Chapter 181: Desperation*
Soleia didn’t have much time to process Ralph’s threat before he edged further toward her. She gasped in surprise, and in that moment of shock, her hand slipped out of his pants so that she could brace herself against the bed.
Without his lifeline clutched onto, Ralph moved like a predator with its sights set on its prey. His hand reached for the back of her neck, locking her in place while his tongue pushed past Soleia’s lips and sought for her tongue. His other hand worked on the last of her dress before completely stripping it away from her body, leaving her bare and naked in the night, glorious as a goddess rising.
If she was going to be in her birthday suit, she refused to let Ralph stay clothed. With that in mind, Soleia reached for the hem of his shirt, yanking it over his head as best as her arms could stretch, causing Ralph to chuckle when she failed to do so in one fell swoop. It got stuck against his jaw, and Ralph had to pull apart from their kiss so as to assist her.
"Looks like you need a little more practice, Princess," Rafael said teasingly, his green eyes practically glowing in the darkness of the room.
"And I assume you’ve got plenty?" Soleia shot back, half in jest and half in insecurity.
She knew — and had witnessed — Ralph’s rather colorful past. There were plenty of butterflies that danced around the flower that was Ralph Byrone, and if it weren’t her lucky self that had tied him down in holy matrimony, then it would’ve been another.
A man like Ralph Byrone could never be a single man for the rest of his life, not when he was too good a catch.
Rafael’s eyes locked in on Soleia’s expressions, slowly digesting each and every change of her features. He reached for her face and gently cupped her cheek in his hand.
This silly girl had gone off and made up who-knows-what sort of scenarios in her mind and was slowly starting to spiral downhill.
"Would you believe me if I said I have never?" Ralph gently said, prompting Soleia to look up at him when she was trying to avoid his gaze the more she thought of her question.
"I don’t know," Soleia said with what she thought was a playful shrug. "You’re a rather enigmatic man. Can I trust you?"