Page 15 of Endlessly Raphael

He tilts my chin up. It’s so nice to find someone taller than me. Not by a lot, but enough.

“To tell you I made a decision. I want to help you, Haven.”

My brain goes off-line for a second. “What?”

“Yes,” he says, his smile growing. “I’ll marry you.”

“Oh fuck. Really? You mean it?”

“I do.”

I throw my arms around his neck and literally jump into his arms. He laughs, catching me easily. “Thank you.”

“I’m happy to help.”

As I slide out of his arms, I fall straight to my knees and work on his belt.

“What are you doing, Haven?”

“Sucking your soul through your dick. Least I can do.”

He grabs me by the elbow and lifts me up. “Not here. You deserve better.” He glances over his shoulder at the man lingering near the end of the alley. “Let me tell my brother what’s going on, then we can go to your place.”

I scrunch my nose. “Oh no. We can’t go there. What about your place?”

Raphael’s brow crinkles. “I would prefer not to. I have a lot of nosy brothers. What’s wrong with your place?”

I bite my bottom lip to avoid answering, but Raphael gently tugs my lip from my teeth.

“Talk to me, Haven.”

“Um, okay. I live, like, four blocks from here. That way.” I point behind us. “It’s not good enough for you. It’s not even good enough for me, but it’s all I can afford with my restaurant job and my stipend.”

Something that looks a lot like anger flashes across his features before he blinks it away. “Show me.”

Cringing, I grip his shirt. “Do I have to?”

“Yes. I want to know things about you. If we’re going to convince your family, I need information. I want to see what conditions they’ve caused for you.”

I nod, understanding his reasoning. “Okay, but can we do yours tonight and mine tomorrow? I don’t care about nosy family.”

He nods, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “I’ll be right back.”

“I can’t meet your brother?”

Raphael tenses but then nods again. “Of course. Come.”

He offers his hand and I take it, following him to the end of the alley where a very tall, very muscular, and very intimidating man is standing. His black hair flows over his shoulders, and he looks at me with a completely blank expression.

“This is Syn,” Raphael says. “Syn, this is Haven.”

Syn offers his hand, but his expression doesn’t change much. Does he already hate me?

“Nice to meet you, Haven.”

Raphael leans close to Syn, whispering something I can’t hear. Syn raises an eyebrow as he focuses his gaze on me and nods. Then he’s off, disappearing into the night without another word.

“Talkative fellow, huh?”