Healing Rain (5 page)
The food in front of him resembles roast, but it tastes nothing like it, in fact, it doesn’t taste much like anything. He mindlessly chews, just trying to get through another meal, another hour, another day. The noise level, three tables down, rapidly increases, and his heart follows suit. He ducks his head, not wanting to look anyone directly in the eye, not wanting to be there.
He catches a tray doing somersaults through the air out of his peripheral vision. The tasteless, off-color vegetables spin wildly to the ground as the tray crashes to the floor, sliding several feet before it stops. He hears the familiar crunch of fist hitting bone, and his whole body goes rigid.
Keep
your
head
down,
keep
your
mouth
shut
,
stay
invisible,
he repeats the mantra, over and over, in his head. He hunkers down lower to the floor, barely breathing as he watches the melee of feet running around. More crunches fill his ears, sickening him, followed by vile threats he knows will be acted upon.
He crawls further under the table, his heart rapidly pounding as if it’s going to jump right out of his chest. Blood spews across the floor in front of him, splattering into a cruel pattern against the cold white tile. A head lands on top of the blood with a nauseating crack, blood spills from the man’s mouth, joining the other blood, making a larger, wicked pattern. He tries to look away, but he can’t, the lifeless eyes are staring at him, holding his gaze in a vexing trance. He feels the bile rising up, and the roast is emptied from his stomach in front of him.
He wants to cry, but doesn’t dare. He thinks of how he is too young, too brilliant to be in a place like this. The room seems to be thundering with the sounds of fists hitting flesh and words too vicious to repeat vibrating throughout the room. He goes over quantitative calculations in his head, his only method of keeping his sanity until the guards can restore order to the anarchy.
Kas steps out of the shower, his muscles glistening from the moisture on his skin as he steps into the bedroom. Raina can’t control herself as she is magnetically pulled towards him. His eyes darken with raw desire as she traces her finger along the edges of the masculine muscles on his toned torso. He slips his hands underneath her hair, pulling her closer to him.
“I don’t know if I can make myself stop if we start anything right now,” he whispers, his voice husky from months of agonizingly unfulfilled need.
Raina’s jade eyes search his, her own heated desire searing her blood. She needs to be his in flesh so badly it terrifies her. Her finger continues its torturing path down his muscles, her fingertip becoming damp from the water still on his skin, and she stops, just above the top of the towel, the soft cotton keeping her from where she wants to explore further. She leans her forehead against his chest, her body writhing with need. The towel does nothing to hide the evidence of just how badly he wants her, too, and fire rages through her veins.
She closes her eyes, knowing she needs to stop, to pull away, so she doesn’t make this any harder for him, or herself. Softly, she brushes a kiss against his chest as she turns, walking to the French doors, stepping outside, praying the cold night air will shock her body back into a reasonably composed state.
Kas wants to go to her, but knows that the physical distance is a very wise choice right now. He forces himself to dress and head downstairs, telling Chase the shower’s free before grabbing a bottle of water, drinking it slowly as he concentrates on pulling himself together. A few moments pass before Raina joins him. The love in her eyes when she looks at him almost knocks him to his knees.
He pulls her close to him, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip, “I’m beyond ready to make you my wife, and not just because touching you leaves me half-mad needing to make love with you. I want to share my life with you completely, but I will wait for you, as long as you need me to.”
“I don’t want to wait,” she whispers, her resolve clear in her beautiful eyes.
“Then marry me now, Rain. I can get the paperwork started, I can’t think of a better place than Italy to get married.”
Raina’s eyes shoot to his, searching him to see if he is serious about this. “What about your family, they will want to be there when you get married?”
Kas knows his family will want to share in his wedding day, but the thought of his side of the church being filled with family and hers not, saddens him. “As long as my dad is there, the rest will understand.”
Raina’s heart swells, anticipation filling her, “Are you sure, Kas?”
His grin is proof enough, “I’ve never been more sure about anything.”
“I want Judge to be here. I will pay for their tickets.”
“
We
will pay for their tickets,” he whispers as he lowers his lips to hers.
“I’m really going to have to find another villa if you two can’t stop that,” Chase teases as he walks down the stairs.
Raina giggles as Chase playfully ruffles her hair. Kas grabs the jacket off the back of the chair, giving it a quizzical look as he hands it to Raina. She smiles, “It’s the cab driver’s,” she starts to explain, then shrugs her shoulders, “never mind.”
She grabs the jacket she purchased earlier as Kas reaches for the phone, needing to call Henry, letting him know that Raina is okay. Guilt creeps into him that he hasn’t called him earlier, but he knows that Henry will understand his distraction, especially when Raina tells him the news.
“We need to make a couple of quick calls before we go,” Kas winks at Raina.
An hour later, they are seated next to a roaring fire at one of the trattorias, enjoying the local dishes, each ordering something different so they can share everything. Chase orders a bottle of Famiglia Anselma Barolo to celebrate, glancing at Raina, making sure she is comfortable. “You are of legal age here if you want to try a glass.”
Raina smiles, shaking her head, and Chase relents, knowing that it will take her time to realize that the alcohol is not the main factor behind her father’s abuse. They spend the next couple of hours talking and laughing until the restaurant closes.
Raina
slips
out
of bed, her mind wandering to the ride back to the villa late last night as she steps into the shower. She was finally able to properly thank the kind driver, who she learned is named Eugenio, when he picked them up from the restaurant. She says a silent prayer of gratitude at God’s timing when she thinks of how Eugenio became so excited when he had heard they were getting married. He had suggested they marry in Lucca, at the simple, but beautifully decorated wedding hall. Raina had heard of the many wedding ceremonies that take place in the famous hall, but politely explained that it is booked months out. Eugenio happily told them that he has familial connections there, and he can get them in for a late evening ceremony. Raina smiles as she remembers how Eugenio’s cheeks blushed when she had leaned across the driver’s seat, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek at his kindness.
Barely contained enthusiasm spurts through her as the hot water streams over her body. Anticipation tingles her skin as she thinks of how she will soon be Raina Pierce, Mrs. Kas Pierce. She shampoos and conditions her hair in a hurry, excited that Kas’ dad is arriving in a few hours and Judge in the afternoon. Their coming makes everything so real. Her battered soul from twenty-four short hours earlier is now lite and brimming with happiness.
Kas is awake when Raina gets out of the shower, and he wraps her in his arms, losing himself in the clean, sweet scent of her. “I can’t believe you are going to be my wife in two days.”
Her eyes brighten at how wonderful it sounds to hear Kas call her his wife. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
They slip downstairs quietly, not wanting to awaken Chase as they begin breakfast. Kas checks the clock, wanting to meet his father at the airport, but not wanting to be away from Raina.
She laughs, “Go, but eat breakfast first, I’m not going anywhere.”
He sees worry glint in her eyes, “What’s wrong, Rain?”
“What if your dad pushes for more information about why we are here?”
He pulls her into his arms, wishing she felt comfortable enough with him telling his dad about her past, not understanding why she is so fiercely private. “I’ll avoid the questions, besides, right now, he’s just happy we’re getting married and he’s getting a free trip to Italy,” he winks at her. Kas kisses her forehead, softly caressing her neck with his thumb. Renewed anger burns through him as he carefully avoids the bruises on the back of her neck.
“You have to press charges against your father this time, Rain,” Kas gently coaxes. “I know that you had talked Henry into putting him into an alcohol program and counseling instead of jail last time, but that obviously didn’t work, sweetheart.”
Rain looks away, her expression tight and pensive as she contemplates his words. She realizes that her father hasn’t changed, but she also knows that she is the only target to his wrath, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to physically harm anyone else, he wouldn’t risk his career like that. “He won’t do it again, Kas, I won’t be around him anymore.”
Kas leans his head back, closes his eyes, and lets out a deep breath, trying to grasp patience and praying for divine wisdom to get Raina to understand and listen to reason. “He knows where you are now, and you are standing in front of me with multiple bruises on your body from when he just hurt you again. Don’t tell me that it’s the last time, Raina, you don’t know that, I don’t know that, and there’s no way I’m going to leave it up to chance anymore.”
“He won’t be back, Kas, please just let it go. There’s no chance of him hurting anyone else, he has just hurt me, and he won’t risk doing that again.”
“
Just
you? So, it’s okay to let it go because it was
just
you he hurt, not someone else?” Kas questions sternly, angrily, not believing how she can minimize herself so profusely.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Okay, what did you mean then, Rain?” he asks, his eyes searching hers for some clue of what is going on in that beautiful, emotionally-damaged head of hers.
Raina looks down, away from his concerned scrutiny, not exactly understanding the full depth of what she meant herself. “Look, if I thought that there was any chance that my father would hurt anyone else, I would be the first one to press charges, but trust me, he won’t.”
Kas’ jaw tightens as he angrily rakes his hand through his hair, trying to rein in his flaring temper before speaking. He lets out another long breath before taking her chin in his hand, raising her head to where she has to look at him again, “Is that why you pressed charges against Chris? Because you knew he was capable of hurting someone else, not because of what he did to you?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth, Kas.”
“Am I?” The silence following his question is answer enough. “Hell, Raina, don’t you realize that you are worth too much for
you
not to be hurt?”
“I know they shouldn’t have hurt me,” her reply is barely above a whisper.
“That’s not what I asked you, darlin’.” Kas runs his hands softly down her arms, “Your father has messed with your head, twisted your view of yourself, somehow making you doubt your own self-worth, and that is what sickens me the most about him.” He takes her chin in his hand again, gentle, but sturdy, so she can’t look away. “Chris deserves to be in jail for what he did to you. Brian deserves to be in jail for what he did to you, as well as, for what he is in there for. Your father
should
be in jail for what he did to you, Rain!”
“I know,” her voice almost inaudible.
Kas searches her eyes, hearing her answer, but not believing it. He decides to let it go for now. It doesn’t take Chase’s psychology training for Kas to understand that he can’t magically undo in one night what her father has beaten into to her over so many years. She had changed so much with him over the past several months, her self-confidence growing increasingly healthier. He pulls her into his arms, gently kissing the top of her head, inhaling the soothing scent of her again as he thinks of how her seeing her father has set her back. He is determined that the set-back is only temporary. He swears to himself that he will help her get back to where she was with him, to where she understands that she is worth loving, worth not being hurt.
