Rafael

The night was quiet, too quiet for a man like me, whose life thrived in the chaos of shadows and deals made under the cover of darkness. But tonight, that stillness felt heavy. Every thought I had circled back to Camille, to the moment she had looked at me with those searching eyes after I told her the truth. The truth about my life—the violence, the danger, the unspeakable things I’d done. But she didn’t turn away. And that terrified me more than anything else.

I had no business falling for her. Camille didn’t belong in my world. She was light, and I was a man buried too deep in the dark to even remember what warmth felt like. Yet, here I was, pulling up in front of her building, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t already in too deep.

My heart hammered in my chest as I killed the engine, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. I needed to see her. I needed to feel her presence, even if for a moment. Maybe then I could breathe again, knowing she was safe—even if I was the greatest danger in her life.

But as I walked toward her building, something shifted in the air, like the faintest whisper of a storm about to break. The sounds from inside grew louder, more frantic. I quickened my pace, and when I turned the corner, my blood froze at the sight in front of me.

Dr. Lucas Thompson, the smug son of a bitch who’d been trying to get too close to Camille, stood towering over her. I caught the venom in his voice, lashing out at her, his frustration spilling over because she had refused to join his team. But the moment he shoved her, everything in me snapped. Camille staggered back, and I watched as she lost her balance, falling hard onto her leg. The pain in her eyes as she crumpled to the ground sent a rage through me I hadn’t felt in years.

I was moving before I even realized it, my feet carrying me to her side, pushing past the shocked faces of onlookers. No one dared say a word. My fists itched to tear Lucas apart, but first, I had to make sure Camille was safe.

“Rafael?” Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving as I crouched beside her, scooping her up in one fluid motion. She weighed nothing in my arms, her body pressed close to mine as her arms instinctively wrapped around my neck. The soft gasp that escaped her lips only fueled the fire burning inside me.

People stared, eyes wide, whispers starting to spread through the crowd. I didn’t give a damn about any of them. The world could watch in awe for all I cared. Right now, there was only Camille, and the unbearable thought of someone like Lucas hurting her made my skin crawl.

Without a word, I carried her through the hallway, the weight of her in my arms grounding me, even as my mind raced with the fury that came from seeing her hurt. My every step was deliberate, every breath controlled, but I knew that beneath the surface, I was barely keeping it together.

I found a quiet corner away from the prying eyes of the crowd, gently setting her down on a bench. My heart clenched at the sight of her wincing, her hand clutching her leg. Kneeling in front of her, I ran my hands carefully over her ankle, checking for any sign of serious injury. “Are you okay?” My voice was low, rough with barely contained emotion.

“It’s just a little sore,” she whispered, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of surprise and something deeper—something I couldn’t quite place. “I’ll be fine.”

Fine? My hands stilled, the rage from earlier threatening to spill over again as I glanced back toward the hallway where Lucas stood, frozen in fear. I could end him right now. One phone call, one order, and he’d never so much as look at her again.

“Do I need to take care of him?” I growled, my voice barely human, the threat unmistakable.

“No.” Her hand shot out, gripping my arm, her eyes pleading with me. “Please, Rafael. It was an accident.”

An accident? That bastard had put his hands on her. But the look in Camille’s eyes stopped me cold. She wasn’t asking for protection. She wasn’t a damsel in distress, waiting for a knight to fight her battles. She was asking for restraint—for me to let it go. For her sake.

I exhaled, forcing myself to nod. “Fine,” I muttered, though every fiber of my being screamed to make Lucas pay. “But if he ever touches you again, I won’t ask twice.”My breath was steady, but the threat thick in the air. " I'll make sure he regrets the day he ever laid eyes on you. I'll break every bone in his body, piece by peace, and he will wish for death long before am done. His career,  his life - it will be ashes by the time am done with him. "

I could feel her grip tightening in my arm, her fingers digging into my skin, a silent plea for restraint.  But this wasn’t an empty threat. If he crossed that line again, there wouldn't be a place on this earth where he could hide from the hell I would rain down on him. "I'll ruin him", I continued, my voice cold and unforgiving. "Everything he's ever built,everyone he's ever cared about - it'll all dissappear.  He'll be nothing but a forgotten man, wishing he'd never crossed path with you. Do you understand sunshine?".

Her fingers tightened around my arm, her touch grounding me in a way nothing else ever had. I knew she could hear the darkness in my voice,  but this is who I was - the man who protected what was his at any cost. And if Lucas tried that stupid move again he would be a good example.

“I can handle myself, Rafael,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the chaos of the moment.

And there it was again—her strength, her independence. It both inspired me and terrified me because I knew that no matter how capable she was, my world would crush her if I wasn’t careful.

I stood slowly, moving to sit beside her, my hand resting on her knee. The electricity between us was impossible to ignore, the weight of everything we weren’t saying hanging in the air.

“I told you before,” I murmured, my voice barely more than a whisper  now, “this world…my world… it’s a place of shadows, where loyalty is bought with blood and trust is nothing but a fragile illusion.  Its a place where innocence is devoured by the darkness that people like me carry. I've seen things, done things that no man should ever have to speak of. It's dangerous, sunshine - dark and twisted in ways you can't even imagine. And you.........you don't belong in it. You deserve so much more than this life I lead. You deserve better than a man like me."

She let out a soft sigh, her breath carrying a tremor that tugged at something deep inside me. Her eyes, wide and vulnerable, locked onto mine, and in that moment, I could feel the weight of her words before she even spoke them. The intensity of her gaze—so open, so raw—made my chest tighten, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I couldn’t hide. Not from her. Not from this.

“I don’t want ‘better,’ Rafael.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it hit me with the force of a confession, like she was giving me a piece of her heart that I didn’t deserve. “I want you.”

The air between us grew thick with unspoken emotions, the tension pulling us closer even as my mind screamed at me to pull away. Her words cut through the silence, carving into me, and though her voice wavered ever so slightly, there was no doubt. No hesitation. Just a simple, undeniable truth laid bare in front of me.

“I’ve tried to fight it,” she continued, her voice trembling, but strong in its conviction. “But I can’t. I can’t run from what I feel. I don’t care how dangerous your world is, Rafael. I don’t care about the risks. I care about you.”

My heart clenched painfully at her admission. I wanted to tell her she was wrong—that she was making a mistake, that she didn’t know what she was asking for—but the sincerity in her eyes held me captive. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t backing down, even though I had given her every reason to walk away. The storm inside me raged, torn between wanting to shield her from the worst parts of myself and wanting, desperately, to let her in.

She was standing in front of me, open and vulnerable, offering me something I had convinced myself I wasn’t worthy of. She knew the dangers, the shadows that followed me, and yet she was still here, still choosing me. I felt a surge of emotion, raw and overwhelming, and for a moment, the darkness that had always surrounded me felt like it was cracking open, letting in her light.

But how could I accept that? How could I let her walk into my world, knowing full well it would consume her? How could I take something so pure, so good, and drag it down into the pit I lived in?

“I don’t deserve you,” I rasped, my voice thick with emotion. “I don’t deserve any of this, Sunshine. You don’t know what you’re asking for. You think you want this now, but my world… it’ll tear you apart.”

Her hand found mine, the warmth of her touch searing into my skin, grounding me in a way I hadn’t felt in years. “I know what I want,” she whispered, her thumb tracing gentle circles over my knuckles. “And I’m not afraid, Rafael. I’m not afraid of you.”

I stared at her, feeling the weight of her words sink in, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something break inside me. Something I had buried long ago—the part of me that still longed for something good, something real. But even in that moment, I couldn’t shake the fear that I would destroy it, destroy her.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said, my voice barely holding steady. “But I will. Being with me will hurt you, Sunshine. It’s inevitable.”

She shook her head, her grip tightening on my hand. “You won’t,” she said softly. “I trust you.”

Her words wrapped around me like a lifeline, pulling me out of the darkness for just a moment. But that moment was enough to make me realize how deeply I cared for her. How much I needed her, even if I didn’t deserve her. And maybe, just maybe, that was the most terrifying thing of all.

The last of my control  shattered, crumbling beneath the weight of everything I had tried so hard to bury. In a single, unguarded moment, I closed the distance between us, my hand slipping to the small of her back, pulling her against me with a force driven by months of restraint. My lips found hers in a kiss that was nothing short of raw desperation - wild, unrestrained and consuming. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was everything I couldn’t put into words, a confession of the need that had taken root deep within me.

The world around us blurred into nothingness, and all that existed was her - Camille, my light,  my sunshine. Her lips were soft yet demanding, answering every unspoken plea with a fierceness that matched my own. The taste of her was intoxicating, a dizzying blend of sweetness and fire that only pulled me deeper into the storm of emotions swirling between us.

Her fingers tangled in the fabric of my shirt, gripping me with a desperation that matched my own, pulling me closer until there was no space between us. I could feel her heartbeat racing beneath my hand, a wild rhythm that was happening to mine as well. Every brush of her lips against mine, every soft sigh that escaped her sent a jolt of need surging through me, igniting something primal and uncontrollable.

For that brief, perfect moment, nothing else mattered. The world we came from - the chaos,  the danger,  the fear - ceased to exist. It was just us, caught in a whirlwind of passion that threatened to consume everything in its path. Her body pressed against mine, fitting perfectly, as if it had always belonged there, and I realised with startling clarity that I never wanted to let her go.

But beneath the hunger, there was something deeper  - a tenderness I hadn’t expected. Every moment of my lips against hers was filled with the unspoken truth of how much I had come to need her. Not just physically,  but in a way that terrified me. She had become the one thing that could unravel the darkness inside me, the one person that made me feel alive in a way I had never thought possible. 

When she pulled back, her breath mingling with mine, her eyes met mine - soft, questioning, but sure. I saw the reflection of everything I was feeling, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel alone. In that moment, it was as if she had reached into the deepest, most hidden part of me and found the man I had forgotten existed. And it terrified me,  but it also set me free.

I rested my forehead against hers, my heart racing in my chest. “This…this is madness,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “But I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop, Sunshine.”

Camille smiled softly, her fingers brushing against my cheek. “Then don’t.”

In that moment, I knew I was lost. Lost in her, in us, in whatever this thing between us had become. There was no going back now. Camille had become my greatest weakness and my only salvation. And even though the danger of my world still loomed, I knew one thing for certain.

I would burn it all down to keep her safe.