CHAPTER 13: CAPTIVATING CHARM

I couldn’t get used to the way my chest clenched tightly every time I saw his breathtakingly beautiful smile.

"That’s right, we do have a few things to discuss about the wedding," my mother said as if she was suddenly reminded of something.

"Then what about we do it now?" Bennett suggested excitedly.

"Well, it is getting a little late," my mother said before looking at me hesitantly. I understood that if she left to talk privately with Bennett, then I would be left alone with Raphael. That thought alone sent a shudder throughout my body. I felt torn about what I should do and how I should respond to my mother.

"Then what about you two just stay the night?" Bennett suggested as if it was supposed to be the most obvious solution.

"Are you sure about that?" My mother asked with widened eyes.

"Of course, you two will be moving in to live here with us after the wedding, so this might be a good chance to allow the two of you to familiarize yourself with this place," Bennett affirmed.

"Well, if you put it that way," my mother mumbled as she glanced over at me again.

By that time, I was finding it difficult to come up with any reason or excuse for us to head back home.

"I can show Abigail around the place and also to her room. You two should enjoy the evening together and not worry about us," Raphael jumped in smoothly with his own proposal.

His suggestion seemed to be in agreement for everyone, and just like that, our plan for the evening was decided. I watched as my mother and Bennett walked hand in hand out of the dining room, with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. With how well everything was going, we were surely headed to the future where my mother would end up marrying his father, and that would only mean that he would end up as my step-brother. I managed to steal a glance at his face while I wondered why out of all the men available did I have to end up sleeping with the man who was about to become my step-brother?

"Shall we, Abigail?" Raphael said as he leaned down to bring his face directly in front of mine.

"Yes," I replied, and I could hear my voice shaking slightly.

...

Please don’t leave me alone with this guy!

I wanted to call out to my mother so that she wouldn’t leave me alone with Raphael, but I couldn’t do that. No matter how awkward or how much it bothered me, I knew that it was best to pretend that nothing had happened between us. Despite the countless times that I told myself that, I couldn’t stop recalling the sensation of his skin against mine or the pleasure that I felt when he moved inside of me.

I had sex with this man! I had sex with this man! I had sex with this man! I had sex with this man!

That was pretty much the only thing that went through my mind as I followed after him on our tour of the mansion. I cursed silently at how vast their mansion was because that meant that there were so many things that Raphael had to show me. First, he took me to the main living room, and then on a tour to a few facilities including fitness, saunas, tennis courts, and a very large swimming pool. Then he took me to many large multi-purpose rooms that were luxuriously decorated as if they were meant to be used to hold balls and similarly lavish celebrations.

"My father likes to hold his birthday parties in this room," Raphael told me before smiling.

It felt like I could see a golden aura radiating from all around his face, and I tried my best to smile naturally at him in return. I couldn’t focus at all on his words or what he was showing me because my mind was busy wondering if he truly did not recognize me. As Raphael seemed to continue on and on endlessly, I began to truly believe that he didn’t recognize me from last night. My feelings felt very mixed, so I decided to concentrate on the warmth of his voice and his graceful movements. The way he talked captivated me, and every word that smoothly rolled off of his tongue felt like music to my ears. Obviously, I paid more attention to Raphael himself rather than the things that he was showing me.

"This is the music room. There are many instruments in here, but I guess they are rarely used," Raphael said when we entered the music room.

Musical instruments lined the walls, and in the center of the room was a large classical piano.

"Do you know how to play the piano?" He asked when he saw me staring at it.

"No, not really..." I replied vaguely.

The truth was my mother couldn’t afford to pay for any additional lessons because it was already a struggle for her to cover my main tuition fee. I never had a chance to study the piano or any musical instruments for that matter, and I had no regret associated with it.

"If you want, I can teach you sometimes," Raphael offered as he stroked his fingers along the white keys of the piano.

"You know how to play?" I asked before I could stop myself. It felt like learning something new about him made me feel so excited.

"I haven’t played in a while. Do you want me to play for you?" He asked before showing me a very sweet smile.

It felt like my heart was ready to stop, and I had to look away to hide my shyness and how much his smile affected me. I nodded my head slightly while my mind felt like it was in a daze. Raphael gave off such a princely vibe when he sat down and positioned his beautiful hands on the keys of the piano. The classical piece that he played felt so magical and bright as the sound of music echoed around us in the music room.

–To be continued...