Saving Rain

by Karen-Anne Stewart

  She digs her keys out of her purse and fumbles with the lock. Memories of the last night she was there attack her, leaving her shaken more than she is willing to admit, even to herself. Kas stands back, pretending not to notice, knowing that Raina’s doing her best to keep her composure on her own.

  The key finally turns, and Raina flips on the lights, illuminating the cabin’s living room in soft, comforting light. The first thing Kas notices are the paintings on the walls, beautiful paintings of scenery from countries around the world. He walks around the living room and down the hall, admiring the artwork. “These are the places you want to visit,” he muses, tossing his thumb over his shoulder at some of the paintings.

  Raina smiles at him, her eyes lighting up as they flitter over the paintings, her only indulgence.

  “These must have cost you a fortune,” Kas states as he examines them closer.

  “Actually, they were all quite reasonable. I didn’t buy them at galleries, I bought them from traveling artists, most of them from the countries depicted in the paintings. They sell them for a fraction of the price galleries do, but I gave them more than their asking price. They are too beautiful, and they spent too much time painting them not to get a decent price.”

  Kas turns back to the paintings, grinning as he thinks of how she would never take advantage of anyone, even when that person is under-selling himself.

  “What can I help you with?” he asks, walking back over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. He gives them a quick rub, knowing that she is tense but doesn’t want to show it.

  “I’m just going to grab some more clothes and things. Why don’t you have a seat and make yourself comfortable? I wouldn’t trust anything in the fridge, which reminds me, I need to clean that out really quickly, but I can get you some water.”

  Kas walks into the kitchen and admires the granite table tops and Terracotta floor tiles that extend to the bamboo flooring in the living room. He loves the natural woodsy feel of the cabin, like it was made just for him.

  “This cabin must cost quite a bit in rent, I love the natural feel and look of it.” Kas grabs Raina’s hands, knowing that he’s probably moving too fast for what he’s getting ready to say next, but he decides to take his chances anyway, “I don’t know how long you will be staying with me, but it’s an open invitation, even after things calm down with Sutton. I can talk with the owner and see if there’s a way to shorten your lease if you like, so you don’t have a rent payment while you’re with me.”

  Kas takes another look around the cabin, small, but very nice, and wonders how she can afford the rent working only part time as a consultant with the FBI as she works on her doctorate.

  Raina looks into his eyes as she chooses her next words carefully, knowing how eerily adept he is at reading her. “That’s a sweet offer, but I really love this cabin, I’m not ready to let it go.”

  She didn’t lie, every word she said is true, but she feels guilty not giving him the full truth. If he finds out that the cabin’s owner is her, he would start to ask more questions, eventually leading back to the ones she’s not yet ready to answer.

  Kas hides his disappointment behind a smile as he turns and opens the fridge, “I’ll help you clean this out.”

  After they have taken care of the necessary chores in the kitchen, Kas follows her to her bedroom. He looks at her bed and imagines Raina sleeping there, making love to her in between those soft cotton sheets peeking out under the plush comforter. He imagines running his fingers over her silky skin, touching her in places that will drive her wild with need for him. He fantasizes making her lose control, over and over, until she cries out his name.

  “Let me just grab a few things out of my bathroom, and I’ll be ready,” Raina calls to him from the closet, pulling him out of his erotic daydream.

  Kas takes in how neat and clean everything is, free of the personal clutter usually found in people’s homes. He quickly scans the room for photographs of family or friends, but there are none, just as there aren’t any anywhere else he’s seen so far. This discovery causes his heart to ache for her. He wants to give her what she’s missing in her life; he wants to fill every part of her that’s empty. He knows that if she won’t allow that, he will be left just as empty and broken.

  Raina comes out of the closet with a small bag full of clothes and heads into her bathroom. He follows her and is thoroughly impressed with the natural pebble tile, its sleek mosaic design spinning whimsically around the floor, ending at the drain. He has to shove his hands in his pockets to hide the bulge building in his jeans when he sees the large glass shower.

  Images of her steamy, naked, soaped-up skin cause him to break out in a cold sweat. “I think I’ll get that glass of water now,” he says quickly, excusing himself from the room before he pushes her against the wall, ridding her of the clothing in between them, and ravishes her in the shower as the hot water spills around them.

  He has just got himself under control when Raina walks out of her bedroom, belongings in hand. Kas takes the bag from her before planting a kiss on her forehead, “You sure you have everything?”

  She takes a quick glance around her cabin and nods her head. He senses how hard this is for her and he takes her hand in his, threading his large fingers through her slender ones as they walk outside. He puts her bag in the jeep and looks around, then leaves her standing there as he walks around the back of the cabin. He returns with a quizzical expression, “Where’s your car?”

  “I don’t have a car,” Raina says, immediately regretting letting the words slip from her mouth. She ducks into the jeep just as his tirade begins.

  “What do you mean you don’t have a car?” Kas demands, opening the jeep door she just closed.

  “I take the bus,” Raina says sheepishly, not meeting his gaze.

  “You mean all of those late nights you spend studying at the library, you walk by yourself to the bus stop, in the dark?”

  Raina knows she’s in for a stern lecture by the look on his face and in his steely eyes. “It’s not that dark.”

  Kas looks past her, down the drive, and his eyes turn into molten chocolate, burning into her, “The bus doesn’t come here, Raina.”

  She steels herself for his response at what she says next, “There’s a path through the woods, behind the cabin, that comes out very close to a bus stop.”

  “Let me get this straight. You not only walk to the bus stop, in the dark, by yourself, but you then get off the bus and walk alone through the secluded, dark woods?”

  Raina bites her lip, “Is that a rhetorical question?”

  Kas runs his hands exasperatedly through his hair, he wants to shake some sense into her for putting herself into dangerous situations like that. He turns around, taking a moment to gain his control so he doesn’t scream at her for her foolishness. “How long of a walk is it through the woods?”

  Raina represses a shiver at the chill in his words, “A little less than a mile.”

  Kas places his hands on his hips as he turns and glares at her, not knowing what he wants to do more, yell at her until he loses his voice, or pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

  Raina takes advantage of his momentary silence and defends her actions. “I feel safe in the woods, I love them and how they make me feel. I feel more like myself walking through them every day then I do most anywhere else. Besides, it’s great exercise,” she states with her arms folded across her chest, wishing she had a stronger finish than the one she just used.

  Kas shakes his head and laughs, not able to help himself. He knows he should give her a good lecture of all the possible dangers of her idiotic choices, but he loves her independence, and he doesn’t want to change that in her, just modify it a bit, so she doesn’t get herself murdered along a dark path in the woods. He pulls her out of her seat and into his arms, surprising her. He breathes in the sweet scent of her and kisses the top of her head as he runs his hands down her back. “Just promise me you that yo
u won’t walk by yourself in the dark again or alone in secluded places.”

  Raina snuggles in closer to him, ready to promise him anything as she melts into his arms. “I promise,” she whispers into his chest.

  Kas looks at Raina, laying the paper down next to him on the couch. “You need a car,” he says, out of the blue. “If it’s because you can’t use your tax payer ID to get a license, I told you that I will not push for further information for the time being. I really want you to have reliable, safe transportation. I promise I won’t pull your social security number from your driver’s permit.”

  “I take the bus, I don’t need a car,” Raina states simply. The social security number issue is only part of the reason, she’s never worried about having personal transportation when she can get just about everywhere she needs to go with the bus or subway, and she’s not ready to rehash their earlier tension.

  “I don’t like you taking the bus, it’s dangerous,” Kas replies with a definitive tone.

  Raina looks up from her book, amused by the resignation in his eyes, knowing that he’s made up his mind and she isn’t to argue with him. Well, she’s not made up her mind, and she can be just as resigned as he is on the matter. “It’s not dangerous, and it’s ridiculous to have a car when I don’t need one,” she states firmly, and when I don’t know how to drive, she thinks to herself.

  “You are out late regularly, and I don’t like the idea of you waiting for a bus, or the subway, when it’s dark and I’m working. You already promised you won’t be walking in the dark by yourself anymore, so we are going to look for a vehicle this weekend. I already gave you my word that I won’t use the information to delve into your past. I’ll pay the lease on it if that’s what you are fussing about, but you’re getting a vehicle.” Kas gives her his steady ‘don’t even think about arguing with me’ glare.

  “I’m not worried about the payments, and you can’t just tell me what to do,” Raina glares back at him stubbornly with a slight pout on her lips.

  Kas has to repress a laugh, he loves her stubbornness and how she lately has no problem defying him or at least trying to. It warms his heart how she tells him her opinions and feelings now, without the slightest spark of fear in her eyes, but there are things he’s not going to budge on, whether or not she thinks he’s being controlling, and her safety is one of them.

  “I can and I just did. I’m not trying to be demanding, Rain, but you are getting a vehicle. I don’t want to worry about you every night that I’m at work, and you are too stubborn to come home at a decent hour, and that’s final!” Kas finishes, turning around so Raina can’t see him smile, knowing that he’s pushed it a bit far with those last words.

  He turns back around at the silence that follows, surprised that she didn’t give him an angry rebuttal to put him in his place. He sees her biting her lip, and it’s all he can do to not to pull her to him, take that lip in his mouth and work his way down. His erotic thought is interrupted by her lowering her head with embarrassment flashing in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, concerned about the quick change in her disposition, worried that, maybe, he was too gruff with her.

  Raina looks at him meekly, completely the opposite of what she was thirty seconds ago. “I don’t know how to drive,” she whispers.

  He laughs, thinking she’s joking at first, then stops when he sees the serious expression on her face. “You speak four languages, you work a computer like Beethoven played the piano, and you don’t know how to drive?” Kas asks incredulously.

  Raina bites her lip, embarrassed, “No.”

  Kas’ lips spread into a huge Cheshire cat grin. “So, I can teach you something,” he states proudly.

  Raina sees the sexy glint in his eyes as he gives her his mouth-watering cocky grin. Oh, I bet you can teach me all sorts of things, her mind wanders into sexual fantasies of Kas teaching her exactly what he knows, over and over again. She shakes her head to snap herself out of the all-too-frequent fantasies she has been having lately that have been leaving her flushed and gasping for breath.

  He sees the scarlet flush spread across her cheeks and wants to lean down and brush his lips across every flushed part of her body. He feels his body responding to his wayward thoughts, so he quickly grabs Raina’s hand and his keys before she notices the bulge rapidly expanding against his increasingly tight zipper.

  “Where are we going?” Raina asks as Kas pulls her towards the door.

  “I’m teaching you to drive,” he replies matter-of-factly, pride rimming his declaration.

  “It’s 9:00 at night,” she exclaims with wide eyes as he pulls her out the door.

  “It’s the perfect time, the parking lots are almost empty, and they are well lit.”

  A few minutes later, Kas pulls into a barren lot and tosses her the keys, holding back a fit of laughter at her panicked expression. He walks around to the passenger side and shooshes her to the driver’s side with his hands as he slides into her place. Raina grabs the steering wheel, the keys dangling from her hand as he stares at her, not even trying to hide the smirk on his face.

  “The keys go in the ignition, darlin’.”

  Raina shoots him an exasperated look, “That part, I’ve got.”

  “Okay then, go ahead,” he laughs, pointing at the keys.

  She gives him another pointed look, just for good measure, and cranks the engine to life.

  “A few pointers before you do anything else. Always have your seat belt on before you go into motion. Adjust your mirrors and your seat, find the lights, the wipers, and the emergency break. This is an automatic, so you don’t have to worry about shifting gears while you’re driving. I’ll teach you that later on my old Dodge.” Kas points to the dash, “That’s your speedometer, your gas gage, and your automatic gears showing you if you are in drive, park, neutral, or reverse.” He continues by pointing to the floorboard, “The brake is on the left, and the gas is on your right, any questions?”

  Raina looks at him like he’s gone mad, “Only about a million.”

  “Okay, ask while you drive...go,” Kas insists, biting back his laughter as she frantically looks around, familiarizing herself with the gadgets. “Always have your foot on the brake when you shift into drive.”

  Raina adjusts her seat and the mirrors as instructed, then pushes down on the brake before shifting the jeep into drive.

  “Okay, ease off the brake, and go easy on the gas.”

  She pushes the gas a little too hard, and the jeep jumps forward, causing her to squeal.

  “I said easy on the gas,” Kas teases her, placing his hand on her knee reassuringly, “try again.”

  Raina does much better the second time around and starts to go forward with a death grip on the steering wheel.

  “You’re going to lose the feeling in your fingers if you don’t relax, darlin’.”

  She eases her grip and forces herself to relax as she gains a bit more confidence and accelerates slightly.

  Kas spends the next hour teaching her the ins and outs of driving. His heart tightens with pride and love every time he sees the smile on her face light up her eyes when she does well with what he’s instructed her to do.

  “Another great job today, Rain,” Kas praises her as he opens her door, and she scoots back to the passenger side. “I’ll pick up a booklet for you to study for the written test, and I’ll take you for your driving test so you can get your permit.”

  “Do you think I’m ready?”

  “We will practice more, and you’re a very quick learner,” he tells her, impressed.

  Raina beams at his praise.

  “One last thing, there will be no texting and driving, or I’ll kick your pretty little butt, sweetheart.”

  Raina laughs, “No texting and driving, got it.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Chase kicks on the door, his hands full with pizza boxes and two liters. Raina opens the door laughing at something Kas had told her.

  “H
ere, let me help you,” she offers, grabbing a soda and one of the pizzas from him.

  Chase studies her as she makes her way back to the kitchen. He’s relieved at her progress. She’s changed so much since he first met her, grown more comfortable with herself, and he is very pleased to see the light shining brightly in her eyes now. Chase loves how relaxed she has become with them. He pulls her into a big brotherly hug when Kas grabs the remaining drink and pizza from him. “How’s the driving practices going?”

  Raina holds her stomach as she doubles over in laughter at the expression Kas shoots Chase.

  “The girl’s got a twisted sense of humor when she thinks I’m getting too bossy when I’m giving her driving instructions.”

  Chase sees the humorous, wicked gleam in her eyes and shoots Kas an amused look, betting that she is a handful when she wants to be. Both of them love the comforting change from her prior prim and proper, always well-behaved self.

  “Apparently, she thinks it’s hilarious to shut me up by scaring me speechless when she’s behind the wheel,” Kas glares at her playfully.

  “Hey, I only did that once,” Raina giggles.

  “Yeah, that’s all it took, I’m a quick learner, too, darlin’,” he rebuttals, winking at her.

  Raina opens the pizza, “Ooh, all the toppings, I’m starving!”

  Kas grabs the plates as Raina gets the glasses. Chase watches how easily they work together in the kitchen. He glances at his best friend, concern brimming in his eyes when he sees how Kas watches Raina. He knows Kas has fallen hard for her. He’s never seen him in love before, and Chase has to admit that it suits him. He looks at Raina as she smiles at Kas when he hands her a plate. It doesn’t take a printout of her past to see that she’s been grossly neglected of love in her life. He knows that Raina loves Kas just as much as he loves her, the only difference being that she’s not used to such strong emotions. He knows that it can be overwhelming for people with abusive pasts, crippling them emotionally if they don’t tread carefully. Chase pushes the thoughts out of his mind, choosing to enjoy the lightheartedness of the evening for now. He dives into the pizza with them as they sit back and watch the soccer game, huddled together, laughing and cheering on the couch.