Raphael (Deadly Virtues #1)(66)

When she finally looked at him, he slowly took her down the graveled path that led to the gardens she had been staring at only minutes ago. They arrived on the terrace that overlooked the fountains and maze, and she sighed.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Her cheek was ice cold against his.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she whispered. “So peaceful. Like paradise.”

Maria silently watched the wind blow through the trees. Raphael kissed along her neck, her cheeks, and around the shell of her ear. “You have permission to speak freely,” he murmured. “Until I tell you otherwise.” Maria turned her head, and the smile she wore made his dick stir. Raphael growled. “Here’s a tip, little rose. If you want to stay outside awhile, don’t smile at me like that.” He held her tighter. “Or I’ll take you back inside and fuck you. And you’ll never get outside again.” Raphael released Maria when he felt her body shake at his threat. He didn’t release her because she was scared. But because he saw the lust in her eyes. That look was a match to his already lit flame.

Maria walked to the stone barrier of the terrace. “Do you come out here often?” Raphael’s head tipped to the side at the sound of Maria speaking without command. Her voice sounded softer somehow, more . . . alive. When he didn’t answer, she turned to face him. Raphael nodded. His hands balled into fists at his sides. He didn’t recognize the buzz cutting through his body as he watched her. He didn’t know if he liked it. Maria nodded at his silent reply. “I’d practically live out here if this was my home. These stunning grounds . . .”

Her home . . . Raphael couldn’t move past that thought. Her home . . .

Stalking to where she stood in her baggy clothes and sneakers, he took her hand and guided her down the stone stairs to the gravel path that led to the maze and fountain. Maria squeezed his hand when they approached the fountain, the sound of water filling the surrounding air. They passed the maze, and Raphael wasn’t sure whether he would show her the greenhouse until they arrived at the door. Her hand tightened in his. An unfamiliar sense of doubt ran through him.

As if she could feel it, Maria hugged his arm and asked, “What is this place?”

Raphael clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. Only he ever came in here. Not even his brothers touched this place. They knew better than to intrude. It was his and his alone. “Raphael?” The sound of his name made his eyes open and his gaze latch onto Maria. She is here. I want her inside. Without responding to her, Raphael unlocked the door and led her inside.

The heat of the greenhouse hit them first, a stark contrast to the blistering cold outside. Maria gasped when she saw what lay before her. Raphael hung back, releasing Maria’s hand as she walked slowly along the narrow path before them.

“Raphael,” she said, awed. Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled wide. “Roses.” A lump formed in Raphael’s throat as she held out her hand and ran it carefully over the blooming petals. Over the roses grown by his hands.

Raphael made his feet move and followed her along the path, watching every single move she made. Maria turned and asked, “What is this place, my lord?”

Raphael swallowed the heaviness in his throat and touched the Eternity red rose that was fully bloomed. “Roses,” he rasped. “My rose garden.”

“Yours?” Maria said breathlessly, shock lacing her tone.

Raphael smiled. Maria’s cheeks bloomed almost as red as the flower still cupped in his fingers. “Mine.”

Maria looked around the garden. “You grow these yourself?”

Raphael kneeled down and checked the health of the stems and the soil in the ground. “Mmm,” he replied. His finger ran over the vibrant red petals. “I grow them from seed. I nurture them. I aid them to grow.” He looked at Maria. She had moved closer, as though drawn in by his gentle voice. Looking back to the rose, Raphael held the head in his fingers and moved it from side to side, checking its condition. It was perfect. “I guide it to bloom, bring it to life . . .” He dropped his hand to the stem and plucked the rose from the bush, ripping it from its home. He stood and turned to Maria, towering over her. “Then I cut them from their source.” Raphael took the pink rose from Maria’s hair and tossed it to the ground. He stared at the pink flower then pressed his boot over it, grinding it into the gravel path. When he stepped away, its petals were crushed and ruined. His eyes flared and his chest filled with satisfaction. Raphael tucked the Eternity rose behind Maria’s ear. The color suited her much better. “I make them all pretty as death begins to close in.” Raphael placed his finger under Maria’s chin and tilted it so she was looking right into his eyes. “Then it wilts and dies, losing its prettiness, its reason for living.” Maria sucked in a breath. He moved his cotton-wrapped finger to her pulse and felt it racing. “But there’s no sadness. The rose served its purpose, pleasing me for as long as it was alive.” Maria held her breath, eyes wide. Raphael ran his thumb down her soft cheek. “Then I start again. I replant. And wait for another to grow. The cycle starts again.”

Maria swallowed. Raphael bent his head and pressed his lips against hers. “Mmm,” he murmured. “You always taste so sweet, little rose.” He released her and walked along the path. He’d had yet to visit the garden that day. Raphael busied himself with checking the budding bushes, with monitoring the temperature and the filtration systems. When his eyes found Maria again, she was watching him closely.