The sun slowly crept its way toward the horizon, turning the sky pink in its wake as we watched in silence. His lack of response grated on me, showing me exactly where his head was at. Why would he care about my life back home?
He'd be out of my life.
"You shouldn't live a life you're bored with, Princesa," Rafe said finally, reaching over to cup my cheek after leaving me hanging without a response. Leaning in to kiss me, he reminded me of what it was to not be bored. "Boredom is for the dead, and you are very much alive." Reaching over to take my hips in his hands, he pinned me to the cushion and moved his body over mine. Trailing kisses from my lips to my neck, he reminded me of what it was to feel as if I could do anything and be anyone, as the sky burst into vibrant pinks with the sun fading over the horizon.
My life would be that much harder to bear when I went home. Starved for his touch. Starved for excitement.
Just empty.
17
Rafael
My princesa was drunk. After I'd made love to her beneath the setting sun, we'd returned to our picnic and she'd drunk three glasses of champagne. I could have stopped her, but something in me wanted to see her lose control in that way. Our romantic picnic had been derailed by her stress over a potential, though unlikely, pregnancy and her odd insertion of what waited for her at home.
I couldn't help my anger that she'd been on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean with me, ready to watch the sunset, and been thinking about her life back home.
She wobbled as I helped her from the McLaren, unsteady even in her flip flops due to the tiredness that was in every line of her body. With a sigh, I reached down and scooped her into my arms. She giggled as I strolled through the doors to the hotel, taking her into the elevator as she curled closer to me. Her face snuggled into my neck, breathing me deeply into her lungs as I thought over my predicament.
With only six days left on our countdown, I'd never expected to still have her discuss going home like it was a certainty. As soon as the elevator deposited us on the top floor, I carried Isa into the suite and deposited her on our bed. She sighed contentedly as I stripped off her shoes and sat her up to pull the dress over her head. She flopped back down the moment I released her, struggling to get under the blankets as I fought to pull her panties down her legs.
"I want to sleep forever," she murmured when I finally got her bra off and tucked her beneath the blankets.
I chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her lips and linger by her mouth. "But if you slept forever, I would have to follow you." My lips brushed against hers with the words, watching as her eyes filled with tears that she shoved down before they could ever truly form.
"If I slept forever, I'd never have to leave," she said finally, turning to her side and closing her eyes. The words felt like an admission, echoing in the silent room as she quickly fell asleep. I knew she hadn't meant to tell me that, given how at odds it was to her mention of college only hours before.
"You never have to leave regardless, mi princesa," I murmured, leaning in to touch my lips to her temple before I made my way to the balcony and looked out over the darkened water.
Her drunken and half-aware words felt like more truth than she gave me when she was awake and sober, a confirmation of everything her body told me. Isa wanted to stay, and she wanted to be with me.
The question would be if she let herself, and with only six days left to convince her that our future was worth walking away from her past, I just hoped I hadn't wasted this time on a fruitless endeavor.
She'd be coming home with me one way or another. If I had to force her, I'd wish I'd done it the hard way in the process. She'd need time to adapt once we moved home.
Particularly if she wasn't allowed to leave.
I sat on the balcony, drinking my cortado while I waited for Isa to wake up. Her hair was a tangled mess around her head, her face flush from being pressed into the pillow as she slept through the night.
I didn't want to wake her too soon when she undoubtedly needed the rest, but my plans for the day also wouldn't permit me to allow her to sleep much longer.
We had a long drive ahead of us.
I moved into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and touching her shoulder lightly. "Wake up, Princesa," I murmured softly, earning a low groan as she mumbled something beneath her breath. "What?" I asked.
"Go away," she repeated. "Sleep."
I laughed as she raised a tired arm to swat me away, the force not even enough to dislodge my hand from her shoulder as she rolled onto her back and covered her eyes with an arm. "Isa," I said, chuckling beneath my breath. "I have plans for the day. You have to wake up."
"Like fuck I do," she groaned, closing her eyes as she proceeded to ignore me. I laughed quietly, enjoying this more feisty version of my woman that I knew hid beneath all the layers of responsibility and fear. Her rhythmic breathing filled the air as she drifted back to sleep, defying my order to wake up in a way that only she would dare.
I hoped she still dared to do such things once she knew the truth
