The worry swimming in her beautiful eyes hurt worse than the trafficker’s punishing blows when they jumped him all at once. Her fevered embrace hurt like hell with his bruised ribs that he hadn’t yet told Raina about, but Kas didn’t dare let on like it did, needing her healing touch and innocence desperately. Judge helped down play his injuries until she fell asleep, then Kas had to deal with the judge’s concern.
Raina has tried to minimize Kas’ stress by not arguing with his request for her to enjoy her time with Judge, although she’s been too preoccupied to enjoy much of anything. Judge watches as Raina puts herself last and as Kas puts her first. The love shared between the two of them makes him miss his deceased wife tremendously. He’s kept Raina busy during the day, but she makes sure there’s a good meal ready for Kas whenever he manages to drag himself home. Her ability to multitask exhausts the judge; she’s played a wonderful hostess, dutiful wife, and impressive hacker by proxy, keeping up with Erik and helping to work on issues when he hits a wall. The frustration on her face when Erik won’t divulge information causes Judge to become creative in distracting her, leaving him very knowledgeable about every tourist spot in D.C.
It kills both men that it’s killing her worrying about the girls, the agents, and how Prizrak has slipped through the needed implications for a warrant to bring him in again so far. The times Raina has mentioned being officially trained to become an agent plagues Kas. He wants to keep her far enough away from the worst horrors of his job, knowing how your soul slowly dies while continually witnessing the sickening depravity.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and Dexter has ordered everyone working the Ghost’s case to take the day off. Kas collapses on the couch as soon as he walks in the door Wednesday night. Raina puts the plate of dinner she saved for him back inside the fridge, knowing he needs sleep more than the food right now.
“How do you use this thing?” Judge asks, holding up the turkey baster.
Laughing at his puzzled grimace, Raina takes it from him, “How ’bout you take the pies out of the oven, instead, Judge?”
“What time is Kas’ family coming over tomorrow?”
“Noon,” she responds, turning the music lower before grabbing the olive oil, lemon, and sea salt to prepare the rub for the turkey. Finishing the preparation for the large bird, Raina flips it upside down and seals it in the bag before placing it inside the fridge until early morning.
“Take that man of yours to bed so he can get a good night’s sleep, I’ll finish cleaning up.”
“I’ll do it after he’s asleep again.”
“You haven’t let me do much of anything to help you since I’ve arrived. I know how to wash dishes, that’s one chore Susie made sure I knew how to do,” he chuckles, fondly remembering all the evenings spent with his wife, standing side by side at the sink, laughing and sharing about their day as they cleaned the dinner plates. “Go on,” he tells her as he starts to shoosh her away with the dish towel.
Raina wraps her arms around him, “Thank you, Judge. I’m glad you’re here. Good night.”
“Night, honey.”
Raina kneels next to her husband who is sleeping hard. Whispering in his ear, she gently pulls his hands. Kas numbly rolls of the couch, mumbling a non-coherent greeting to Henry as Raina leads him to the bedroom, and he barely takes the time to undress before falling into bed. Raina curls up next to him, wrapping her arm around his tight torso. She brushes a kiss against his bare shoulder before drifting off next to him.
Cliff gives his son a warm hug as he walks through the door. “It’s going to be a hard winter,” he predicts, leaving his coat on a few minutes before shedding the heavy wool. “You look like hell warmed over, son,” Cliff’s words are laced with concern as he carefully scans Kas.
“Thanks, dad, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too,” Kas rebukes jokingly.
“Where’s my daughter-in-law?”
“Hey,” Raina greets Cliff, immediately snuggling into his welcoming embrace.
“Smells wonderful,” he compliments.
“Hope you’re hungry, she cooked enough to feed an army,” Judge teases, shaking Cliff’s hand, “Good to see you again.”
“It’s colder than great-aunt Melba’s heart out there, “Todd exclaims, bursting through the door into the warmth.
“Hush your mouth,” Lori scolds, stepping through the door behind her son, “it’s not nice to talk about the deceased that way.”
“Dead or not, it’s the truth,” Todd laughs.
Kas joins in the laughter, and Lori smacks them both on the back of their heads.
“Ohhh, I’m sorry, hun,” Lori rashly apologizes when she sees the wounds healing on Kas’ lip and cheek.”
“It’s nothing, I’m fine, Aunt Lori,” Kas assures her.
“Thought that was a dirty word?” Raina smirks, whispering in his ear before being pulled into Lori’s engulfing embrace.
The rest of Kas’ family arrives, and Pops pulls Raina into a tight hug, “When you coming back to Tennessee with that grandson of mine?”
“Soon,” she promises, hugging Mamaw Pierce next.
They are just sitting down to eat when there’s another knock at the door, and Kas isn’t surprised to see Lawson on his doorstep. “Come in out of the cold,” he tells him, opening the door further.
“I will only be a minute. I hate to drop in on you on Thanksgiving.”
Smiling kindly at the contrite agent, Kas shrugs his shoulders, “Stay for dinner, there’s plenty of food.”
“No thanks, I just wanted to speak with Raina for a minute, and then I’ll let you get back to your family.”
Sadness stabs Kas, knowing Lawson isn’t married, doesn’t have any children, and his parents are eight states away. Lawson’s family is his agents, and losing Scott has hurt him deeply, “Stay, you’re welcome here.”
“Am I?”
“Raina doesn’t blame you for what you said to her.” Placing his hand on Lawson’s shoulder, Kas gives him a friendly shove, “It’s Thanksgiving, I’ll forgive you for acting like an ass to my wife if you promise to never do it again.”
“Deal,” Lawson nods, a rare smile curving his lips.
Kas leaves Lawson in the foyer as he gets Raina. He stays in the dining room, giving him his privacy as he apologizes, realizing it’s not an easy task for the brusque agent. As far as he knows, it’s only the second time Lawson has ever apologized for anything, and both apologies have been to Raina.
Lawson’s hands are behind his back, the toe of his boot is nudging at an imaginary spot on the floor when Raina walks up to him. His gaze is sorrowful when he looks at her. “I’m sorry about the timing,” he begins, waving his hand towards the dining room, “but I needed to tell you that I was out of line the other day. I know how hard you have worked to find Prizrak, I was just angry, and, well, I was a huge jackass.”
When Raina wraps her arms around Lawson, it takes him a few seconds to get over the shock enough to hug her back.
“Come join us.”
“No, I have to be on my way, but thank you.”
“Please, Lawson, I would love for you to stay.”
“Um, alright,” he agrees, happy and relieved not to be alone for another holiday.
Kas already has a place set for him when they sit down. Cliff nods at Pops, who says the prayer before they eat. In less than half an hour, they have eaten a good portion of what took several hours to prepare. Raina is perfectly happy with that. The remainder of the afternoon is spent leisurely with everyone catching up and sharing news and old memories, including Lawson in all the conversations. Just like she always does, Raina feels a tug of sadness in her heart as the last of her in-laws leave.
Kas circles his arms around his wife, kissing the back of her neck and sending delicious shivers down her spine, “Thank you for an amazing Thanksgiving, darlin’, I’m sorry I haven’t been around to help.”
Raina’s lips cover his mouth, silencing anything he was going to say next. Pulling he
r soft, slender body flush to his, Kas’ jeans zipper becomes tighter with the needy bulge ready to play. Her tongue plunders greedily, and Kas gives her all the access she desires. Lost in the heat of the moment, they forget that they still have one houseguest. Judge’s amused ‘ahem’ causes Raina to jump back so fast she almost falls. Her scarlet flush is spread from her cheeks, all the way down her graceful neck. Kas turns so the judge doesn’t see the reaction Raina causes every time she touches him.
“Sorry, Judge,” Raina mumbles, well past embarrassment.
“Don’t be sorry, just make me ‘Uncle Judge’ sometime in the near future,” Henry winks, leaving them to return to their pre-copulatory frolicking, causing Raina to flush a rich red.
Amusement dances in Kas’ dark chocolate eyes when he turns back towards his mortified wife, “You heard the judge.” Taking her hand, he leads her towards the bedroom.
“We can’t do anything now,” she gasps, her beautiful eyes wide at the suggestion.
Taking her birth control pills out of the cabinet, Kas flips the pack over in his hand, studying them, “It’s been almost a year.”
Raina’s breath catches. Her heart thumps. Her entire body tingles.
Tossing the pills into the trash, the smoldering look in Kas’ eyes kindles the flame burning low in her belly.
“Are you sure?” she whispers breathlessly.
His purposeful stride reaches her in three steps, giving his answer. Taking her arms in his gentle grip, Kas’ searing gaze captivates her, “Raise your arms.”
Raina obeys, never removing her eyes from his as Kas slips her shirt over her head.
Trailing his fingers down the smooth, bare skin of her flat abdomen, he traces the soft, feminine curve of her waist, his provoking touch skimming across her navel before sliding lower, to the button of her jeans. Pausing, Kas slowly drinks in her beauty, losing his breath at the sight of her standing in front of him, her long, auburn waves falling across her shoulders and back, her jade eyes filled with the most awe-inducing love that he almost falls to his knees. Her ivory skin sparkles in the flickering light of the candle burning her favorite lavender scent from the bathroom vanity.
Unbuttoning her jeans, Kas slides the dark denim down her long legs before he takes a step back, and his lips curve into an appreciative smile as his eyes darken with carnal intentions and the purest reverence. The way she shyly chews on her bottom lip is his undoing, “Get over here, darlin’.”
The feel of his hands against her skin is the sweetest delectation. Lifting Raina into his arms, Kas carries her to bed, carefully laying her down and balancing over her. No words are needed to communicate the depth of his love. Lowering his mouth to hers, his fingers graze the back of her bare shoulders, and her body rises to meet his. They take their time making love until succumbing to a peaceful sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
The clock chimes two times as Raina tiptoes into the kitchen. Waking up from thirst, now she can’t seem to go back to sleep with her thoughts spinning through her head about how they just made love without using the ninety-nine percent assurance to keep her from becoming pregnant, and that makes a huge, unbelievably happy grin spread across her lips.
Opening the fridge, Raina pulls out the chocolate pie and cuts a small piece.
“You better make that two,” Kas tells her, placing his hand reassuringly on her shoulder when she jumps.
“It’s not smart to scare a woman holding a knife,” she teasingly scolds, holding the knife up in the air.
“I think I could take ya,” he quips, winking playfully.
Arching her eyebrow, she sweeps her finger across the top of the pie before bringing her finger to her lips to lick a dab of the chocolate off the tip and sliding her finger in her mouth, slowly suckling the rest of the creamy decadence, trying hard not to laugh at the protrusion growing larger in his cotton pajama bottoms. “You sure about that?”
The hard twitch in his lower region seems to affect his ability to speak. “Mmm hmmm,” is all he can currently manage.
Dipping her finger into the chocolate again, Raina bites her lip to keep from smiling at the sweet lustful pools in his dark eyes. Taking a step towards him, pure mischief burns brightly as she quickly smears his cheek with the pie, laughing as she takes off running around the island in the kitchen.
“Oh, darlin’, you are absolutely going to pay for that,” Kas laughs, racing after her.
Her giggling squeals ring out loudly as she takes off, pie in hand, behind the table. Kas’ eyes gleam with the challenge, and he fakes left, then right, before he slides across the top of the table, grabbing Raina before she can escape. Backing her into the corner, his deliciously wicked smile dances in his eyes as he digs three of his fingers into the pie and holds them tauntingly in front of her face.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Raina mockingly scoffs.
The playful gleam in Kas’ eyes tells her that he will just as the chocolate is smeared from her cheek to her neck.
“Pierce!” she calls out, her sweet laughter relieving every bit of his stress from the past couple of weeks. Wasting no time to retaliate, Raina covers his nose and mouth with the dessert.
A full-blown food fight erupts, leaving them both covered in chocolate pudding and whip cream and laughing hysterically, cathartically, as they chase each other through the kitchen. Raina grabs the last handful of pie and throws it at Kas’ head just as he ducks. Her green eyes widen, and her hand flies to her mouth as the chocolate blob smacks Judge directly in the middle of his face. Kas has to grab the corner of the granite island countertop to keep from falling because he’s laughing so hard. Removing his glasses, Judge wipes the dark confection off his face while Raina doesn’t move, her shocked, slightly amused, expression frozen on her face.
“I’m so sorry, Judge,” her words tumble out as she hands him a dish towel.
Looking around the kitchen and taking in the mess on the counters, floors, and two of the walls, Judge’s hazel eyes return to his mischievous surrogate daughter who has the same chocolate concoction smeared through her long, wavy hair and covering most of her beautiful face. The sheepish look in her repentant eyes is too much to take, and he pulls her into his arms, not caring one bit about being covered in the same mess dripping off her. Judge wants to cry like a baby as his heart swells happily from how much Raina has changed since Kas came into her life, “You better get the other pie out so we can have something with the decaf coffee I’m getting ready to make while we clean this kitchen.”
The immense look of gratitude Judge bestows Kas while Raina is retrieving the lemon meringue humbles Kas, who turns his gaze to his wife and her carefree spirit that continues to vivaciously grow, filling his heart with so much love, his chest hurts.
Chapter Thirteen
Friday morning brings bright sunshine despite the freezing temperatures, and Kas rolls over in bed a little after 7:00 a.m., finding Raina wide-awake and looking at him. “Do you always make it a habit to watch me while I’m sleeping, sweetheart?”
“Sometimes,” she admits, her eyes unwavering as he stretches his powerful arms above his head and yawns.
“Do I talk in my sleep or something?” he winks.
“Nope, you’re quiet as a mouse, and you barely move at all, which gives me a premium, uninterrupted view.”
“Like what you see?” he winks again, his eyes playfully wicked.
“Very much so,” she grins, tracing her fingers down his muscular chest.
Sitting up, Kas leans against the headboard and pulls Raina against him, “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”
Her eyes darken, becoming pensive, worried, “Do you think I will be a good mother?”
“I know that you will be an excellent mother, Rain,” he assures her truthfully, “are you having second thoughts?”
“No,” she quickly replies, shaking her head. Her gaze lowers, “It’s just that, you have such a wonderful family who showed you how parenting is supposed to be.
I-,” she pauses, “I don’t know what to do, just things not to do.”
Kas takes her chin, tilting it so her gaze meets his, “Raina, listen to me, you have the most amazing heart, your love and tenderness is just what every child needs. No one really knows what to do, I don’t know how to be a father, but we will figure it out together when the time comes.”
Snuggling against his chest, Raina wishes he didn’t have to go into work, “What is it that you don’t want me to see, Kas?”
“What do you mean?” he asks, confused by the rapid change of subject.
“Judge is going to be leaving, and you don’t want me alone, but you don’t want me at the agency either.”
“It’s not that I don’t want you there, Rain.” Kas sighs, “What I don’t want is continuing to expose you to the dark sins of life. I want you far away from them.”
“You think I can’t handle them?” she asks as her gaze falls again.
The crushing disappointment in Raina’s eyes kills him. Firmly taking her chin, Kas raises it again, “I know you can handle them, dammit! That’s the problem. I don’t want you to have to handle them anymore. I don’t want your innocence tainted, your heart broken again. I see what it does to you, and I can’t take seeing you hurting like that, not anymore.”
The anger burning in his eyes and lacing his voice, shocks her.
He swears before leaning his head against the headboard and closing his eyes, “It’s not you I’m angry at, Rain.” Opening his eyes again, Kas rubs his thumb across her cheek, “I’m sorry. Parker’s driving me crazy, he’s the one pissing me off, not you, baby, okay?”
Softly nodding her head, she lays it against his chest, “I know.”
Kas holds her for as long as he can before he has to get ready for work. Kissing her forehead, he runs his thumb slowly across her bottom lip, “You mean everything to me, Rain. You know that, right?”
After the Rain Page 15