Raine on Me (11 page)

His grin faded. “Why are you so determined to run away from me and this

attraction between us? We have a month to spend together and I’m willing to stay here.

If you think I do this often, think again. I usually hit it and run, to be honest, but you’re different. I actually want to get to know you and spend time with you. If anyone should be packing a bag and running away, it should be me.”

“I’m not pinning you down.”

“You couldn’t if you tried. Talk to me. Why do you want to leave so bad?”

She looked away from him to stare at the headboard above her head. She hesitated, refusing to meet his gaze. “I became trapped in a hellish marriage and I don’t want to ever get involved again. Is that so hard to understand?”

His body tensed over hers. “Did he abuse you?”

She met his furious gaze, studying his features, seeing pure rage there. The idea obviously really affected him.

“Yeah. He was a real piece of work, all right?”

“You don’t seem the type to take that kind of shit.”

She turned away, staring at the bedding next to her face. “I’m not. I tried leaving but it got pretty complicated.”

5“You don’t seem to have a problem with trying to leave me and I haven’t hurt you.”

“I don’t want to talk about this. I left my past behind and it’s not something I want to rehash.”

“That’s too damn bad. If this guy is such an ass, why did you marry him?”

“I’m not talking about this.”

“We’re not moving until you do. I don’t care if we miss lunch and dinner or if we have to stay this way all night. Tell me what this guy did to you and why you ended up with an asshole.”

Hot tears threatened to spill so she blinked them back, still refusing to look at him.

She swallowed the lump that formed. “I didn’t know how he was at first. He kind of pretended to be something he wasn’t, married me fast, and then his true side came out.”

“He hit you?” River growled the words.

She nodded once, confirming his suspicion. “Yeah. He became a hitter. I tried to leave, even filed charges with the police, and did all the things they tell you to do. It wasn’t enough. I even got a restraining order.”

“But he wouldn’t let go? He charmed you back?”

Oh hell
, she thought. She finally met River’s gaze, seeing bafflement in his expression. “He had some family money, okay? He hired lawyers I couldn’t afford to pay to keep fighting the divorce and he made sure I never had access to a dime. He turned very controlling that way. He paid for everything and only gave me small amounts of cash if I needed to buy something. He had the restraining orders tossed with his fast-talking lawyers and then he’d come after me. Every time I got hired at a new job, he intimidated them with his family money and connections to get me fired.

He got me tossed from every apartment I found. He scared me and made threats, always making sure I knew he’d rather see me dead than without him. I went back because I had no choice. He never made idle threats. ”

River’s anger turned to shock, the emotion clear on his face. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” She took a shaky breath, proud she’d said it all without crying. “I survived hell until I managed to finally get away for good.”

“You’re divorced, right? I can’t see that big of an asshole letting go easily.”

“I am legally divorced.” She hesitated. “He didn’t agree to it but the judge saw it my way.”

“He leaves you alone now?”

“No.” She shook her head. “There are restraining orders in place and he’s supposed to stay far away from me. The truth is that Dale heard my ex-husband would be showing up in town and he sent me here where I’d be safe.”

River’s dark gaze locked with hers and he looked furious as they studied each other. “You’re definitely not leaving, baby. I’d never hit you. I might be an ass about some shit but know that, okay? I’d never hurt you.”

5“I know.” At least her gut told her she could believe him and River definitely wasn’t anything like Kyle. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Good.” His body relaxed over hers. “I am a bit controlling but only about sex.

You’re not running away from something we both feel. I’d carry your bag out to your car for you if I honestly thought you weren’t attracted to me.”

She couldn’t look away from his beautiful eyes, seeing honesty there. “It’s just not a good idea for me to get involved with anyone. I’m going to be totally honest here, okay?

My ex-husband is dangerous and if he ever found out I slept with you, discovered who you were, he’d do everything in his power to make you suffer for it.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

“You would if he ever came after you.”

“I’d kick his miserable ass. I hate to break this to you but I’ve gotten into quite a few disagreements with other men in my time. I can more than handle myself in a fist fight.

Women might like me but men rarely do.”

She ignored his attempted humor because this wasn’t a time to joke around. “I’m not talking physical. You could totally take him in a fight with one hand tied behind your back. He’d smear your name and spread nasty rumors about you, maybe even about your entire family.”

A loud laugh came from River as he grinned. “I’m a Raine.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means everyone knew my father as the town drunk and my mother as a whore.

What the hell could this guy really say that is worse than the truth? I grew up with folks looking down on us so, in their opinions, there’s not much lower us Raines can get.

Guess what? We don’t give a damn. My brothers and I are tight, our family is all that matters, and nothing that anyone could say would hurt us because it’s probably already been said a thousand times.”

She hesitated. “He’s dangerous, River. He’s crazy and I don’t want you hurt. I don’t want you in the middle of the war I have going on with him.”

“It won’t be a war and I won’t be in the middle since you’re safely tucked away on the ranch. This guy won’t find you and you aren’t leaving.”

River made it sound easy but he had no idea how insane Kyle could become. She wished it were that simple. She knew she’d be safe as long as Kyle couldn’t find her and she’d left no way to link from her life to the Raine family. She’d covered her tracks and knew Dale would look out for her back home. He knew what kind of sneaky bastard her ex-husband could be and wouldn’t leave anything to chance.

She debated on telling River the rest but then discarded that idea. He didn’t know her well enough for her to tell him all the sordid details. She bet he’d be happy to release her and let her go though, if she did reveal exactly how she’d gotten away from her ex-husband.

6“So you’re staying, right?” His leg moved and he kicked one of the dangling chains.

“If not, I’m really going to secure you to this bed.” He grinned. “I’m almost hoping you say you still want to leave. I have this fantasy about having you staked out and fucking you into submission. Being on top of you sounds like the best way to spend a few days if that’s how long it takes.”

How could she resist him?
I can’t
, she admitted to herself. He was too handsome and his beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement. She’d told him enough that he knew she came with trouble but he wasn’t fleeing. A lot of men would, not wanting that kind of baggage attached to a new relationship. Of course he wasn’t offering a real relationship, instead it would be more of a sexual romp that would last a month, but still, he wasn’t escorting her to the door to get her out of his life faster.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said softly, “I need to eat. I’m starving, but then I’ll let you use your chains on me.”

Lust burned in his gaze as he licked his lips. “Damn, baby. You make me so fucking hot. I’m hard again. Are you trying to kill me?”

She hid her flinch at his question. “No but I am really hungry. Hold that thought.”

“Okay. It wouldn’t be right to starve you when I know damn well you’re going to need your energy for what I have in mind.” He winked and then rolled off her body. He got to his feet and held out both hands to her. “Let me help you up since I put you there and then I’ll treat you to a Raine steak sandwich.”

She leaned up and put her hands in his so he could pull her carefully to her feet.

She hesitated. The sandwich comment had her remembering when Ryder had spoken after he’d watched them have sex.

“What was that about you and your brother sharing women? I haven’t forgotten that and since we’re about to leave your room and we’ll probably run into him, I want to assure you I’m not into that shit.”

His grin died instantly and something in his gaze grew a little chilly. “You have a past and so do I. Ryder and I grew up with people thinking the worst of us. It kind of made us a bit wilder than most boys. It was a bad-boy reputation we were more than happy to help along.”

“So you did share women?” Something inside her turned a little cold at the thought and she tried to free her hands.

River invaded her space when he stepped into her, going body to body with her, until she had to look up at him. He kept a tight hold on her hands, refusing to release her. “If my brother were to touch you I’d kick his ass and I told him that. We haven’t done it in a long while and definitely won’t with you. I can’t put my finger on why but no other woman has ever affected me the way you do, Brit. I’ve never wanted a woman more and I feel strangely possessive of you.”

She again saw honesty when she stared deeply into his dark eyes. “Okay. I just wanted us to be on the same page.”

“We are. I’m not sure what is between us but it’s strong.”

6Brit suddenly grinned. “I can tell you exactly what’s between us. You’re hard again and digging into my stomach.”

He laughed. “Food first, then fucking. I’m a great cook and I make the best steak sandwiches in Texas.”

“That sounds really good. I could eat a horse right now.”

He laughed. “Cow, not horse. I love them too much to ever put one on a plate.” He released one of her hands, stepped back, and then tugged her as he started to walk toward the door. “Come on. I really want to get you back up here as soon as possible.”

Brit dreaded running into River’s family. He might tell her it would be no big deal but she wasn’t accustomed to sleeping with a guy around his family. It made it worse that she didn’t really know the Raines and worried they might think less of her for jumping into bed with River.

The downstairs was silent and empty as they entered the kitchen. River flashed a grin and released her hand. “They must be napping.”

“Your brother takes naps?”

“No. Nav and Trina are probably in bed fucking but I didn’t want to say that. Ryder is probably hitting up Adam and Trip for a poker game.”

“Do you need any help with lunch?”

“Nope. Just have a seat and let me show you my kitchen skills.” He grinned. “I was taught by the best.”

“Your father cooked?”

The comical look on his face answered that. “Uh, no. Mary taught us boys how to cook.”

“Who is Mary?”

A sad expression filtered across his face. “She was Adam and Trip’s mother. My dad hired her after my mother left. She raised us until she died of cancer. We were still in high school when she got sick. It broke our hearts.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He turned away from her to open the fridge. “Thanks. It tore us all up pretty bad, watching her fight and be in so much pain for so long. It also became the last straw with my father.” He pulled out something wrapped white paper and moved to the stove.

“Your father?”

“He slept with Mary almost every night. She loved him, and had for years, but he never treated her right. He always cheated and lied to her, she’d find out, but she stayed for us boys. When she grew sick, my Dad became even worse to her. He barely came home and he avoided her. In the end all of us stood outside her bedroom door and told him we’d kick his miserable ass if he tried to leave her side so he held her while she died. I guess that counts for something. She left this earth the way she wanted to go.”

6Brit remained silent for a few moments, taking it in. “That’s good that you did that for her,” she finally said, not knowing what else to say.

“Mary never deserved someone like my father, no one did, but I’ve been assured he wasn’t always that way. I guess that’s something. He died less than a year after Mary did.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, keeping his back to her as he fired up the burners and placed a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. “We had Nav and us boys were always close. Mary gave us a woman’s touch and of course she brought Trip and Adam into our lives.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “They actually changed their last names to Raine before Mary died. She wanted them to belong to a family and not be left alone in this world after she passed on. I think she wanted to marry Dad but he refused. She was a good woman.”

The silence in the kitchen was only broken as River added two steaks to the pan when it got hot enough. The smell that filled the room made Brit’s stomach grumble.

River glanced at her a few times, smiling, and pulled out a bag of chips from the pantry.

“Let me help.” Brit stood. “I’m used to doing all the cooking.”

“You could grab the steak sauce from the fridge. I wouldn’t mind a tall glass of milk either. The glasses are in that cabinet to your left.”

It was a comfortable companionship as Brit moved around the kitchen. She’d never had a man cook for her before. Her husband had been old school all the way. Women cooked, kept a tidy house, and he hadn’t lifted a finger to do any of the household chores. It reminded her once again of all the differences between River and the kind of man she’d married.

Ten minutes later she swallowed her first bite of River’s steak sandwich. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

He winked. “Hold off on that amazing word until you see what I’m cooking up for you in my bedroom.” He lifted his milk. “Eat up. You’re going to need your strength.”

6
Chapter Seven

Brit suffered a little nervousness when she stripped out of her clothes, knowing River stood just feet away, watching her closely. She lifted her gaze, met his, and the intense look she saw there had her pausing. He studied her with a purely carnal gleam in his eyes.