This Love of Mine (Raine Series #1) (13 page)

The
crisp night air shot through the inside of the cab as soon as her body had
vacated the seat next to me. My heart dropped and adrenaline soared through my
veins. The uncertainty of the situation weighed heavy on my heart and mind.
There was nothing I wouldn't do to protect this girl.

After
the truck door slammed shut, she turned and gave a small wave. I waved in
return, but there was no way in hell I was leavin' just yet. I watched as her
hips bounced back and forth, as she slowly made her way over to the stairs
leading up to the front door. The moonlight caught her hair at that moment and
it looked iridescent and beautiful. My mind was reeling. I couldn't believe
that just a few short minutes ago, we were having one of the nights I had ever
had.

My
thoughts floated back to her hand on my thigh and mine on hers. I was shocked
that she had allowed me to get as far as I had, but I wasn't one to complain.
She felt so soft and warm against my touch. I glanced down at my fingertips
that had been lucky enough to feel exactly what I could do to her.

I shook
the thoughts from my mind, trying to concentrate on her and her mother. That
seemed to be more than enough to keep my mind occupied. Kayla still had a
slight limp that I had noticed again, when I first picked her up tonight. If
she was in pain she certainly made no indication otherwise. Regardless, I could
see the struggle as she reached for the handrail leading up to the front porch.
Her head snapped back quickly, making sure that I was still there, I presumed.
I wasn't quite sure if she could see me from that distance, but I smiled a
large reassuring smile, before she turned her attention back to her mother.

This was
hell, watching her gettin' that close to someone who had hurt her so badly. I'm
not sure what I expected to happen, but I kept a close eye on her just in case
she needed my help.

She was
now standin' in front of the petite woman, and before I knew it, she was
turning to wave good-bye and then disappeared into the house. I questioned
whether I should stay and see if she needed me, or if I should just head home.
She had my cell phone number from earlier, so I knew if she needed me she would
call, just like I asked her to.

I turned
the ignition over and the truck roared to life beneath me. I threw it in gear
and continued around the circular drive. As I neared the end of her driveway
and hit the main road, I stopped. I pushed my hands back through my hair and
pulled them down over my face.

I was
suddenly extremely pissed and irritated. Why hadn't' she told me who had done
this to her? Did she think I wouldn't be there for her? Because that was just
preposterous. In the short amount of time I had known her, I would've done
anything for her.

Once I
started driving again, I decided at the last minute to take the back road to
get to my house. It only shaved off about two minutes, but at this point, two
minutes, was two minutes. All the lights were off at my grandparent's house, so
I proceeded towards the open patch of field that joined our two properties. I
knew if anything, she would end up out here if things got bad.

****

I wasn't
sure how long I had been pacing, but I was beginning to wear a small path in
the grass below me. My hair was going to fall out soon if I didn't stop running
my hands through it either. I checked my cell phone at least a dozen times, but
still nothing. I was beyond worried, and I was now going crazy. From where I
stood, I could tell there were a few lights illuminated throughout her house,
but not enough to give any indication that her grandparents were awake.

I lit a
cigarette from the pack I had stashed by one of the old willow trees, and
pulled the nicotine in through my lungs, instantly relieving some of my angst.
Just as I looked up through a small cloud of smoke, a light went out, followed
by another. One by one, the house went dark. I took in a deep breath, willing
her to come to me. To run into the comfort of my open and willing arms, but I
stood there empty handed and somewhat broken hearted.

After I
finished my smoke and she still hadn't come out of her back door, I
begrudgingly started making my way back to my grandparent's house. Before I
went inside and before I hauled myself off to bed, I made the decision to call
Glenn. I hadn't really said bye to him earlier, and I also needed to tell
someone what was going on. Given the fact that I had known Glenn practically my
whole life, he knew every single detail about me, personal or not. Relief
washed over me when he picked up after only one ring.

"What's
up, bro?" It was loud in the background and I assumed he was still at the
bar.

"Hey
man, I need someone to talk to for a minute. Ya got a sec?"

"The
long thing between your legs, that's called a penis and it usually goes into a
vagina." He started laughing hysterically at his horrible joke and I
couldn't bring myself to laugh along with him.

"No
dick, I'm not fuckin' stupid. It's a bit complicated, can ya talk?"

"Yeah
hold on, let me make my way outside."

I held
the phone to my ear, listening to all of the other patrons as he walked past
them. He stopped and greeted a few, and then eventually the line went quiet. I
waited a second or two longer for him to start talking, but he was seriously
takin' his sweet ass time.

"GLENN!"
I shouted into the speaker.

"What,
bro? Sorry I was takin' a leak. I'm good now, so what the fuck is goin'
on?"

"I
have a bit of a situation here. When I dropped KJ off at her grandparent's
house, her mother was waiting for her on the front porch. I know it doesn't
sound like a big deal, but apparently her mother is the one who inflicted the
injury to her leg. Remember the one I told you about?" I was praying he
was listening when I told him the other day.

"Yeah,
I remember. So what's up, did she finally tell you what happened?"

"In
a sense, yeah. It was her mom, bro." I waited for Glenn's delayed
reaction.

"What
the fuck, bro? Who does that to their own kid?"

"I
don't know, but apparently her ex was involved in all of it too. This is just
so fucked up. I don't even know what to say or do at this point. FUCK!" I
shouted into the still night air.

This was
far beyond anything I had dealt with before, and I had no clue how to even go
about dealing with the situation. I could tell my grandfather, but he would
probably be more pissed off at the fact that I was spending time with Kayla,
even after he warned me not to. I had an overwhelming need to take care of this
girl, and never let anyone around her. If it were an option, I would take her
with me and never let her out of my sight. I knew this wasn't a reasonable
option, but fuck if I didn't want it more than anything.

"What
do you wanna do? I'll help you with whatever. I just need to know. Do you want
me to head over to your house now?"

I
appreciated Glenn and his friendship more than any other friend I had ever had.
This kid was always willing to lay his life down, regardless of any situation
we, or myself had gotten us into.

"That's
the thing, bro, I don't know what to do. I'm leavin' in two weeks, how am I
supposed to take care of her and go away for school? I mean I know I just met
her, but I have never felt this way about anybody. I'm at a loss, Glenn."

I sat on
the old stump of one of the willow trees we had lost in a fire awhile back. I
had made my way back to 'our' spot somehow. I hung my head in my hands, and if
I weren’t so pissed, I probably would've cried. How do you choose between two futures?
On the one hand, I had a full ride scholarship to play ball in Arizona, but on
the other hand, I had this amazing girl that I would do anything to have as my
own, possibly for forever. Knowing she would most likely never return to
Arizona is what was causing the biggest conundrum of them all.

"Bro,
I can't tell you what to do. I know how hard you've worked to get to where you
are, but I see the way you look at that girl. Unfortunately, you have to either
make a decision, or let her know that you can do both if needed. You can always
come back and visit, and she can visit you. She's goin' into her senior year,
yeah?"

"Yeah."
I whispered.

"Well
see, if y'all can make it through one more year, y'all will be golden. That's
the only advice I got."

"Thanks,
man. I'm just not sure how to feel about it all, ya know?"

"I
hear ya."

My head
snapped up when I heard rustlin' in the grass beside me. I turned my head in
the direction of her house, and caught sight of her beautiful, mascara-ridden
face. Shock shot across her face and I jumped up, makin' my way over to her.

"Glenn,
I'll talk to you later."

I hung
up before he could respond and I ran to Kayla's fragile frame, standing a few
feet away from me. I pulled her deeply into my embrace. I wanted to make sure
she felt protected with me, regardless of the situation. My fingers pushed
through her long russet tendrils, pulling her head into my chest. I needed her
to understand how I felt about her, even when words were failing me.

"Are
you okay?" I whispered into the top of her head so softly I wasn't even
sure if she had heard me.

She
shook her head in my chest and I could feel the tears soaking through my shirt.
I wanted to take all of her pain away. I wanted to be the one person she could
always count on, but even that seemed impossible at the moment. There wasn't
anything I could say to make this situation better or even tolerable. I needed
her to know how I felt about her, but I wasn't willing to put it all out there,
when she had made no attempt to let me know that was what she wanted to hear.

"What
is she doing here?"

It felt
like an eternity before she finally pulled back away from me enough to answer.

"She
wants me to come home." Her voice was strained, and I could tell that she
had been yelling.

"Are
you fuckin' kidding me? How the hell could she possibly think that you would
go?"

I was
livid now. I wanted to storm into her grandparent's house and ring that bitch's
neck. Woman or not, she deserved it. I was beyond pleasantries at this point.
Her mother deserved everything that was about to come her way.

"Trust
me, I don't want to go, but what other choice do I have? She told me that my
grandparents called and asked her to take me back. She said that they
practically begged." The tears were now falling endlessly down her puffy
cheeks. I cradled her face in my capable hands, wiping the tears away with the
pads of my thumbs.

"I
don't believe that for one fuckin' second, Kayla. I know your grandparents, and
I know that they would never agree to this if they knew the entire story. Were
they around while you two were talkin'?"

"No
of course not. Momma said they called her out here and then asked her not to
wake them while we talked. She wants me to leave right now. She all but packed
my bags for me. She's waitin' inside for me, but I told her I needed to say
good-bye to someone first."

My hands
fell to my sides in anger, exhaustion, defeat, I'm not quite sure. A million
different things were floating through my mind at that moment, and not letting
her go was at the top of that list. "What about,
us
?" I pointed between the two of us. I knew I sounded
selfish, but something this good, can't be wrong or this short lived, right?

"I'm
so sorry Madison. Believe me, if there was another option, I would take it in
an instant. The feelings I feel for you, are somthin' I've never felt before.
It doesn't matter though. I'm not wanted here."

My hands
pushed back through the sides of her hair, as I pulled her mouth to mine. I put
every last ounce of emotion I had left in me, into that kiss. Her lips were
soft and inviting and I wasn't about to turn down
that
invitation.

My
tongue swiped along her lower lip and she immediately granted me entrance. She
tasted sweet and salty from her tears. I deepened the kiss, pulling her up into
my arms. I reached down and gently wrapped her legs around my waist. I slowly
walked us over to the small patch of grass that was hidden by a small shed. I
pushed her back up against the shed, with more force than intended. It must not
have fazed her, because she was grappling with my shirt as she deepened our
fervent kiss.

We
abandoned all caution and stood in that moment, just she and I. I had to have
this girl, feel her, and love her, even if it was only for a night. I needed
this more than I needed air to breathe at the moment. Nothing could ruin this
moment with her. Nothing!

Kayla

His hot
tender kisses touched me in places I had never felt before. Every ounce of me
was a live wire, as electricity sparked with every touch. The pain in my leg no
longer existed and all I could think about was Madison and his tender touch. My
back was still pressed firmly against the wooden structure, and at one point, I
worried about splinters, but now, now I welcomed any splinters I could get.
They would serve as a reminder of the most magical night I would ever have.