The Foiled Plan (War of Sins Book 2)

I bang my fingers on the keys, the dissonant sound echoing in the room. Pouring all my aggression into my notes, I play like never before.

A few pieces I’d composed in the spur of the moment, they are better fitted to an organ than a piano, the intensity more discernible in the way the bass resounds in the room, permeating every atom of its surroundings.

That’s exactly what I want—what I envision. The waves produced from my music undulating in the air and hitting every surface, shifting the very fabric of reality as it makes it congruent with my feelings.

I become immersed in my playing, forgetting about everything but the sound of the piano keys.

And as I hit the last note, I stop. Letting my fingers rest on the keys, I release a deep breath, the tension slowly seeping out of me.

Opening my eyes, I look up, startled to see I’m not alone in the room.

Like the first time I’d seen him, Raf is leaning against the wall, his hooded eyes regarding me intently. He’s wearing his office work, a pair of dress pants and a white shirt cuffed at the wrists. A few buttons are popped at the neck, hints of skin peeking through.

Bringing my tongue over my lips, I lick them as I take his imposing figure in.

I wonder if his effect on me will ever lessen. Every time I see him, it’s like the first, my body reacting to his in a primal way that has me clenching my thighs together as desire clouds my mind.

He tilts his head to the side, studying me.

‘You’re pissed,’ he simply states.

I frown, but he doesn’t wait for me to reply as he takes a step forward. And another. Until he’s in front of me, placing his arm on the piano and raising a brow at me.

‘You’re pissed at me, aren’t you?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Cut the crap, Noelle. You think I don’t feel it? You think I can’t taste the frenzy of your music on my tongue? If you’re trying to be secretive about it, then you’re doing a very poor job.’

‘I’m not pissed at you,’ I shrug as I get up. ‘I was just experimenting with sound. You don’t have to read too much into it.’

I make to move past him.

‘I don’t have to read too much into it?’ He repeats my words, his voice chilling. ‘Your music is you, Noelle. So let’s put our cards on the table. What’s happening? Is it from yesterday? From what happened at your brother’s place?’

‘No. Nothing’s wrong, Raf. I mean it,’ I force a smile. ‘This was just a musical experiment. Nothing more.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ he says, his hand on my upper arm as he tugs me towards him.

‘What’s wrong, pretty girl? Tell me so I can fix it,’ he says gently, his fingers coming up to brush my hair out of my face.

I still in his arms, my eyes on his.

Slowly, I move my head from side to side, though my body starts trembling.

‘Noelle, what…’

‘Why don’t you touch me anymore?’ the words tumble on a whisper. ‘What happened to us, Raf?’

‘I don’t understand,’ he looks at me perplexed.

‘Something happened to us that night. Something…’ I shake my head, biting my lip as I look at him. ‘You’ve been avoiding me, and I’ve tried to give you space but I don’t know what else to do.’

‘Noelle…’

‘You’re shutting me out and I don’t like it,’ I admit, my eyes moist.

‘Sweetheart,’ his arm snakes around my waist, bringing me flush against his chest.

His lips skim the surface of my cheek, moving towards my temple before he stops, drawing in a deep breath.

‘Shit. I’ve been dealing with this all wrong,’ he mutters. ‘It wasn’t my intention to shut you out. Far from it but…’ he pauses and I hear an intake of breath.

My hands are on his back, my fingers wrapped in his shirt as I hold on for dear life, not wanting him to let go. I breathe in his familiar scent, assuring myself that this is not a dream. That he’s by my side.

‘Shh, it’s all my fault,’ he coos, one hand gently caressing my back. ‘It’s been a hard few days. And the fact that you were hurt…’ I feel him shake his head against me. ‘It nearly broke me. Yeah, I mourned my brother’s loss and I feel incredibly sad for his death. But it’s not his face I see when I go to bed at night. It’s not the thought of him that doesn’t let me close my eyes. It’s you.’

I draw back so I can look at him, my eyes searching his. But as our gazes meet, it’s to be struck by something else. His lashes are heavy with tears, the blue of his irises even more intense as he looks at me with so much emotion, my entire heart threatens to burst in my chest.

‘All that time on the roof, I could only think about your safety. I was going mad with thoughts of him hurting you. Of him defiling you…’

‘You know he didn’t do anything,’ I bring my palms to his cheeks, molding his face in my hands and looking up at him. Due to his height, I have to raise myself on my tiptoes so I can reach his face to lay a chaste kiss on his chin. ‘He didn’t touch me, Raf. He just threatened to do it to get a rise out of you. If anything, he didn’t even look at me.’

He blinks and I can detect the worry in his features, but most of all, there’s weariness.

‘You took your panties off, Noelle,’ he rasps out, the sound throaty and anguished. ‘You would have fucked him to save me, wouldn’t you?’ The tone isn’t accusatory, it’s just desolate, so inconsolable it squeezes at my chest.

‘I would have,’ I admit, unashamed. ‘I told you I would do anything for you, Raf. That means anything.‘

I don’t know how I could stand another man’s hands on me. I don’t know how I could stand anyone else’s hands on me. Yet I would have done it. I would have closed my eyes, and I would have borne it all. It might have broken me. It might have destroyed me. But at least I’d have him by my side.

‘Noelle,’ my name on his lips is like a punch to the gut, the emotion so strong it makes me reel. There’s no reproach, but there is disappointment—or something akin to it.

I continue to look in his eyes—those eyes I’ve come to love more than anything in this world—and I find that I don’t waver in my answer. Because I would do anything to preserve them.

‘Tell me you wouldn’t do the same for me,’ I challenge softly. ‘Because what you were about to do was worse, Raf. Much, much worse.’

‘You don’t understand, pretty girl,’ he sighs, a tear rolling down his cheek. ‘I can’t bear it if you’re hurt. There might be something wrong with me, but the thought of anything happening to you burns my insides like acid. It’s my job to protect you, and I failed,’ he takes a deep breath. ‘I failed.’

‘You didn’t,’ I shake my head. ‘You didn’t fail. You offered your life in exchange for mine, Raf. Do you think anyone else would have done that?’

No one else would have. My brother would have likely taken the shot with me in the way, regardless of the potential danger to me.

That’s what Raf doesn’t seem to get.

All my life, I’ve always been an afterthought. No one’s put me first—ever. He’s the first to put my safety above others—above his own. He’s the first one to show me I matter.

And he matters to me just as much.

‘I haven’t been able to sleep,’ he suddenly confesses. ‘All sorts of scenarios have been going through my mind—the what-ifs…’

‘But nothing happened. I’m alive and well and so are you.’

‘You’re my heart, Noelle. And the heart always rules. When the heart is bruised, the rest of the body follows suit.’

‘Where does that leave us?’ I ask on a whisper. ‘Because my love for you is not any less than yours.’

For a moment, we just stare at each other, unmoving.

He blinks back tears. I let mine fall.

There’s a closeness that has nothing to do with the fact that our bodies are touching.

I just look in his eyes and I know.

We connect on a physical plane, but also on a spiritual one, our souls touching, caressing, grasping.

He’s mine and I am his.

And I would do anything to preserve this.

‘I know,’ he answers, closing his eyes. ‘I know, pretty girl,’ he says as he brings his forehead to mine. ‘We can only strive not to put ourselves in those situations—where it’s one or the other.’

‘Because I’ll always save you.’

‘And I’ll always save you.’

And that’s the true quandary. We’ll always be at a standstill.

‘Please don’t shut me out again. You have no idea how hard it was thinking you hated me—hated the thought of touching me again…’

‘Never,’ he doesn’t even let me finish as he utters the word. ‘It’s my fault for being an idiot. But every time I looked at your arm, I blamed myself for failing you. I tried so hard to keep you out of this. To make sure you were safe. And ultimately…’

‘It doesn’t matter. Please,’ I wet my lips. ‘We can’t keep doing this to ourselves. And we can’t live in the what-ifs, Raf. I’m fine. It was just a scratch. We are fine. That’s all that matters.’

‘You’re right,’ he nods. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll do better,’ he immediately says, taking me by surprise.

‘You…will?’ I blink.

‘I’m still learning how to do this marriage thing, so I might mess up a time or two. But please bear with me,’ he whispers and the sincerity in his voice threatens to undo me.

How did I get so lucky?

‘That you’re willing to try means everything to me, Raf. I’m not perfect either. I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time, but I think we’ve done well so far,’ a small chuckle escapes me. ‘We’re learning together.’

‘Together,’ his lips draw up in a smile.

He moves his forehead on top of mine, the tips of our noses touching.

‘We’re free now,’ I breathe out, closing my eyes and reveling in his proximity.

‘We are,’ he repeats, taking a step forward and backing me against the piano.

I brace my hands on the shiny surface, bearing almost all his weight on top of me.

His eyes on mine, he looks like he’d like nothing better than to devour me.

His nose nuzzles my face as he moves slowly, caressing my flesh and trailing his lips all over my cheeks before reaching my mouth.

He doesn’t close in for a kiss. He hovers his lips over mine, his breath transferring to me.

I inhale deeply, wishing I could absorb his essence.

‘I want you,’ he rasps. ‘I want you, Noelle. So very much.’

His hands go down my body, tracing my curves over the silky gown I’m wearing.

‘I want to bury myself so deep in your body you’ll never question me or my loyalty,’ he says harshly. ‘I want to kiss you, taste you, fuck you until you’re a quivering mess. Until you forget where you begin and I end,’ his lips trail down my earlobe, the skin so sensitive goosebumps erupt all over the surface. ‘I want all of it, Noelle. All of it,’ he states, his deep rumble making me shiver. ‘But I need you to want that too.’

I know what he’s asking. He wants to know if I’m ready for the next step—for the final step. We’ve been dancing around it for too long. From the beginning it had been an inevitability. Not a question of if but of when.

He’s done everything in his power to make me comfortable as we’ve explored each other’s bodies. Every little thing, he’s made sure to ask for my full consent before proceeding, afraid something would trigger a bad memory.

It seems surreal to think how much care he’s taken with me, how patient he’s been when I know others in his position would have simply taken.

Not him. Never him.

It’s another reason why my love for him knows no bounds. He respects me and my choices, and he always makes sure I have one.

Maybe it’s because of his trauma and the fact that he’s had his choices taken from him too many times. Maybe it’s just who he is—a good man, a worthy man.

‘Yes, I do,’ I reply. ‘I want you just as much, Raf. Make me yours,’ I tell him, cupping his cheek with my hand.

Laying a kiss to the center of my palm, he trails his fingers down my body until he reaches the hem of my gown. Pulling on it, he tugs it up and over my head.

‘That’s it, pretty girl. Let me see my treasure,’ he says, his eyes roving over my naked body.

I’m still wearing my panties, but he’s quick to slide them down my legs, leaving me completely bare for his sight.

‘I’ll never tire of watching you like this, Noelle. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,’ he whispers reverently, taking a step back so he can study me at leisure.

With a boldness I haven’t felt in a long time, I pull myself on the piano, settling in the middle of it and slowly parting my thighs.

‘That’s it,’ he rasps, his breathing harsh. ‘Show me my pussy, Noelle. Show me that sweet spot between your legs that’s mine and only mine.’

I nod fervently.

‘It’s yours,’ I tell him, my hands on my knees as I part my legs. ‘I’m all yours.’

His eyes immediately go to my core, his heated gaze making me blush from head to toe.

‘Fuck, you’re already glistening,’ he curses, coming closer.

His fingers wrapped around my ankles, he pulls me towards him, hitching my legs over his shoulders as he positions his head between my legs. Startled, I push my arms back, resting on my elbows as I wait for him to make his next move.

He doesn’t do anything, though. He merely watches.

‘This,’ he brings one finger between my folds, tracing the contour of my pussy. ‘Such a pretty little flower you have here, Noelle. A flower that yearns to give me its honey.’

I feel the rough pad of his finger against my sensitive flesh, the touch minimal, but enough to make me whimper.

He’s fully focused on my pussy, his breath fanning over my wetness and increasing the stimulation. Bringing one finger to my clit, he flicks it over the small nub, and my muscles immediately twitch in response. A smile appears on his face at my reaction.

‘And this is my tiny pleasure button,’ he brings his lips forward in a brief kiss.

‘Mine,’ I correct.

‘No,’ he pinches it, ‘it’s mine,’ he looks up, raising a brow as he dares me to argue.

My lips tug up, and I can only nod at him, needing to know what he’s going to do next. Already, my arousal is at its peak, my pussy gushing even more liquid with every second of his perusal.

I expect him to finally put me out of my misery and give me what I need. But he doesn’t.

Instead, he swipes his finger lower, brushing it over my lips before settling at my entrance.

‘And this tight little hole is going to take all of me inside, isn’t it, pretty girl? It’s going to swallow my cock so fucking deep you’ll feel me everywhere.’

‘Yes,’ I breathe out, my voice coming out thick and throaty.

‘Fuck,’ he curses, as his head whips up, his gaze on mine as he undoubtedly sees my hooded eyes and the way I’m slowly melting with every small touch.

His mouth curves in a satisfied smile.

‘And I’m going to give it to you, pretty girl. I’m going to fill you until you can’t take it anymore, and then I’m going to do it some more,’ his finger probes at my entrance, my muscles spasming at the contact. ‘Again and again until you’re ripe with my cum. Until you’re so fucking full everyone will know who you belong to.’

‘Raf,’ my mouth opens on a moan. ‘Please just… do something,’ I ask with an uncharacteristic urgency in my voice.

He’s barely touched me, merely toying with me, yet I already feel on the edge.

‘What do you want me to do, Noelle? Tell me. Ask me. Command me,’ he adds suavely.

‘Your mouth. I want your mouth on me,’ I blush as I say the words.

‘This?’ he asks as he tugs me closer to him. His hands on my ass, he brings my pussy to his face for an open-mouthed kiss.

My hips shoot off the table, a mewling sound escaping my lips at the contact.

‘Is this what you want?’

‘Yes, please.’

‘Ask me. Ask me to eat your pussy, Noelle,’ he says with a roguish grin. ‘Ask me to lap at your juices and make you come all over my face.’

I draw an intake of breath at his words. But my shame is already out the window. This is Raf—the man I love. The man who would lay down his life for me.

‘Please, eat my pussy, Raf,’ I give him the words.

‘Your wish is my command, pretty girl,’ he winks right before diving in.

His mouth opens over my lips, his tongue making contact with my entrance as he drags it up—slowly and tantalizingly. He laps at my arousal, eating me up like I’m the best meal he’s ever had.

Leaning back on my elbows, my eyes snap closed, my mind honing in on the sensation—the pleasure he’s racking from me.

He brings the flat of his tongue over my clit, licking it before wrapping his lips around it, sucking it deep in his mouth.

‘That… Right there,’ I moan, one hand in his hair as I guide him.

My clit pulses with unreleased pressure, my lower belly filled with knots of tension.

He continues to suck on my clit, hitting one particular spot that makes me lift my hips off the table in pursuit of my climax.

His hands move from my ass higher, gliding over my waist until his fingers pinch my nipples, his thumbs flattening over the raised peaks as he caresses them gently.

The combined stimulation is almost too much.

‘Raf, please,’ my voice doesn’t sound my own anymore—not that it did before. But I’m so gone, I don’t care.

‘Right there, pretty girl. Come on my face,’ he orders, his voice holding an edge to it. Right as he says the words, though, he bites on my clit.

‘Raf,’ I scream, my back hitting the shiny surface of the piano as my body starts spasming. My legs are wrapped around his neck, and I hold tight—so fucking tight. The release is so powerful, it feels like my soul has left my body.

I breathe harshly, unable to come back down from the high.

‘Fuck, Noelle. More, give me more,’ he rasps against my pussy, his tongue suddenly at my opening, pushing inside until he’s fucking me with it.

Apparently one near death orgasm is not enough for Raf as he pulls another from my body until I’m barely able to talk coherently.