Daddy Alpha I’m In Heat (Lily and Connor) novel Chapter 38

~Lily~

The waiter had not even left the table yet when a man appeared out of nowhere like the plot twist I had not ordered but was apparently getting served tonight anyway.

He was tall, golden–skinned from the sun, wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled and the top few buttons undone like he was auditioning to be the sexy love interest in a Netflix summer movie.

He had dark hair that looked like he had run his hands through it in a way that should not have been attractive but was, and he smiled at me with the kind of confidence that only came from either being very charming or very stupid.

“Señorita,” he said smoothly, sliding into the seat beside me before I could even say no, and his accent rolled over the word like it had been dipped in caramel “You dine alone?”

I immediately forgot how to breathe because technically I was eating alone, yes, but spiritually and emotionally I was under the constant invisible surveillance of Connor.

So no, sir, I was not alone. I was living under a silent, terrifying dictatorship in which I had accidentally become both the citizen and the criminal, and this man was about to commit an international crime by sitting here.

“Yes,” I heard myself say anyway because my mouth has a long history of betraying me in times of crisis.

His smile widened like I had just given him permission to ruin my life further, and he leaned in slightly as if we were about to share a scandalous secret. “My name is Rafael,” he said with a tiny shrug, like the name alone should explain why women everywhere probably fainted at his feet.

You are too beautiful to eat alone.”

Too beautiful.

Oh great, now my ego was clapping like a trained seal. My ego needed to shut up because it clearly had no survival instincts, and Connor would arrive soon to personally murder everyone at this table and possibly the tablecloth too.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, immediately knocking over my water glass because my dignity was already packing her bags to leave the country. “I am very alone. Completely abandoned. Tragic, really. Very, very sad situation.”

Why was I like this?

Rafael laughed softly, which only made things worse because his laugh was warm and low and the kind of sound that made you think he probably wrote poetry in Spanish.

“Then I will keep you company,” he said smoothly, as though it was already decided, as though he had no idea he was signing up to star in tonight’s episode of Connor’s Revenge: Mediterranean Edition.

I should have told him no. I should have explained that my life was already hanging by a thread and his presence was like lighting a cigarette while standing in a puddle of gasoline. Instead, I smiled nervously and said, “Sure,” because apparently I have a death wish and poor decision–making skills.

So there I was, sitting beside Rafael while he smiled at me like I was dessert and he had skipped straight past dinner.

He asked for my name, and I told him, and then he said it back all slow and accented like Lee–leeah instead of Lily.

He started talking about music, about how the nightclubs here stayed open until morning, about dancing and Spanish guitars and summer heat, and I kept nodding and laughing too much because my brain had officially decided to leave my body and let me handle this alone.

I was saying things that did not make sense, agreeing to opinions I did not even hear because his accent made everything sound important, and I laughed too loudly at a joke I did not understand because I was in the middle of an emotional hurricane.

“I love your body,” Rafael said suddenly. His eyes traveled over me in a way that made my stomach twist, and then he added, “Spanish women do not look like this. Dios mío. You are… how do you say perfect?”

Oh. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no.

Did he just..did he just compliment my body out loud? In public? Oh fuck.

Oh this is good, my wolf purred in the back of my head, sounding way too entertained by my impending death. Go on, Lily, tell him thank you. Let’s see if we can get Connor to kill someone before dessert. That will be fun for everyone except you, obviously, but I will enjoy it.

I choked on my own spit. Loudly. Like a dying lawnmower.

“Your body,” Rafael said again, smiling like he was giving me the winning lottery numbers.”

Beautiful. Perfect.”

“Oh, thank you,” I blurted, way too loudly, because my mouth hates me and wants me dead. “Yes, I have a body. People have bodies. Totally normal. Nothing special about mine. I drink water sometimes. Do some squats. Walk up stairs. Very ordinary body. Extremely average. Two arms, two legs, you know, standard human package. Nothing to write home about.”

Oh my God, my wolf groaned. Please stop talking before you make it worse. Actually, no, keep going. This is fun. I have not been entertained like this in years.

I was already sweating. “I mean, bodies are just bodies, right?” I kept going because my brain had completely detached from my mouth at this point.

“Some are tall, some are short, some do yoga, some eat entire cakes in one sitting, not that I have ever done that, obviously, because I am very healthy and normal, but yes, bodies exist and mine exists, so thank you for noticing, I guess.”

Rafael just smiled, leaning back in his chair with that slow, confident charm like he thought this was going well for him.

Meanwhile, my entire nervous system was trying to call 911.

“You are different,” he said, lowering his voice slightly like he was sharing a secret with me. “The way you walk. The way you talk. You are… how do you say… very tempting.”

Oh he is dead, my wolf said flatly. Connor is going to kill him. He is not even here yet and I can already hear the funeral music.

I laughed way too loudly again, the sound echoing across the table like a dying seagull. “Tempting? Me? No, no, no, no, no. I am not tempting. I am the opposite of tempting. I am un–tempting.

“People look at me and think, ‘Wow, there goes a girl who probably pays her taxes early and goes to bed at nine p.m.‘ Absolutely nothing tempting happening here. Very boring. Very ordinary. People fall asleep when I walk into rooms. I have the opposite of sex appeal. Negative sex appeal, even.”

This is embarrassing for both of us, my wolf muttered, sounding like she was sipping tea somewhere in the back of my brain. Do you hear yourself right now? Because I do and it is painful.

“And your hair,” Rafael continued like I was not currently humiliating myself in public. “The color. Very beautiful. In Spain, women do not have this hair. Too dark. Yours is like…” He gestured vaguely with his hand. “Sunlight.”

“Oh yes, sunlight, sure, very sunny, very hair–like,” I rambled because apparently I was not done ruining my own life tonight. “I wash it sometimes. Shampoo, conditioner, the whole routine, nothing fancy. You can buy the products at any store. Very normal hair. People look at it and think, ‘That is definitely hair on a person’s head.‘ Totally standard.”

Connor is going to set this entire boat on fire when he arrives, my wolf said calmly, like she was giving a weather report. I hope you enjoy your last meal because dessert is going to be bloodshed. Rafael smiled wider, clearly pleased with himself, while I sat there holding my fork like it might protect me from divine judgment.

He leaned back after complimenting my hair like he had just given a Nobel Peace Prize speech, smiling wider, all teeth and charm, and then he lowered his voice so only I could hear.

“Quiero follarte,” he said slowly, almost like he was savoring each word. “Llevarte a mi cama, arrancarte la ropa con mis manos, besarte cada centímetro de esa piel tan preciosa. Haré que grites mi nombre toda la noche, princesa. Quiero hacerte temblar hasta que no puedas caminar.”

I blinked at him.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

He had just said a whole paragraph. A long one. With a lot of emotion. And several dramatic hand gestures. And my Spanish knowledge started and ended with “hola” and “gracias,” so obviously! had no clue what had just come out of his mouth.

Oh my God, my wolf wheezed in my head, absolutely losing it. He just told you he wants to rip your clothes off and make you scream his name until you lose your voice. He said he wants you under him all night. He said things I am blushing at, and I do not even blush.

What?

Oh this is fantastic, she continued, laughing so hard I could feel it in my teeth. He wants to make you tremble until you cannot walk. This is poetry, Lily. Absolute filth. Connor is going to hang him off the side of the boat by his toes when he finds out.

I swallowed hard, smiling awkwardly because my brain had completely frozen.

“Right,” I said loudly, nodding like I understood any of that. “Totally. Yes. Sounds great. Very nice. Love that for you. For us. For… Spain in general.”

For Spain in general? my wolf howled with laughter. Oh you are dead. I am going to light candles at your funeral. Maybe send flowers.

“Princesa,” Rafael said, lowering his voice even more as he continued his Spanish monologue of sin. “Voy a hacerte olvidar tu propio nombre. Quiero probar cada parte de ti, lenta y profundamente, hasta que llores por mí. Vas a rogarme que no pare.”

I nodded harder because apparently I hate myself. “Oh, totally, yes, absolutely, love that enthusiasm, so passionate about… whatever that was.”

wolf He just said he wants to taste every part of you slowly and deeply until you cry for him, my translated gleefully. Do you want me to get you a dictionary, or should we just wait for Connor to kill him first?

I was sweating. Like actual droplets. “Very romantic,” I blurted out because my mouth works faster than my brain. “Spanish is such a romantic language, isn’t it? So poetic. So… cultural.”

Poetic? my wolf laughed so hard she was‘ practically rolling on the floor of my mind. He just described the exact opposite of romance, Lily. This is porn. He is speaking fluent pornography at you and you are smiling like he just recited Shakespeare.

Rafael grinned wider, clearly encouraged, and leaned in close enough that I could smell his cologne.

“Quiero atarte a mi cama,” he whispered. “Quiero hacerte gritar hasta que no tengas voz, princesa. Toda la noche. Sin parar. Hasta que sólo puedas pensar en mí.”

I nodded so hard my neck cracked. “Yes! Love that for you! For… everyone involved, really!”

Oh you are dead, my wolf said again, wiping imaginary tears of laughter from her eyes. Connor is going to kill him, then kill you, then bring you back to life just to kill you again.

And that was when the air changed. Oh shit.