed them while forcing several deep breaths. Rafael Castillo was an asshole, this was bullshit. Fuck, positive thoughts Carrie, think positive thoughts, she told herself. She absolutely could not go in there angry and further antagonize him with so much on the line already. After all, she hadn’t made an appointment as the secretary at the desk had warned. He was a busy man, she couldn’t expect him to drop everything for her, the woman’s words had been cool as she warned Carrie about waiting. Carrie had no choice, she couldn’t turn around and go home without at least trying to talk to Rafael Castillo so she’d been firm when she told the woman she’d wait. Still, it had been over an hour and no one had come or gone through the door. She was wasting precious time here, her boss had been nice enough to say she could come in when she could because Tuesdays were slow nights. At the same time any tables were better than none. Traffic would be hell to get from downtown Dallas to Fort Worth, by the time she got home it wouldn’t be worth it to go into work.
The secretary smiled as she caught her eye. Over the last hour the woman had gone from chilly toward Carrie to almost polite, even offering coffee or tea almost a half hour ago. Carrie had declined, not wanting to put the woman to any bother. Carrie was already overwhelmed by the discreetly elegant waiting area and middle-aged well-dressed secretary who appeared to be wearing designer clothes. Looking down at the black pants bought for the stretchy give to them in case she went back up in weight, she swallowed her discomfort. The pants had been bought with only cost and comfort for now and maybe gaining back weight she had lost, as she had so often done in the past. It was how she thought when she bought all her clothes at the thrift stores now. While she had managed to lose quite a bit of weight, she was still considered plus size and there was always a part of her that worried she would gain it back. The button down white blouse was very old and soft and a size too big. While she knew most women would think the oversize shirt was a fashion statement, Carrie had only cared it was cheap and fit. For her, it was the uniform she wore to waitress, it was easy to bleach to keep clean and if it got ruined she wouldn’t cry over the three dollar cost of throwing it away.
Frowning as she remembered how she’d looked in the mirror before she left to come here, she knew it wasn’t the best outfit to go into a meeting with a man who owned the thirty story building the office she was in now. Only she hadn’t known he owned it when she came to talk to him. Finding the building had been easy, Castillo Construction had been on the outside of the building, her stomach had flipped when she found the whole building was owned by the company. Furtively, she undid the ponytail she had pulled her hair into for ease. She knew her long blonde hair was one of her best features, it didn’t matter that it hadn’t been professionally cut in close to six months. Right now, she knew she needed as much help as she could get. Trust her brothers to fuck up against a company of this scale.
Not for the first time she wanted to strangle the twins. She loved them, she did. It didn’t stop her from daydreaming they were civilized and weren’t such a constant drain on her patience. For now, her neighbor was babysitting. Carrie had emphasized the word, satisfaction had shot through her at their groans. Yes, babysitting even though they were fourteen years old because they were already in such deep shit she didn’t trust them anymore.
“Ms. Whitney, Mr. Castillo will see you now.” The husky voiced secretary announced. Giving the woman a weak smile of thanks, Carrie crossed to the door by the woman’s desk.
Opening the door, it moved without a sound. The man behind the desk is on the phone with his attention on the computer monitor. Speaking Spanish in a rapid fire almost melodic way had Carrie’s hair on the back of her neck standing up. He had one of the sexiest voices she had ever heard before. It was deep and smooth with a hint of smoke and it rumbled out of him and made Carrie wonder what it would be like to have him whispering in her ear. Where the heck had that come from, her mind screamed. Desperately, she sought to banish the thought by focusing on the man rather than the voice and made it worse. Carrie found it hard to swallow as her whole body went still, holy shit he was gorgeous. The thought had barely formed before his eyes went up to hers and glared. Shock hit her to see they were a hypnotic hazel instead of the brown she would have thought. His skin was a light ca
ramel color stretched tight over a stern brow, hawkish nose and cheekbones that were as sharp as his chin. He had black hair that glowed with silver already in several places and she wondered how old he was. Then she cursed her stupid thought, it didn’t matter how old he was. Tightening her purse across the front of her as if in protection, she didn’t dare take the seat in front of his desk. Biting the inside of her lip, she forced herself to deep breathe again. Despite wanting to run from the crazy response she was having to him, she didn’t have a choice, she had to at least try and talk to him.
Pulling her eyes from him was harder than she wanted it to be. Damn it, this wasn’t a good time for her long forgotten libido to stir. Besides, a man who looked like him wouldn’t be interested in a chubby thing like her when he could have any woman who looked at him. At the sound of the phone crashing into the base with force her head went up.
“Mrs. Whitney, please have a seat.” His accent was so faint it startled her after the flood of Spanish he had spoken.
“Thank you and it’s Ms., Mr. Castillo.” It was obvious he didn’t like the correction so she hurried on, “I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I understand you’re busy and appreciate you doing so. I’m here about Riley and Elliot Turner. I want to apologize about what they did and let you know I am so sorry. We will pay for the damage done. I’m pleading with you to drop the charges. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you they are good boys and don’t deserve to pay for what they did. Obviously, if they were good they wouldn’t have broken into your worksite and vandalized and damaged it. They know perfectly well it was wrong and did it anyway. They’re bored and unchallenged young boys. I’m willing to admit they are hovering on the wrong path but if they go to juvenile detention I’ve heard it will send them down that path and I won’t get them back.
This is my fault, I had to move them from Austin to Fort Worth when I lost my job. They were in advanced classes and kept busy there. Since we moved here I haven’t been able to get them enrolled into a good school. They haven’t been challenged and are bored and looking for trouble. Over the summer I used to enroll them in math and science camps. This year I waited too long and used up too much savings in Austin and didn’t have the money. Please don’t do this, I’ll make sure they are punished but please don’t press charges on them.”
Leaning back in the large leather chair, he studied her far more intently than she wanted him too because her body began to hum from having his eyes on her. “Ms. Whitney, your children are ill-behaved savages. How exactly are you going to pay for over three hundred thousand dollars in damages if you can’t afford to send them to a camp to keep them busy?” At her shocked gasp, he shook his head. “Did you really not know? For once since you started talking your shock appears sincere. They damaged one of the CATs on site and trashed the construction trailer. They didn’t simply vandalize, they systematically destroyed. I think juvenile detention is the best place for them, lest they get bored again and go after something else.”
Still reeling from the number and insults he had thrown at her, Carrie fought to keep her temper from exploding but she couldn’t stop from raising her voice. “They are not my children, they are my little brothers. I’m doing the best I can on my own. I had no idea the damage was that high, the twins didn’t admit it was that bad. I am very sincere in taking blame for what they have done! I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t!”
The louder she got the quieter he became. His words were scarily without inflection, all traces of an accent gone. “You are here to keep them from facing the consequences of their actions and looking bad as they are in your care. Maybe they should be with their mother and father instead and they would have a better ability than one as young as yourself to handle them. You seem to have fallen short of what they need.”
The cold words were a slap that stung as badly as if he had reached out and hit her. He was saying the one thing she had been thinking for months. She was failing them, her best wasn’t good enough. The platitudes of love was all that mattered were meaningless when it came to raising two young teens too smart for their own good. They were going to end up in jail or worse, just like their father. Carrie wanted to cry and scream the room down around her this wasn’t fair. Only it wouldn’t matter, life wasn’t fair, she had learned that lesson long ago. “Our mother is dead and their father is a wife-beating asshole who is in prison for killing her. The twins were there when it happened, only six years old they knew enough to call the police and got to sit there with her while she bled to death.” The words were ripped from her throat, she fought to blink back tears, she didn’t want him to see her cry. Instinctively, she knew it would be seen as an attempt to manipulate or even worse, a weakness. This was a mistake, she had to get out before she completely lost it. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
Turning away she was blind from tears and she gave a startled cry when she went right into a wall of muscle.
“Shh, damn it don’t cry. I’m sorry, please don’t cry.” His voice was low and close to her ear.
Carrie shivered from the reaction of his hard body against her and how badly she wanted to wrap her own arms around him and cling to him. The idea was so unlike her, for a moment she struggled in his arms. He refused to let her go, his arms tightening around her. She felt lightheaded for a moment, he smelled so good and it felt like heaven in his embrace. He was so tall at five foot six her head rested in the middle of his chest, her head tucked easily under his chin. His hand went up and down her back, attempting to soothe her. She was shocked when she opened her mouth to apologize and a sob came out. Embarrassed, she buried her face in his chest. She never cried, hadn’t in seven long years, not since her mother’s funeral. Shaking her head, not understanding what was happening and ashamed at her weakness, she tried to pull away again. Just like before, his arms tightened until she gave up.
“It’s alright, cry. Ignore what I said. It’s okay, it all needs to come out.” His arms gentled around her and his hand went back to stroking her back. It took far longer than she wanted to get herself under control. Yet when she lifted her head he didn’t look angry or long suffering. Pulling out the square from his pocket with a snap he shook it out and gently, slowly, he wiped her tears away. “I want to apologize for my rude words to you, they were thoughtless and unwarranted. I was annoyed with myself and you for beginning to have doubts about my actions. It should not have been taken out on you. Come, sit back down and let us discuss the matter a little more. No, not at the desk have a seat in the sitting area. I’m going to order some tea, is that alright or would you rather have coffee?”
With a light push, she went to the small sitting area and collapsed into the club chair. She stiffened when she heard him order tea and sandwiches. Of course, order the fat girl food and it will make her feel better. A few minutes later he was back and easily moved down in front of her with a white fluffy hand towel. Without asking, he pressed the wet and cool cloth firmly on her forehead, then slowly over her eyes before pressing lightly over her heated cheeks. Surprised at the heat his gentle touch left behind, Carrie was unable to think of something to say. No one had ever taken care of her before, not her mother when she was sick as a small child, or her friend’s parents when she’d moved in with them. Carrie had always prided herself on not needing anyone. So why did his gentleness leave her wanting more?
The woman from the desk brought in a tray of tray of tea along with a small plate of pretty sandwiches and what looked like fresh cookies, breaking into her confusing thoughts. They murmured for a moment behind her, then he was back and sitting in the chair beside her. He poured out a steaming cup of tea and asked if she took sugar. When she nodded, he added a cube of sugar and she reached out for it without a word. Wincing, to see her hand tremble as it stirred the tea, Carrie worked to even out her still fluttering breath. She didn’t dare look at him, simply stared into the tea. When she judged it safe, she took a deep gulp. The heat warmed her from the inside out, a few s
ips and the tea was gone. The cup was taken from her hand and she let it go. Flushing, still too embarrassed to look at him, her focus was back on her clenched hands.
He lifted the plate closer to her, “I think you should have a sandwich. Which would you like, smoked salmon or chicken salad?”
Shaking her head, she kept her focus on her hands, embarrassment at the idea of eating in front of him was too strong. Then her traitorous stomach growled. He sighed. “Mi dulce, do not try my patience. If you do not take one I am more than willing to select one and force it upon you.”
His silky threat got through to her. She took a chicken salad triangle and began to nibble at it. He refilled her cup and added a cube of sugar, a stray thought that he had beautiful hands had her mouth going dry. Accepting the cup she drank then began to eat the sandwich. Both the tea and sandwich were excellent and she finished them quickly. The silence stretched until finally he broke it.
“You have quite lost your tongue and although I hadn’t thought it possible I’m finding a woman so quiet, extremely unnerving. Look at me, please.” Unable to deny him, she looked up and his expression went from concern to relief. “Why so quiet?”
Blushing, her eyes fell, “I’m embarrassed, I never cry. I’m sorry for crying all over you, Mr. Castillo.”
“Never? You will call me Rafael, I believe we have moved beyond last names.”
She could only nod, calling him Rafael felt too personal. “I haven’t cried since my mom died. At first, it was so the twins wouldn’t be upset or concerned. Then it became important to never break down. Like, if I did, it would be admitting I was weak.”
“Look at me, it is not weakness. Your load has been a heavy one, you must have been still quite young yourself when you took on such a large responsibility. Not many people would have been able to bear something so difficult without breaking down from time to time. There should be no shame in that. I’m sure you have been under some strain over the last few days, since the boys were arrested. With my rude words, it was more than enough to send you over, again, I apologize for that.
