by Claire Raye
Complete Me
A Hawthorn Hills Duet
Reid and Sienna Book Two
Claire Raye
Copyright © 2020 by Claire Raye
www.claireraye.com
Complete Me
Reid and Sienna #2
Cover Photograph by Sara Eirew Photographer
Cover Design by Amy Queau of QDesign
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Chapter One: Reid
Chapter Two: Sienna
Chapter Three: Reid
Chapter Four: Sienna
Chapter Five: Reid
Chapter Six: Sienna
Chapter Seven: Reid
Chapter Eight: Sienna
Chapter Nine: Reid
Chapter Ten: Sienna
Chapter Eleven: Reid
Chapter Twelve: Sienna
Chapter Thirteen: Reid
Chapter Fourteen: Sienna
Chapter Fifteen: Reid
Chapter Sixteen: Sienna
Chapter Seventeen: Reid
Chapter Eighteen: Sienna
Chapter Nineteen: Reid
Chapter Twenty: Sienna
Chapter Twenty-One: Reid
Chapter Twenty-Two: Sienna
Chapter Twenty-Three: Reid
Chapter Twenty-Four: Sienna
Chapter Twenty-Five: Reid
Chapter Twenty-Six: Sienna
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reid
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sienna
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Reid
What’s Next
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Books by Claire Raye
About the Author
Chapter One
Reid
Providence, Rhode Island
It’s finally stopped raining by the time I get to the cemetery, although the skies are still dark with grey clouds, which all feels kind of fitting given how pissed off I am.
I’ve come alone, of course, and as I walk toward the small gathering by the coffin-sized hole that’s been dug into the earth, my eyes automatically gravitate to her.
Sienna.
God, fuck, do I miss her.
She’s standing with her twin brother Caleb, who still looks beaten to shit thanks to my asshole fucking father. His right arm is in a sling, his wrist broken and casted, the bruising on his face now a nice shade of purple and puke yellow. One of his eyes is still half swollen shut, but it looks better than when we first found him.
God that night Sienna and I came home and found him was fucking awful.
We’d gotten out of my truck so damn happy. I remember grabbing her hand before we walked up the front steps of their house, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her lips. She’d melted against me, her hand sliding around my waist and under my t-shirt, her touch setting off fireworks beneath my skin. I’d been two seconds away from suggesting we delay our arrival a little longer. Sneak off and find another hotel room for the night.
When she’d pulled back from the kiss, she’d looked up at me, an easy smile on her face as she’d said, “I’m really glad you convinced me to go on this road trip.”
I’d grinned, leaning down to kiss her again as I’d whispered, “We’re gonna take the long way home too, you know.” She laughed, breathy and soft before I’d swallowed it with another kiss and just suggested it anyway. “Let’s get out of here, Sie, another day won’t hurt.”
She’d groaned. “God, I want to,” she’d said, her fingers curling into my back. “But he probably heard us drive up. We can’t leave now.”
I’d pulled back a little then, wondering if that was true and if so, why he wasn’t out on the front porch to greet us. He knew what time we were getting in and I’m pretty sure Caleb catching me and Sienna like this would’ve been the last thing he expected when he walked out to greet us. But I’d meant it when I told Sienna that I’d talk to Caleb about us, that I wasn’t walking away from us or from her.
Not ever.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I exhale as I remember exactly why Caleb hadn’t been able to come out and greet us. Because when we eventually walked up the steps and inside the house, we’d found him, lying in a pool of his own blood right in the front entry of the house.
I can still hear the scream Sienna let out when she saw him, can still feel the fear at the thought that Caleb might be dead, and can still feel the sinking feeling in my gut as I’d pulled out my phone to call an ambulance, knowing that everything was about to change. That everything was about to go to shit.
Neither Sienna nor Caleb look up as I approach, although I know they both know I’m here. I can’t look away from her though. Can’t take my eyes off her. It’s been five long fucking days since I saw her.
Five days since she told me to get the hell out of her life.
Five days since she told me she hated me and never wanted to see me again.
Five days since I’ve touched her, kissed her, held her close or been inside her.
Five days since I lost her.
Fuck.
The priest steps up and clears his throat, casting a quick glance around at the dozen or so people who have shown up. He tries to hide his reaction, but it’s obvious he’s surprised at the low turnout. If he knew Mickey Parker though, he’d know this was a good showing. I’d expected it to be Sienna, Caleb and me; no one else.
“In sorrow and in…”
I don’t listen to what he says though, my eyes still fixed on Sienna, unable to look away. She stands almost directly across from me, her body stiff, as though she doesn’t want to be here, which I know she doesn’t. Having spent six days on the road with her, just the two of us, I know exactly how she feels about being back here, about her father dying, and about what happens next.
God that road trip we shared was probably the best six days of my life. I can remember it all so vividly. The way she hadn’t wanted to come and how I’d had to force her to get in the car with me. The first day, when we’d barely even spoken to each other. The days that came after when we finally started to find our way back to how we used to be…and then some.
The night that everything changed between us.
It was all so amazing and perfect and for a brief moment in time, I truly believed she could really be mine. That this thing we both knew was happening between us was real and absolute and so fucking worth it, worth everything we’d been through.
And then we got home and everything went to shit.
She’s dressed head to toe in black today, a long-sleeved top with fitted pa
nts and I just cannot stop looking at her.
Or remembering how things were between us.
Reid, yes, god, yes…I want this…I’ve wanted this for so long.
My eyes close at the memory, wishing to fuck I could go back in time to that night. To the memory of being with her for the very first time. The way her skin felt against mine and the way her body responded to my touch. The way she tasted, the sounds she made when I was finally inside her, the sound of my name on her lips when I made her come.
Fuck, I miss her so much.
The priest drones on, asking us to remember the good times, to celebrate Mickey’s life when I know all we should be doing is saying good riddance and walking away. This man didn’t do a damn thing that was good in his life.
By the time the service is finally done, Sienna still hasn’t looked at me. As the coffin starts to lower into the ground though, Caleb looks up, his eyes meeting mine in a hard stare. Things have been kinda shit between us too, although not as bad as how things are with his sister. He doesn’t know about me and Sienna though, about what happened on our trip back here. At least I don’t think he does. I figure I’d know about it if he did.
When I saw him in the hospital three days ago, he was pissed off, but not because I had slept with his sister. He hadn’t mentioned anything about Sienna and instead made it very clear that his hatred and anger was solely reserved for the fact my father had beat the shit out of him and left him for dead. Had beat the shit out of their dad too as it turns out, which had actually resulted in his death. I’d understood his anger though and I knew it wasn’t directed at me, but it still hurt to be shut out like this.
Turns out though, my father had been screwing Caleb and Sienna’s family over for fucking years.
And I’d had no fucking clue about any of it.
So maybe they were right to hate me for it.
God, my family’s wealth suddenly feels like a poison, churning in my gut. I’d heard the rumors about it, of course I had, I wasn’t an idiot. I knew my dad wasn’t an entirely stand-up guy and that the money he made probably wasn’t entirely honest or legal. But I’d always ignored it, focusing instead on making my own way in life. It wasn’t like he and I had ever had a close relationship.
And for the most part I had done things my own way, not taking the money I knew was there for me. It’s why I’d busted my ass to get the scholarship to Hawthorn. I’d never liked what his money represented, never wanted to accept it either, even though there were times when I did, when I took advantage of what I knew was there because it made my life easier at the time.
But now, knowing what it cost me, what that money really bought. Fuck I’d do anything to take that back, to un-spend everything he’d given me.
When the coffin is finally in the ground, the priest invites Caleb and Sienna to throw in some dirt. They both decline, even though they step up to the hole and peer inside as if to confirm he really is down there. The rest of the crowd slowly disperses until eventually, it’s just Sienna, Caleb and me.
Just like old times.
Only so fucking different.
“Sienna,” I say, stepping toward her.
She finally looks up at me, her face awash with anger and hostility. When she meets my eyes though, I see it—pain, and it stabs me right in the heart to know I’m the one who caused it.
“Can we talk?”
She glares at me, shaking her head once. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Sienna, please,” I say, stepping closer, reaching for her hand.
She snatches it away from me, turning to Caleb as she says, “I’ll wait in the car,” before turning and walking away.
I watch her go, my heart breaking inside my chest, wishing I could go to her, could wrap her in my arms and promise her that everything was going to be okay.
Caleb clears his throat and I turn back to my best friend. “How are you feeling?” I ask.
He shrugs his good shoulder. “Okay.”
I nod once. “And the um…the police. Have there been any leads?” It’s a fucking ridiculous question and we both know it.
Because we both know who did this to Caleb, only he’s not admitting that to the police and my father has walked away, free to continue on with his merry little fucked up life like before. I don’t know why Caleb isn’t talking, and I can only guess that my dad threatened him and is somehow forcing him to keep his mouth shut about all of this.
The idea that he’s holding this over him, that he’s gotten away with killing their father and now nearly killing Caleb, makes me furious.
Caleb stares back at me, shaking his head once.
I nod again. “I’ll talk to him,” I murmur, even though we both know that probably won’t happen. I haven’t even seen my dad since we got back and I doubt he even knows I’m in town.
“Don’t bother, Reid,” he says, shoving a hand through his hair. “It’s only going to make things worse.”
“Caleb,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets. “You know I had no fucking idea about this, don’t you?” I ask. “I didn’t…fuck, I really had…”
“It’s fine, Reid,” he says, cutting me off. “I’m not blaming you for what happened. I know you didn’t know…it’s just…it’s a lot for us to process right now and I think we both just need some space.”
Fear curls in my gut at his words. “Space?” I repeat. “From what? Me?”
Caleb gives a single nod.
“Fuck, Caleb, are you serious?” I ask, my hand gripping the back of my neck as I stare at him. “Why?”
He shrugs again, turning to look at Sienna who’s leaning against his car, her arms crossed as she watches us. “I should go,” he says, quietly.
“Caleb,” I repeat, stepping closer as I put my hand on his arm. “Please can we talk about this, about…” I look around, wondering what the fuck I’m trying to say.
“I’ll call you,” he says, pulling his arm away as he turns and walks toward the car. I watch him go, his movements slow as though every step he takes hurts. Sienna watches him walk toward her and when he finally reaches her, she opens the passenger side door for him before walking around to the driver’s side.
Just before she gets in though, she pauses, looking at me across the roof of the car. Our eyes meet and even though she’s far away, I don’t miss the look that flashes across her face. It’s the look she gave me by that campfire a week ago when I sucked the melted marshmallow off her thumb.
A look of longing, of want.
I stare back at her, unable to look away, even when she does, getting in the car and driving off without so much as another glance in my direction.
Just as the rain starts to fall again, I pull my phone from my pocket and send her a text, the same one I’ve been sending her since she stopped talking to me five days ago.
Me: we need to talk…please can we talk? I miss you, baby. So fucking much.
Chapter Two
Sienna
I can’t believe he has the balls to show up at my father’s funeral as I catch Reid out of the corner of my eye. He has a presence that doesn’t go unnoticed by me, but it also doesn’t go unnoticed by the small group of people who’ve gathered to pay their respects.
Reid doesn’t fucking belong here.
And the nearly collective gasp that arises should tell him the same thing, but like always he’s oblivious, only worried about himself.
The guilt he feels must be eating him alive and I honestly don’t give fuck. He should feel guilty. His father killed my father—murdered him with his bare hands and then went after my brother, and I don’t buy it for one second that Reid didn’t know about it.
It explains the whole road trip and getting close to me, and making me trust him again. It’s sick and the more I think about it, the more the nausea swells and ebbs in my stomach. It pushes its way into my throat and I take in a long deep breath through my nose and exhale it slowly out of my mouth.
What a fool I was.
It’s been raining since the day we arrived in Providence, steady and ceaseless, blanketing everything in its path. The grass at the cemetery is flooded, soggy and sucking at the heels of my black pumps as I navigate my way back to the car.
I hear him call my name and his voice stirs more emotions in me than I care to deal with. It’s gruff and loud and it pierces my ears, but it also brings the familiar sting to the bridge of my nose. I won’t cry for him. He doesn’t deserve that sort of compassion and I’m done letting him be that big of a part of my life.
Despite my acknowledgment of not wanting to speak to him, he still continues, reaching for me, and it takes everything in me not to go to him. My entire body feels like it will crumble to pieces, my heart already shattered, and I don’t think it can take anymore. I despise the feelings of my body struggling with missing him and hating him all at the same time. My thoughts are sour and bitter, but behind them I know they’re a defense mechanism to convince myself I don’t want him back, to convince myself he knew what was happening. But then there’s that small voice that tells me he didn’t and the anguish I feel when it whispers to me is deafening.
Caleb waits outside the car for Reid, and I want to be childish and petty and demand he get in the car, insist he not speak to Reid. I want to stomp my feet and yell out to everyone around us what really happened, but growing up in this world, I understand the ramifications of doing that.
Reid’s father is a loan shark and the type that doesn’t take kindly to people not paying him. Although our father was a complete loser, he did what he could to salvage his failing business and going to Raymond Bowen was his last resort. He had been turned down by banks, private loans, and investment firms, and it had reached the point where he could let the bank take the bar or he could take a loan from Raymond.