"Goodnight, Raine," he says, his arm closing around me.
"Goodnight, Miles."
And with that, I put aside my dirty thoughts and fall asleep.
17
Miles
I wake up to the feel of Raine cuddled up beside me. I slowly open my eyes and see her arm resting on my abs, her hand over my chest. Her head is up by my shoulder, her soft hair falling over my bicep.
For a minute I'm confused and think I must be dreaming. I've had this dream before, of Raine in my bed, but it's usually not as innocent as this. Actually, it ends like this but the main part of the dream involves both of us naked and me pleasuring her in every way I know how.
My dick hardens at the thought, and the images that go with it. Shit. I can't think about that. Not when she's in my bed and we're only supposed to be sleeping.
Why did she suggest this? She knows how much I like her. How much I want her. Is this some kind of test to see if I can resist her? If so, I'm failing miserably because now that I'm awake, I want her more than anything. Her gorgeous body. Her smooth skin. Those soft lips. I've fantasized about being with her more than I should but my mind can't help but go there.
She moves a little in her sleep, her hand slipping down to my waist, just above my now rock-hard cock. Damn. I hope she doesn't wake up and find me this way.
The sheet is pulled back and I notice I'm shirtless. When did that happen? I must've taken it off in my sleep. I do that sometimes but I don't know how I did it without waking up Raine.
She must be a sound sleeper. She'd have to be, living on the streets. Cars going by. Trucks beeping. Sirens blaring. I don't know how you sleep through all that.
I'd like to check the time but I don't want to move and wake her. It's dark out so it's gotta be after seven. Devin probably texted me to remind me to go to the bar. If Giselle's there, I know he did. He keeps pushing me to go out with her but I'm not interested. Giselle's gorgeous and seemed nice when we talked but I didn't feel that spark I feel with Raine. I felt it the moment I met her, before we even knew each other, and it's only gotten stronger the more we hang out.
I wanted to tell Raine that when she asked why I didn't like Giselle but then decided not to. She said she's not ready for a relationship so I need to take it slow with her, although what we're doing right now seems like we just fast-forwarded way past a casual friendship. I don't usually sleep half naked in a bed with a casual friend.
Raine lifts up her arm like she's waking up, but then turns on her side, her back to me. She mumbles something, then reaches back and grabs my arm, tugging it over her. I turn on my side, not sure what she's doing, then wait as she tucks my arm over her waist.
I smile, thinking how upset she'd be with herself if she knew she'd just done that. I'm happy she did. I love being with her like this. Having her in my arms.
My eyes shut and I try to go back to sleep. I'm not tired but I'm not going to get up and ruin this perfect moment. It may never happen again so I'll stay here as long as she wants.
She slides down a little in the bed, like she's trying to get farther into the covers, then she backs up into me, her body molded to mine. My cock instantly reacts to the feel of her firm round ass pressed up against it. Her arm lifts up to rest on the bed, allowing me to free my arm from her waist. I need to move away from her enough that we aren't touching down there. I can't sleep when I'm this turned on and I don't want her waking up to the feel of my erection against her.
I slowly slide my hand down, trying not to disturb the covers, and notice her shirt is up by her waist. It must've rode up when she moved. I know I shouldn't, but I inch my hand lower and feel more of her soft beautiful skin. I keep going, expecting to run into her panties but they're not there. She's not wearing any.
I freeze, my hand now on her hip, her naked ass pressed into my crotch. My shorts are the only thing between us but the thin fabric is doing nothing to control my throbbing cock. I attempt to back up without waking her but she feels me move and flips to her back.
"Miles?" she mutters, reaching for me.
"I'm right here." I take her hand, holding it so it doesn't lower and land on my crotch.
"What time is it?" she mumbles.
"I don't know. I'll check." I reach behind me to the beside table and grab my phone. "It's seven-thirty."
"We slept that long?" She sounds more awake now and when I turn back, I see her lying there, rubbing her eyes.
"We were tired."
She looks at me, her eyes still sleepy. "You missed your date."
I lay on my side, facing her. "It wasn't a date. I'm not interested in Giselle."
"There could've been some other girl at the bar you'd be interested in."
"Maybe I'm already interested in someone else." My eyes lock on hers as I say it. I know I said I'd take things slow but being with her today, in bed, lying beside her, I realized I can't do it. I can't hold back my feelings for her when they're this strong. And I don't just mean my attraction to her. I mean how I feel about her. How happy she makes me.
She turns on her side to face me and is about to say something but then jerks back. "Shit!"
"What?"
She backs up even more, to the other side of the bed. "I just realized I'm not um..." She bites her lip.
"Wearing anything more than my shirt?" I ask with a smile.
"Yeah. And stop smiling like that!"
"Sorry, but a guy can't help but smile when a beautiful girl invites him into bed wearing nothing but his t-shirt."
She starts to smile but then shuts it down. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I thought I had them on. I forgot I'd given them to you to wash. Sorry about that."
"Don't be." I scoot closer to her. "I don't mind."
She glances up at the ceiling. "We didn't...you know...do anything, did we?"
"Trust me." I keep the smile going. "You would know if we did something."
Her face flushes and her neck moves as she swallows. "I didn't mean THAT, specifically. I just meant...never mind."
"Despite your lack of clothes, I was a perfect gentleman. If anything, YOU were the one taking advantage of ME."
"I didn't do anything," she insists. "I was sleeping."
"While rubbing your backside against the front of my shorts." I put my hand up. "Not that I minded. But a certain part of me isn't too happy with you right now."
She breaks into a smile. "Sorry. To both of you. I didn't know I was doing that. I must've been cold."
"Or you just like being close to me."
Her eyes lower. "Maybe a little."
"I liked it too."
"Liked what?"
"Being close to you." I slide up next to her and wrap my arm around her waist. "Having you in my arms."
"You do?” she asks, sounding surprised.
Does she not know how much I like her? How is that possible? I go to see her every night. I make sure she has plenty of food and bottled water. I help her with Gladys. How could she not know how much I care about her?
"Raine, when I said I was already interested in someone, you know who I was talking about, right?"
She shakes her head.
"Seriously?" I let out a laugh. "Raine, I was talking about you."
"But I thought—" She pauses. "I thought you changed your mind after we kissed."
"Are you kidding? That kiss was amazing. It made my feelings for you even stronger."
"Then why didn't you do it again?"
"Because you ran off like you never wanted to see me again. You made it clear you didn't want that. So I slowed things down, but Raine, I still want it. I still want a relationship with you."
She shakes her head. "We can't."
"Why not?"
She gets out of bed, yanking my shirt down and holding it there. "Where's your washing machine?"
"Just past the kitchen, but wait. Don't go down there yet."
"Miles, I don't want to talk about this. I misunderstood how you felt. I never would've slept
here with you if I knew you still felt that way." She turns and hurries down the stairs.
I meet her at the washing machine where she's transferring her clothes to the dryer.
"Let's go get some dinner."
"I'm not hungry," she says, just as her stomach growls.
I chuckle. "Your stomach is telling me otherwise."
She shuts the dryer door. "How do you turn this on?"
I reach over and hit the button to start it, then grab both her hands and pull her toward me as I lean against the wall.
"I'm not giving up on you, Raine."
"I wish I could do this, Miles, but I can't."
"Tell me why."
She sighs. "Because of what happened before. I'm not ready to do this again."
"What happened?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"I'm not ready to."
"Is whatever happened what landed you on the streets?"
She nods. "Yeah. But I don't want to talk about it."
What the hell happened and why won't she tell me? Is she embarrassed? Ashamed? Afraid?
"Just drop it, okay?" She pulls away but I keep hold of her. "Miles, let me go."
"I need to do something first." I tug her closer and wrap my arms around her waist.
"What?" she asks, looking up at me.
I lower my face to hers and wait. Her breath quickens and her hands grip the sides of my shorts. Her eyes fall shut and her lips part. I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her, softly at first to make sure she's not going to pull away. She leans in closer, pressing her body into mine. I kiss her again, deeper this time. She reaches behind my neck and pulls me down to her, her chest rising and falling as she breathes. I'm breathing hard too, my heart pounding against my chest, my body wanting more of her. God, I want her so bad.
My hands lower to the back of her thighs and slowly move under her shirt to her naked ass. I cup it with my hands and pull her against me.
"Miles," she moans, breaking from my lips, her head tipping back.
I leave kisses along her neck, then return to her mouth, loving the soft moans coming from her throat. She's got me so turned on, my cock's throbbing even more than when we were in bed. My hand slips between her legs and I run my fingers over her slick opening. She's so freaking wet. I sink a finger inside her and she gasps, then smiles.
"More," she whispers, gripping my shorts like she's never going to let go. I plunge another finger into her and she breaks from the kiss. "Oh God, yes!"
"Let's go upstairs," I tell her.
"I can't," she says, but her actions say differently as her hips grind into me, rubbing against my cock. Her eyes shoot open, meeting up with mine. "I want you, Miles. I do. I just...I can't do this again. I'm not ready."
"You sure?" I ask, my hand still pleasuring her.
She closes her eyes and smiles. "Maybe just once." She backs away from me, then runs off. "Hurry up!"
I race after her, bounding up the stairs to my room. I scoop her up in my arms and kiss her before setting her on the bed. She's smiling and laughing and looks so damn beautiful. I think I might love this girl.
"What are you waiting for?" she asks, leaning back on her elbows, looking both cute and hot wearing nothing but my t-shirt and that beautiful smile of hers.
Leaning down, I tug at her t-shirt. "I need this back."
She huffs. "You said I could wear it."
"Changed my mind." I wait for her to sit up, then slip it off her and toss it aside. The room is mostly dark but the street lights coming through the windows offer me enough light to see her gorgeous body. Her soft curves. The gentle smile that remains on her face.
I drop my shorts and reach over to my nightstand to grab a condom. I quickly roll it on, then lie next to her, sliding my hand over the smooth skin just under her breast. I extend my fingers up to her nipple, lightly brushing over it. She sucks in a breath.
"More," she whispers.
As I continue to touch her, her eyes lift to mine. I look back at her and instantly feel the connection between us. I know she feels it too. She just refuses to admit it.
"Last chance," I say, making sure she wants this, but she's already told me she does so I don't know why I'm asking.
"Just one time," she whispers.
"What if it's so good we want to do it again?"
"If that happens, we'll figure it out."
"You mean when it happens," I say, kissing her neck as my hand slides between her legs. I need to finish what I started downstairs. Show her what I can do so she'll have no choice but to do this again.
"Holy shit," she calls out, gripping the sheets as she comes. I've only been at it a few minutes. Her body responded to my touch faster than I anticipated.
I move up, positioning myself over her. As I lean down to kiss her, her hips lift, searching for me.
Shifting slightly to align myself, I slide inside her, taking my time, until I'm all the way in. Her knees fall to the side and she wraps her legs around me, letting me go even deeper. I slowly pull out, then thrust back in. I continue to take it slow, following the movement of her hips, letting her set the pace. She goes faster than I'd like. My cock's begging me to finish but I don't want this to end. I just want to stay here, in this moment, for as long as I can.
When I know she's close, I take over, thrusting into her, hard and fast, until I feel her release and hear her making the breathy moans she made when she came before. It's freaking hot and makes my own release follow soon after. It's so strong I yank the sheet loose as I grab it.
I collapse back on the bed, my heart pounding. I lay my arm out, hoping Raine will take the hint I want her to cuddle up next to me and not run off. She takes the hint and slides up beside me, her hand resting on my chest, her head on my shoulder.
"So?" I say, wrapping my arm around her. "You sticking with the one time rule?"
She smiles. "I could maybe do two."
"Thought so." I rub my hand up and down her arm, loving the feel of her skin.
Her stomach growls.
"Shit, I forgot about dinner," I say. "Where do you want to go?"
"Miles, just because we did this doesn't mean we're dating."
"So you just used me for sex?" I ask, pretending to be hurt.
She laughs. "Yes. I used you for sex. Sorry about that."
"You could make it up to me by going with me to dinner. I'm starving. How about that Italian place down by my office?"
"The nice one? That's where you'd take a date."
"Anyone can go there. It doesn't have to be a date." I pause, gazing down at her and noticing how at peace she looks in my arms, and happy. "Why don't you want that, Raine? Why can't we date? You like me, right?"
She sighs. "I more than like you. I just can't do this. Not yet. I need to figure myself out first. Get my life in order."
I take her hand and look in her eyes. “What did he do to you?"
She looks away. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Why? Why won't you tell me?"
"Because I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed for not knowing. For not being smarter. For not seeing what I should've seen."
"What didn't you see? What happened?"
She chews on her lip, not answering.
"Raine, just tell me."
"I fell for the wrong person." She pauses. "I trusted him. I let him take me in. Take care of me. I believed what he told me. And I ended up on the streets." Her eyes return to mine. "I can't do that again. I can't fall for some guy and trust that it'll turn out okay."
"Raine, I would never hurt you. I'd never do anything that would put you in the situation you're in now. I'm trying to help you. The whole time I've known you I've been trying to help you."
"I know, and I appreciate everything you've done. But I have to learn to trust myself, and trust that I can take care of myself before I get involved with someone again."
"You've already proven you can take care of yourself. You've been doing it for six months."
"Living on the streets isn't taking care of myself. I need to get a job. I need to be able to support myself."
"Which will take time. And help from other people. Everyone needs help sometimes. Even me. I didn't have money for law school so I took out loans."
"That's not the same. Everyone takes out loans for school. It's different when you have nothing and have to ask people for help. It's basically telling them you failed at taking care of yourself."
"It doesn't mean you failed."
"Then it means I wasn't smart enough. Whatever. It doesn't matter. The point is I want to do this myself. I have to in order to prove to myself I can."
"You've already proved you can do this. You got away from whatever bad situation you were in. You made it out. Even though you ended up on the streets, you still got away and made a new life for yourself."
"But I didn't." She squeezes her eyes shut.
"Didn't what?"
"I didn't get away from him. I wanted to. I had a plan. But I wasn't able to do it. I waited too long. So he did it for me."
"Did what? What are you talking about?"
"I was in a bad situation. I knew I had to get out but I didn't. I wasn't strong enough. I was afraid and didn't do what I should have. Then just as I was about to leave, he did it for me. He got rid of me."
"What do you mean he got rid of you? He kicked you out?"
She swallows. "He tried to kill me."
18
Miles
"He tried to WHAT?" I bolt up, causing her to move off me.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you. Just forget it."
"Forget it?" I turn to her, shock and anger coursing through me. "You just told me some asshole tried to kill you and you want me to forget it?"
"It's over, Miles." She turns and gets out of bed, taking the sheet with her to cover herself. "I don't want to talk about it."
She finds her t-shirt on the floor and slips it on.
"Raine, wait." I quickly get up and stop her before she goes downstairs.
She glances down at my naked body. "You should probably put clothes on. People will see you with all the windows."
"I don't give a shit." I hold both her arms and look at her. "I need to know what happened."
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