Husband With Benefits-Chapter 861: The Heat (R-18)

Arabelle seemed to realise that they were in public too and quickly walked out of the elevator, aware of his gaze on her. She could feel the goosebumps all over her where he had touched her and even now, she could feel his gaze on her... specifically her a** which she was sure he was checking out. Dam* it! Why did she have to wear her shortest dress today? She felt naked now.

Determined not to give him the satisfaction of how she found him irresistable as well, she opened her door and gestured for him to follow her inside. But before she could step in, he spoke again, his tone losing some of its edge.

"Wait."

She paused, glancing back at him warily. "What now?"

His gaze softened slightly, " Before we enter, I want to say something. Thank you, Arabelle. For helping me. You didn’t have to, but you did. I don’t take that lightly."

Her irritation about their attraction wavered at the sincerity in his voice, and she looked away, fiddling with her car keys. Why could he not be a jerk? Did he have to be so decent? "Don’t read too much into it. I just don’t like seeing people get hurt."

Arabelle stepped inside, tossing her keys onto the small console table by the door and as he stepped inside, she closed and locked the door behind him.

As Rafe watched her lock themself in, his sharp eyes roamed over the apartment, taking in the sterile decor—the untouched sofa, the blank walls, the barely-there personal touches. It felt more like a rental than a home.

"Nice place," he commented, "But it doesn’t feel like... you."

She glanced at him, then shrugged as she slipped off her shoes. "It’s not. Just temporary. I’ll be moving back home in a few weeks."

His mind immediately drifted to her earlier comment about the "crazy guy" she lived with. Irritation prickled at the thought. Was she returning to him? Who was he? What kind of man was he that she was living with him?

"Moving back with the crazy guy you mentioned?" he asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

Arabelle seemed to not notice the edge and nodded," Yep! I’ve been out of the country for a few months now and that makes him worry even more."

Rafe followed her with his gaze as she moved towards the kitchen, his eyes tracing the curve of her back and the way her dress rid up as she moved. The frustration of not knowing her full story gnawed at him, but his body’s reaction to her was far harder to ignore. Damn it. She was impossible to look away from.

She paused by the counter, pulling open a cupboard and as she went on tiptoes to pull out a cup, he could not help but stare. "Want something to drink? We’ve got an hour to kill, so you might as well make yourself comfortable."

Rafe didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed off the wall and strode into the kitchen, stopping just behind her. Before she could react, his hands settled lightly on her hips, his body warm and solid against her back. The air between them shifted instantly, charged with unspoken tension.

He didn’t give her space to get back on her feet, letting her be there on her tiptoes, as he held her in place with his own body.

"I know what I want," he murmured, his voice low and rough near her ear. "The question is... will you give it to me?"

Her breath caught, her pulse hammering as his words settled over her like a challenge. She froze, one hand gripping the edge of the counter for support, the other still resting on the cupboard handle. His fingers brushed her sides lightly, sending shivers down her spine.

"Rafe," she began, her voice steadier than she expected, "this isn’t—"

He turned her roughly, so that she was now on the counter and stepped between her legs, exposing her to him. His hands sliding up to cup her face as he leaned closer, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "Tell me you don’t feel this too," he whispered, his thumb brushing her cheek.

Her lips parted, the words she wanted to say tangling with the ones she couldn’t. The intensity in his gaze made it hard to think, let alone respond. She wanted to push him away, to tell him he was crossing a line—but her body betrayed her, leaning just slightly toward him, drawn by the heat and the magnetism of his presence. She wanted him. But... at the end moment, she remembered. She could not get into relationships.

"You’re impossible," she finally muttered.

"True," he admitted, his lips curving into a faint smirk. "But so are you."

Before she could argue, his mouth captured hers but even so, she pushed at him, and the moment he came up, she spoke," Just for tonight."

Rafe nodded. He would have agreed to anything she had asked in this moment. "Just for tonight." He repeated the words before taking her hot mouth again.

His hands moved just as urgently, catching her dress as he pulled it down her shoulders. Wanting this as much as him, she tugged at his shirt, pushing off the jacket off his shoulders. "We can move to the bedroom..." Arabelle spoke breathlessly but he simply kissed her hard as he got rid of her satin lace panties, exposing her to him fully,"Next time."

His eyes trailed over her slim thighs towards her lips and a voice in the back of his screamed at him that one night was never going to be enough. But Rafe could only focus on him as he stepped closer and pushed himself against her, burying himself to the hilt in a single stroke.

Her legs locked around him and she pulled him closer still as they kissed each other all over again. Even with him all the way inside, Arabelle wanted more. Breaking the kiss, she panted ans she commanded," Give me more, Faster."