Flawed Love: House of Obsidian (13 page)

I might have forgiven Rainer, but I was still interested in Jack, so seeing him like this hurts. A lot. I thought he was just taking time, maybe figuring out his head, but I did expect him to have the decency to let me know he wasn’t interested anymore.

“Shit,” Kenny says, figuring out what I’ve just seen.

“He . . . I thought . . .”

“He’s a dick,” Kenny says, grabbing my arm. “Don’t let it upset you.”

“He never broke it off with me. I mean, I know he was pissed over what Rainer did but . . .”

“He’s a dick,” Kenny repeats. “You’re worth more.”

“No,” I say softly. “I’m not. I never will be.”

“Emalie,” he says, but I hand him my beer.

“I’m done.”

I turn and walk up towards the cars, hurt and confused. I get things were a bit tense between Jack and I, but I thought we had a bond. I thought something was happening between us. Obviously I was wrong. Like always, everything I think is right isn’t. Stupid, angry tears burn under my eyelids and I want to scream and tear my own hair out with frustration.

“Emalie?”

I stiffen at the sound of Jack’s voice.

I keep walking. I go past the car and up into the thick trees separating the beach from the road. It’s a park, but it’s dark right now so I can’t see where I’m going.

“Wait!” he yells.

Kenny must have gone and said something to him. I don’t need his pity. I keep moving, but Jack catches up quickly, taking my hand and spinning me around. I slap at him, but he doesn’t let me go.

“I didn’t know you were here,” he says.

“Oh, so you didn’t mean to get busted with another girl?”

“No offence, but we’re not even together.”

“You asked me to be your girlfriend,” I cry.

“Yeah, and you let that pig of a friend ruin that.”

“It was a bad night. I was confused, but I was always going to come back to you, Jack.”

He shrugs. “Well, I didn’t know that, did I?”

“Obviously I was wrong about you, and that’s fine.”

He doesn’t let me go. “You can’t expect a man to wait around when you’re interested in your best friend.”

“I wasn’t interested in him. I was interested in you. Jesus, to think I was considering sleeping with you.”

I jerk my arm from his but he doesn’t get out of my space. “What?”

“Never mind.”

“Emalie, wait.” He catches me again, pulling me into his arms. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Give me a second chance.”

I fight a little, but stop when he cups my jaw in his hand. “I’m sorry, I read it wrong. Let me make it up to you.”

“You were kissing another girl.”

“But I wanted to be kissing you.”

“Y-y-y-you did?” I whisper.

“Yeah. In fact, I think it’s about time I kissed you again.”

He leans down before I can protest and presses his lips against mine. I allow this, because I want to believe him. I want to believe that he’s telling the truth, that he just read it wrong, that he really wants me, but something feels off. I realize what that something is when his hand cups my ass. I allow this, too, because I’m so desperate to be accepted. To be wanted. To be needed.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, pressing my body against his.

He thinks I’m beautiful? My heart swells.

His hand moves around and cups my breast, and it’s such a shock I jerk back. An ass squeeze is one thing, but the breast is taking it too far. “Jack,” I say, squirming. “I’m not ready.”

“You just said you were going to sleep with me.”

Oh. My. God.

“Not here,” I protest, but he keeps squeezing my breast.

“Why not here? If it was Rainer, I’m sure you’d be giving in.”

“Stop it,” I plead, hitting his hand.

His other one curls around my ass again and he holds me tight, fingers grinding into my flesh. He moves his hand from my breast down to my pants and cups my sex. I want to vomit.

“Don’t,” I beg. “Please.”

“You’re wet, I just bet . . .”

“I’m not. I don’t want to do this here. Please let me go.”

“You’re a tease, Emalie. You’ve been playing with me from the start, dangling that piece of shit in front of my face. Making me fight for you. I will get it before him, and I will shove his face in it.”

“Let me go!” I cry as he flexes his palm against my sex.

“No.”

I take a deep breath and then I slam my head into his. It’s enough to make him stumble back with a roar. I’m spinning, and it takes me a few seconds to react the way I know I need to. I raise my knee and drive it into his groin. He goes down with a bellow, and I turn and run. My mind is blurred, my head is spinning, and my vision feels off. There’s a tender spot on my forehead that’s throbbing with each pounding step.

My top gets caught on a tree branch and tears with a loud rip. More tears flow, and I’m ashamed. How could I be so stupid? Of course Jack just wanted to get lucky. The moment I said I was considering sleeping with him, he decided I was good enough for him again. How could I be so blind? He probably never wanted me. It was most likely a horrible bet or a joke between friends. Who can get the nerdy girl in bed?

I stumble over to my car, and people are stopping to stare at me. I don’t care. I just need to get home. Gosh, I shouldn’t even be driving, but I’m so desperate I don’t care. I fumble with the key and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get it in to unlock the door. I’m crying too heavily. “Emalie!” Kenny’s voice rings through the ringing sound in my head.

“Emalie, oh my God, what happened?”

“Nothing. I need to g-g-g-go.”

“Shit. Did he . . .”

“Just let me go, Kenny!”

“Where’s Rainer?” Kenny calls and I freeze, spinning around.

“No!” I yell. “No, please.”

“Someone hurt you, and they’re not getting away with it.”

“Kenny, please.”

He disappears and I become more frantic. I drop my keys and cry out loudly. My shirt rips more as I kneel down to try and fetch them. I can feel the cold night air against my skin, and I know my back is exposed.

“Emalie!”

No.

“Fuck, Emalie!”

Please no.

Warm hands encircle my waist and I’m being hauled up into Rainer’s strong arms.

“Rainer,” I sob.

“What happened? Shit, Emy, who did this to you?”

“Jack did it to her,” Kenny says.

“What?” Rainer growls, his voice like ice.

“We saw him with another girl and Emalie ran off. I told him that she’d seen him and he followed her . . .”

Rainer turns me so I’m facing him, and he really takes me in. His dark eyes travel down over my torn clothes and I see the rage fill his gaze.

“What did he do to you? Don’t lie to me, Emalie.”

“He followed me into the trees. We talked. I told him I was s-s-s-sad about him not giving me a chance. I mentioned that I couldn’t believe I was going to s-s-s-sleep with him and suddenly he . . .”

“He what?” Rainer growls.

“He started kissing me, and grabbing me.”

“Where did he touch you?”

I look into his eyes. “Rainer, please . . .”

“Where?” he roars.

“My b-b-b-breasts and . . .”

Rainer doesn’t need anymore. He turns me into Kenny’s arms and he sprints towards the trees.

“Rainer!” I scream, shoving out of Kenny’s grasps.

By now half the party is behind us, and as I run towards the trees, they all do to. Rainer catches Jack just as he’s exiting the tree line, and Jack doesn’t even get a chance to open his mouth before Rainer drives a fist into his face. The two boys go down quickly, and I watch in horror as Rainer punches Jack over and over. The sickening sounds of bones breaking snaps me back into gear.

“Rainer, stop!” I cry, running forward.

He hits Jack again and again.

“You piece of fucking shit. I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Rainer,” I sob, trying to reach for him.

“How dare you fucking touch her?”

“Rainer!” I scream so loudly he stops, fist in the air.

He turns and looks at me, and I’ve never seen his eyes so enraged. He’s panting, his big body heaving with anger.

“Please,” I whisper. “If you kill him . . . I won’t have you. Rai . . . please.”

His mouth is open and I can hear his angry pants.

“Please . . .”

He turns back to Jack, who is now groaning on the ground, blood all over his face. Leaning down, Rainer grabs Jack by the shirt. “It’s only because of her that you’re not fucking dead right now.”

Then he slams Jack down and turns, reaching out for me. I run to him. He’s got a bloody lip. I don’t know when that happened. Jack must have gotten one hit in—he certainly didn’t get more than that. Rainer curls his arm around me and we walk through the crowd who are all gaping at us. Rainer’s arm is protectively wrapped around me, and halfway there, he realizes how exposed I am and he stops, removing his shirt and spinning, sliding it over my head.

I think that, right there, is the moment I fall in love with Rainer Torrence.

~*~*~*~

“J
ust stay still,” I whisper, dabbing an alcohol wipe against Rainer’s split lip.

“Bit hard when you’re putting that shit on my face.”

“You have a split lip. I don’t want it to get infected. I’ve done enough, I don’t need that, too . . .” I say, looking anywhere but at his eyes.

We’re in the bedroom and I’m trying to clean up his face, but the air between us is thick with unspoken truths that we’re both trying to avoid.

“Emalie,” he says, reaching up and taking my wrist, stopping me. “Look at me.”

“Rainer, please,” I beg.

“Now.”

I move my eyes to his, and there’s something else in his brown depths, something I’ve never seen before. He’s looking at me with compassion but there’s a fierce protection behind his depths.

“You didn’t do anything. You didn’t ask for anything. You deserved none of what happened to you tonight.”

“Didn’t I?” I croak.

“Fuck, Emy, no.”

“I changed myself for him. I wore that dress and I let him touch me. Then tonight, I told him I wanted to sleep with him. I can’t blame him for being so angry. Maybe I did deserve it. Maybe . . .”

“Don’t,” Rainer warns, cupping my jaw in his hand. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ let me hear you say that again. He had no right to touch you. I don’t care if you danced naked in front of him. He had no right.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t respect me because that’s the way I am. You said it yourself, Rainer. I’ll never get anyone like—”

“Enough,” he growls. “Don’t, Emy. I was wrong. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, and any man would be lucky to get you.”

“Stop saying that,” I say, my voice trembling. “I know you don’t mean it, Rainer. You’re saying it because you have to.”

“When have I ever said anything I don’t mean?”

Tears spill forth and he reaches up, stroking them away. My eyes connect with his and something passes between us, something we’ve never seen in each other’s eyes. It’s lust. I adore Rainer, hell, I think I love him, but I’ve never had such an intense emotion when I’ve been looking at him.

“Rainer,” I whisper.

We lean closer and my breath hitches. He’s going to kiss me. Not because he stole my first kiss, but because he wants to. I can see it in his eyes. I can see it in the way he’s holding onto me. Rainer Torrence is going to kiss me, and he’s going to want it. I think I might want it just as much.

My skin prickles and my entire body becomes alert and ready for him. As he moves closer, I think about how it’s going to feel to have his mouth on mine again. So soft. So intense. I swallow and my lips part as my eyes travel down and stare at his. Gosh, his lips are slightly wet, glistening, and ready for me. My heart rate kicks up, and I don’t want to wait a second longer.

I want him to kiss me.

I want it more than my next breath.

His lips finally connect with mine, and fireworks explode in my body, the fireworks I was so desperately searching for with Jack. We both gasp and his arms wrap around my body, hauling me up against him. I go willingly, wrapping my legs around his waist. He parts my lips with his tongue and then slides it inside. A shudder breaks out over my body and I press myself closer to him, reaching up to tangle my fingers into his hair. He stands, taking me with him and walks over to the bed, laying us both down.

The kiss becomes intense and so damned passionate I can barely breathe. I never realized until this moment just how much kissing Rainer would affect my life. I knew I cared about him, and I knew he was the most important thing in my life, but I never ever thought he’d be the person I’d fall in love with. Yet here I am, wanting as much of him as he’s willing to give.

His hand goes to my shirt and he slips it underneath, sliding it up my skin. I shiver and curl my leg around his hips. He groans and thrusts, rubbing his hard length against my sex. Oh God. That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. My lips feel bruised and they burn a little, but I don’t care. Kissing Rainer is more than I could have ever imagined. I never want it to end.

But fate has other ideas.

Just as his hand reaches my breast, the phone on the bedside table rings. We ignore it the first time, kissing harder, deeper, our tongues dancing. But then it rings again. And again. With a curse, Rainer pushes himself off me, pressing a palm to his erection, trying to adjust it. My eyes flicker to it, and oh, it looks uncomfortable.

“What?” he barks, answering the phone, keeping his smoldering eyes on me.

He listens a moment and then something washes across his features. It’s a mix of pain, shock and horror. “What?” he rasps.

His body seems to buckle and his shoulders slump, then he says, “I’ll be there soon.”

He hangs up and looks over to me. There’s something broken in his gaze. Something awful has happened. It’s written all over his face.

“Rainer?” I whisper, leaping to my feet. “What is it?”

“My dad is dead.”

Oh God.

No.

G
od, my feet ache. My shift at work tonight was long. The shop was having a function, so we had preparation as well as serving, and by the time it ended, I had been there all day and most of the night. I plod up to my house, keys dangling from my fingers, but stop dead when I see the man sitting on my front steps, head in his hands. I flinch.