Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy (14 page)

The next day, Raina gives in to Kas’ not so gentle demands of resting, and since it’s Sunday and she is beyond dog tired, she obliges him, even taking a two hour nap after lunch.

He gloats when she emerges from her room, rested and the dark circles faded. “Why don’t we order in? I’m thinking Chinese, if that sounds good to you.”

Raina nods, suddenly famished, “It’s amazing how hungry a girl can get after doing nothing but sleeping soundly for a couple of hours.”

Kas pulls her onto his lap, “Feel better?”

She snuggles under his chin, relishing the warmth and serenity his body provides, “Much.”

They share each other’s favorite Chinese dishes, straight out of the cartons, sitting crossed legged on the couch. Kas feels warm inside every time he hears her giggle when his large fingers can’t manipulate the chopsticks like she is trying to teach him.

“Okay, try again,” she laughs, holding her chopsticks expertly between her graceful fingers, maneuvering them flawlessly as she grabs a bite full of rice.

His forehead burrows as he concentrates on how she is holding the rice, miraculously, between the two tiny ends. He manages to get his chopsticks in between his fingers and gloats in triumph as he closes the ends around the food. He shoots her a haughty look, with his cocky grin taunting her, but he realizes that he celebrated a bit too soon as he holds the sticks too tightly, squeezing the food in between the two ends, causing it to spew with such force it shoots across the room.

Raina falls back on the couch in a fit of laughter. She throws her hand in the air and yells, “Ten,” in between giggling breaths.

He launches on top of her, mercilessly tickling her, “Oh, you think that’s funny, I’ll give you something to laugh about.”

Laughing until their sides hurt and tears are streaming down their faces, Raina cries out in defeat and Kas pulls her up, rolling her on top of him, switching their positions. She lays on him, her cheek pressed against his chest, as he plays with her hair and runs his strong hand up and down her back. She feels like she can’t get close enough to him as she snuggles down deeper, listening to the soothing beat of his heart as their breathing returns to normal.

There is one day left before finals, and Raina spends every extra moment studying. Despite what some may think of her achievements and her 4.0 grade point average, she isn’t a genius, she works very hard to maintain her grades. She is more gifted in certain areas than others, Computer Sciences and Languages being her obvious strengths when Chemistry and Economics give her headaches.

Raina is multi-tasking, her nose buried in a book, while she sips on iced hazelnut coffee as she walks towards the quadrangle to get to her car. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle as she gets a disturbing feeling of being watched. Warily, she closes her book and stops sucking on her main staple of sustenance during exam week as she scans the few people in the quadrangle that are left braving the late hours.

A jolt of fear, quickly singed by anger, simmers through her, assaulting her senses when her eyes lock on Chris’ father sitting causally on a bench. He’s staring at her emotionlessly, unnerving her to the core. She contemplates turning around and going another way, but anger and exhaustion fuels her, steeling her nerves as she walks towards him determinedly. She looks ahead, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing the detrimental effect his presence has on her.

Raina fully expects him to say something harsh and degrading to her as she walks by him, her heart dropping at the thought that he might even take it a step further than that. Shocked confusion dumbfounds her as he does and says absolutely nothing when she passes him. She can feel his eyes burning through her the full length of the walk until she turns a corner, then and only then, allowing herself a second to remember to breathe. The ice cubes in her drink rattle from her trembling hand as she thinks of all the scenarios that, thankfully, didn’t occur. The realization that Mr. Sutton has chosen to play a twisted game of cat and mouse infuriates her, making every fiber of her being want to turn on her heel, race back to him and tell him exactly what he can do with his sick game.

Self-control takes over, and she decides the best offense is to simply ignore him for the time being and, hopefully, he will back off. She prays that he will back off. Rolling her windows down on the drive home, she chooses to forget all about Mr. Sutton and enjoy the warm night air. Raina smiles at how easily she relates ‘home’ with Kas lately. Her tension from being startled by Mr. Sutton dissipates as she tucks it away tightly in the back of her mind. She decides that it’s not necessary to tell Kas about tonight unless it happens again. Besides, she needs a calm, pleasant evening without witnessing Kas going ballistic.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Darkness had started to blanket the evening sky a couple of hours ago as Kas started reviewing the files for what seems like the millionth time, looking for anything they could have missed. The phone rings, and he groans loudly before answering a little more gruffly then intended. He listens intently before he slams the phone down, his blood pumping from adrenaline at the information he just received from an informant he has the displeasure of talking to from time to time. He quickly scans the computer for any conventions that could explain what the informant told him, but there are no current events. Heading straight for Dexter’s office, he stops only to give a brief knock before entering the room, too anxious to share the news to wait on an invitation.

Dexter is on the phone, obviously not enjoying his conversation, Kas gauges by the pulsating temple bulging out on his forehead. He gruffly motions for Kas to take a seat as he turns back to the window, seeing nothing but red as he deals with a bureaucratic nightmare of multiple agencies trying to tell him what to do and when to do it regarding the girls they have rescued. Even though Dexter is widely feared, known for his swift unleashing of his wrath that he has rained down on many men who have been scarred for life afterwards, he has a soft spot and a high moral ethic, he will not stand back and allow those poor girls to be dragged from pillar to post, further traumatizing them.

“You’ll get to talk with them when I say you can!” Dexter yells into the phone before slamming it down loudly, his temple continuing to pulsate furiously. “Freaking imbeciles,” he growls before throwing in some very colorfully descriptive expletives. He turns to Kas. “Please tell me you have something,” he groans, rubbing his temples from another migraine threatening to appear.

Kas relates the information he was given from his informant regarding the recent increased amount of multi-cultural traffic at the ritzy hotels the past couple of days, the kind of individuals with obscene amounts of money and multiple body guards. “There are no conventions going on right now that would explain the recent influx.”

Dexter folds his hands and presses his fingers to his lips as he works his mind around the information. “It’s slim, but I’ll admit it sounds hinky.” He rubs his eyes wearily, the long hours and stress showing on his taut, unshaven face, “Still no hits from the computers Raina hacked?”

Kas shakes his head, frustration darkening his eyes at how the Ghost is living up to his name, leaving no tangible information to work with.

“Are you sure they didn’t detect Raina’s Trojan?”

Kas ponders Dexter’s question for a moment, not wanting personal feelings to override his opinion. “It’s possible,” he admits. “The systems recovered are very sophisticated, and these traffickers are, unfortunately, proving to be professionals. They’re devious and extremely intelligent.”

Their conversation is cut short when Erik bursts through the door.

Dexter stands up growling, “Do I need to start locking my door around here?”

Erik is unfazed by Dexter’s obvious irritation. Excitement dances in his blue eyes, “We’ve got a hit!”

Kas jumps to his feet, the need for a break on this case making him wearily on edge.

“The Trojan worked, they gave a date and a place. They even provided us with a time.” Erik’s smile is smug, “Very generous of them, huh?”

Dexter gives Erik a glare that would reduce almost any grown man to tears, but Erik ignores it, remaining obliviously unfazed.

“So, when and where, Erik?” Dexter changes tactics, slowly enunciating every word as if speaking to an errant child.

“Tomorrow evening, at the empty warehouse on Stark, at 7:00 p.m.”

Guilt stabs Kas at his momentary lapse in judgment for doubting Raina’s abilities. The traffickers were just playing it safe by not releasing the location until the last minute.

“Get your team ready, Pierce, I want them taken down!” Dexter commands before turning his back to them, grabbing his phone to make more migraine-inducing calls, effectively dismissing them.

Kas dials Raina on the way back to his office. Pride fills him as he thinks of Erik’s news of the Trojan she had instituted. A puissant warmth runs through him when he hears her sweet voice answer, seducing him to the point of his manhood standing at attention from just hearing her say ‘hello’. He closes his eyes, wishing he was there with her tonight, needing her company to soothe his tired soul. “Hey, Rain, I’m not going to be able to make it home before morning. Your brilliance paid off, we’re preparing for a raid tomorrow evening.”

“Tomorrow?”

Kas can hear the concern in her voice, and he tries to give her something positive to focus on, “There’s a good chance that El Diablo will be there.”

There are a few seconds of silence before he hears her voice again, this time with a determined tone, “I hope you get him.” Her voice softens, “I’ll bring you dinner.”

Kas smiles at her generous offer, “No, sweetheart, you have finals in the morning. I want you to get a good night’s sleep, besides, I’m getting ready to ruin the evening for several people, the least I can do is spring for pizza while we plan.”

“Hey, Kas?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Please stay safe,” he hears her whisper.

“Always, darlin’.” A pang of longing stabs him as he hangs up, needing to hear her voice just a little longer. He sighs and pushes his own needs aside and begins the calls to get his agents in gear.

Raina wakes up the next morning to an empty house. She goes to Kas’ door and looks at the bed that hasn’t been slept in, wishing there was something she could do to help. Thoughts of Claudia resurface. She looked healthier when Raina visited her again a couple of days ago, but the emptiness still clouded her young eyes. Raina wants every last one of the men who touched Claudia behind bars. She knows she’s unable to help with the raid, but at least she can fuel Kas’ body.

Delicious wanton thoughts run through her mind at just how she would like to fuel his hard body before she pulls her thoughts back to her original intent of fueling his stomach. She throws together a breakfast casserole, something she knows will taste good reheated and places a large helping on a plate for him in the fridge. Quickly, she scribbles a note and tapes it to the door where he’s sure to see it when he comes home to crash for a couple of hours before getting ready for this evening.

Once the note is in place, she sprints to her car, running a little behind from taking extra time to cook the casserole, but she smiles as she thinks of how it was worth it for Kas to have something ready when he comes home. Her car screeches to a halt, and she races across the courtyard, wanting to have a few moments to gather her thoughts before the first exam begins. She stops dead in her tracks, having to grab the metal railing to keep herself from stumbling up the steps, when she sees who is standing directly in front of the door.

Mr. Sutton is blocking the way of the entrance, and panic bells go off all through her. Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she gives herself a second to collect her racing thoughts. There’s no way around him without having to communicate, the realization almost crippling her with dread. She squares her shoulders and locks her gaze on his, barely suppressing a shiver from his arctic glare.

“Excuse me,” she states as calmly as she can manage.

Mr. Sutton doesn’t move, doesn’t reply, just continues to chill her to the bone with his cold, unforgiving eyes. The clock tower dings, reminding her that she has five minutes left before the doors lock and the exam begins. Second after slow torturous second ticks by as she prays he will just move and leave her alone.

Seth races up behind her, grabbing her arm, dragging her up the rest of the steps with him. “C’mon, unless you want to fail your final,” he teases her.

Raina could throw her arms around Seth and hug his neck for his perpetual tardiness. His presence causes Mr. Sutton to quickly turn and leave as he ushers her through the door, totally ignorant of the ominous standoff occurring as he arrived. Together, they rush down the hall and into class. Raina plops down into her seat, emotionally drained, with less than two minutes to spare.

Kas closes the door behind him, throwing his over shirt on the couch. He locks his gun in the safe and re-reads the note Raina left him. Her thoughtfulness jumpstarts his sleep-deprived body as he warms the food and enjoys the breakfast before he drops the plate in the sink and collapses on his bed for much needed sleep. Thoughts of Raina and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, lull him happily and peacefully into sweet slumber.

Three and a half short hours later the alarm goes off, and Kas slaps it, knocking it to the floor while it continues its annoying beep, beep, beep. He pulls the pillow over his face before groaning loudly, throwing his covers off. Beep, beep, beep, beep, the alarm clock continues to loudly mock him as he looks under his bed for the offending instrument he sent sprawling across his room. Beep, beep, beep, beep. Kas finds the hateful contraption and rips out the batteries.

He decides to forgo shaving and heads straight for the shower, letting the hot water massage his tired muscles. A few minutes later, he steps out and wraps the towel around him, not seeing Raina as she steps into the doorway of his room. She is flushed and knows she should turn away, but she can’t find the will power to do it. She’s mesmerized by Kas’ wet, almost naked body still glistening from the shower. A drop of water runs tantalizingly down his muscular, sculpted back, pulling the air straight from her lungs. His only covering is the thin, white cotton towel wrapped around his waist. It mercilessly hugs his muscles and hangs low on his backside, giving Raina a premium view of pure masculinity.

Her body responds rapidly, leaving an ache in her lower belly begging to be relieved. She can see the outline of his powerful thighs and his firm, rounded backside making her insides quiver like a ten on the Richter scale. Temptation tortures her every nerve, and she absently bites her lip between her teeth, admiring the fine specimen in front of her.

Kas’ sixth sense kicks in, and he turns to see Raina looking at him, her eyes sensual and blazing. He wants to run to her, pick her up in his arms and throw her on the bed, allowing their fevered passion to run wild. He wants her more than he wants to take his next breath. Gripping the counter, he does his best to calm his raging desire. He forces himself to not turn around and go to her, his current aroused state very obvious in the thin towel. He shields the part of him that he can’t seem to control around her anymore.

Sanity returns to Raina, and she quickly lowers her gaze. “I’m sorry . . . I,” she flounders for words, but they elude her, “I’m sorry.” She rushes out of the room, shame replacing the desire that burned so brightly in her beautiful eyes.

Kas witnesses her changing expression in the mirror before she runs, and pain stabs his heart at her reaction. “Rain, wait,” he calls after her. He throws on a pair of jeans, a difficult task with his swollen state, and runs after her, “Rain!”

Raina slams the door to her room, too many feelings assaulting her at once. Falling onto the bed, she drops her head in her hands, feeling utterly overwhelmed. Her feelings for Kas are growing stronger every day, and she is afraid at how deeply she loves him, at how quickly she fell in love with him. The passionate desires raging unfamiliarly inside her terrify her even more.

She has always been in control of her emotions, since she was six years old, she has been impeccably in control. The monstrous traffickers, Claudia’s despair, and Chris’ father’s frightening games are closing in on her. The love she feels for Kas, making her ready to do anything he might ask of her, is her breaking point. If she loses her control and gives herself to him, body and soul, and he doesn’t want her after, she knows she will be devastatingly broken beyond repair.

Shame sets in deeper as she thinks of how she gawked at him, wet and over flowing with temptation. Waiting until marriage to give herself away willingly has always been so important to her, but it’s getting harder and harder to stick to her morals.