Free Broken Together by K. S. Ruff Page B

me better than anyone else. Look at me. Feel me!”
    Every
inch of his body strained against mine... his muscular thighs… an abdomen and
chest carved from granite… broad shoulders… fiercely determined eyes. Every
inch of this man screamed… knight.
    He
shook me gently, forcing me to meet his stormy gaze. “This doesn’t change
anything. I’m still the same person you fell in love with… the man who loves
you more than life itself.”
    My
heart beat against his chest. “What does this mean for you… for us?”
    Rafael
sighed. “My life is not entirely my own. I have certain obligations, and those
obligations will obligate you.”
    “What
does that mean?” I was thoroughly confused.
    “The
grand master granted my request to live and work in the United States so I
could be closer to you, but there were some conditions.” He willed me to
understand.
    “Conditions?
What conditions?”
    He
loosened his hold on me, infinitesimally. “I’ve been asked to strengthen the
faction in the United States, which is too small given your land mass and your population
base. I still accept assignments from Portugal, and he retains the right to
order me back to Portugal at any time.”
    “What
about the security firm?” My eyes widened. Rafael’s security firm protected
foreign dignitaries. “Are they all…”
    He
nodded. “Ethan and I recruited those men to strengthen the eastern division of
the Knights Templar in the United States. Ethan is my counterpart in the United
States.”
    My
breath whooshed out all at once. “This is unbelievable.” I’d been surrounded by
Knights Templar for months and had never even known. Ethan, Brady, Brogan,
Aidan, Chance, and Jase… every single one of those men had been inside my home.
    “I’m
still the same man you fell in love with,” Rafael repeated.
    “Who’s
the grand master?” For some reason it seemed important to know who it was that
essentially owned Rafael.
    “Each
faction has its own grand master. My grand master is Anabal Cavaco Silva, the
President of Portugal. I’m also required to answer to the grand master of the
United States while working in the United States.”
    My
knees nearly buckled. Rafael worked for the President of Portugal? And who,
pray tell, was the grand master of the United States?
    He
pulled me back onto the couch. “This doesn’t change anything.”
    I
stared at him incredulously. “This changes everything.”
    “No,
it doesn’t,” he argued forcefully. “We can still be married and have a family.”
    I
shook my head. “Your life is not your own. You could be ordered to leave the
United States… to return to Portugal.”
    His
shoulders tensed. “I could. But as my wife, you would be welcome here. The
Knights Templar of Portugal would welcome you with open arms.”
    “Is
it safe?” Eva inquired from inside the doorway.
    “It
is,” Rafael answered, although his voice remained strained.
    She
set the bowl on the table. “Benjamim!”
    He
stepped out onto the patio. “Is she okay?”
    My
eyes narrowed. “How does he fit into all of this?”
    A
single eyebrow rose along Rafael’s forehead.
    I
huffed out a breath. “This revelation of yours wouldn’t have been important to
him unless he was somehow involved.”
    Rafael
smiled. “Sometimes I forget how brilliant you are.”
    “I’m
not a knight,” Benjamim clarified, “but I work for the Order. I am one of many inductees
who manage assets.” He set a stack of bowls and a handful of spoons on the
table. “As such, I was required to swear an oath of fealty to the Order.”
    Eva
perched on the edge of her seat while dishing an orange colored stew into the
bowls. “It’s not as bad as you might think.”
    “What
isn’t bad?” I wasn’t sure whether she was referring to the savory smelling stew
or being inducted into a secret organization.
    “Being
married to one of them.” She distributed the bowls.
    I
dipped my bread into the warm stew. The rich, creamy sauce tasted