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Until Rayne
Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World
Elle Christensen
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Blurb
Nick Stevenson is all about the rules. He’s khakis and polos, the boy next door, and certainly not a risk taker.
Rayne Summers hates rules. She’s leather and lace, a free spirit, living from one moment to the next.
When Rayne rolls into town, Nick suddenly discovers a new side of himself. He’d never believed in love at first sight and yet, boom! From the moment he saw her, he instantly knew Rayne was his and he would do anything to keep her by his side.
Chapter One
Nick
I removed my glasses from my face and set them on my desk before rubbing my eyes. If I had to stare at the computer any longer, I was afraid my eyes would shrivel up and fall out of my head.
“Nick, did you finish up the paperwork for the Samson estate?” my dad called through his open office door.
Knowing exactly where it was on my neat and organized desk, I quickly picked it up and took it to my dad. He sat behind a large oak desk, and he looked up with a grateful smile as I handed over the file. I glanced around his office. Thanks to my mother, it was tastefully decorated. It was practical in its neutral color scheme but welcoming so that his clients would feel at ease.
I briefly wondered if I would change anything when this office became mine someday. I mentally shrugged, figuring that I would leave it as is. The room would always be my dad’s office, even after he retired and I took over.
“Need anything else?” I asked.
“Nope. You can head out.” He looked up from the file and smirked at me playfully. “Big plans tonight?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Going to the Stumble In but nothing that will require your services in the morning.”
“Hey, I’m always here to bail you out, son.” He winked and waved at me in a shooing motion. “Go on. Enjoy your weekend.”
Bail me out? Right. Because I was such a trouble maker?
I rolled my eyes and laughed as I walked back to my desk out front. I straightened up and put away some files before switching off my computer. After law school, I’d spent a lot of my time working as more of a law clerk for my dad than a lawyer. However, lately, he’d been passing more cases off to me. So, I tucked those folders into a briefcase to look over at home. After grabbing my keys and suit coat, I called goodbye to my dad and walked out into the summer sunshine.
I’d recently bought a house on the edge of town and moved out of my one-bedroom condo. It wasn’t a place I would have expected to fall in love with. I’d always seen myself settling in a typical, suburban subdivision in town. But, it turned out I wanted some land, a place where I was staring at someone else’s house all the time, one with a yard for kids and possibly a dog.
The house was an old Colonial that needed a lot of work and most of it was definitely out of my field of expertise. However, I was friends with the owners of a local construction company…mostly. (The oldest brother couldn’t seem to get over the fact that I’d once hit on his wife…before they got together, of course.) The Mayson brothers had agreed to help me out, teaching me how to do these things on my own along the way. I enjoyed using my hands and getting dirty more than I expected.
I drove my silver Civic up the short, gravel drive and pulled into the detached, two-car garage, parking next to a used truck I’d purchased when I bought the land.
Once inside, I tossed my keys into a bowl perched on a small wooden table in the entry before walking to my home office on the first floor and depositing my briefcase. Then I traipsed up the stairs to the master bedroom. I sat on the side of my king-sized bed and unlaced my dress shoes before taking them into my walk-in closet. I took off and carefully hung my suit and dress shirt, then grabbed a more casual button-down and a pair of khakis. I stepped out of my closet and laid them on the bed before heading into the bathroom to shower.
Afterward, I donned the shirt and pants. My eyes shifted over to the mirror above my dresser and I scrutinized my reflection. Stumble In was a bar in town with pool tables, loud music, and a laid-back atmosphere. My dirty blond hair was a little shaggier than I usually kept it and it contradicted with my perfectly pressed shirt and pants. For a moment, I considered changing into one of my two pairs of jeans. The guys I was meeting would probably give me shit for dressing “stuffy,” but it was what I felt comfortable in, so I shrugged off the impulse. I stuck my feet in a pair of loafers, pocketed my wallet, and made my way downstairs and out to my car.
It wasn’t like this night would be any different from another Friday night at Stumble In.
Chapter Two
Rayne
The small town in Tennessee where my car broke down seemed as good as any other. I was making my way out west with no particular destination in mind. If the mood struck me, I’d stop in some random place and stay for a while. It would only take a few days to get it repaired, but I took it as a sign that my Jeep brought me here before sputtering and popping…something, under the hood.
I found a room for rent above a small shop downtown and paid cash to stay there for a month. The landlord gave me directions to a local watering hole and I wandered over there to see if they needed some temporary help. Bartending was how I’d paid for college and it was usually the easiest gig to find whenever I stayed somewhere longer than a couple of days.
Luckily, it was the height of summer and Stumble In was happy to have extra, experienced help for however long I was willing to stay.
The weekend arrived, and my first shift was Friday night. I walked into the dimly lit bar wearing leather pants and a sleeveless, leather vest that had a transparent, lace back. I had on kick-ass, high heel boots that laced up my calves and took my five-foot-seven height up another four inches. My long brown hair was slicked back into a pony tail and I’d gone with a smokey look around my almond-shaped eyes, and clear gloss on my lips.
I smiled at the owner as I headed for the bar. He responded with a chin lift and walked toward the back where his office was. Another bartender was already working on getting everything set up for the weekend crowd. She nodded at me in greeting, and I responded in kind before pitching in to help.
The bar began to fill up and by late evening, it was packed. I had no complaints though; my tip jar was overflowing. As usual, the majority of my customers were men and it didn’t escape my notice that I was getting the evil eye from most of the women hanging around. It took practiced self-control not to roll my eyes at their blatant come-ons and trashy outfits. Colored bras, white tank tops, and ass revealing skirts? Seriously?
“It’s like they all got stuck in the nineties, right?” A female voice caught my attention. I snickere
d as I faced a smiling, beautiful woman with long brown hair and striking green eyes. She was wearing jeans, an off the shoulder, purple sweater, and minimal makeup.
I instantly liked her, and I smiled back. “I guess someone forgot to send me the memo about the dress code.”
The woman looked me up and down then whistled appreciatively. “Whatever, you look badass. I’d love to be able to pull off your look.” She glanced behind her; her eyes going to a table that almost had my jaw dropping. Four of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen in my life sat around it. “I’m married to the one in the green shirt with the buzz cut,” she said when she looked back at me. Then she grimaced slightly. “I should probably warn you about my husband’s brothers. I love them, but they have a bit of a reputation…”
I laughed and shook my head as I poured a shot for the customer next to her. “I can handle myself, trust me.”
“I believe it.” She held out her hand and introduced herself. “I’m November Mayson.”
I wiped my hand on a bar rag before clasping hers. “Rayne Summers.” I chuckled at the look on her face. “Yeah, my parents are part hippie, part gypsy. At least they stopped just short of being too literal and spelled it R-A-Y-N-E.”
She laughed. “I’m not one to judge. My mother named me after the month I was born because she couldn’t be bothered to think up anything else.” I frowned in sympathy, but she waved it off with a laugh. “My husband convinced me to make a tradition out of it and we named our daughter July.” Her eyes sparkled when she talked about her family and it caused a pang in my chest that was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “We should have lunch sometime.”
“I’ll only be here for a few weeks, but I’d love that,” I responded. “What can I get you?”
“Two Coronas with lime.”
I grabbed the bottles and popped the tops before setting them on the bar. She started to give me cash, but I waved it away. “On the house. Consider it an award for winning best dressed in this costume parade.”
November laughed as she grabbed a napkin. She quickly wrote her number down and slid it across the bar.
“Yo, Sis!” One of the gorgeous men yelled. “Pool table is free.” November turned and lifted a beer in acknowledgment.
“Give me a call,” she said before she started weaving her way back to their table.
I went about serving the line in front of me when the back of my neck started to tingle, and I suddenly felt eyes on me. Glancing around the bar, I almost skipped over the culprit, but something drew my gaze back to him.
He was just as handsome as the guys hanging with November, yet he was their exact opposite. His dirty blond hair was a little messy, but his pressed, button-down shirt, khaki’s, and loafers (loafers??) screamed “boy next door.” However, the look on his face didn’t fit the persona.
The table was close enough that I could see his eyes were blue and currently, fixed on me. They were dark and turbulent with lust and a possessive gleam. There was something else though, churning under the surface, something I didn’t recognize.
His scrutiny should have made me uncomfortable, especially because he was so not my type. Instead, I felt the heat of his gaze everywhere his eyes touched. The tingle I’d felt on the back of my neck was spreading to other, more intimate places.
I stared him down for a minute, expecting him to get uncomfortable and break eye contact first. I was shocked when his gaze only darkened further, and he smirked while raising a taunting eyebrow.
Well, fuck. I couldn’t remember the last time I wasn’t able to intimidate a guy into backing off. It threw me off balance, and I almost dropped the bottle of tequila I was holding. To my relief, another guy stepped up to the bar and I was able to turn my attention to him.
Through the rest of the night, I couldn’t help sneaking glances back at the clean-cut guy with the loafers and the dangerous eyes.
It wasn’t unusual for me to be constantly hit on while serving. I was used to it and brushed the men off with my normal ease. However, with every guy who attempted to get more than drinks from me, Loafers’ expression burned hotter. It made me want to dump the container of ice over my head to cool off.
The only time he looked away from me during the whole night was when one of the men from November’s table stopped to talk to him. November joined them for a minute, then the man walked away laughing and November followed shortly, her expression suspicious as she glanced between Loafers and me. Loafers’ eyes returned to me, but they now held a hint of curiosity in their depths.
Finally, it was last call and Loafers was still sitting at his table, all alone now. I started to clean up when the sensation on the back of my neck went from a tingle to a burn. Like magnets, my eyes were drawn up where they locked on Loafers who was slowly approaching the bar.
Chapter Three
Nick
Something was different about this Friday night when I walked into Stumble In. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I shrugged it off and went to join my friends who had snagged a table near the bar.
Jack and Liam were old friends from high school who’d returned home after college like I did. The three of us were an odd combination. I was the button up. Liam was an artist and, for lack of a better term, a hipster with long hair, small, red-framed glasses, and clothing often covered in paint. Jack was an accountant, but not like any typical numbers guy you’d ever meet. He did the books for an MC the next town over. His hair was buzzed close to his head, his arms both sported tattoo sleeves, and his typical outfit consisted of ripped jeans, a ratty t-shirt, and his leather MC vest.
Despite all that, we’d remained close friends, even if we did spend a lot of time giving each other shit.
I sat at the table and held up a hand when Jack opened his mouth to speak. “Let me at least get a drink before you start in on me.”
Jack grinned and shrugged. “I was only going to suggest that you might want to go to the other end of the bar for your order.” He jerked his head to the right. “The line at this one could take you all night.” His mouth twisted into a smirk as he leaned back to get a better look at whoever was serving. “Might actually be worth standing in a long fucking line to get a closer look at her.”
“Her?” I asked as I craned my head, trying to see through the crowd.
“New bartender,” Liam answered.
As though Moses had arrived, the crowd slightly parted and I almost laughed when I realized it was because November Mayson was walking over. Her husband, Asher, had long ago instilled the fear of God into any man who even looked at her.
When November reached the bar, I got a clear view of the woman my friends had been discussing. Everything inside me froze and lit on fire at the same time. When I could breathe again, I sucked in a lungful of air and winced as I realized I was rock hard.
She was fucking magnificent. High cheek bones, chocolate brown hair and matching eyes, almond shaped and rimmed with thick lashes. And her mouth… A film strip of all the dirty things she could do with that mouth played in front of my eyes. Her vest was tight and showed off just the right amount of cleavage for me to know that her breasts would spill out of my hands.
A rush of something dark ran through me like a freight train and almost knocked me on my ass. I’d never felt it before, but I instantly recognized it as possession. My hands balled into fists as I took in the lust-filled gazes from the crowd of men surrounding her. I wanted to shout that she was mine and use those fists to send every motherfucker there running in the opposite direction.
November eventually walked away and after a few minutes of helping other customers, her brown eyes swept around the room. They passed over me for a second, then slowly came back. She looked me up and down before her eyes locked on mine.
Her expression was daring, sizing me up and trying to intimidate me. It bounced off of me like I’d built armor out of the overwhelming need to have her. Her look faltered and I raised an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.
Keep trying,
baby. You’re mine.
As the night went on, she was my only focus and I glared daggers at every man who approached her. My friends carried on a conversation as though I wasn’t completely distracted. Somehow, I even managed to answer them from time to time. But still, my eyes never left the woman I knew I’d instantly become obsessed with.
“Wow, Nick. This is a side of you I didn’t know existed.” A gruff voice filled with laughter had my head turning away from her for the first time since I’d spotted her.
Nico Mayson stood beside the table, his dark blue eyes dancing with mirth. He cocked his head to the side, studying me. “I’ve seen this look before.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Nico?” I growled, frustrated that I was being distracted from watching over my woman. My woman?
Nico’s brows raised up to his hairline, probably shocked at the language coming out of my mouth. I didn’t often swear (out loud anyway) and when I did, it was usually directed at Jack or Liam. “I saw it on Asher when he first introduced us to November. And when Trevor met Liz.”
My brow furrowed, not grasping whatever it was he was hinting at. “Spit it out, Mayson.”
Nico grinned smugly. “Ever hear about the Mayson curse?” I shook my head and my eyes darted to the bar before returning to Nico. “When you meet the right girl, you know instantly. Boom!” He used his hands to imitate an explosion. “You know they are the one, and you’ll never want anyone else.” He grinned.
November was just walking by and she stopped when she saw Nico talking to me. “You look different tonight, Nick.” She studied my face intently for a moment before her expression flooded with surprise. Then she followed my gaze and when she saw who had my attention, she said. “Her name is Rayne. R-A-Y-N-E.” She looked up at Nico and waved a hand toward me. “Has he been spending too much time with Asher?”
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