Husband With Benefits-Chapter 858: Rafe’s Interest

As she stared at His Highness Prince Rafael Ignis, she understood exactly what Dora and Cai meant when they talked about the instant attraction thing. Holy hell. It was like she was a candle, and Rafe was the matchstick, striking her alight with even a fleeting touch.

The briefest brush of their hands had left her shaken, her nerves tingling like live wires. Her body was hyper-aware of his proximity, her mind a chaotic mess of thoughts she didn’t want to entertain. Bloody hell! Who carried that kind of magnetism, that ability to command attention and set hearts racing? It was practically unfair. How was it that random women weren’t sticking to him like magnets every time he walked into a room?

But Arabelle wasn’t about to fall into that same trap. Nope. She had more sense than that, or so she told herself. Sure, Dora and Cai had been swept off their feet by this whole "instant attraction" nonsense, but Arabelle had things to do—important things that didn’t involve mooning over some impossibly attractive prince with a smug grin.

She had goals, responsibilities, and not a single one of them involved losing her head over someone like him. Especially not a royal. Getting tangled up in that kind of drama was the last thing she needed.

And yet, it wasn’t easy to ignore him. That maddening smug smile of his made her blood simmer, not because it was charming, but because of the sheer arrogance behind it. Oh, he knew how good he looked. That much was obvious. The way he carried himself, the way his lips quirked in amusement—it all screamed, I know I’m irresistible, and I am enjoying watching you try to resist me. It was infuriating. Men like him didn’t even have to try. They were used to women falling at their feet, batting their lashes, and throwing caution—and better judgment—to the wind.

No, thank you. Arabelle had no intention of being another name on his undoubtedly long list of admirers. Sure, he looked like he could sweep someone off their feet with a single look, but she bet he wasn’t even a good lover. Arrogance like that rarely came with the effort to back it up. He was probably the type who relied entirely on his looks, expecting them to do all the work for him.

She could practically feel her blood pressure rising as she mulled over it. No, she decided firmly, she was not about to let some royal heartthrob, no matter how ridiculously attractive, derail her plans. If Rafe thought she was going to fall at his feet like everyone else, he was in for a rude awakening.

Now that she had already secured his agreement, she would eat a polite dinner with him and then she would definitely make her escape.

"Lost in thought?" Rafe’s voice pulled her back to reality and she blinked, realizing she’d been staring at the menu in front of her while her mind wandered over other things...

Before she could respond, he extended a glass to her," Try this. One of the finest blends from Petrovia’s Royal collection."

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before accepting it and clinking her glass against his. They could enjoy a drink without her being too distracted. Without a thought she brought it to her lips, but before she could drink, she stilled. Carefully, she sniffed the drink and her lips tightened.

The drink was spiked. This was not what she had expected. The reason for smelling the drink had been a force of habit. When she’d taken self defence classes, there had been an added class about how to identify drugs or polysubstances in drinks. Carefully, she placed the glass back on the table, while dipping her index finger in the liquid.

As expected, the drink reacted to the metal on her nail extension and changed colour slight. Enough to confirm her suspicions. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Her gaze snapped up, anger sparking in her chest as she turned to Rafe. But before she could say a word, her sharp observation caught him raising his own glass. Her breath hitched as she watched him take a long, casual sip.

Realization struck her like a thunderbolt. He didn’t know.

The fury that had been building in her chest morphed into something else—confusion and alarm. If he wasn’t aware, then someone else had tampered with the drinks. But why? And who?

"Is something wrong?" Rafe asked, lowering his glass and raising a brow at her frozen posture. His tone was light, almost teasing, but the faint crease of concern on his forehead suggested he’d noticed her hesitation.

Arabelle’s hand shot out, wrapping firmly around Rafe’s wrist just as he was about to take another sip. His eyes widened, the faintest hint of surprise flickering across his face.

"You don’t want to do that," she said, her voice low but steady, her gaze locking onto his. Without waiting for his reaction, she plucked the glass from his hand and stood up, the chair scraping lightly against the floor.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Arabelle ignored him. Holding the glass carefully, she brought it to her nose and sniffed. The same sharp, chemical tang assaulted her senses, confirming her worst fears. Her expression darkened, and without hesitation, she turned and tipped the contents into the potted plant beside their table.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Arabelle placed the empty glass on the table deliberately and turned to face him, "Saving your life, apparently."

He frowned," What do you mean?"

But before he could say more, she grabbed the bottle with the rest of the drink, grabbed his tie and caught his lips in a fiery kiss.

Rafe barely had a moment to process the kiss before Arabelle broke it off, her eyes blazing. She still held his tie, using it to pull him toward her as she stepped out of the private dining room.

"Arabelle, what—" he started, but she cut him off with a sharp glance.

"Shut up and move and pretend to be in lust or something," she snapped, dragging him along with surprising strength for her slender frame.