Eye for Love - Natalie & Rafael - Christmas Evening

Christmas Evening - Natalie's POV

Today has been an unbelievably long day.  I love Christmas and the holiday season but I'm always exhausted by the time it's over.  So I grabbed a glass of wine and changed into that silk robe I wore this morning and settled on the bed with a book.

I only made it one page into my book before Rafe made his way into the room with the remainder of the bottle of wine and an empty glass for himself, locking the door behind him.  I've got a feeling I'm not making it any farther in this book right now.

"I don't know about you," Rafe says, breaking the silence, "but I'm not done drinking yet."

I lift my glass in a toast, replying, "You read my mind.  But since when do you willingly drink wine?"

"I drank an entire bottle with you on Thanksgiving."

"Because that's what I had with me and you wanted to drink."

"I guess I'm getting more of a taste for it now.  White wine, at least."

"Well, as long you keep bringing in Pinot Grigio, I'm completely fine with that."  Rafe laughed as he topped off my glass and poured one for himself.

"So any particular reason you're drinking right now?  You got a little awkward at dinner."

I sighed, thinking back to that conversation with my mom.  "Just the conversation I had with my mom before dinner.  The way she was talking was almost like she saw us earlier at the park."

"There wasn't anyone at the park with us, Nat."

"I know but I guess she got in my head.  We're trying to hide this so I guess I got a little anxious about us fucking that up already."

"No one saw us, Nat.  But I can't guarantee nobody heard you this morning even with my hand over your mouth..."

"Shut up," I say, playfully pushing him.

"You're so violent, Rossi."  He chuckles as I roll my eyes.

"If you're not going to make this worth my while, I'm just going to go back to reading my book."

"Well, in the spirit of Christmas, I won't stop you from doing what you want."  He laughs to himself again, earning another eyeroll from me.

I go back to my book but only make it a sentence further before Rafe gets up from the bed to change into his pajamas.  I try to remain steadfast in my irritation but I find my eyes glancing upward over the pages as he sheds his jacket and removes his t shirt.  Why does he always have to look so goddamn hot without a shirt?!

Rafe unbuttons his jeans and lets them fall as his gaze meets mine.  I glance back down at my book but it's pointless.  He definitely caught me staring.

"I'm more than just a piece of meat, Natalie," he says, feigning a tone of consternation.

"That doesn't mean you aren't nice to look at, Casanova."

Rafe kicks his jeans to the side and crawls his way up the bed wearing only his boxers, leaning directly over me.  "It almost feels like you're trying to seduce me, princess."

"Oh, that's just flirting, Rafael.  You'll know when I'm trying to seduce you."

"And how would you seduce me then?" he says as he tosses my book to the side.

I lower my pitch to a whisper and put on my best seductive voice as I gently place a finger under his chin and bring his face closer to mine.  "Well, I'd probably start by lowering my voice like this since you've always enjoyed when I do that."  Rafe hasn't moved his eyes from mine, gazing into me with an expression of complete lust.  "Then I'd probably lightly trace my fingers over your chest since I know a light touch drives you absolutely wild."  I drag my fingers up and down his chest as I say it, causing Rafe to suck in a sharp breath.  "And then I'd lean my lips to your ear, lightly breathing as I whisper 'You look incredibly sexy tonight, Rafael.'"  Rafe bites his lip as I move my face back from his ear, looking back into his eyes.  His eyes darken as he takes in what I do next.  "And finally, I'd untie this robe and let it fall open slightly, showing just enough to tease."  I put my arms around his neck, bringing his face right up to mine.  "Then I'd have you right where I want you."