by Christina OW
“He’s so hot it would be such a waste. You know, you could be Reno’s twin if you weren’t a tan shade lighter. You look exactly alike, the physic, the eyes, the smile—everything, except the hair. I like Reno’s hair better; yours looks too much like the half-naked guy on the cover of an erotic romance novel. The women’s under the mattress porn.”
Reno was so shocked he had to laugh. “And you wonder why I call you crazy?”
“Again, that’s why I call her a bulldog. She’s very protective of Riana.” Allan commented.
Riana took a visible deep breath before she hugged Loraine. “This is why I love you. You have a wonderful but weird way of bringing everything into perspective.”
Loraine hugged her back. “Anything for you Riana.”
Riana pulled out of her embrace and took Ruiz’s hand. “Come on, we have a lot to talk about, and only an hour or so to do so.”
Ruiz smiled down at Riana, instantly relaxing before he turned to Reno. “You coming?”
Reno shook his head. “No. You two need this time alone.”
Ruiz nodded and walked away with Riana. Watching the two of them like that, he couldn’t even describe the emotions that consumed him. Loraine was right. The man was a bastard, but he did three things right—creating his three children—and Reno loved two of them beyond measure. Yes, he may not know his brother well but he’d grown to care for him the two months they had to get to know each other.
“Ow, Don Juan is showing his true nature again,” Loraine cooed, pulling his attention. “Don’t worry, Riana will give him a fair shake. Though I think it was a very ass wipe move to spring this on her at her own wedding. He’s even one of the groomsmen!”
“Allan’s idea,” Reno hurriedly confessed. Damn the woman could glare! It made him uneasy and he bet everyone she’d ever settled it on felt the same.
Allan’s eyes widened. “Gee, thanks for having my back, brother.”
Reno chuckled, pulling Loraine into his arms. “Who do you have watching Aurora?”
Allan shoved his hands into his pants pockets with a knowing smile. “Melody is going to watch her and Mark. Don’t worry about it. Go have your fun, just be here in the morning to say goodbye or she’ll never forgive me for leaving before she says goodbye to you.”
The word goodbye made his chest clench but he nodded. “What are you doing for your honeymoon?”
Allan shrugged his smile growing to a full blown grin. “Well sailing is out of the question; it didn’t go well the last time. And visiting a vineyard is too, no point going when she can’t drink. We’ll just check out some of Riana’s favorite spots then go back home. The board wants me back at the company in two weeks.”
Reno was a little confused. Riana had talked about her trip on Allan’s yacht the first time they came to Italy like she’d enjoyed it, even though she always begged off going sailing with him when she was in Bahamas. And Aurora loved it; sometimes he couldn’t get her off the boat without some pleading on his part. And why not a vineyard, Riana loved wine? Unless…
“And the light bulb goes on,” Loraine announced.
“For real? She pregnant again? Already?”
Allan chuckled. “Completely unplanned, just like Aurora. I was surprised too. She told me during our wedding dance.”
Reno had been watching them dance until the sight of Loraine in her dress, exposing her long endless sexy legs, distracted him. He would have liked to see Allan’s reaction. And why hadn’t she told him he was going to be an uncle again?
They were having another kid and so soon after they’d found each other. It worried him a little, but seeing how happy Allan was and knowing his sister was probably just as happy, if not more, silenced his doubts.
He pulled away from Loraine to clap Allan’s hand and give him a hug. “Congratulations, man! I’m very happy for you.”
When he pulled away, he noticed the sheen in Allan’s eyes and he felt himself choke up a little.
“Thanks. We’re ecstatic. And thank you for taking care of her and being a father to Aurora when I couldn’t.”
“No problem. I was happy to do it. Happier when you stepped in and took over.”
Allan shook his hand one last time. “Well, I’ll go make sure Aurora hasn’t broken anything irreplaceable. You two enjoy yourself.” Then he walked off.
Loraine pressed her fist to her waist. “He says that like he’s in on a little secret. Does he think we’re going to have sex tonight?” she demanded indignantly.
Reno pulled her into the circle of his arms, pressing her flush against his excited body. “What? Aren’t we?”
She stared up at him, really stared into his eyes and he could see the doubt and desire in them as she debated her decision. “Will you be there all night, or will you creep out in the middle of the night, wam-bam-thank-you-Lori?”
Her soft spoken voice told him they weren’t joking around anymore. She was serious. Reno never stayed the night after the deed. He always made sure he gave as good as he got, but no matter how good or how much into the night the sex went, he never slept over. Depending on the girl, he would either leave right after with a promise to call if the sex was that great, or he’d wait until they fell asleep before he snuck out. It was the best strategy with the whiny clingy ones.
But with Loraine it was different. He had to handle it differently. The best decision would be to walk away from her right at that moment. She was her sister’s best friend and he didn’t want to make things weird in case their paths crossed again. But at the same time, she was Crazy Lori, the girl who he’d dreamed about having ever since he heard her voice on the phone. That need only had grown worse when he’d seen her on video chat, witnessing how much she truly cared for Riana.
Yes, she was blonde and blue eyed, but, she was Loraine, his Crazy Lori.
“How long are you here for?”
Her brows knitted together. “Three days, why?”
He smiled at her, lowering his head to whisper in her ear, “I’ll stay the night and the morning. All three days of them.”
He heard her gasp, her hands tightening on his arms. “This is going to be the longest hour of my life!”
Reno barked out a laugh, spinning Loraine around on the dance floor. It was weird, but for the first time in his life, he wasn’t rushing the girl out the door to the nearest bed after she gives him the green light.
He had three whole days and this night to enjoy Lori, not just her body but also her company. He planned to enjoy every minute of it before reality set in and they went back to their lives, him to his philandering ways and she to her carousing rich girl life.
Chapter Three
Loraine dropped her bags at the door, feeling every minute of the long and uncomfortable seven hour flight in her body. And of course the guilt of taking off and leaving Reno sound asleep in her bed.
She pressed the heel of her palms against her closed eyes. Damn, she really thought she could do it this time. She’d felt it—the lust, the desire. She’d even felt safe in his arms… it was Reno, Riana’s big brother. He would never hurt her.
And I know that! Her thoughts screamed.
But the moment all their clothes were gone and his large body crawled over hers… her muscles stiffened and her joints locked in place. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She felt suffocated and held down, completely trapped by his huge body. The panic rose, tears flooded her eyes and she began to cry. Reno launched off her so fast he tripped but stayed on his feet after clumsily backing away from her.
She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest and hid her shame filled face in them as she cried. It had taken seeing the shocked look on his face for her to come awake and realized what she’d done. She hadn’t reacted like that in years, and her reaction was so epically bad with Reno and not with Jake was a bigger mystery. It had been over eight years, since that night. And after a year of therapy, she’d spent the rest being her normal self. Her reaction to Reno was the latest sign that she was losing her m
ind again.
She felt even worse after how Reno had reacted to her craziness. He’d slid his briefs back on picked up the shirt she had quickly discarded from his body only minutes before, and draped it over her naked shoulders. He’d approached her like a skittish mare, speaking soothingly to her as he pushed her hands through the sleeves and buttoned it down until her nakedness was completely covered. Then he sat at the foot of the bed while she sat at the head and just looked at her.
She thought she’d see pity or disgust in his eyes, but there was only softness and the rest of his face was expressionless.
Then softly he’d asked, “What do you need from me?”
No insults, no questions, no demands for explanations and no excuses to make a quick getaway, just what she needed from him to feel safe again.
It was such a simple question, one that she had no answer to. So instead, she crawled to where he sat, climbed onto his lap and cuddled against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She barreled into his embrace, wishing she could hide in it until she found her strength again.
She’d cried herself to sleep and woke up after a dreamless night in the protection of his embrace. He’d wrapped himself around her, his front to her back, his thighs cradling hers and his chin above her head as she used his arm as a pillow. She’d felt so small and soft in the cocoon of his hard and large body. And most importantly, she’d felt safe.
He’d unknowingly protected her from her nightmares and she’d felt the strongest temptation to stay there forever, but the shame of her behavior had her leaving his embrace, the room, the hotel and the country while he slept on oblivious to her flight.
She battled with the decision to call him, to explain why she left the way she did but…what was the point?
“Why is this happening to me again? There is no reason for this nightmare!” she screamed at her empty apartment.
She sank to the floor, feeling completely exhausted battling tears. She wasn’t going to cry again, she’d cried enough and that hell was over eight years ago!
Her butt slipped on the carpeted floor and she rose just enough to pull what was under her. Mail, most of them probably junk. Wanting some semblance of a normal life, she sorted through them just like anyone else after getting back from a trip—even though she had been away for just two days.
There were only two worth checking out, both with no stamps or return addresses. Puzzled, she opened the first red envelope and a dried rose fell from it onto her lap. She picked it up and examined it.
Why would someone send me a dried rose? Anthrax mail made more sense!
She placed it down on the floor and pulled out the paper inside, also red. She flipped it open and the first words crushed her chest into itself and she let out a pained cry.
Mon Coeur…
She threw the paper away and quickly crawled away from it like it did have anthrax on it.
How is it possible? How did he find me? Her mind screamed.
“No, no, no,” she cried shaking her head. It couldn’t be possible.
“No!” she screamed, kicking at her coffee table and everything else in reach of her legs. When she was done, she stood up and attacked her home, throwing things around until she felt her anger diminish.
She pulled at her hair with both her hands as she stared at her hellish past sitting on the ground, jeering at her.
She couldn’t stay there anymore. He’d found her. She had to leave, now! It wasn’t safe there anymore.
Loraine rushed to the door, moving around the envelopes like landmines as she opened it and made a mad dash out without even caring about locking the door behind her. The devil himself had probably being inside and there was no other intruder who could be worse.
She tore out of the building basement parking and drove like a maniac across the city to her parents’ home. It was a Sunday and she knew they would be home. When she got there, she didn’t even bother to turn off the car. She just jumped out, ran into the mansion and straight into her father’s den.
He was seated on the couch with someone else and she didn’t pause to find out who it was or be introduced. She just did what she did that day they came for her in Paris, something she’d never done since she was a little girl scared of the dark. She launched herself at him, folding her body onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“What the hell are you doing, Loraine?” he yelled.
“Daddy, he’s here. He was at my apartment,” she whispered afraid if she spoke any louder, she’d bawl her eyes out.
Her father was silent for a moment and she felt his pulse leap before he cursed under his breath. He then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him.
“I’m sorry, George, but we are going to have to continue this another time. My daughter needs me right now.”
And the flood gates opened, as Loraine cried on her father’s shoulder.
* * * *
Loraine watched her father as he paced in front of her in the living room cursing up a storm. Her mother on the other hand, sat next to her, moving between nervously wringing her hands and smothering Loraine with hugs—which she particularly didn’t mind at the time, considering the situation.
She liked this kind of mothering—her mother had her wrapped in a blanket, filling her with cup after cup of tea that was meant to calm Loraine but didn’t seem to have the desired effect on herself. The kind of mothering Loraine didn’t like was the nagging her mother called training to be a proper lady worthy to be married to American royalty.
Loraine had called her debutante ball her auctioning ceremony where all the other fathers could examine her like a horse and see if she was befitting for their sons before one of them put her on reserve until said son was ready to marry.
Such bullshit! It was so ridiculous that sometimes she wished she didn’t belong to the cream of the crop!
“How the hell did he get into the country?” her father bellowed at no one in particular but Jeb, his head of security, answered anyway.
“He must have used a false identity.”
He turned to her, giving her an apologetic smile before the stony mask came back and he returned his attention to her father.
Loraine smiled, thankful he was there. She felt better, safer with Jeb close by. He’d been the one who found her that night. She’d never seen a man so angry in her life that his entire face was red as blue veins bulged out of his temple. Jeb had pulled that man off her, beating him viciously as she huddled against the bed frame. She watched as each fist landed on his face, as he was thrown against the wall only to be picked up and thrown against another, with so much satisfaction, knowing Jeb was making him pay for every filthy touch he’d placed on her body.
Jeb wasn’t even supposed to be in Paris and she’d found out from him that her parents didn’t trust their once obedient turned rebellious daughter anymore. For the first time in her life, she was grateful for her parents meddling.
“You need to fix this Jeb!” her father went on with his ranting. “You should have killed him when you had the chance!” He punctuated his exclamation by kicking a flower vase off the glass coffee table. It landed a few feet away with a loud crash, spilling flowers and water.
“Robert!” her mother cried out, shooting off the couch.
Loraine’s eyes popped open. Wow! Who was this blood thirsty man and where was her ever so calm father?
He turned to her mother, his eyes wide with rage and his lips curled in a sneer. “What? Am I to care about his life when he threatens the life of my daughter?”
Her mother shook her head, dropping back down on the couch with her head in her hands. Loraine wrapped her arms around her when she saw her shoulders shake as she sobbed quietly.
“Mom, please don’t cry. Everything will be alright.”
“No it won’t.” She turned her head to the side to face Loraine. “Why is he so obsessed with you? It’s been eight years. Can’t he move onto someone else?”
Loraine c
huckled sadly, wiping her mother’s tears away. “Maybe we could give him another target. Give him a list of prime candidates for him to victimize in his own country.”
Her mother slapped her hand away. “This isn’t the time for your silly humor!”
Loraine sighed. “I know mom, but if I don’t joke, I’ll cry and I’ve been doing that for months now.”
Loraine knew her mistake when her mother’s eyes widened and her father stopped cursing and pacing.
“What do you mean for months? Has he been harassing you for months and you’re just telling us now!” Her mother’s voice rose to a shrilly tone.
Loraine backed away to lean against the couch. “No. I’ve been having nightmares since I came back from Paris—”
“I told you that trip was a bad idea, but you never listen!” Her father bellowed returning to his pacing.
“Dad, I was fine there. I even had fun.” She kept the part about living in the same hotel and in the same room to herself. “But when I came back, I started having nightmares. And then the letters today…” she shook her head and shrugged, “maybe the nightmares were a premonition, a warning. I don’t know but they’ve kept me alert ever since they began.”
“Jeb, go to her apartment and retrieve those letters and her things. She’ll be staying here until we find that maniac,” then he turned to her with pointed finger, “No arguments!”
Loraine raised her hands in surrender. “At this point, I wouldn’t object if you wanted to move me into your room. I’d sleep in the walk in closet; update mom’s wardrobe while I’m there.”
Her mother huffed. “The jokes again!”
And for the next few weeks, Loraine became a prisoner in her parents’ mansion. Her mother called it protective custody but Loraine was already getting cabin fever. In fact, she was beginning to feel less and less like herself. After her last day in therapy all those years ago, she’d become determined to never cower away from adversities and now that was exactly what she’d become, a coward.