Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy (8 page)

The jolt of electricity from his lips caressing the tip of finger brings her back to reality, out of the fog of shame where she was temporarily lost.
He
said
‘them,’
Raina realizes in a panic. “What did you mean by ‘them’?”

Kas gazes into Raina’s questioning jade eyes and lets out a long, slow breath. “I know your father abused you,” he confesses.

Her eyes widen, and she starts to pull her hand away, needing some distance to absorb this new information, but Kas refuses to release her. Pulling her closer to him, he runs the back of his fingers down the side of her face, so pleased and relieved that she doesn’t flinch this time.

“While you were still in a coma, the doctor ran tests that showed evidence of abuse,” he starts carefully, gauging her reaction. Raina lowers her gaze, trying to process just how much Kas knows, but he tilts her chin back up, to where she can’t look away, and musters up the courage to finally ask, his voice barely above a whisper, “What is your real name, Raina?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

The color drains from Raina’s face as her brain registers Kas’ question. She pulls her chin out of his gentle grasp and turns away from him. Instinctively, she wraps her arms around her middle, ignoring the protesting throbbing from her sensitive ribs. Numbly, she walks across the room, her mind desperately grasping for something, anything, that can stop the questions that she is convinced will follow.

Kas stares at her retreating back as he runs an agitated hand through his hair. Gritting his teeth, he bites back a string of colorful expletives. Today is her birthday, or at least that’s the birth date that was listed on the release forms, and this is not how he planned on starting out the day.

Raina hears the soft sound of his footsteps as he comes up behind her, and she tenses, knowing that he will expect answers that she isn’t ready to give, that she may never be ready to give. Kas wraps his arms around her and pulls her to where her rigid back is pressed tightly against his bare chest. Leaning down, he presses his lips to the top of her head, inhaling the soft berry scent of her hair. “Talk to me, sweetheart,” he gently coaxes.

He feels her stiffen, and he turns her around, running his comforting hands up and down her arms. “I’m sorry about bringing it up like this, it’s not what I planned. It’s just that I noticed you didn’t have any emergency contacts on your medical forms and that it was a tax payer ID that was listed instead of a social security number. I thought that was odd, and after what the doctor said about the abuse, I started checking, and nothing pulled up under your name prior to four years ago.”

Raina shakes her head, trying to free the cobwebs that have taken over. “It’s legal, the tax payer ID, my name, it’s all legal,” she mutters, praying that he will not push any further but knowing the questions have just begun.

Kas brushes his lips softly across her forehead, “I never said they weren’t, darlin’, but why do you not exist before your sixteenth birthday? Is it because of your father? Are you hiding from him, sweetheart?”

Raina pulls away, angry at him for his prodding questions, angry at her father, angry at herself for not being careful enough to cover her tracks better.

Kas sees the anger flashing in her eyes and feels a rush of relief. Anger is better than fear. He can’t stand to see her afraid, it cripples him. “I need to know who your father is,” he states truthfully and unapologetically.

Raina shakes her head vehemently. “There’s no need,” she replies firmly.

“Rain, I can’t protect you if I don’t know who I’m supposed to protect you from.”

“I don’t need you to protect me, I can take care of myself,” she snaps, and Kas isn’t sure if she’s trying to convince him or herself. Sorrow glints in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like that with you,” she tells him, the anger in her voice subsiding.

Kas pulls her to him again and wraps his arms around her. Raina breathes in the clean, woodsy scent of him, and liquid heat runs through her as she presses her cheek against his bare chest. Her hands run across the firm muscles on his stomach to his strong back, and the warmth of his skin seeps into her, erasing the chill from the early morning and her memories.

“You have nothing to apologize for, I’m the one who caught you off guard.” He kisses the top of her head, and despite her good senses, she leans into him, memorizing the feel of his hot body against hers.

“Is your father the reason you changed your name?”

Raina knows that he’s not going to stop until he gets at least some answers. “Raina is my real name, I just changed my last name. I’m not running from my father, I just needed a new start, a fresh name for a new place,” she offers, sincerely praying that it’s enough of an explanation.

Seeing right through her vagueness, Kas refuses to settle for half-truths, “So, your father knows where you are?”

Her lack of response is answer enough to prove to him that he doesn’t. “Okay, so I’m back to my earlier question. Is your father a threat to you if he finds out where you are?” Silence is his only answer. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he growls. “You’ve got to tell me who he is, darlin’,” Kas implores, pushing Raina back to where he can see her eyes, needing to be able to read her emotions.

“It’s not like he’s going to come after me,” Raina offers, knowing that she isn’t worth enough to her father for him to waste time to track her down.

Kas runs his hand down his face, trying very hard to think of the best way to get her to finally open up to him. “You’re sidestepping the questions. I’m thinking it’s a pretty safe assumption, from your lack of responses, that your father is still a threat to you if he happens to show up. Any kind of threat to you is something I take extremely seriously, so I will ask again, what’s your real name?” he demands gently.

“Look, my father doesn’t know where I’m at, so that means that there is no threat,” she counters, her arms folded across her chest in stubborn defiance to his line of questioning. “My prior last name is of no importance to my current life. I appreciate all you have done, I really do, but I will not delve into my past with you, or with anyone for that matter, so with all due respect, just drop it,” Raina states matter-of-factly, her determined steady gaze showing him her intentions of leaving no option for further discussion.

Kas knows well by now that Raina isn’t the type to offer guarded information freely, or easily, under the best intended circumstances, much less to someone who tries to force it out of her. Even though his mind is screaming for him to get more answers, he doesn’t want to push her too fast or too soon. “Fine, I’ll drop it . . . for now,” he relents, not wanting to push her away, or ruin her birthday.

Raina’s hardened, guarded scowl softens a bit at his reluctant promise to leave well enough alone for now, and she unfolds her arms.

Kas can tell by her shallow breathing that she has pushed her sore ribs too far this morning. “I need to take a look,” he tells her as he gently slides her T-shirt up, so he can examine her. A murderous scowl covers his face as he sees the dark, angry bruises covering the entire side of her ribs that look even worse than when he saw them at the hospital. “How much pain are you in, Raina?”

She shrugs, trying her best to look unfazed, “I’m fine.”

Kas gives her a weary look, “Darlin’, I wish I could strip that word from your vocabulary.” Lowering her shirt, he softly pushes her towards her room, “Go lie down. I will bring my heating pad and a couple of aspirin.”

Raina shakes her head, “I don’t need to lie down, I’m fi—,” she begins, but his warning glare stops her from finishing the word.

He points to her room and nudges her again, his gaze not leaving any room for disobedience, so she obeys.

Kas grabs the heating pad from the closet and the aspirin from the cabinet before opening the fridge and taking out the box hidden in the back. He holds the chocolate cupcake that he managed to sneak out and buy from the local bakery yesterday while Chase stayed at the house with Raina as she took her daily nap that he insists upon until she heals. Quickly lighting a candle, he carries all the goods with him to her room. He is pleased to see that she has done as he asked and is resting on the bed. His face breaks out into a smile at the surprised look on her face when he starts his rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.

Kas finishes singing and pulls the cupcake from the hiding space behind his back. Looking down at her, he flashes his drop-dead gorgeous smile that reaches all the way up to his dark chocolate eyes. “Blow out your candle, and make a wish.”

Raina’s earlier surliness disappears, and she is dumbfounded by his thoughtfulness. Her heart patters longingly for him, for the kind, sweet type of man Kas so obviously personifies. The tears that have been recently awakened from a very long, deep sleep threaten to appear, and she closes her eyes, pushing them back. She does as Kas had asked and makes a wish. She wishes for something that she’s terrified she will never be able to have. She wishes with all of her heart for Kas.

Opening her eyes, Raina settles her sparkling jade eyes in the comfort of his gaze. Never breaking the candid honesty their gazes confess when their timid hearts don’t yet have the courage to admit, she blows out the candle. “Thank you so much, this is so kind of you,” she tells him, a little of the emotions she is usually very good at squelching slipping through.

“I saw your birth date on your hospital records, and I took a guess about the cupcake flavor. The bakery makes its own homemade chocolate icing, and it’s sinfully good. I hope you like it.”

Breaking the gigantic cupcake in half, Raina hands one part to Kas before sinking her teeth into the decadent richness. She licks her lips and beams, “It’s perfect.”

After
soothing
her
ribs under the heating pad and taking a nap that she didn’t argue about this time, Raina is feeling much better. She takes another shower, a long relaxing one, before spending extra time getting ready. Slowly slipping into her favorite pair of dark denim jeans, she buttons them carefully, letting the fabric meld with her sore abdomen and ribs. She finds that, although it’s not nearly as comfortable as her yoga pants, they aren’t unbearable. She will gladly deal with the less comfortable material today, she’s too excited about wherever Kas is going to take her than to worry about anything else right now.

Despite the darker bruises on Raina’s ribs, the bruises on her face have healed well, fading to a yellowish brown that she thinks she can mostly cover with concealer. She rarely uses make-up, but she keeps it on hand for emergency touch-ups, like dark circles under her eyes after long nights of studying. She says a quick prayer that the concealer will work as well to cover the bruises as it does to hide the dark circles.

After she is satisfied with her face, Raina scrutinizes her tops, trying to find something attractive to wear from the clothes Chase had packed for her, deciding on a white lace camisole and a plum cable knit cardigan. Without a hairdryer or a straightener, she does the best she can to tame her auburn locks. Smoothing a little gel through her waves, she scrunches them to maximize the soft curls. With one last glance in the mirror, she sighs. “Well, that’s as good as it’s gonna get,” she tells her reflection and heads towards the living room.

Kas puts his book down as she enters the room and takes a long appreciative look, her natural beauty leaving him momentarily breathless. Standing up, he never takes his eyes off of her, “You look beautiful.”

The blush that spreads across her cheeks does funny things to him, and he walks towards her, taking her hand in his, slowly bringing it to his lips. The power of his lips brushing against her knuckles, with the barest whisper of a touch, sends Raina reeling into a tornado of desire and raw, savage need. Her knees all but buckle under the intensity of her feelings for him.

Kas sees the glimmer of a spark in her blazing jade eyes before she slams the fortress gates down again. Hope springs to life in him, like a sliver of light in the darkest corner of a dungeon, and his lips curve into a small smile, “You ready?”

“Where are we going?” The suspense is driving her crazy.

Kas smiles slyly. “Huh uh, no questions,” he reminds her.

Despite her best efforts, a tiny bud starts a slow, sputtering bloom in her heart when she holds on to Kas’ hand as he leads her to his jeep, holding the door open for her. He sends her a wickedly teasing smile, realizing that she can’t stand not knowing, not being in control, and he barely suppresses his exuberance at another small triumph she has granted him.

The place is packed, people have come out in droves to see the various artisans who sell their skillfully crafted goods. Kas parks the jeep as close as possible to minimize how far they have to walk, not wanting to cause Raina any further discomfort. She turns to him, her obvious annoyance of not knowing where they are, or what they are doing, written all over her face, and he can’t help but laugh.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not leading you into a devious trap,” he teases.

Raina shoots him an exasperated look before playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

They spend the afternoon slowly meandering through the large tents admiring the talent of the many crafters. Kas insists on taking breaks every so often so she can rest, even though she’s too excited to sit for a second longer than he kindly demands. When they come to a tent where a glass blower is demonstrating how he makes glass ornaments out of the most beautifully transfused hues of Italian glass, Kas can’t tear his eyes off of her. He watches as she delicately runs her fingers across the exquisite bobbles, stopping to pick up a few for closer examination.

He pays attention to the ones she spends extra time admiring. A sharp sensation jolts his heart as he is mesmerized watching her face light up with excitement when she sees something she finds particularly beautiful. He is confounded by the sheer complexity of the contradictions that make her who she is. She is the most stunning woman he has ever seen, and she is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, but the emotions he glimpses in her eyes when she doesn’t know he’s watching confuses him. He struggles to understand how her interchanging sweet innocence can so quickly transpose into melancholy before diving to utter despair from untold trepidation.