Raine
by J.C. Valentine
Copyright © 2014 by J.C. Valentine
Cover and interior book design by J.C. Valentine
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Acknowledgements
For my husband, who supports me in everything I do. I love you! For my children, who are just as proud of my work as my husband, and never hesitate to spread the word to their friends that Mommy is an author. You all bring a smile to my face each and every day.
As always, thank you to my editor, Mitzi, for seeing my vision, making Jarret and Raine’s story shine, and for working on such a tight deadline! Thank you to Kim, my friend and partner in crime for sharing the same kind of crazy and never judging me for it, and for just being you. Thank you also to the wonderful group of women on my street team, especially Lindsay and Laurie, who go above and beyond the call of duty.
Finally, to you, dear readers, for reading. Whether you have been on board since the beginning with the Night Calls Series, or are new to my work, know that I cherish you. I couldn’t be where I am now without you. You give me the courage and drive to create these stories with your wonderful and kind words. I am always thrilled to hear your thoughts, and your feedback is important, so I hope you will consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or your other preferred retailer sites. Xoxoxox
WARNING:
RAINE contains adult situations some readers may fine offensive. This is a deeply emotional story that contains violence, rape, explicit sex, and strong language. It is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
PROLOGUE
“Jarret, I need you.”
The desperate, breathless voice on the other end of the phone jolted Jarret out of bed. He glanced at the clock, realizing that he must have fallen asleep. He cursed to himself. “Is everything okay?”
“No. Please…hurry.”
Fewer words had never said so much. “I’m on my way.” Jamming his legs into a fresh pair of worn jeans, Jarret rushed from the room, pulling a black hoodie over his head on the way down the stairs. His feet smashed into a pair of work boots and he was out the door.
Flying down the deserted highway at twenty miles over the speed limit wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done, but hell, neither was falling in love with a woman who was pregnant with another man’s kid. Had someone told him eight months ago that he’d willingly give up everything for this… whatever this was; he’d have laughed in their face.
But as Jarret pulled up to the hotel and rushed inside, there was only one thought on his mind: This isn’t just about me anymore.
With determined strides, he entered the elevator, punched the button, and watched the numbers light up as they climbed closer to the fourth floor. Once the doors reopened, he blazed down the hall, nearly knocking a man holding an ice bucket on his ass, until he reached the last door on the right. Swiping his key card, Jarret walked through the cramped living area, following the low, pained moans into the bedroom.
Dark, frantic eyes found his as he paused in the doorway. Sitting on the corner of the mattress, lips pulled into a tight line, full, round stomach rising and falling with every labored breath, she still managed to take his breath away.
Beautiful, intelligent, and full of fight, he couldn’t possibly be more in love with anyone. As he crossed the room and hefted her to her feet, Jarret held tight to the only thing left that mattered in his life.
“How we doing?” he asked, as he led them back through the room and down the elevator.
“Remember that movie, Species, when the alien gave birth to her baby?”
As Jarret helped her into the passenger seat and stretched the belt over her stomach, he recalled vividly the scene when the alien baby split its mother open, and shuddered. That was not an image he wanted in his head right now, but it did give him a little perspective into what she must be going through. Placing his hand over her hard stomach, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “We’ll get through this,” he assured her, looping a lock of golden hair behind her ear.
He watched helplessly as her face scrunched and her breath held. Another contraction. Another second closer to everything changing… again.
Can I go through with this? Can I take this on?
Once it passed, her face tilted up, warm, solemn brown eyes peering into his. Her delicate fingers found his, entwining them. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
The note of fear in her tremulous voice mirrored the emotions swirling through him. But was it enough to turn his back on her, like everyone else? Meeting her unwavering, trust-filled gaze, Jarret already knew the answer to that question. He wasn’t his brother. He wasn’t like the rest of his family. He didn’t cut and run the moment life got hard and he didn’t turn his back on the people he cared about. He faced life head-on. His parents were wrong about so many things. He wasn’t giving anything up by choosing this path, by choosing her, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was going to be the toughest job he’d ever faced. For her, for this woman who’d stolen his heart, it was absolutely, one-hundred percent worth the sacrifices he’d had to make.
Pressing his forehead against her sweaty brow, Jarret closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “There’s nowhere else I would be.”
ONE
Nine months ago…
Senior prom. The night when everything changes. When being a true adult is just a single step away. It was turning out better than Raine had ever dreamed. Typically shy, she was studious, always followed the rules, and did as everyone expected. For those very reasons, her parents loved her. She had only one friend who’d moved away two years ago and, to date, had never had a boyfriend.
It wasn’t that she was ugly. With shiny hair bordering between a light golden brown and blonde that dusted her shoulders, creamy flawless skin, wide, deep-set brown eyes that leaned toward copper, framed in a pair of purple-rimmed glasses, and of average height, she wasn’t a stunner, but she certainly wasn’t a toad. She was simply overlooked. So, the big question on everyone’s mind at Raymond High was, how had Raine Forester landed the most popular guy in school?
How many times could a person say that they had seen the stereotypical popular high school jock end up with the quiet, reserved girl? All her life, she’d been invisible… until she wasn’t.
She still didn’t know what inspired Camron Moss to approach her that sunny Sunday morning in March. She’d just gotten home from church. Having forgotten her purse in the backseat of her father’s car, she’d run back outside to get it, when Camron jogged by. Of course, she noticed him. Camron was the kind of boy that was difficult to miss. Tall, shaggy blonde hair, and a fit, athletic body. He was their high school’s quarterback, captain of the lacrosse team, and class president. Exactly what one might expect from the son of one of the town’s wealthiest families.
So when Camron slowed his pace, turned back around, flashed his trademark dazzling smile, and said Hey in that smooth drawl of his, she’d looked around for the camera crew, expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell her she was being punked.
In all the years they’d gone to school
together, he’d never once looked in her direction, let alone paid her a second glance.
Needless to say, his attention had stunned her. She’d nearly dropped dead from heart failure as he retraced his steps and came back to her. Jogging in place in front of her, she stuttered Hello.
Her response was awkward, which seemed only to fuel his sudden and inexplicable interest. His clichéd Have we met before was met with a shy smile, and he’d seemed surprised when she told him who she was, and that they went to school together. No shocker there. But he’d surprised her even more when, before they parted ways, he said he’d see her at school, and actually did.
Naturally, she’d expected Camron to forget about her the minute he jogged off, but he hadn’t. All the following week, he’d waited for her at her locker before school, walked her to each of her classes, and saved her a seat at lunch. He introduced her to all of his friends, who appeared just as shocked as she was to see a nobody like her at his side but, as the days passed and Camron stayed the course, the whispers faded.
She didn’t make new friends in Camron’s crew, but they didn’t pretend as if she were invisible either. She was invited to parties and included in group gatherings, but she wasn’t a fool. The only reason she was included was because of Camron, and that was okay. It felt good to finally fit in somewhere.
Now, on the eve of their two-month anniversary, Raine was swaying in Camron’s arms at their high school prom. The snow-white gown with the empire waist and miniature pale pink roses woven through her pleated hair made her feel like a princess. Camron, of course, was breathtakingly handsome in his black and white tux. He’d ditched his jacket long ago, revealing the fitted silk vest underneath that accentuated his narrow waist. As the heat in the room crept higher, he rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt, exposing strong forearms that now wrapped around her, holding her securely as Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” echoed through the speakers.
Life didn’t get much more perfect.
“Hey, bro.” Seth Barrett tapped Camron’s shoulder, interrupting their dance.
With his arms still around her, Camron looked up at the Indian’s first line of defense, and his best friend, with pinched brows. “What’s up?”
“I heard through the vine that there’s a party tonight at Jarret’s?”
Stepping back, Camron scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, man. He’s letting me use his place for a few hours. Kind of an early graduation present.”
“Dude, why didn’t I know this?”
“Slipped my mind,” Camron said with a forced smile. Raine watched the exchange, wondering why this was the first she was hearing of this party, too.
Letting him know what time to show up, Camron drew Raine back into his arms and tucked his face into the side of her neck. “You smell incredible,” he said against her skin.
Raine shivered at the warmth of his breath on her and wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders. “When did you plan to tell me you were throwing a party?” she asked cautiously. No matter how good things had been between them, she still hadn’t quite grown comfortable in their relationship. They were too different from each other—such an unlikely pair. Raine was always waiting for the punch line.
His shoulders lifted with a deep sigh. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go,” he admitted. Standing tall, he peered down at her, his blue eyes piercing. “It’s prom. College is only a few weeks away. I was hoping to make tonight special, and I didn’t think you’d want to spend the night surrounded by a bunch of drunken teenagers.”
While Raine absorbed his words, she ran her fingers through the sweat dampened hair at the base of his neck. “When you say special…”
A sexy smirk spread across Camron’s face and he leaned down to kiss her. At the touch of his lips, her body responded and she arched into him. “I think tonight we should take our relationship to the next level,” he said against her mouth.
Raine froze, fear overtaking her. She didn’t know if she was ready to take that next step in their relationship. As much as she cared about Camron, and as good as he made her feel, she’d been raised to wait for the right man before she had sex. Her mother always stressed that love was the most important factor, but was two months enough time to truly love someone?
Her father, on the other hand, stressed marriage. As a man of faith, he was a firm believer in waiting until the wedding night before having sex. But who was right? As she looked into Camron’s heart-stopping baby blues, she asked herself Is he the one?
Seeing the indecision on her face, Camron placed a tender kiss on her lips. “You don’t have to decide right now. Just think about it. You and me, we’re good together. I want this, and I think you do too.”
She did, she realized. She wanted Camron, but it was difficult to think clearly when he kept plying her with his drugging kisses. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
He smiled as if she’d already given him the answer he wanted. Taking her by the hand, he led her across the dance floor.
“Where are we going?” Raine asked as they stepped into the sultry summer night air. Music pulsed against the closed windows and doors of the rented hall, and she felt a distinct shift in the air, as if she’d just left everything she’d ever known behind her.
“To Jarret’s.” Opening the car door, Camron helped her in. “Party starts at ten and I promised I would be there to make sure things don’t get out of control.”
Raine frowned as Camron strode around to the driver’s side and climbed in. He’d just told her that he wasn’t sure he wanted to go. Now he was telling her that he agreed to chaperon. Which was it? The question formed on her tongue, but she held it back. She didn’t want to spoil their night by starting an argument. It would end up the same way it always did—with Camron pissed off and her apologizing. It just wasn’t worth the headache.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a brightly lit house that reminded her of the kind her mother always talked about wanting—a four-square with bay windows and large porch to sit on in the spring and enjoy the weather. The neighborhood she lived in was populated with mostly cheap new construction and nothing much before the nineteen-sixties, so Raine had only seen this type of house while watching home improvement shows with her mother on the weekends. Thrilled at the prospect of entering one now, she couldn’t wait to tell her mother about it.
Camron parked the Jeep on a patch of gravel. It was just past ten and already the party was in full swing. There had to have been at least thirty cars, all parked haphazardly on the front lawn and along the street. She could hear the stereo system before they even opened their doors, growing louder as they crossed the rolling lawn.
Students she recognized from school—and some she didn’t—spilled out onto the porch, laughing, drinking, dancing. Raine’s hand sought Camron’s. Would she ever get used to this kind of scene? There was so much noise, so much energy, and her head screamed warnings that this wasn’t the place for her. But as habit dictated, she shut out the nagging voice in her head and determined to have a good time.
The moment they entered the house, with Camron leading the way, they were stopped by person after person. Each newcomer clapped Camron on the shoulder, bumped fists, and congratulated him on his latest and final victory on the football field. They didn’t know it yet, but he’d just been accepted to play for the local university and would be riding on a full scholarship. She couldn’t be happier for him.
Her pride-filled smile carried into the kitchen where they were handed drinks. Raine sniffed the mystery brew, smelled the familiar bitter scent of beer mixed with a vaguely fruity undertone, and gulped it down.
Camron’s approving smile as he refilled her cup made her warm all over. Or maybe that was the alcohol. As she followed him onto the back deck, she stepped back while Camron was greeted by another group of friends.
With her hands clutching the plastic cup firmly to her chest, she busied herself looking around, taking everything in. Seth said this was Jarr
ett’s place, and from the looks of the glimmering in-ground pool, the immaculate lawn, and the size of the house, he had money. Which wasn’t a shocker, considering he was Camron’s brother.
She’d never met Jarrett, but from what Camron told her—which was very little—Jarrett tended to keep to himself. He was older by four years and the black sheep of the family, because he had tattoos and chose to work on cars rather than pursue sports. Sports were their father’s—Mr. Moss’s—dream. One that Camron had fulfilled without complaint.
“I’m going to go hang with the guys.” Raine blinked and found Camron standing in front of her, his blue eyes steady. “You’ll be okay on your own for a while?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Go ahead. I’ll just… be around,” she said automatically and with a smile.
Camron’s smile stretched wide. “Catch you later.” Immediately, Camron was pulled away, and Raine watched him jump down from the deck to mingle with another group of friends in front of the raging bonfire that’d been built in the center of the yard. Her teeth gritted and the muscles in her shoulders knotted tightly as she watched a group of girls from their school approach him. The ringleader, Marylyn Vice, sidled up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. With more than a hint of jealousy, Raine watched as Camron leaned down to say something to her. Marylyn’s head fell back a moment later, her long blonde hair trailing down her back, as she let out a wicked laugh.
Then, as if she knew where Raine was all along, her head lifted and she looked right at her. The smirk she wore twisted Raine’s insides, and when Camron’s gaze followed, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease wind through her.
She didn’t want to be here, and certainly not alone. But she was, and there was nothing to be done about it now.
Wandering back inside, she bypassed a group of students stumbling around the drink station and weaved through the makeshift dance floor that had opened up in the living and dining rooms, searching for someplace quiet where she could be alone.
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