Rachel woke up to warmth.
Not sunlight.
Raziel.
His arm rested around her waist carefully, his body pressed just close enough to keep her against him without touching her injury. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, leaving the penthouse quiet except for the distant hum of the city below.
For a second, she simply stared at him.
Sleeping Raziel felt unfairly attractive.
Less dangerous.
Less untouchable.
Still terrifyingly handsome.
Annoying honestly.
---
Rachel shifted slightly beneath the sheets.
Big mistake.
Raziel's eyes opened instantly.
Not slowly.
Not lazily.
Instantly.
Years of danger clearly did not allow this man proper sleep.
His gaze landed on her first thing, sharp concern replacing sleep within seconds.
"You're hurting."
Rachel blinked.
"How do you always know that?"
"You breathe differently."
God.
That shouldn't have affected her the way it did.
---
He pushed himself up slightly against the headboard, his hand sliding gently along her waist before resting against her stomach again unconsciously.
The gesture had become natural now.
Protective.
Possessive.
Soft.
Rachel looked down at his hand briefly before murmuring,
"You keep doing that too."
Raziel glanced at her stomach.
"That bothers you?"
"No."
Too fast.
Way too fast.
A faint smirk appeared on his face immediately.
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Don't start feeling proud of yourself."
"Too late."
---
For the first time in days, the atmosphere felt light.
No screaming.
No blood.
No gunshots.
Just the two of them tangled in expensive sheets while morning light spilled softly through the massive windows.
Dangerously domestic.
---
Raziel brushed his fingers through her hair slowly, studying her face in that intense way he always did.
Rachel frowned slightly.
"What now?"
"You stayed."
The words came quieter than expected.
Almost like he still couldn't believe it.
Rachel looked away for a second.
"I'm still angry with you."
"I know."
"And confused."
"I know."
"And slightly traumatized."
That actually made him laugh softly.
Deep. Low. Real.
Rachel froze for half a second because
Wow.
She hadn't heard him laugh properly before.
---
Raziel noticed her expression immediately.
"What?"
"…nothing."
"Rachel."
"You have a nice laugh, okay? Damn."
His gaze softened instantly after that confession.
And suddenly Rachel regretted speaking.
Because now he was looking at her like she personally kept his heart beating.
Again.
---
A knock interrupted the moment.
Cassian's voice followed immediately from outside the bedroom.
"Boss, if you're alive in there, we have problems."
Raziel closed his eyes briefly like the universe had offended him personally.
Rachel laughed under her breath.
"You should probably let him in before he dies dramatically."
"He's always dramatic."
"True."
---
Cassian entered seconds later holding a tablet and an expression that screamed stress mixed with sleep deprivation.
Then he stopped walking.
Slowly.
His eyes moved between them on the bed.
Raziel's arm around Rachel.
Rachel wearing one of Raziel's shirts.
Cassian looked deeply disturbed.
"…well this feels intimate."
Rachel grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him immediately.
Cassian caught it effortlessly.
"Violence. Nice."
---
Raziel looked entirely too calm for a man caught cuddling.
"What happened?" he asked coldly.
Cassian's expression shifted instantly back to serious.
"The Benedict board members are panicking."
Rachel blinked slowly.
"…board members?"
Right.
Sometimes she forgot this man wasn't just mafia dangerous.
He was billionaire dangerous too.
---
Cassian handed the tablet over.
"Someone leaked photos from last night."
Raziel's expression darkened immediately.
Rachel took the tablet carefully.
Then nearly choked.
Because splashed across multiple news sites was a blurry image of Raziel carrying her through the penthouse covered in blood.
And another photo beneath it
Him kissing her forehead outside the medical room.
The headline read:
RAZIEL BENEDICT'S SECRET WOMAN EXPOSED AFTER VIOLENT ATTACK.
Rachel's eyes widened.
"Oh my God."
Cassian nodded grimly.
"Yeah. The internet is losing its mind."
---
Raziel looked entirely unbothered.
Rachel stared at him in disbelief.
"You don't care?!"
"No."
"That's your answer?!"
"You're my woman."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Cassian blinked slowly.
Because Raziel said it so naturally.
Like it was obvious.
Like there was no discussion needed.
---
Heat rushed straight into Rachel's face.
Cassian immediately looked entertained again.
"Oh this is getting serious serious."
Raziel didn't even look away from Rachel while saying:
"Get out."
Cassian grinned shamelessly.
"With pleasure."
Then before leaving, he added:
"Oh and one more thing."
Raziel's expression already suggested murder.
Cassian ignored it beautifully.
"The board wants to meet Rachel tonight."
The room went still.
Rachel frowned immediately.
"Why would they want to meet me?"
Cassian hesitated.
Which meant bad news obviously.
Then quietly
"Because somebody told them you might be carrying the next Benedict heir."
Silence.
Raziel's arm tightened around Rachel instantly.
And for the first time that morning
He looked ready to kill again.
Rachel stared at Cassian.
Then at Raziel.
Then back at Cassian again.
"The WHAT heir?"
Cassian lifted both hands immediately.
"Don't shoot the messenger. The media already connected the dots."
Raziel's expression remained unreadable, but Rachel could feel the shift in him beside her. His posture straightened slightly, one hand settling more firmly against her waist like instinct had taken over before thought.
Possessive again.
Always possessive.
---
Rachel pushed a hand through her hair slowly.
"This is insane."
Cassian gave her a look.
"You're dating Raziel Benedict. Insane stopped existing weeks ago."
Fair point honestly.
---
She looked back toward Raziel.
"You seriously own a company board too?"
Cassian nearly laughed.
"Company?"
Rachel frowned.
Cassian leaned casually against the doorway.
"Benedict Holdings practically owns half the city."
Rachel blinked once.
Then twice.
"You never told me that."
Raziel finally spoke.
"It wasn't important."
Rachel stared at him.
"You being disgustingly rich wasn't important?"
A faint smirk touched his mouth.
"You already knew I was rich."
"No, I thought you were regular rich."
Cassian snorted immediately.
Rachel pointed toward Raziel dramatically.
"This man has private security, hidden vaults, helicopters and enemies appearing on giant screens like a Marvel villain."
Cassian looked impressed.
"That's actually a very accurate description."
---
Raziel looked mildly offended.
"I'm not a villain."
Rachel gave him a long look.
He sighed.
"…I'm occasionally a villain."
That made her laugh before she could stop herself.
The sound changed something in the room instantly.
Raziel's eyes softened.
Cassian looked relieved.
Because for the first time since the shooting, Rachel sounded normal again.
---
Then Cassian cleared his throat.
"As touching as this is, there's another problem."
Raziel's attention sharpened immediately.
"What now?"
Cassian's expression turned serious again.
"The board isn't just curious about Rachel."
Rachel's smile faded slightly.
"They're worried."
"About what?" she asked quietly.
Cassian hesitated for a second before answering carefully:
"Raziel has never cared about anyone publicly before. People inside the company are starting to panic because emotional attachments make powerful men…"
He looked toward Raziel briefly.
"…predictable."
The atmosphere shifted again.
Cooler this time.
Rachel felt it immediately.
---
Raziel stood from the bed slowly, adjusting the sleeves of his black shirt with calm precision. The billionaire mask slipped back into place so naturally it almost felt unfair.
Cold control.
Sharp focus.
Like the softer version of him only existed around her.
---
Rachel watched him walk toward the windows overlooking the city.
Even from behind, the man radiated power.
And suddenly it hit her again—
This wasn't just some dangerous man.
This was a billionaire people feared enough to monitor who he kissed.
---
"You're not meeting them tonight," Raziel said finally.
Rachel blinked.
"Excuse me?"
He turned slightly toward her.
"The board meeting is cancelled."
Cassian looked surprised.
"You're cancelling the quarterly meeting?"
"Yes."
"Those old people are going to lose their minds."
"I don't care."
Rachel folded her arms carefully.
"You can't just decide things for me."
Raziel walked back toward the bed slowly.
"And yet I just did."
God.
That should not have sounded attractive.
---
Rachel tilted her head slightly.
"You're becoming unbearable."
"No," Cassian corrected helpfully.
"He's becoming emotionally attached."
Raziel looked at him once.
Cassian immediately headed for the door.
"Anyway I enjoy being alive, so I'll leave now."
Smart man honestly.
---
The door closed behind him, leaving the room quieter again.
Rachel looked toward Raziel carefully.
"You really won't let me meet them?"
"No."
"Why?"
He loosened his watch slowly before setting it on the table beside the bed. Expensive. Elegant. Very billionaire romance of him.
Then his gaze returned to hers.
"Because the moment those people see you beside me…"
A pause.
"…they'll realize you matter enough to destroy me."
The words landed heavily between them.
Rachel's expression softened despite herself.
Raziel moved closer again, stopping beside the bed before brushing his fingers lightly along her jaw.
"And I don't share what's mine with people who think love is weakness."
There it was again.
That quiet intensity that always caught her off guard.
---
Rachel looked up at him through her lashes.
"You keep calling me yours."
His thumb paused against her skin.
"Does that bother you?"
She should've answered yes immediately.
Instead
Her voice came softer than intended.
"…not as much as it should."
Something dark and pleased flickered briefly in his eyes.
Then he leaned down slowly, his mouth brushing against hers in a kiss that felt far too intimate for morning conversation.
Warm.
Unhurried.
Addictive.
Rachel's fingers curled lightly into the front of his shirt before she could think better of it.
And Raziel noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He deepened the kiss slightly, one hand sliding carefully along her waist while the other tilted her chin upward.
By the time he pulled away, Rachel's breathing had gone uneven again.
Raziel rested his forehead briefly against hers, a faint smile touching his mouth.
"Still think I'm unbearable?"
Rachel looked at him for a long second before murmuring softly:
"…a little."
His low laugh followed her all the way to her heartbeat.