The Fabrizio Bride

Chapter Nine

"Then he just shut me out!" Sarika whacked her spoon on the tiny, granite table between her and Elena in the crowded café. They'd met up for coffee about twenty minutes ago, and Sarika had vented about Rafe and their situation nonstop.

Elena reached across and cautiously took the utensil away. "Are you done? Because I'm still at the point where you enticed him into your bedroom."

Sarika scowled. "I did not—he followed me. I was trying to get away." She tapped a nail against her mug. "Okay, maybe I enticed him a little, but he was relentless—hours of lovemaking, just so I would give in and agree to marry him."

"The bastard. How many orgasms did you say you had?"

Her lips twitched. "I didn't...four or five."

"String the man up."

"That's not the point. Didn't you hear me when I said he walked away and shut the door? He thinks all it's going to take is a night of—you know—and I'll roll over and say yes. Well, I'm not so easy. If he wants to be with me, he's going to have to cough up the emotional goods."

Elena's expression turned serious as she took Sarika's hand. "And if he can't?"

Sarika's stomach clenched. "That's obvious. Then I'll...then I'll..."

"You'll what? Walk away? Marry someone else? Sarika, you love Rafe. You have since you were nine years old. As much as I support your need for him to open up, it's not as easy as it sounds. I know. My parents had a terrible marriage, too, and the last thing I want to do is talk about it. Those scars run deep. I'm not saying you shouldn't push him or expect more from him. I'm just saying maybe you should be willing to go slow, accept smaller victories."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Did he say anything to you last night or this morning that was heartfelt?"

Sarika thought back on her fight with Rafe, looking at it from a new perspective. How had he expressed himself before he'd walked away? Had he opened up with her at all? Yes. A few times, but there was one moment in particular. "He said his life was not the same without me." Her throat constricted as she repeated his words.

Elena was also affected and squeezed Sarika's hand. "That's beautiful."

"I know." But then she remembered the rest and scowled. "That was before I asked about his parents, and he practically ran from the room."

"Again, small victories. Read between the lines. The man said he needed you."

"But—"

"No buts. Take the win and build on it."

Sarika slumped in her chair and stupid tears pricked her eyes. She dashed them away before anyone but Elena could see. "I don't know how to do that. Do I just ignore the things that bother me? Pretend I'm not hurt when he pushes me away?"

"No. But you need to focus on making those things better, not sticking the knife in. And I have faith you can do it. "

She didn't have Elena's optimism. How could she ever get Rafe to open up? At times, he was so tightly controlled and distant.

And alone.

She'd seen that today when he'd walked away. He'd locked himself behind his protective walls that no one could scale. But there were chinks in that wall, and she was one of them. He wanted her. He needed her. She'd heard it in his voice. How far would he go to keep her? Would he lower a rope and help her over?

Elena stood, drawing Sarika from her reverie. "You need to stop thinking and just have some fun. Let's go shopping. Running up Rafe's credit card is an acceptable form of revenge in this case. You do have a family credit card, right?"