Sunk (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

RAINE

Sly pulls into my driveway and leans over the seat. “I’ll pick you up on Wednesday.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” I lean over and kiss him goodbye.

The sun sets and the day is coming to an end. I put the key in my door and wave at Sly as I go inside. Part of me feels exhausted, yet part of me feels wide awake. He’s awakened every cell in my body, and I don’t know what to do with all this bundled up energy. Walking through the house, everything remains where I left it. Nothing has changed. I still lost my daughter, I’m still divorced, and my house is still empty. I make my way to the shower, stripping out of my clothes on the way there.

After the hot shower, I pull on a pair of black leggings and a long sweater top and throw my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. Just as I finish making a pot of coffee, there is a knock at the door. Taking my mug of coffee, I look through the peephole. It’s Beau. I swing the door open.

“Jesus, Raine, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“I’m sorry, my phone has been off. What is it?” I swing the door open for him to come inside. “Coffee?”

“Sure, thanks,” he says nervously as he follows me to the kitchen. I hand him a cup then we head to the living room. I sink comfortably into the couch. “What’s going on?”

He rushes his words. “Please tell me you are not seeing Sly Wilkes.”

“I don’t think it’s any of your business who I am dating or not.”

“Raine, listen to me. He’s not who he says he is. He’s dangerous. I’m really not comfortable with you seeing him.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Beau? I’m fully aware of who he is, and he’s not dangerous. I’m not sure who is feeding you this bullshit, but I know full well what I’m doing,” I scoff.

“Don’t you think it’s weird he’s never attended his own parties until you came along? Probably so he could shove it in my face.”

“Beau, I appreciate that you are concerned, but Sly didn’t even know who I was married to until he saw you at the party. I don’t see him having ulterior motives. He’s not that type of guy.”

“Raine, do you know who I’m with?”

I shrug. “Some fucking bimbo who didn’t care you were married.”

“She was one of Sly’s submissives. He got rough with her, and she ended things as soon as he took things too far. He is dangerous, Raine.”

I laugh. Of course Beau is with one of his exes.

“Beau, I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions. Thanks for coming by.” I smile at him, hiding the shock deep inside me.

“Raine, be careful. You are vulnerable, and I don’t want him taking advantage of you in this state.”

“I’m fine. Really, I appreciate your concern. Now if you’ll please excuse me.” I stand, insinuating for him to leave.

“Thanks for the coffee. Please be careful, Raine. He’s not a good guy when it comes to women.” He heads toward the door.

“I will. Thanks for stopping by,” I tell him, shutting the door behind him.

My heart is beating furiously out of my chest. I know Sly is dark, and that something lurks around him. But what secrets is he hiding? Can I trust him? I have half the notion to get in my car and go right over there to demand answers. Instead, I try to shake the uneasy feeling deep inside my stomach. Grabbing my phone, I plug it in and power it back up. Six missed calls from Beau, two from Jessica, and five missed calls from Summer. This day is getting better and better. I dial Summer’s number, and she answers on the first ring.

“Raine, you better have a good explanation, because I was two seconds from calling a search party,” she barks into the receiver.

“Okay, let’s not be dramatic, Summer. Geez, I was with Sly.”

“As in sleeping over and doing the nasty?” Her voice is back to normal.

“Like I said, let’s not get all dramatic.”

“Oh my god, you sex pot. Was he good in bed? He was, wasn’t he? I knew it.”

I try to stifle a giggle.

“You like him, don’t you?” she adds.

“A little.”

“I’d say more than a little.”

“It’s new, so I don’t know what this is between us. He’s intense and complicated. How was the honeymoon?” I try to change the subject.

“Amazing. The best place on earth. I brought back a few souvenirs for you. And I have a ton of pictures to show you. Let’s get back to Sly talk, he’s much more interesting.”

“Summer, there is nothing to tell. I spent a few days and nights with him and that’s it.”

“Oh my god, you were with him all weekend? No wonder I couldn’t get a hold of you.” She laughs. “Well, whatever it is, enjoy it. You deserve some happiness in your life. If I was there, I’d high five you right now. Seriously, you do. It’s about fucking time. Want to do lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure. Want to meet at Cabrini’s, say around noon?”

“I’ll be there. It’s good to hear you are trying to move on, Raine.”

“I’ll talk to you later, Sis.” I hang up and set the phone down.

Taking a deep breath, I don’t know what to think. I’m confused as hell, but my gut is telling me Sly isn’t bad. He might have a few demons, but who doesn’t? He’s the only one who doesn’t coddle me. He treats me like I’m normal, like my pain doesn’t exist. It’s there, it’ll always be there, but he’s eased it some. He’s taken me out of the darkness that tried to pull me under. I know he isn’t what Beau painted him to be. He can’t be. Am I doing the right thing, ignoring Beau’s comments? I’m just going to have to see how I feel in a few days, after being away from Sly, when my mind isn’t fogged by him.

Walking through the house, I head down the hall. I open Ava’s door. I concentrate so hard to imagine her infectious laugh. Inside the room, I run my fingers over her things. Why did she have to be taken from me? Why does the hurt still plague me? I let Sly into my world; I let him see me at my most vulnerable state. Will he hurt me in the end? Will the pain be worth it?

***

SLY

In bed, I’m doing nothing but tossing and turning. I already miss Raine; she fits in so well here and with my family. Will she see the real me and run? Or will she embrace it? I don’t want to hurt her, ever. She’s affected me in so many ways. It’s hard to grasp how much I’m changing, for the good, to be better.

Fuck, I wish she was here. I feel like I can’t breathe without her near. Is that even possible? I’m doing my best not to go over there right now, just so I can sleep. I don’t want to smother her; I have a history of being too intense. Besides, I think she needs some time to herself. Sometimes I just want to devour her totally and completely. I want so badly to take her pain away, and it kills me that I can’t help her. Shit, I am falling for her, hard and fast.

Fuck it. I fling the sheets off, pull out an overnight bag, and throw some clothes inside. Grabbing my laptop and keys, I head to the car. With the nighttime traffic, I’m at her house in ten minutes. I knock on her door.

“Sly?” she answers, obviously confused.

“I can’t sleep without you in my arms. I need you in bed with me now. I’m sorry to show up unannounced, but you’ve officially ruined me for sleep.”

She tries not to giggle. She looks sexy as sin with her hair piled on top of her head, tight leggings, and baggy sweater. I tug on her hand, leading us to her bedroom.

“What am I going to do with you?” she says, teasing me.

“You’re going to sleep with me and let me hold you while I fall asleep. I have a meeting that I need to get up for,” I tell her.

I undress her, her naked body in front of me. Flipping the sheets back, I get in and motion for her to lie beside me. She smiles and cuddles up to my body. I smooth my hand over her face. “You are so beautiful.” I kiss her lips.

***

RAINE

Yup, Sly is here in my bed. This is not a dream. The crazy fool drove here just so he could sleep. He fell right to sleep with me in his arms. And here I lie, wondering what he harbors so deep he can’t share it with me.

Slipping out of bed, I go to the kitchen and get breakfast started; the least I can do is cook for him after everything he’s done for me. Just as I am plating the food, I feel two strong arms snaking around my waist.

“Good morning,” I say.

“Mmm, good morning. So you
do
cook,” he teases.

“I do. At least I can send you to work with some food in your belly.”

“Work.” He groans. “What are your plans besides working?”

“I talked to my sister last night and she was about to send a search party out for me. I told her I was with you, hope that was okay.” I set the plates at the table and pour us each some coffee.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“I’m meeting her for lunch after work, so we can catch up. Other than that, no plans. Maybe I will peruse that gym membership.”

He listens to me talk as he eats breakfast. I continue to ramble on about my sister. I intentionally leave out that Beau came to visit me. I’ll save that for another time, a time more appropriate for discussion.

“What about you?”

“I have a meeting,” he glances at his watch, “which I might be late for. Thanks for breakfast. Got to get ready.” He rushes over to me with his mouth full and kisses my forehead. He dresses quickly and gets his things together.

“I’ll call you later, okay!” he yells over his shoulder.

“Okay, have a good day!”

I put the dishes in the dishwasher and head to my bedroom to get ready for work myself. I pull my hair out of the messy bun and let the curls hang loose over my shoulders. After putting on some light makeup, I slip into a pair of black pants and a chunky sweater, and grab a pair of knee length boots. The weather has been colder; winter is starting to appear.

At work, I meet Jessica in the classroom before the kids arrive. She looks puzzled.

“Did you get my messages?” she asks.

“I’m sorry. I was away, and I didn’t have time to listen to them.” It’s half true.

“The board called a meeting on your day off. I tried to call you to come in. They let go all of the teacher assistants. Budget cuts.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Raine. You’ve been through a lot, and I know this is the last thing you need,” she says, trying to comfort me.

I’m stunned, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do now that I’m out of a job.

Chapter Thirteen

RAINE

Calling Summer straight from leaving work, I ask if she’s available to meet earlier. She agrees to meet me at BAKER’s Coffee Shop. Grabbing a coffee, and a table, I wait for her to arrive. Watching the outside world, I ponder my options.

“I’m sure you’ll find something soon,” Summer assures me after she’s seated and I reveal the news about my unemployment status. “Maybe you can even pursue your music.”

“I just can’t believe it. But you’re right. Maybe I can focus on something else for a while. Sly has a piano in one of his rooms. He listened to me play the other day.”

Summer smiles as she sips on her coffee. “You practically glow when you talk about him. It’s refreshing, Raine.”

I give her a weak smile. “There is still a lot to uncover about him, so I’m getting ahead of myself here.”

“If he puts a smile on your face, what’s left?”

My sister is often the more optimistic one out of the two of us. She’s also a hopeless romantic and believes in fairytales. Sometimes she says something that makes total sense, and I have to agree with her, but something still feels off with Sly.

“Well, he slept at my place last night. Said he couldn’t sleep without me in his arms.” I giggle.

“Oh my god, so romantic,” she says, placing her hand over her heart.

I shake my head at her. “None of this gets back to Charles, okay? I don’t want Sly to think I’m gushing over him or anything.” I laugh.

She hooks my pinkie with hers. “Pinkie swear.”

This is why I love my sister. Not only because we are all we have, but she’s the one I can tell anything to. She’s the one that talks sense. So, I take a breath and let her know what happened yesterday.

“There is something I haven’t mentioned. Beau stopped by my place after Sly dropped me off.”

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Her baby blue eyes narrow at me.

“Beau came by and told me I should steer clear of Sly. That he’s dangerous. I don’t know, it’s crazy.” Suddenly, I regret saying any of this. How do I backtrack?

“Maybe Beau is just jealous or something, or doesn’t want to see you happy without him.” Summer shrugs.

“Maybe,” I confess.

My phone dings. It’s a text from Sly.

Sly: Can I see you again today? I understand if you need space. XO

Me: Sure, I’m actually not far from your place. I’m out with my sister. I can be at your place in ten.

Sly: Perfect. See you then.

I blush.

“Let me guess. Sly.” Summer smiles.

“Yes, he wants to know when he can see me,” I tell her.

“Go, I’ll catch up with you again soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“Go,” she demands, nodding her head.

We both stand, and she hugs me tightly. “Go with your gut,” she whispers.

I make my way to Sly’s place. Even though I’ve had bad news handed to me, maybe this can be a start to something new. I don’t have to figure it all out today, but I’ll have to do something soon.

Right before I knock on Sly’s door, he answers and pulls me in. He has a habit of doing that.

“How was work? How’d lunch with your sister go?” he asks as we walk to the living room to sit.

“I got laid off from work this morning, and spending some time with my sister was much needed,” I say in a fast breath.

“You got laid off?”

“Yeah, something about budget cuts.” I wave my hand.

“Damn, I’m sorry.” He reaches over and rubs my leg.

“It’s okay. I don’t know how I’m paying the bills, so I need to figure something out soon.”

“Don’t worry about it, Raine. I can take care of that for you. Why don’t you concentrate on your music? It’s what you love, and you play wonderfully. The way you play, I get lost in the music.”

I blush. “I couldn’t accept that, but my sister did mention the music.”

“Please, allow me to help you. I care for you, and I want you to do something you love. You shouldn’t settle for anything less. Plus, I can afford to do it, in case you haven’t noticed. Not to brag or anything.” He grins.

“Fine. You’re too generous, Sly. I really appreciate it, though.”

“It’s not a problem. Would you like some wine? I have the kind you like best,” Sly asks.

“Sure, I’d love some. You have me spoiled on that one,” I tell him.

“Only the best.” He flashes his boyish grin and it melts my insides to putty. “Come.” He tugs on my hand and I follow him to the kitchen as he pours us each a glass.

It’s nice to actually sit and have a conversation with someone, even though I’m sure he’d rather be in bed. I wonder when the time is right to bring up the subject of his previous conquests, and about me. I lean against the counter as he hands me a glass.

He holds his glass up to cheers. “To new adventures.”

“To new adventures,” I respond.

His eyes lock with mine as we both take a sip of our wine. “Something is on your mind.”

How does he do that?
“There is, but I’m not exactly sure how to broach the subject.”

He starts to walk, and I follow him upstairs to the bedroom. We settle on the bed, and I sit across from him.

“What’s on your mind? Just come out with it.”

I take a deep breath. “Don’t get mad. But I’m curious. How many women have you had as submissives? And how come you aren’t treating me like them?”

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. But to answer your question, I have a past, like everyone. Mine may be a little darker than others. I’ve had several, maybe six or seven. And I don’t treat you like I did them because I see something different in you, something that makes me want more. I’d like to take this relationship on a more serious level, but if you can’t handle my past, I understand.”

“Have you hurt any of them?”

“Where is this going, Raine?”

“Look, when you dropped me off yesterday, Beau came by and told me I should steer clear of you. He’s supposedly with one of your exes, and he said you’re dangerous. Of course I didn’t believe him, but these questions need to be answered, for me. I’m asking for me. Do I need to steer clear of you?” I continue to sip my wine.

He sighs. “I knew he would interfere somehow. I hurt the last one I was with. Of course I didn’t mean to. She was a willing participant, but things went too far and got out of hand. My greatest fear is hurting you, but not physically. I don’t want to lose you, Raine. I really want to see where this goes between us.”

Part of me says to run; the other part says to give him a chance. What’s the worst that could happen? Get a broken heart? I’ve been through much worse.

“Okay, I’ll give you a chance. I feel the same way about you too.” I smile.

“Good, now come over here and kiss me,” he demands.

I’m in heaven. I never saw myself with another man so soon after my divorce, but here I am. Sly’s woman. This is crazy; life is crazy.

I lean over and kiss him, then I end up underneath him. He kisses me possessively and passionately, and I devour it. “You’re mine now, and I’m never letting you go,” he confesses.

I smile against his lips as they brush against mine, his body towering over mine. Right now, in this moment…I. Am. Happy.