“Yes,” he replies.
My lips part on a silent ‘wow’. I can’t believe he bought them, let alone filled his shelves with them.
Lizzie leans in and whispers in my ear, “There’s a whole shelf of romance books where the guy has a pierced dick.”
I splutter a laugh, and Rafe raises an eyebrow, but neither Lizzie nor I explain.
“You can make your videos in here too,” he says, ignoring our outburst.
“In your office?” I ask.
“Yes.” He shrugs and adds, “I don’t work from home very often anyway.”
I know he’s trying to make this seem less of a big deal than it is, but this ishuge. Until I came to live in the Emblem, no one had ever done anything like this for me. I can’t recall a single gift my father ever bought me, and here are Lizzie and her father, presenting me with an entire library of my favourite books.
Speechless, I turn to Lizzie, who throws her arms around my neck and hugs me hard.
“I wish you could live with us forever,” she says.
“Oh, don’t.” I sniffle. “I’m really going to cry now. It’s not even my birthday. I don’t deserve this.”
“Of course you do,” Lizzie says. “You’re working your arse off. Besides, we wanted to do it. Dad did, really.”
I glance at him over her shoulder.
“I thought it was about time you stopped filming in a glorified closet,” he explains.
I laugh, easing out of Lizzie’s arms and wiping the tears from my eyes with the heel of my hand.
“Where did you put all your books?” I ask him, glancing at the shelves.
“Storage,” he says. “I never read them, so it makes more sense for yours to be in here. When you move out, we’ll put them back again.”
When you move out.
The words sting more than they should, especially when he’s just presented me with thousands of pounds worth of special edition books.
His gaze leaves mine, and for a moment, I think I see mirrored pain flit over his handsome face. But then he steps forward and embraces me, and it’s so unexpected that I go rigid in his arms. He hasn’t touched me since that night on the kitchen counter.
Lizzie stands on my other side, unable to see that her father’s mouth is in my hair, his whispered words hot against my ear through the strands. “You deserve every good thing that comes to you, Diana. I hope you know that. And if you don’t, I’ll do my best to show you any way I can, even after you move out.”
Goosebumps skitter down my arms, and when he releases me, my knees feel weak.
“I’ll leave you to have a look around,” he says. “Dinner in half an hour.”
Bowing his head, he strides from the room as if nothing has changed, but somehow, I know the world has shifted.
21
DIANA
“What are we doing tonight?” Rafe asks as he comes to join me at the kitchen island one Saturday night. I don’t know where he’s been, and I don’t ask, although I want to. Has he been on a date? He’s become so important to me, that it’s torment not knowing the ins and outs of his personal life.
Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his top button, he sits next to me, bringing with him a whisper of the scent I remember from Delirium. I ignore it, as I always do.
I put on my serious businesswoman persona and studiously avoid thinking about how attractive he is because, on the business front at least, everything is falling into place faster than I ever thought. If it’s a success, Rafe will have been fundamental to it.
I never knew that having someone’s constant reassurance and support could helpthismuch. I feel like a different person.