Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (13 page)

"You did. You saved me."

Dean gave me another squeeze, my
body still shaking from fear and adrenaline. I felt like I would never stop
shaking.

"How did you get here in time?
I thought you were still going to be gone for a while," I asked glancing
at the clock. My water in the kitchen was boiling. I should turn it off before
all the water evaporated.

"There was a sandstorm coming,
so I hurried back. I'm afraid I didn't get your cilantro."

I felt a smile crack my face. The
cilantro didn't seem so important anymore.

My phone chirped across the room, a
text coming in from Owen. Dean and I both looked at it, knowing that we were
going to have to tell him. Neither of us moved. If I didn't tell him, maybe I
could convince myself it didn't happen. If Owen didn't know, then it was all
just a bad dream.

My phone chirped again and Dean
released me, standing up and retrieving my phone. I clicked on the message, not
quite brave enough yet to call him.

We've been invited to go deep
sea fishing on Rashid's yacht.
If things kept going this way, Roger and his
father would be permanent fixtures in our lives.

My phone slipped from my fingers
and clattered to the floor. I didn't even bother picking it up. In my head I
could see exactly what was going to happen. The sheik was going to ask Owen for
a last minute business meeting, and I would be on the boat alone with Roger. He
would come at me again, and this time, there would be no Dean or Owen to save
me. I started to cry again at the memory of him touching me, the smell of his
cologne, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Dean's arms were around me again in
an instant as I crumpled back to the floor. "I can't do this..." I
whispered, my lungs too compressed to get much more than a wheeze out. A cold
panic sunk into my bones, every muscle in my body trying to "fight and
flight" at the same time. Outside, the sandstorm hit, the wind howling
with anger at being denied entrance.

"He's going to be everywhere,
Dean. He will never leave me alone. Especially not after today." The fact
was like an ice cube in my mind, always bobbing to the top and making
everything cold. "He really does own the city, Dean. He and his father have
connections to everything. I can't stay here; I'm not safe here anymore. I just
want to go home."

Dean pulled out his phone, hitting
a speed dial number and waiting patiently until a voice answered on the other
end. It was Owen. Just hearing his voice on the other end of the phone sent
elation and fear through me.

"Sir, there's been an
incident." Dean was the perfect professional.

"What happened? Is Kaylee
alright?" The phone wasn't on speaker, but I could still hear his voice
clearly. I wished so much that I could bury myself into Owen's chest, let his
arms wrap around me, and let this bad memory drift away. I wished I could have
made the past thirty minutes different. I felt horrible that this incident
would probably sour his relationship with the sheik. I wished I had another
option, one that wouldn't have the possibility of destroying what he was
working so hard on. I knew I shouldn't be the one feeling guilty, but I
couldn't help it. Yet another wave of anger washed through me that Roger would
completely and utterly betray my trust and personal space.

"Kaylee is fine, sir. A little
shaken, though. I got here just in time." Dean glanced at me. I was still
shaking like a leaf in an autumn breeze. He gave my shoulder a slight squeeze,
then stood and headed toward the kitchen to tell Owen what had happened. I was
grateful that he was giving me space so I didn't have to hear the words happen
again.

I looked out at the sand beating
against the window. It was beautiful in a way, but I knew I could never survive
out there. Lightning flashed amid the swirling brown clouds. There was no
moisture out there, only swirling, hateful sand. It was as if Mother Nature
herself was telling me that I didn't belong in this place.

"Yes, sir, I understand. I'll
see to it. Thank you, sir." Dean came over and handed me the phone. My
hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped it.

"Owen?" I was surprised
that my voice didn't come out as a squeak. It sounded normal.

"Are you alright, Kaylee? I'll
come home right now, sandstorm be damned." He sounded angry, but I knew
his anger wasn't directed at me though.

"I'm okay. A little shaky, but
I'm okay. Really." If I told him I was okay and he believed it, then maybe
I really would be. "Please wait until the storm is over. Dean is with me
and I don't need you getting turned into a sand zombie."

"Kaylee, I want you to know
that I'm not going to let this kind of behavior slide." Owen's voice
vibrated with a quiet rage. I was very glad he was on my side.

"Thank you, Owen," I said
softly.

"I'll call back in a little
bit, okay?"

I nodded, not caring that he
couldn't see me as the line went quiet. I let the phone fall to my lap as I
just stared out at the raging storm that would never yield any rain.

***

W
hen the storm finally ended, the
world returned to too-bright sunshine and blue skies. Down below, I could see
workers with brooms pushing piles of sand from the sidewalks, the clean-up
already beginning. Owen was home shortly, almost as soon as the sky was clear.

"Kaylee," he called, barging
into the room. I got up from the couch, knowing I was pale and trembling. I was
in his arms before I could take a second breath.

Owen held me tight against his
chest, his heart pounding wildly. I held onto him like he was the only solid
thing in my world, a strong rock to hold onto among the swirling sands. He kept
his arms around me, but looked down, releasing me slightly to brush a stray
strand of hair from my face.

"You're sure you're
okay?"

"If either of you asks me that
again, I will hit you," I said, glancing toward Dean. He sat protectively
by the door, a lion guarding his den. "Look, I made you both some dinner.
I don't want to talk about what happened right now. I just want to eat."

The two men shared a glance and
nodded. I knew the smells coming from the kitchen were intoxicating. Once I had
hung up with Owen, I had dived into my cooking. It was something that required
my concentration and allowed me to distance myself from what had just happened.
I wasn't ready to deal with it yet.

Owen put on a smile, his face
attempting to convince his brain that everything was okay. "What did you
make? It smells wonderful."

"Cheeseburger Pie, a salad,
and cookies." I motioned them both to the table and brought out a steaming
casserole dish.

"What's cheeseburger pie? I
don't think I've ever heard of it," Owen said, eying the baking dish in my
hands.

"It's basically meatloaf with
mashed potatoes and lots and lots of cheese. I had to improvise on the salad a
little bit, but I think it came out pretty good. I'll put the cookies in the
oven in just a couple minutes so they'll come out warm when we want to eat
them." I smiled at the two men.

It was so much easier to just
pretend that nothing had happened. I didn't want that afternoon to be real, so
I chose not to think about it. I knew that I was going to have to face it
eventually, but I didn't want to do it right this minute. I wanted to pretend,
just for a little while, that everything was normal and things were going to
work out the way they should. I just wanted to forget.

We ate quietly as the sun began to
sink and the world turned dark. I put the dishes in the sink and we sat on the
couches eating cookies, only making small-talk. When the cookies were gone,
Dean volunteered to do dishes. I watched as Owen turned his phone on, which was
bizarre because he never had his phone turned off. It immediately chirped at
him and he went into the next room to work on it.

I sat on the couch. The room dipped
into darkness as night fell across the city. For the first time since I was a
small child, the dark made me nervous. I was sure every noise in the hallway
was Roger trying to sneak back in. Every creak of the giant building made me
feel sure that something terrible was about to happen.

I ran around the room, turning on
every light I could find, but it didn't get rid of the fear. Owen came out and
sat beside me on the couch, trying his best to be strong and comforting. I knew
I was jumping at shadows, but that didn't make me any less stressed out.

A key slid into the door and the
handle moved. I froze, but the door didn't unlock. A panic swept through me. I
knew it was Roger coming back to take his revenge on the three of us. Would he
be armed this time? Owen looked at me, his face going pale. Dean moved to the
door like a hunting cat, opening it like he was expecting to jump on his prey.

A very startled businessman looked
up at Dean with wide eyes, his hand holding the keycard in midair. "I must
have the wrong room! So sorry!" he yelped,  quickly scurrying out from
under Dean's predatory gaze. Dean watched him disappear down the hall before
closing the door.

"I'll be right outside if you
need me," he said softly, knowing that Owen and I needed to talk. I waited
until the door clicked shut before speaking.

"I can't stay here." I
could feel a tear trickling down my cheek. I hated being afraid. "I want
to go home."

Owen's brows furrowed. "Are
you sure? We could get another hotel?'

"I know he would just find us
again. Besides, we're supposed to have dinner with him tomorrow night. His
father is the man you are here to see. I'm so sorry, Owen, but I can't stay
here."

"Kaylee, I don't know what to
do here. I want to do my job, but I want to make sure you are safe. You are
more important to me, but I want to make sure that's really what you
want."

"I know this contract is
important to you Owen. I never meant to make things complicated-"

Owen cut me off before I could
finish the sentence. "This is not your fault, Kaylee. Rashid is a jerk and
if his father can't see past that to do business then he is an idiot."

I smiled, glad that Owen would be
on my side no matter what.

"Owen, this place is your
life. Not mine. I don't like it here. The sun, the sand, the foreignness of
everything, the constant threat of Roger—it just makes it clearer and clearer
that I don't belong here."

"Maybe next time-" Owen
started, but I cut him off this time.

"There will be no next time,
Owen. I won't come back here."

Owen went quiet. If I never came
back here, then that meant he would spend weeks here alone. We couldn't be
together. Thoughts and pain flitted across his face like shadows across the
sand dunes.

"I'll take you home,
then," he said finally. "We'll leave first thing in the
morning."

"O
wen, you don't have to come.
You have obligations here," I said softly as we walked in the desert sun
to the waiting jet. The red carpet was there once more, along with the stairs
into the plane, but I didn't feel glamorous today. I just wanted to go home and
forget that this trip ever happened.

"Kaylee, I can't in good
conscience let you get on that airplane by yourself. You don't exactly do well
on them." He smiled at me, but there was a tension around his eyes which I
hadn't seen before. I boarded the airplane first, and I glanced back to see Owen
standing at the first step, his gaze at the horizon. He was taking the scenery
in as though he might never come back.

I buckled myself into the large
leather recliner, settling in and taking some deep, calming breaths. This
airplane wasn't as frightening this time, but I wasn't about to think that I
could do this flying thing on a regular basis. Owen sat across from me, looking
out the window and resting his hands on his knees. He looked mostly relaxed,
save for the tension in his jawline.

I gave him a smile, though in all
honesty it was only a curve of my lips since my heart wasn't in it. He mirrored
my expression as I popped one of the pills from the previous flight into my
mouth. I leaned back, focusing on my breathing and convincing myself that I
could do this.

The plane started to rumble
forward, the engines turning form a high-pitched whine into a solid roar as the
wings met the wind. I could see Owen open up his laptop and begin banging on
the keys, a frown across his face. I wondered just how much this little detour
was screwing up his business dealings. He was supposed to be meeting with the
sheik right now to discuss billions of dollars' worth of contracts, not getting
on a plane to fly a terrified girl home.

My ears popped as we rose higher,
and I took a deep breath, trying to keep my fear at bay. My body wanted to give
into the terror, but I wasn't going to let it. The medication was starting to
work itself into my system, making it easier to turn off the instinctual fear.

"Owen?"

He looked up for a moment, annoyed,
before smoothing the lines of his face.

"Thank you." I gave him a
small smile, hoping his edginess would subside. He smiled and ran his hand
through his golden hair.

"Of course, Kaylee. You know I
would do anything for you."

An awkward pause fell between us. I
didn't know what to say. How could I thank him for possibly ruining a billion
dollar contract because of me?
Because of Roger,
I quickly corrected
myself. It wasn't my fault that I no longer felt safe in Dubai. Unfortunately,
just because it wasn't my fault, didn't take away the guilty feeling.

There was a space growing between
Owen and I that wasn't due to the position of the plane. He was angry about
something, the way he banged on his keyboard, and the flash in his eyes giving
it away. I knew he wasn't mad at me but rather the situation. I wished for the
millionth time that I could change how things had happened. I just wanted to go
back to the way things used to be.

"Owen?" I asked, hoping
to catch his attention. He made a noncommittal noise, but didn't look up. I
didn't continue and instead just leaned my seat back. Something had changed
about him, but I couldn't figure out what. The medicine was starting to make me
drowsy, and since Owen didn't want to talk, I just let it overpower and carry
me off to sleep.

***

R
ain beat on the windows of the
chauffeured town-car, smearing the lines of Des Moines into sad gray smudges.
We drove by Gray's Lake and the crab-apple forest, but the blossoms were long
gone. The lake was blocked by cement barriers displaying signs that the park
was closed due to flooding. Over the softly playing radio, I could hear a
weather report for yet more rain and increasing flooding throughout the area.

Owen and I sat on opposite sides of
the vehicle. He hadn't said more than a word since we got off the airplane and
into the car. We both knew that something we didn't want was going to happen.
The flight had been painfully uncomfortable. Owen had focused on his work as we
flew away from the thing he was trying to accomplish, the silence deafening. I
appreciated that he was willing to drop everything for me, but I didn't want to
ruin his dreams.

It wasn't even so much the leaving
that was keeping us quiet; it was the fact that I would never go back. Rashid
al-Saffar had too much influence in the region for me to ever feel safe there
again. Unfortunately, that was exactly where Owen's job needed him to be. He
would travel, and I would have to stay behind. It would be a long distance
relationship that would never work. We both knew this was going to be the end,
but we were trying to maintain the illusion of us as a couple for as long as
possible.

The car pulled to a stop in the
parking lot of my building. We sat silently, neither one of us really ready to
say goodbye, but knowing it had to be done. The driver exited the car and
started moving my suitcases toward my apartment. A small rumble of thunder
echoed in the distance, breaking the silence.

"I can't live this lifestyle
anymore, Owen. I love you, but I can't do this." The words trickled out
with my tears. I didn't want to say them, but they needed to be said.

"There are other places in the
world we can go," Owen replied halfheartedly. His dark blue eyes held an
ocean of sadness. This wasn't how either of us wanted our relationship to end.

"No, Owen. No matter where we
go, I would just end up resenting you, or you resenting me. I let myself get
drawn into something I didn't want with my last boyfriend, and it nearly broke
me. We have to be equals. We can compromise, but sometimes a person can
compromise too much. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, but I have to
stay true to myself. I'm sorry." I felt a hot tear leak out, burning as it
slipped down my cheek.

Owen nodded slowly. "I
understand." He reached out and wiped the tear from my face with his
thumb, cradling my jaw in his hand. His eyes shone with tears as he leaned
forward and kissed me softly. I closed my eyes and tried to put every detail of
it into my memory. The way his lips were soft against mine, the taste of his
skin, the warmth of his hand, the smell of his cologne. I mentally cataloged
it, trying to secure it in my mind so I would forever remember it.

"I have to take care of some
business, but I promise I'll be back." Owen's hand stayed on my cheek,
even as he pulled away. I appreciated the lie. It made leaving the car easier.
The driver had returned, shaking raindrops off his hat.

"Goodbye, Owen." I said
it so softly I wasn't sure if he heard me. A single tear ran out of the corner
of his eye, but he didn't move to brush it away.

"Goodbye, Kaylee," he
whispered. I barely heard it as I bolted from the car. Thunder rolled in the
distance as the car drove away, but all I could see was the rain.