When Fear Feels Like Need

Chapter 3

The kiss should not have followed her home.

But it did.

Dianne stood in her apartment kitchen at midnight, staring at nothing while her fingers absently touched her lips.

She had been kissed before.

She had dated.

She was not inexperienced.

So why did that kiss feel different?

It wasn’t just passion.

It was intention.

Rafael hadn’t kissed her to impress her.

He kissed her like he was marking something.

Claiming something.

And the worst part?

She kissed him back.

Not because she was afraid.

But because she wanted to.

That thought unsettled her more than anything.

⸻

The next morning at the hospital, whispers followed her.

Not loud.

But noticeable.

She ignored them — until Dr. Mateo cornered her near the elevators.

“You okay?” he asked carefully.

“I’m fine.”

“I saw you last night.”

Her jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t have been watching.”

“I wasn’t watching,” he said defensively. “It’s just… Dianne, that man isn’t someone you get involved with casually.”

Her heart beat faster. “You don’t know him.”

“I know enough.”

She exhaled sharply. “I don’t need advice about my personal life.”

Mateo hesitated. “He’s dangerous.”

She didn’t answer.

Because she already knew that.

⸻

That evening, she stayed late.

Bad idea.

The hospital parking lot was quieter than usual. The air heavier.

She walked toward her car, her heels echoing against concrete.

Halfway there, she felt it.

That instinct.

Someone was there.

Before she could turn fully, a hand grabbed her arm.

Hard.

She gasped as she was shoved against a pillar.

“Pretty doctor,” a rough voice muttered. “You look expensive.”

Her heart slammed violently.

Two men.

Not hospital staff.

Not patients.

“Let go of me,” she snapped, trying to twist free.

The second man smirked. “Your boyfriend sends greetings.”

Ice ran through her veins.

This wasn’t random.

This was connected to Rafael.

She kicked hard, catching one in the knee. He cursed, grip tightening painfully around her wrist.

“Feisty.”

Panic rose — not helplessness, but fury.

She opened her mouth to scream—

A gunshot echoed.

The sound was deafening in the enclosed space.

Both men froze.

Then another shot — this one hitting the concrete inches from them.

A familiar voice followed.

“Take your hands off her.”

Cold.

Deadly calm.

Rafael.

The men slowly turned.

Rafael stood a few feet away, gun steady in his hand. Not shaking. Not rushed.

Behind him, two of his men moved silently.

“You made a mistake,” Rafael continued softly.

The grip on Dianne loosened instantly.

She stumbled free, breath uneven.

One of the attackers tried to run.

He didn’t get far.

Rafael’s men handled it efficiently.

Too efficiently.

The second man fell to his knees, hands raised. “We were just sending a message!”

“Yes,” Rafael replied calmly. “You were.”

He stepped forward.

Dianne had never seen him like this before.

Not the controlled billionaire.

Not the composed man who kissed her.

This was something else.

Predatory.

His eyes were cold in a way that made her skin prickle.

“You don’t send messages using her.”

The man stammered. “We didn’t touch her—”

Rafael’s jaw tightened. “You grabbed her.”

The air shifted.

Dangerous.

Dianne stepped forward instinctively. “Rafael.”

He didn’t look at her.

“Get her to the car,” he instructed one of his men.

“I’m not leaving,” she said sharply.

That got his attention.

His gaze snapped to her — and for a brief second, something cracked in it.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For her.

“You could have been hurt,” he said quietly.

“I wasn’t.”

“Because I was here.”

His voice wasn’t arrogant.

It was factual.

She shook her head. “This is your world. Your enemies.”

“They are not allowed near you.”

“You don’t get to decide that!”

His control thinned.

“You think I wanted this?” he snapped softly. “You think I enjoy watching men look at you like leverage?”

Silence fell heavy between them.

The attacker whimpered behind him.

Rafael didn’t even glance back.

His eyes were locked on her now.

“You are not part of my world,” he said, voice lower. “But the moment you walked into my life, you became something I protect.”

Her breath trembled.

“Why?” she whispered again.

His answer came without hesitation.

“Because I would destroy anyone who makes you bleed.”

The intensity in his voice wasn’t theatrical.

It was absolute.

And something inside her shifted.

Not because she liked violence.

Not because she approved.

But because in that terrifying moment, she realized something undeniable—

When she thought she might get hurt…

She wanted him there.

That truth scared her more than the attack.

Rafael stepped closer, lowering the gun and handing it to his man without looking.

His hands came to her face gently, checking for injuries.

The contrast between his earlier coldness and this careful touch made her chest tighten.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

His forehead rested briefly against hers.

And for the first time, his voice wasn’t dominant.

It wasn’t possessive.

It was raw.

“They don’t get to scare you.”

Her fingers curled into his shirt.

“Rafael…”

His thumb brushed under her eye.

“I told you,” he whispered, “I don’t share.”

Then, softer—

“And I don’t lose what’s mine.”

This time when he kissed her, it wasn’t explosive.

It was slower.

Deeper.

Less about claiming.

More about relief.

And Dianne hated the way her body melted into him.

Because now she wasn’t just afraid of his enemies.

She was afraid of how much she was starting to need him.