This can’t be good.
“Drink.”
Lifting the glass to my lips, I do as I’m told. It burns down my throat, my chest and by the time it settles in my gut, I’m ready to hit the roof. I slam it on the counter with a grimace. “I better not have drank that for nothing.”
She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “His fight is scheduled for today. Late afternoon.”
The alcohol curdles in my stomach.
“He took Kravic’s offer. Says it’s the only way he can leave the Crowd.”
I slump on the stool. Kravic won’t let him off the hook that easily, even if he fights. He’s been after Rafael for years, and I know him well enough to know that everything he says is a freakin’ lie.
“He knows what he’s doing. Although, I did hear Hawk mention that he isn’t training. But he wants to lose. He wants you back, and Kravic off his back.”
“He never lost me. And being beaten to a pulp isn’t the way to win me back. I know there’s no other way for this to end, if he wants to be free of Kravic. But losing isn’t in the cards. There has to be a way for him to win, and walk away.”
She shrugs. “You two have a strange kind of love going on. I’m not sure what’s the limit for you.”
As soon as Jace drags one of my suitcases out, I grab my phone and dial Rafael’s number. Voicemail picks it up.
“Hey. I know the fight is scheduled for today. I wanted to let you know I’m leaving for Denver, and won’t be back until after the New Year. I need to think. I can’t stay and watch Kravic murder you. So, just be careful, okay? Stay safe. Fight him and win, then leave. Please. Don’t worr--”
The voicemail beeps, cutting me off.
Ending the call, I check to make sure everything’s in order before grabbing the rest of my luggage and following Jace out.
Sophie
I SCROLL through my contacts like I’ve been doing since I got to the airport. After Jace dropped me here, she kept me company for an hour and left. She’s supposed to help Dani pack for her fashion show in Paris.
I glance around the terminal. Couples walk in and out, holding hands, children run around, playing Tag or Hide-and-Seek. A family on my right is playing cards, and another, two benches away, are arguing about where they’ll be spending their Christmas.
Christmas. I was really looking forward to spending it with my friends and Rafael. My heart clenches painfully at the memory of his confession. Taking a deep breath, I block him from my thoughts and focus on Grandma and Lilli. I packed enough clothes to carry me through Christmas. Rehearsals won’t start until the last week of December, so I have enough time to just
. . . forget.
Why does time slow down when you need it to go fast?
The intercom crackles, then clears. A female voice announces my flight number, advising passengers which gate they should go to for boarding.
This is it. In less than ten minutes, I’ll hop inside United Airlines and leave Vienna. I scan the hall one last time, shoving my phone into my pocket. Pulling my passport and ticket from my jacket, I grab my carry-on and head for the hostess standing fifty feet away. As soon as she checks over everything, I step around her and head toward the plane.
Rafael
THE FIGHT to hand over the Mastership is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., in Kravic’s warehouse. It’s been almost twelve days since Sophie left my house. Apparently, Hawk thought I’d sell my soul to the devil if I remained at my place. He was right. I might have if it would have brought Sophie back.
I’ve fought every single urge to go back to her house, talk to her until she forgives me. I know she needs time, but right now, I would give anything, do anything to have her back.
I’ll fight to give up the Master position. “Fight and lose, you’re out. Fight and win, you’re in.” It’s the only way, the only language Kravic and his Crowd understands. The only way to make sure Kravic leaves me, us, the hell alone. It’s fucking brutal. Bloody. Dangerous. I don’t know what happens after that. But every single moment, even the ones that led me to Kravic’s lair, have what shaped me into what I am today. Back then, I was just a body walking around, the only thing beating inside me was my heart. Now, every beat has a meaning. Every moment I breathe means I’ll see Sophie. That’s worth every damn bone I might break today. And if she doesn’t want me back yet, I’ll be patient. I will not lose her. Not this time. Even if it kills me.
It’s already dark out, and the skies are cloudy. Christmas is around the corner. The streets and buildings glimmer, lights crawling like vines on the walls. I need out of Vienna. Yesterday, I spoke to my grandmothers in Stavoren, letting them know I’ll be arriving soon to spend some time with them. If anyone had told me that I wouldn’t be spending Christmas with the woman I love, I’d have punched them in the face.
I glance down at the groups of people scattered about the front of the hotel, mostly reporters waiting for an opportunity to see “The Fallen Maestro” and get some pictures for the press. Fucking wonderful. Things have been pretty interesting since the news about my past was plastered over every damn newspaper in the country, to say the least.
Redialing, I listen to Sophie’s voicemail again. She’d called from the airport today, while I was asleep. Christ, why did I drink so much last night? If I’d woken earlier, I could have answered her call. Convince her not to leave Vienna. Not to leave me. I flick my wrist to check the time. 3:45 p.m. The fact that she’s no longer in Vienna, that she’s flying further away from me by the second, hits me hard in the gut.
I scrub both hands through my hair. She’s not coming back. I’ve done so much wrong, hurt the only person I’ve ever loved. Squeezing my eyes closed, I take deep breaths. When I open them, all I see is red. Swinging my arm back, I sweep it across the table on my right. The vase holding flowers flies across the room, shattering on impact. My breath rushes in and out as my eyes scan for something else to destroy. My fist curls, ready to punch. I see Sophie’s gold eyes in my head, glaring at me in disapproval. My therapist’s voice smacks through my thoughts and I stagger back, bracing my back on the wall, trying to bring my breathing under control.
I promise you, Sophie, as soon as this fight’s done, I’m coming for you. There’s no fucking way in hell I’m going to live without her.
The door swings inward. Hawk strides through, eyes the glass, water and petals on the floor, then continues his way toward me without a word. “Use these,” he says, shoving a pair of brown boxing gloves into my hands.
“I don’t need them,” I say, closing the door and walking back to the living room.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? At least do this for Sophie.”
“I don’t intend to win. I’ll lose, but I won’t let whoever I’m fighting fucking kill me. I just need out.”
Hawk sighs, dropping his head until his chin hits his chest, and mutters, “You’re too damn stubborn for your own good.”
“It’s the only weapon I have,” I say, turning around to look out the window.
“Jesus, you’re bleeding all over the place.”
My gaze drops to the back of my right hand, and I frown. I don’t feel any pain, just numbness. Hawk leaves the room, and returns with the first-aid kit I always carry with me.
After cleaning the wound, he pulls out the gauze and wraps it around my hand.
“Want to slam the left one as well?” he asks, glaring at me.
I look away, unable to hold his gaze. “Thanks, man,” I say. “For everything.” I can’t remember a time in my life when Hawk wasn’t around. He’s the brother I never had. My family.
“Sure. Keep your temper in check until the fight starts, and we’ll be fine.” He heads back to the bathroom.
I glance down from the hotel window and camera flashes light up. I realize they’re aimed at me, probably looking like a damn lunatic behind prison walls. Well, I won’t argue with that logic.
Something flutters in my peripheral vision--a flash of black, knee-length
trench and reddish-brown hair. Sucking in a breath, I squint through the crowd gathered outside, my heart pounding in my chest. She’s standing there. The only thing, the only person, that matters enough for me to lose . . . everything.
Sophie.
She’s craning her neck, trying to look past the heads toward the entryway. Moving from the window, I yell to Hawk that Sophie’s here, and race out of the room. I forego the elevators and head toward the stairs. Fifteen flights later, I burst out of the hotel entrance and suddenly, the flashing lights and murmurs turn into a frenzy.
Forcing my knees to support me, I nod once, catching Sophie’s eye. I fist my hands to keep from pounding my way to her side. She has the power to weaken me, make me walk around like a newborn colt. But I don’t care, if being weak brings her back to me.
I don’t see the anger in her face I’d witnessed when I last saw her. Nor does it confirm whether she wants to speak to me. I stand there as the world fades around us. It’s just her and me. I wait for some kind of signal, any indication of why she’s here. If someone had taken my parents away from me, I’d hunt them down. So I understand where she’s coming from. I feel her pain. I haven’t forgiven nature for taking mine away, but I’ll work damn hard to find that peace.
Then I see it. Her expression shifts, and I pray my desperation for redemption isn’t clouding my vision. Her lips curl upward as a soft breeze lifts her hair off her shoulders, and she cocks one eyebrow. Her hands wrap around the lapels of the knee-length trench she’s wearing, and I follow them, too entranced not to. Her fingers yank the belt around her waist, and in front of a thousand eyes, she flicks it open. The maid costume, and . . . the boots. I swallow hard, and finally let hope and relief wash over me.
She’s back, and from the looks of it, she doesn’t care what the world thinks. Shouldering her way through the gathered vultures, she saunters toward me with enough confidence to shame even the most famous runway model. Her eyes are locked on me. Flashes explode on all sides as I stride forward, and the murmurs rise to pitch fever. Her smile flattens an inch. I bridge the distance between us and when I’m at her side, she breathes out, grabbing my face in her hands.
“Thank God, you’re still here. I thought I wouldn’t catch you in time,” she whispers. Necks crane, ears perk to catch our conversation. I grab her in a hug, and sink my face into her hair, breathing her in. I’m sure she feels how my heart thumps in my chest. “I couldn’t leave. I was at the airport, imagining--”
“Shh. You’re here. That’s all that matters, Butterfly,” I say, almost dropping to my knees in adoration. “Come on, Sophie. Let’s go inside.” I scoop her into my arms before she protests and stride through the murmuring crowd and flashing pictures, into the hotel. They were having a ball, and tomorrow’s headlines should be interesting. But fuck it all. I don’t care.
She chuckles. “There goes your reputation for being hardcore.”
I move my mouth to the corner of her ear and say, “I don’t care.”
“You don’t? This is your career.”
I don’t answer. Does she know how much she means to me? How precious every little second spent with her is? She’s my dream come true. I head for the elevators. A couple follows behind us. I look over my shoulder, and they stumble back.
“We’ll wait for the next one,” says the woman wearing what look like earrings made of coconut shells.
Good. I’m not sharing this space, this sliver of time, with any other person but the woman in my arms. We have less than thirty minutes before I have to head to Kravic’s warehouse. As soon as the elevator stops on the penthouse floor, I step out. Sophie wiggles in my arms, attempting to dislodge herself.
“Quit it,” I say into her ear.
She stops immediately, and shivers. Goosebumps spread along her exposed legs and she whimpers. “I can’t wait to rip this trench off you. And that dress--Jesus, Sophie.”
As soon as we enter Hawk’s penthouse, I kick the door shut, and spin her around so she straddles my waist, pinning her against the wall. I tangle my fingers in her hair and pull her to my mouth. Her hands slide up my back, my shoulders, and dig into my scalp.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
“God . . . I--Sophie--you know I don’t care about anything right now. Just you and me. I don’t care. Given a choice, I choose you, Sophie. You. Because nothing can ever replace you, and without you, I am nothing. I choose you.”
She breathes out and runs a hand down my cheek, her head cocked to one side. “No one ever says no to you, do they?”
“Rarely.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re spoiled.”
“I know. I thrive on it.”
“Jesus, Rafael. Leash that ego before it blows your head out of proportion.”
I chuckle, pull her off the wall, away from the door, and move to the interior. Seconds later, Hawk walks in from his room, scowling until his gaze falls on Sophie. A huge grin spreads across his face.
“Let up, Raf. You’ll crush the poor girl before I get my turn.”
“Piss off,” I snarl into Sophie’s neck, but it probably came out muffled. Hawk chuckles and I pull back. “You have one second, Hawk.” There’s so much to make up for and I’m not about to waste time. Besides, I have only twenty-five minutes before we leave. Fuck if I don’t spend every second in her arms. Or her in mine. As soon as he hugs her and pulls back, I tug her back into my arms and down onto the couch.
“Jeez, brother. Relax. She’s not going anywhere.”
But I am. And I’m not sure how unscathed I’ll be able to come out of this fight. “You want a cuddle, go look for your own woman, Hawk. Right now, Sophie and I have a lot to catch up on.”
“Hey, I don’t need details,” he says, his hands raised, palms facing me. He backs out of the room and into the hallway. “Twenty minutes before we leave. Think that will be enough time for you to do whatever you’re planning on doing?” He gazes at me, then at Sophie.
“Hawken.”
“Yeah, yeah, curb the growl. I’m leaving.”
Sophie giggles, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard in a long time. As soon as the door closes, I lift her up onto my lap, then trail the curves of her legs with my hands, dip under the trench coat and cup her butt, squeezing lightly. I’m home. She gasps, her hazel eyes turning darker.
Jesus. I want her so bad.
“How’s Lilli?” I ask, pushing the coffee table out of the way with my leg and adjusting her so her centre is right above my dick.
I lick my lips, staring at hers as she watches mine. I grip her hips, letting my fingers dig a little deeper. Her eyes turn darker still. “She’ll be disappointed when you don’t show up.”
“I’ll call her,” she says. “Rafael, I was this close to getting on that plane. But I couldn’t, because I wanted to thank you for so many things. I know you rescued me when I was fourteen. Thank you for saving me that horrible afternoon.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. I haven’t had the courage to ask her about that, because seeing her passed out like that, had been my worst nightmare realized. Something I’d like to purge from my head.
“Remember the night before Olivia’s Circle reopened? I dreamt it. I’m not sure why opening the restaurant brought up that awful experience, but it did. I don’t know how I could have forgotten such magnificent eyes. I know you were the one, Rafael.”
I pull her flush to my body, burying my face in her hair. “If anything had happened to you, I don’t know how I’d have survived.”
“I’m here,” she says, pressing a kiss on my hair. “I’m always here.” She’s quiet for a few moments, then says, “You shouldn’t have paid that debt, Rafael. Kravic was using us to get more money. Tony doesn’t belong to him. He had no right.”
I can’t believe I have the girl of my dreams on my lap in an empty room, both of us charged up, and all we’re talking about is Kravic? Seriously? I shake my head.
“He doesn’t have
a reason to come after you, now. I wanted you out of his claws.”
“But his claws are around your throat. Why did you agree to fight him? And why didn’t you train?”
“Sophie,” I lift my hand and brush her cheek to calm her. I need her calm when I start having my way with her. Then again, maybe angry would be good. “He won’t let me go that easily. Fighting is the rule. Not a choice. Sometimes, it’s the only way to happiness. I have to do this. Fight. If I’m to break away from Kravic, I have to lose. I can’t afford to lose you, or Lilli. So I’m fighting for my life. For you. And I’m damn well fighting for a chance at happiness with you.”
“No!” she says. “You don’t have to lose. I can’t watch you get beaten to within an inch of your life, just so you can give over your position, Rafael. If you have to fight. Win. I don’t care if you were the Russian boss or the mafia or even some evil drug lord in Mexico. That’s in the past. You have to win. You hear me? Win. For me. For Lilli. For my mom. Win, and then walk away. Please.” She grabs my chin and tips it up with force, so I’m staring into her eyes. “For us. Me and you.”
That tiny move, as if she’s about to take control, has my dick straining so bad in my pants.
“You might die in that boxing ring. Die.” She stifles a sob, tears in her eyes. “I can’t lose you, Rafael.”
“You won’t lose me. I want this. Want you and me. Fuck my reputation. Fuck my career. No one’s stupid enough to take me away from you, Butterfly. And if you can’t give me anything else, at least give me that--your faith that I’ll keep myself alive for you. Right now, though, I don’t care about the future. It’ll play out on its own as long as we hold it together. All I want is now.” I press a kiss to the corner of her mouth and murmur, “Don’t you know that I’m damn invincible by now? That even death is afraid of me? Baby, I’ve laughed at Death so many times he keeps wetting his pants. Besides, this thing, this love? The guy upstairs wouldn’t let a love this strong go to waste. He wouldn’t.”
A Need So Insatiable Page 28
