The Ache Between Us

Chapter Nineteen - Rafael

I woke up before her. I didn't sleep a wink last night. It wasn't because she was in my arms, safe and sound. Warm and beautiful. No. That was half the reason and why I woke up with the same stiff hard-on from last night. The other half was because I was fucking losing my mind, thinking that she was living like this entire time. Her father fucking hit her. More than once. Worse, her fucking shit of an ex-husband let him, hell he even fucking encouraged him.

I didn't know what was more fucked up. I couldn't process everything she told me. My mind was awake all night, her words ringing in the back of my head.

My poor girl. My little Iris.

The anger I felt inside me was warranted, and the urge to murder them both was more substantial than the desire to do anything else. She was married to a fucking sociopath, and the only person who had the power to get the fucker to sign the divorce papers was me. I'd do anything, everything, that I could to get him to sign them. The faster I did that, the faster I could get the fucker out of her life and set her free.

I didn't know where else to go. All I could think about was you, coming to you.

She came to me, knowing I'd keep her safe, that I'd take care of her. Me. I would. I would do everything to keep her safe, to keep her happy, and I'd keep taking care of her until the day she begs me to stop. That's the power she had over me. I would forget everything that happened that night, and I'd let her use me once again. That's how much I needed Iris in my life.

I'd keep her close to me, have her stay with me until I'm able to get rid of every single person threatening her. I told Samuel to find me everything he could on her father and Ali. I told him I wanted every detail of their life, small or not. I needed to know who I was up against. Samuel knew people and had more connections than any other person I knew. He didn't ask me why because he knew what would happen if he questioned me and told me he'd call me back when he had something.

Iris came down the stairs, still in my clothes, and god, the urge to fuck her right on the stairs was ridiculously overwhelming. I watched her yawn as she rubbed her eyes with the sleeves of my shirt.

"I woke up, and you weren't there." She mumbled sleepily as she strode into the living room. I set my cup of coffee on the table and opened my arms for her.

"Good morning, baby." I said once she settled into my lap. I kissed the top of her head and heard her let out a soft sigh.

"Good morning." She adjusted herself so that she could lean over and grab my mug. The way she was wiggling on my lap was fucking with my self-control, and my hands fisted to my sides as she leaned her back on me. She sipped on the coffee, her eyes closing, as a smile appeared on her face. "Remember the first time we had coffee together."

Please don't bring up the past, Iris, please.

"I had coffee. You had sugar in a cup."

She breathed out a small laugh. "I haven't had that drink in forever." She downed the mug in one go, made an ah sound, then placed it back on the table.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked, reaching for her chin so that I could look at her.

She moved her entire body to face me, but my hand stayed on her chin. I wanted to gauge her reaction to my words, to me caring about her and worrying about her. Yesterday was a test that not even a saint would have passed. Having her in my lap as I fed her had got to be the hottest thing I've ever done with a woman.

It was a different type of foreplay, and I knew she wanted me to fuck her by the end of it. She was turned on, moaning and whimpering as I fed her. I must have had the patience of a hundred saints to have not fucked her on the counter right after. I wanted to do it again, wanted to feed her pancakes and watch the syrup drip down her chin so that I could lean down and lick it off.