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SIXTEEN

Morning ca across Rafiq’s rooainst his war felt like a dream His chest rose and fell in a deep rhyth it would all evaporate once I did

The night had been incredible, and passionate— I had ever experienced The feel of Rafiq’s gentle hands and hungry, aching kisses still lingered on et the entire world existed and simply lay here in his arms forever, nestled in his warm love

The shrill ringing of a cell phone erupted in thenored, not today or any day

Rafiq inhaled deeply as he rose up into consciousness, dragged from sleep by the sound of his phone Immediately, the arm wrapped around my shoulder pulledfor the phone, he bent his head and pressed his lips against my hair with a soft kiss

I sainst his skin and kissed his shoulder “You should probably get that,” I murmured

With a reluctant growl, Rafiq obliged and reached one arhtstand for his smartphone As soon as he looked at the screen, his muscles tensed up beneath me

“Oh, shit,” he said “My father, I coot”

“What?” I said, sitting up to look at him

He didn’t reply Instead, he swiped a finger across the screen and answered the inco call I waited with baited breath while he spoke in quiet Arabic to his father for about ten seconds, and then hung up, tossing the phone back on the nightstand

“Meh to visit today before he returns hoot to tell you, ith all the excitement yesterday…”

“Must we get out of bed?” I said in a soft, seductive voice

Rafiq gaveover to pin led underneath hi more passionate, until Rafiq reluctantly slammed the brakes on

“My father will be here within the hour,” he said “I e had tiave my neck a frisky, soft bite to make me squeal

“Later,” I said with a wink, and kissed him

We each took a quick shower and got dressed, ready to meet with Mehmet Rafiq went to the kitchen to prepare the tea service he knew his father would be expecting, while I went back into athered the night before It wasn’t that I intending toback to my apartment didn’t seem like such an important task on my to-do list after all

Seeing the portrait Rafiq ain I couldn’t believe he had been hiding this talent fro as much as possible, I decided to follow his lead

While he was busy in the kitchen, I hung up the portrait next to his on the wall outside the spare bedroom, and stepped back to inspect my handiwork The warm tones in my portrait of Rafiq, already on the wall, were the perfect co out the dark blues of my eyes and dress

“You completed us,” I said softly

“What was that, honey?” said Rafiq fro the tea tray “Did you say so?”

“You co to him with a smile “Did you do that on purpose?”

Rafiq wasn’t looking at me as he carefully laid out the tea service on the coffee table

“Do what on purpose?”