Healing Rain (7 page)
Raina stares at her reflection, overwhelmed with the emotions swirling inside of her. In less than an hour, she will officially be Mrs. Kas Pierce. Exuberance consumes her, and she has a strong desire to dance around the room like a giddy little girl. A knock on the door interrupts her elation.
Judge steps inside, stopping in his tracks when she turns around. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers as his hazel eyes begin to tear. He removes his glasses, busying himself cleaning them as he tries to pull himself together.
Raina fights back tears of her own as his gaze finds hers again. “Thank you,” she whispers shyly, butterflies fluttering in her stomach furiously. “Judge, will you walk me through the doors of the wedding hall to Kas?”
“It would be my honor.” He takes her arms gently in his hands, “Kas is very blessed to have you, sweetheart.”
“I’m the one blessed to have him, Judge.”
He pulls her into a hug, then pulls back, “I don’t want to wrinkle your dress.”
Raina smiles as a new wave of effervescence bubbles through her. She turns back to the mirror, checking her appearance one last time before the wedding. She feels like a princess in the gorgeous white wedding gown, the sheer sleeves embellished with delicate lace rests elegantly just below her shoulders. The fitted, wrapped bodice fits perfectly, the same delicate sheer lace trimming the edging, flush with the top of the sleeves. The bottom of the gown cascades in tiers just below the waist, like a satin waterfall streaming all the way to the floor. Her long auburn hair falls softly down her back in feminine curls, a braid is elegantly plaited at the crown of her head, with her long bangs flowing gently, pinned loosely to the side.
“Ready, honey?”
Raina turns around, her smile showing just how ready she is. Judge takes her hand, slipping it through his arm as he leads her out of the room and up the dazzling stairway lined with red carpeting. They stop at the landing, and Raina takes a deep breath as Judge opens the door to the cozy, elegant Sala Verde marriage hall.
Kas is looking down at his hands nervously as Raina steps into the green silk tapestry room. When he raises his eyes, his breath catches as he sees her walking towards him, looking absolutely breathtaking, and all words leave him. His eyes are full of boundless love. Slowly, his senses return as Judge takes her hand, placing it in his, wordlessly telling him that she is his, to love, to honor, and to protect.
“You are . . . stunning,” Kas whispers, not able to find a word that can appropriately describe his feelings right now.
Raina bites her lip as she looks up at Kas, her eyes glistening from pure happiness. The fire burns warmly on the far wall as they exchange their vows. Kas’ voice cracks from emotion at one point, causing him to press his forehead to Raina’s as he regains his composure, before meeting her gaze again, adoring her with his eyes as he promises his life to her. Raina can’t tear her eyes away from Kas as she vows herself to him, the absolute truth behind her words is undeniable.
They are pronounced ‘husband and wife,’ and he pulls her into his arms, lowering his mouth to hers, kissing her passionately, reverently. He steps back, his face beaming with love and pride as he takes her hand, turning to his dad, Chase, and Henry. “My wife,” he exclaims, wrapping his hand around her waist, showing her off.
Cliff gives his son a hug before pulling Raina into a warm embrace. Chase congratulates them both, jubilantly pulling them at once into his arms. Judge shakes Kas’ hand before turning towards Raina, “I’m so proud of you, honey.”
Raina slips into Judge’s arms, sinking into his fatherly embrace, “I love you, Judge.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he whispers hoarsely, not able to hold back the tear that rolls down his cheek. He turns to Kas, “You take care of her.”
Kas smiles broadly, “Always, Henry, always.”
Kas
and
Raina
wave to Cliff and Judge as they walk to the cab. Chase turns towards them, “I’m so happy for you two.”
Kas smiles, giving Chase a look of appreciation, silently thanking him for being there when he needed him the most. Raina leans into Chase, giving him another hug before he leaves, “Thank you for taking Claudia her Christmas gift. Please tell her that I will visit her when I get back.”
“Will do. Now, you two have fun,” he winks salaciously as he grabs his bag and heads towards the cab.
Kas turns to Raina as the cab drives away, his eyes molten chocolate, brimming with unadulterated desire, and Raina’s stomach does somersaults from a heady mixture of excitement and nerves. She slips her hand in his as he leads her back inside, up the stairway, to the bedroom. The curtains on the French doors are pulled to the sides, allowing the light of the early moon to wash the room in ethereal beauty. Kas stares at her, wanting her, needing her so badly he has to remind himself to take it slow, wanting to savor every second with her tonight.
“Give me a minute to change,” she whispers, her voice a strong concoction of raw anticipation and butterflies.
Kas steps into the bathroom as Raina slips into the silk negligee she hopes Kas will like. She glances in the mirror, her eyes stare back at her, wide with a combination of nervous innocence and wanton lust. She hears the bathroom door open, and she slowly turns around as Kas steps out, delicately placing a box of condoms on the nightstand before turning back to her. She can’t hide her amusement at the size of the box, and she laughs, happy and relieved that some of the nervous tension is broken.
Kas sheepishly shrugs as he turns towards her, his eyes blazing with raging desire as he sees her standing there, her ivory skin shining in the moonlight, her body slight and perfectly curved in the white silk gown that hugs her feminine frame. He swallows hard as he steps towards her, his heart pounding in his chest, “You are breathtaking.”
Raina blushes, lowering her gaze before peeking up at him shyly through her long, thick lashes. She bites her lip as she looks at Kas, then looking at the box, evidence of how he plans on keeping her up all night long. Raina looks at him shyly, “You don’t have to use those unless you want to.”
“As much as I want to have a house full of children with you, I don’t want to get you pregnant...not yet anyway,” he steps towards her, not able to be away from her a second longer.
“When Judge found out that we were dating, and he saw that I was falling in love, he made me promise to start birth control, even though I told him that we weren’t having sex.”
Kas’ smile spreads across his face, extremely relieved at the news, “Remind me to buy Henry season tickets to whatever sport is his favorite.”
Raina laughs, then stops, “A house full?”
Kas smiles, sliding his hands down her arms, pulling her close to him, needing to feel her body against his. “One, two, five...we have plenty of time to talk about that later. Right now, I want to focus all my attention on you.” He leans towards her, his eyes never leaving hers, as he covers her mouth with his. The hunger between them is palpable, and Raina leans into the kiss, matching his intensity as she slides her hands underneath his shirt, delicious goose bumps spreading all over her as her fingers brush over his toned muscles.
Kas runs his hands down her sides, down the outside of her thighs, and she practically whimpers from need as he slips his hands below the curve of her bottom, pulling the most intimate part of her against his hardened state. She gasps as she feels how much he wants her. Kas pulls back, needing to slow the pace. He sweeps her into his arms as Raina’s surprised giggles escape. Gently, he lays her down on the bed, stepping back to look at her.
The sheets are like silk against her sensitized skin. She’s reeling from the heady mix of anticipation, nervousness, and burning desire. Kas looks at her so intensely that she can feel the heat tingling her skin. He slips his shirt over his head, and she stares unabashedly at his chest, his muscles rippling perfectly down his torso, and she feels the heat burn lower and runs her tongue across her lips that have suddenly gone dry.
The heat is burning deliciously lower, and she slides down the bed, not able to wait a second longer to touch him, to run her fingers down his muscles to his navel, to the dark, curly trail leading her to what she wants so badly that she feels she might burst into flames. She traces her finger down the tantalizing trail to the button of his jeans, and the cool metal teases her heated touch.
Slowly, she raises her gaze to Kas’ and almost comes undone from the unadulterated need smoldering in his eyes. She fumbles with his button, her fingers shaking, but manages to free the restraint keeping him from her, sliding the zipper down, never taking her eyes away from his. She needs him as badly as he needs her, and she can’t get his jeans off quickly enough.
“Easy, baby, we have all night, I want to take my time and enjoy every last inch of you,” Kas whispers, his voice a sultry intoxication, sending her senses to hyper-drive wanton lust.
She continues to melt into his chocolate gaze as she slides his jeans down his legs. Running her fingertips slowly down the back of his powerful thighs, she fantasizes about how they will feel wrapped around hers, pulling her closer to him while they make love.
Kas grabs her hands and kisses each of her fingers, suckling the tips of each one, leaving her writhing in desire. He pulls her arms above her head and slowly pulls the silk negligee off of her, the soft material teasing her skin. Smiling, he wets his own lips as his gaze travels over her naked upper body. He briefly tenses when he sees the bruise on her ribs, but he bites back the rising rage, not wanting to mix anything ugly with what they are going to share tonight. He is going to love her, cherish her, like she deserves to be loved. She blushes as he runs his knuckles down her cheek, softly running his fingers down her throat, whispering “You are so beautiful.”
His fingers continue their journey down to her chest, and he softly runs his fingertip around, circling the fullest part of her breast, and she moans, pushing her chest closer to him. Cupping her breast, he runs his thumb over her nipple, causing a current of electricity to shoot straight through her. She rubs against the bed, the heat begging to be quenched. He does the same thing with her other breast, and she grabs the sheets underneath her hands as liquid heat pulses in the place that she desperately needs him to be.
Breaking their mesmerized gaze, he lowers his head, and his lips follow the same path his fingers just journeyed. She throws her head back in pure ecstasy as his mouth closes around the most sensitive part of her breast, his tongue circling, over and over the tip, making her wild with need. She grips the sheets tighter as he teases the other side with his expert lips, and another moan escapes as she feels like she can’t take anymore. The need to have him inside of her is staggering, and she tugs at the only fabric left on him. He slides his hand down her ribs as he continues to deliver sweet torture to her breasts, and she physically aches for his touch as he slides her panties down her legs. She is so ready for him.
Quickly, she finishes disposing of the last piece of fabric between them, and his manhood is free now, in all its length and fullness. She stares appreciatively at him, briefly worrying about how all of him is going to fit in her. All worries fly away when his mouth suckles her nipple, and his hand ascends upwards again, sliding slowly up her thigh. She feels like she’s going to die if he doesn’t touch her there, if he doesn’t take her now!
Kas moves his mouth up her chest, to her neck, leaving her practically panting. He covers her mouth with his, tasting her sweetness, gently grazing her bottom lip between his teeth. Wrapping his hand around the back of her head, he lowers her to the bed. He stares down at her, her auburn hair spilling against the white sheets, her eyes full of love and longing for him, and he feels like he might burst from the depth of his love for her.
Taking her chin in his hand, he softly rubs his thumb across her lips, “Raina, tell me if you feel uncomfortable with anything, and I will stop.” Kas knows how difficult it will be to stop, but he will do it if she needs him to.
“I want you, Kas,
now
, please!”
Kas touches her, a smile curves his lips at how ready she is for him. He watches her carefully as he eases into her, making himself go slowly, gently, and the gasp of pleasure that escapes her lips fills him with immense satisfaction. She tilts her head back, and her lips part as her hips arch, beckoning him to make her his fully. Kas obliges and is overwhelmed with the sweet bliss that overtakes his senses as he fills her. He never knew that he could feel so much love, so much pleasure as he feels right now with Raina. He moves slowly, allowing her body to acclimate to his fullness.
Raina runs her hands through Kas’ hair, pulling his mouth to hers. She kisses him feverishly, needing every inch of her body to be melded to his. She pushes closer to him, delicious sensations spiraling through her. Kas conquers her mouth, his tongue delivering bewitching shivers throughout her entire body. He takes his time savoring her, his body finally being able to enjoy hers, possess hers.
He is entranced in how she moves underneath him, allowing him total control over her, opening up herself fully to his lead. He marvels at her innocence, her complete trust. His mind returns to the night she finally divulged her dark past and the savage emptiness in her eyes when she finally confessed to him how Brian had raped her. Kas forces the memory out of his mind, swearing to himself that he will give her every possible pleasure he is capable of delivering, relishing in how that will take all night.
