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Ricardo and…enjoying it?
Secretly, she’d missed seeing him the past few days while he shot the
commercials. Would he spend more time with them now?
Rafael looked thoughtfully down at her. “Let’s go out to dinner
tomorrow night.”
“Where did you have in mind? Ricky mentioned—”
“Without Ricardo. Just you and me.” His gaze didn’t waver, and his voice
was different. The lowered bass rippled through her, heating her skin.
Her breath stalled for a moment. “Just the two of us?” She followed up
her breathless question with another. “What will we do with Ricky?”
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Fight for Love
Delaney Diamond
“I’ll hire someone to watch him. My housekeeper may even be willing to
babysit for the night. I’ll hire a car, and we’ll get dressed up and go
somewhere nice.”
Trying to appear nonchalant, although she was excited by the prospect of
an evening out, Rebekah said, “Sounds like a good idea. It’ll be nice to get
out and see the city at night.”
“Do you remember our first date?”
The change of subject surprised her. She nodded.
A wry smile lifted a corner of his mouth. “What a mess. I had left my
wallet at my apartment, and I didn’t have any money to cover the meal. You
had to put it on the credit card your father gave you for emergencies.”
She remembered it well. He’d been so embarrassed and upset. “You paid
me back.”
“My car broke down, and we had to walk part of the way until we could
get to a phone, and I could call one of my friends to pick us up.”
She had left her cell phone at home so her father couldn’t reach her. She
remembered the night in vivid detail. It was the night of their first kiss—and
the night she had fallen in love with him.
She had felt safe with him as they walked the dark streets. He’d been a
big man even then, though now he was more muscular after years of
conditioning.
“It gave us time to talk, and you held my hand the entire way,” she said.
He laughed dryly and shook his head.
Rebekah realized what she recollected as fond memories were not the
same for him. His macho pride had taken a beating that night.
“None of that mattered to me,” she said softly. “All I cared about was
being with you.”
“I know.” He smiled down at her. “But now, I can afford the things I
couldn’t before. I can take care of you and Ricardo the way you deserve.”
Rebekah shook her head. “I don’t want a dime from you. My attorney
understands how I feel. You don’t owe me anything because you did this on
your own. Just take care of Ricky.”
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“Not many women would feel that way, Rebekah. You do know I’m rich
now, don’t you?” He grinned, and the reappearance of his dimples made her
heart race.
“I know.”
He shifted and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
“Tomorrow night, I’m going to spoil you.”
“Rafe—”
“I want to.”
She smiled. “Well…it just so happens I love to be spoiled.”
“Good. I’ll make the reservations.”
Then, as if he didn’t want to give her time to change her mind, he made
his way out of the kitchen.
Rebekah slowly released her breath. Dinner with Rafael, alone. It would
be the first time they would spend an extended period alone together since
their arrival in California. Under normal circumstances, Ricardo was always
nearby, and she and Rafael usually went their separate ways early in the
evening.
Tomorrow night, for the first time, it would be just the two of them.
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Fight for Love
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Chapter Twelve
Rebekah leaned toward the mirror in her bedroom to apply mascara and
eyeliner. She had used a curling iron to add large curls to her hair and then
pinned the thick tresses atop her head, making them look messy, yet neat at
the same time. The black-and-white wraparound dress she wore was one of
the few dresses she’d brought to California. With the addition of minimal
jewelry and high-heeled sandals, she was ready for the evening out with
Rafael.
She and Rafael had fallen into comfortable conversation earlier during
the day, bantering back and forth with ease. The day they spent on the beach
near the pier had been enjoyable and made them more relaxed around each
other. Only once had there been cause for tension, and it had occurred when
a fan wanted to take a photo of Rafael while he played with Ricardo. He told
the man in no uncertain terms he did not have permission to take a picture
of his son, and he made him wait until Ricardo moved out of the range of
the shot.
Rebekah peeked in on Ricardo. The amber glow of the nightlight was
enough for her to see he was comfortably under the covers, flat on his back,
arms spread wide across the bed.
She quietly closed the door and walked toward the living room where she
knew Rafael waited. They would soon be off for a late dinner in a private
dining room at Spago Beverly Hills, the flagship restaurant of famed chef and
restaurateur, Wolfgang Puck. Lydia would stay with Ricardo until their
return.
Rafael wore a dark suit and stood in the living room looking out at the
view. Their eyes met in the reflection in the wall of windows and he turned
around.
“I’m ready,” Rebekah said, smoothing damp palms over the material of
her dress. She felt as if they were going on another first date.
Rafael’s gaze flicked over her, but he didn’t say a word. “Let’s go then.
The limo’s waiting.” He walked past her to open the front door, and the
scent of sandalwood wafted up into her nostrils.
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Fight for Love
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She swallowed back her disappointment when he didn’t comment on her
appearance, but her disappointment was short-lived. As they walked to the
waiting car, his hand came to rest against the small of her back, filling her
body with warmth and turning her lower limbs to jelly.
He leaned toward her, so close the light brush of his lips tickled her ear.
“You look lovely tonight,” he said in a low rumble. “I’m going to have to
fight to keep other men away from you.”
Rebekah smiled and cast him a coquettish look. “That won’t be
necessary,” she said before slipping into the car. She crossed her legs,
avoiding his smoldering gaze.
“Why is that?” His hand slid along the top of the leather seat and she felt
him wrap a loose curl around his finger.
“You have to ask?” Their playful banter was escalating.
The driver closed the door, and Rafael leaned closer, his eyes glittering
with interest in the dark interior. “Is it because you’re all mine tonight?” he
asked in a husky whisper.
Warmth crept into her cheeks. She swallowed as excitement swept
through her. “Rafe—”
His fingers slipped from her hair and encircled the back of her neck,
stemming the flow of words. The warmth of the contact of skin against skin
surged down her torso and settled in her pelvis.
“We’ll move as fast or as slow as you want, Rebekah, but we both know
the outcome will be the same.” His hooded gaze lowered to her lips. “It’s
inevitable, and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“It’s still a bad idea to sleep with each other to satisfy a biological need.
As if—as if we’re two people in the middle of an affair instead of a divorce.”
“There are people who are divorced who still get together every now and
again and have sex. Did you know that?” He said it as if he were educating
her about a solution to a science equation.
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