Healing Rain (6 page)

“Can we eat now? I’m really hungry,” Raina changes the subject, running her fingers under his shirt, tingles spreading through her as she explores his muscles, her hunger becoming two-fold.

Kas groans, the bulge in his jeans growing at a rapid pace with the sweet torture of her fingers sliding across his skin. He silently reminds himself that he can touch and taste every inch of her hot, beautiful body in forty-eight hours. He tries to assure himself that he can be strong, that he can hold out for two more days. “Darlin’, I think you need to use those fingers to put sustenance in your body before you kill me.”

Raina leans her forehead against his chest, trying to calm the pounding of her heart. It takes all of her self-control to pull her hand out from underneath his shirt. With the heat of his skin still warm on her fingers, she steps away from Kas, her eyes never leaving his, promising him exquisite things to come.

CHAPTER SIX

Raina dries the last dish that Kas hands her, putting it back into the cabinet as he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. “I’ve got to go get Dad,” he whispers in her ear, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Raina pulls his mouth on top of hers, kissing him passionately before he pulls himself away, trying to ignore his needy throbbing and heads out the door to the arriving cab.

Raina watches the cab drive away, her body ravenous from searing, unfulfilled need. A thought stabs her, and worry seeps into her mind as she bites her lip. Chase grabs a drink out of the fridge, and she turns shyly towards him, her timid gaze glued to the floor.

“You alright, Raina?” Chase questions, catching the rapid change in her demeanor.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Chase pulls a chair out for her and takes a seat in front of her when she sits down. He studies how she fidgets nervously with her fingers, and he places his hand on hers, “What is it, Raina?”

She keeps her gaze lowered as she asks with an embarrassed whisper, “What if Kas doesn’t like how I . . . um . . . you know . . . perform?”

Chase begins to laugh, stopping when he sees the seriousness in her eyes, “I’m sorry, you’re right, that is a legitimate question, but, in your and Kas’ case, it is not a legitimate concern.”

Raina hesitantly raises her eyes, the worry behind her question evident. “How can you be so sure? I’m not exactly experienced. You hear about compatibility issues, what if I do it wrong?”

Chase suppresses a smile, “Rain, trust me, you are not going to do anything wrong. As far as compatibility, please don’t worry. There is an undeniable chemistry between you and Kas. You’re in risk of third degree burns just standing next to the two of you,” he teases.

Raina continues to chew on her bottom lip as she ponders Chase’s words.

“Listen to me, Raina. There is no set rule about making love, no list of moves to follow. You just do what feels good. If it feels good to you, I promise you, it’s going to feel good to Kas. Don’t over-think this, just trust your body and follow your instincts.”

Raina smiles shyly, “Follow my instincts?”

Chase nods his head, “You will know what to do when the time comes.”

“Thank you, Chase. For everything, I mean.”

He pulls her into a hug, “I’m here whenever you need me, Rain.”

Raina
glances
at
the clock, excited about Kas and his father arriving anytime now. She pulls out the clothes she purchased and slips on the soft, celery green sweater, fumbling with the button in the back as she hears a soft knock on the door before it opens.

Cliff greets her warmly, “There’s my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”

Raina quickly drops her hair, not wanting him to see her bruises.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Cliff offers, starting to push her hair aside to fasten the button.

Raina pulls away. “It’s okay, I can get it,” she assures him hurriedly, but she is too late.

She catches the reflection of Cliff’s questioning look in the mirror when he sees her angry bruises. His eyes slowly rise to her reflection, pain searing his heart at her panicked, stricken expression.

“No,” he almost moans from the pain stabbing through him at the thought of his son hurting her. Without warning, he storms into the hall, his eyes blazing, ready to confront his son.

She races after him, “Cliff, wait, it’s not what you think. Kas—”

Kas steps onto the landing at the top of the stairs, interrupting her as his carefree gaze quickly morphs into confusion when he is met by the scorching glare of his father. Raina steps in between the two men, her eyes frantically darting between the red hot anger and worried confusion.

“I saw the bruises on her neck,” Cliff’s words slice through the air in a fiery blast, replacing Kas’ confusion with pained shock from the harsh realization that his own father would think him capable of marking her.

Raina frantically grabs Chase as he steps beside Kas, pulling him in between as an extra barrier. Her eyes plead with Cliff as she spits out what she tried to say seconds ago, “Kas didn’t do this, he would never hurt me.” The raw pain from his father’s accusation burns in his eyes, and her heart shatters. “I’m so sorry, Kas. Tell your dad whatever you need to. Tell him everything.”

Chase slips her hand in his, leading her downstairs so Kas and his father can talk. The guilt of what her secrecy has caused engulfs her, and he gives her a gentle chuck on the bottom of her chin, seeing her anguish, “Hey, Rain, this isn’t your fault.”

“Cliff thought Kas did this to me. I’m the one that didn’t want him to tell anyone, and look what happened because of it!”

“They’ll work it out, Rain,” he promises as he takes her in his arms.

“I’ve never raised a hand to her, Dad,” Kas chokes out, the disappointed hurt edging his words.

Cliff’s body tenses with regret at the pain his accusation caused, “I’m sorry, son, when I saw the bruises, and she tried to hide them, then I saw her expression, I didn’t know what else to think.” He rubs his hands slowly down his face, “I’ve seen too many good men come back from war changed, doing things they never would have done before.”

“I’ve never been to war,” his voice is low, pain still clear in his tone.

“Not on foreign ground, son, but what you do is a form of war. I’ve seen how that kind of stress can do crazy things to people.”

“I wouldn’t hurt Raina, nothing would ever cause me to hurt her.”

Cliff places his hand on his shoulder, deep regret brimming in his eyes, “I know, son, I’m sorry.”

Kas nods, trying to let it go, knowing his father was just trying to protect Raina, and he appreciates his dad for that. He remains quiet a few seconds, trying to tame his emotions. “Her father did that to her,” he finally admits, blinking back tears from the tsunami of emotions he’s experienced the past few days. “Raina was emancipated when she was sixteen,” he explains, “her father found her, and he hurt her again.” Kas looks at his dad, sorrow darkening his eyes. “He used to beat her. Dad, he beat her so badly.” A tear escapes as he confesses Raina’s dark childhood to his father, who has to sit down as Kas recounts the harsh reality of Raina’s past.

Cliff stares at his son proudly when he finishes, wishing he could erase his turmoil, or take it as his own, “I’m so proud of you, son.”

Kas leans into his dad’s fatherly embrace, relieved that he finally knows. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long now. I need your advice.”

“Advice on what? It seems like you have handled this very well so far.”

“Her dad has screwed with her head, made a part of her believe she deserved to be beaten. He made her believe lies about herself. She told me that she wasn’t good for me. How can I erase what her father has done to her?”

“You can’t erase what her father has done, what he’s said, but you can make her believe that it’s not true, that she didn’t deserve it.” Cliff squeezes Kas’ shoulder reassuringly, “Keep doing what you are doing, son. Love her, with time, she will see the truth.”

Raina is sitting quietly on the couch as Cliff and Kas descend the staircase, and her gaze immediately drops when Cliff looks at her, making him want to spend just five minutes alone with her spineless father. He takes her hand, gently pulling her off of the couch as he leads her upstairs, “I want to talk with you a minute.”

Raina follows him, full of nerves and guilt as he shuts the door, giving them privacy. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes sincerely.

Cliff pulls her into his arms, quickly trying to dispel her uneasiness that he is going to reprimand her. “Honey, there is no reason for you to be apologizing. I didn’t bring you up here to scold you, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He tilts her chin, “Your father was wrong in what he did to you.” He watches as her gaze can’t hold his, and his heart aches for her, not understanding how her father, how any father, can ever beat his child. “I just want you to know that I am very happy and proud to have you as my daughter-in-law. You are an amazing young lady, and I love you.”

Raina doesn’t know what to say, she is touched by Cliff’s warm words. Appreciation fills her as she sees the same kind warmth in his eyes, “I love you, too.”

“You’re one of us, kiddo, a part of this family. If you ever need anything, you can come to me, I’m here for you.”

It feels so good to hear his acceptance of her, his inclusion, “Thank you.”

Raina
is
with
Cliff, on their way to the airport to pick up Judge as Kas makes additional calls home. He is extremely grateful for the rush Dexter and Eugenio put on the paperwork so they can marry soon. He checks in with Dexter again, frustration pricking him that Waterford is already out of D.C., out of Dexter’s current reach. He paces as he hangs up, his thoughts on delivering painful retribution.

Chase witnesses the dark affliction in his best friend’s eyes, and he worries about what Kas is going to do. “C’mon, let’s go get some lunch before meeting everyone at the Consulate’s office,” he offers, hoping to distract him.

They choose a quaint restaurant in Lucca, ordering the special made from the beef of the local butcher, deciding on a glass of wine instead of a beer since they are in Italy. Kas has relaxed during the meal, the tension calming as he talks about his wedding in two days. He suddenly stops, his fork suspended in mid-air, as he swears under his breath.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t have any protection with me.”

Chase lets out a hearty laugh. “That’s going to make for a very disappointing wedding night,” he jokes. “I’ll take care of it after we get done with the Consulate,” he assures Kas, putting him out of his misery.

Signing
the
necessary
documents doesn’t take much time. Judge takes Raina shopping for a wedding dress. Cliff and Kas look for tuxes. Chase sets out on his mission of saving the honeymoon. They meet up a couple of hours later at La Buca di Sant’Antonio. Kas pulls Chase aside to see if he got the goods.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to ask for condoms when you don’t know the word in Italian? You do not even want to know how I got my point across.”

Kas smacks Chase on the back gratefully, relieved that he isn’t going to have to explode from the sexual tension radiating through his entire body, “You officially earned the title of the best ‘Best Man’ in existence.”

Raina has a huge smile on her face, lighting up her jade eyes, as Kas pulls her into a hug when she walks through the door. “I found a dress,” she exclaims excitedly.

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he lowers his lips to her ear as he whispers, “and out of it.”

Raina’s cheeks flush a deep scarlet, and Kas groans, wanting so badly to strip her down, searching every inch of her for other flushed areas. Judge joins them, and Kas laughs at how the scarlet turns impossibly richer, “C’mon darlin’, it looks like you could use a large glass of ice water right about now.”

Raina admires the comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant, smiling at the charm of the copper pots hanging warmly from the ceiling. The waiter leads them to a table topped with an elegant white tablecloth and places a wine glass in front of each of them, chatting in English laced with his heavy Italian accent. They order traditional dishes specific to Tuscany, and Raina’s stomach growls as she anticipates her pasta with Bolognese and lentil and wheat soup.

Judge looks at Raina, his hazel eyes starting to mist, “I can’t believe you’re getting married. It seems like yesterday when I saw you cuddled in your mother’s arms.” He squeezes her hand, “She would be so proud of you, Raina.”

Raina blinks back tears as she hugs Judge, happy and thankful that he is there. He kisses the top of her head, pushing back his anger at her father, the man he once called his best friend. He loves Raina like she was his, and it tears him up knowing she has suffered so much in her young life.

The waiter returns with a large plate of breads and various cheeses, filling the glasses with sweet red Malvasia Di Casorzo wine. The evening is spent laughing, enjoying regional dishes of fish, rabbit, and antipastas as Kas steals glances at his fiancee, his heart constricting from the intensity of his love for her. Raina gives them a piece of history, sharing with them that the restaurant they are currently eating in has been there since 1782 and has a history of housing books that were banned. Kas fills with pride as he listens to Raina talk, passion in her words with things that interest her. He reaches across the table, sliding his hand over hers, her lips curving into a sweet, seducing smile as she sips on her water, her eyes reflecting the same fervent emotions.