“Smile, sweet girl,” Rayne prompts me.
I’m still recovering from the shock that we walked out to ten cameras surrounding us, each photographer yelling things at us that blends with the others. Somehow, I manage to follow his instructions and slap the brightest smile I can muster onto my face and press my palm to Rayne’s chest.
I know what he’s doing. He’s claiming me in front of all these people, and the city, and I know I should care. I should pull away from his hold and get some distance between us, but I can’t tear myself away from his warmth. All my worries melt away when I’m in Rayne’s arms. All the stress. All the anxiety. All the bad shit from my past. It all disappears and all I’m left with is the most addictive sense of safety.
I’m vaguely aware of my dad on the other side of the room staring at us, but I don’t want to think about that conversation. He seems to like Rayne, way more than he ever has any of the boyfriends I’ve had in the past, but then again, that was before he knew we were dating.
Boyfriend? Dating? Fuck. Neither of those things seem like enough. Rayne consumes me. He takes away all rational thought and becomes the center of my world whenever he’s nearby.
His possessiveness should terrify me. He claimed me and gave me no say in the matter. But if he had, would it have made a difference? Even if he hadn’t taken my choices away, if he hadn’t started barking orders about my health and safety, I would still feel this crazy pull toward him. Every cell in my body ignites when he walks into the room, no matter how much I told myself I could never trust again after Brad, Rayne was different from the first time he sat across the desk from me and sold every remaining ticket to the biggest names in Chicago.
I look up at Rayne, watching as his eyes flick from camera to camera, the most blinding smile I’ve ever seen shining. The arm wrapped around my waist is firm and sure, and when his eyes drop to meet mine, sensing my gaze on him, butterflies erupt in my belly and almost blow me off my feet.
“Are you okay?” Concern flickers in his eyes before the mask he wears for the cameras snaps back into place.
I nod slowly. For all accounts, I shouldn’t be. I should be throwing a tantrum after the way Rayne spoke to me in the hallway, but right here in his arms feels like exactly where I need to be. It feels like home.
“Ready for everyone to know you’re mine, sweet girl?”
Before I have a chance to process his question, his lips crash down on mine, demanding entry the moment they meet. It’s only a split second before I comply. If we’re going to do this, we may as well do it right.
Clicks and flashes surround us, but all I can feel is Rayne. His hands around my waist, his chest under my palms, his lips moving against mine, and his tongue dancing with my own. He’s all consuming, his warmth, his scent, the way he handles me roughly and yet also like I’m the most precious thing he’s ever held in his hands. It’s addictive.
When his lips slow and he pulls back slightly, he looks like the cat that got the cream, smug and satisfied with himself. We stare at each other for a moment before he tightens his grip on my waist and tugs me past the cameras. I still don’t know why they’re in here. We always hire a photographer, but the paparazzi usually leave after everyone has arrived, and they never come any further than the front door.
“I probably should have told my dad we were… whatever we are before we did that,” I mumble as we head straight for the man in question. He doesn’t look unhappy per se, but he also doesn’t seem pleased.
“I already told him,” Rayne informs me, tightening his grip around my waist.
I stop in my tracks, my mouth dropping open as I stare at him. “You did what?”
“I told him that we’re together the other morning before I took you home.” He shrugs like the words he’s sprouting are normal and obvious, which they most definitely are not.
“I don’t even know what we are. Maybe you could have clued me in on it before telling my father!”
Rayne steps forward until his body is almost touching mine. His fingers brush along my jaw as he tilts my head up so I’m looking right into the darkness of his eyes. “We are together. You are mine. And I would watch that tone of yours if you don’t want to be adding to the punishment you’re already owed.” The words are a promise, and my protests die before they can escape. “That’s what I thought.” He presses his lips to my temple. “I can’t wait to get you home, sweet girl. You’re so much more compliant when your pleasure is on the line.”
Before I can think to respond, his arm is back around my waist and we’re walking toward my dad again. How Rayne thinks I’ll be able to speak to my father with the promise of pleasure lingering between us, I have no fucking idea, but I don’t think I have it in me to argue.
“That was quite the spectacle,” Dad comments as we approach him.
“What are they doing in here? They’ve never come past the front doors before.” I dodge any questions about my relationship with Rayne because I don’t have any more answers than he does at this point.
“It seems someone invited them.” Dad’s eyes are on Rayne’s in a silent accusation.
“There are a lot of powerful people here tonight. Maybe they tipped the paparazzi off for a photo op. It wouldn’t be the first time.” Rayne shrugs.
Dad and I both stare at him and pieces start to slot into place. He didn’t… he wouldn’t… after a moment of considering, I think to myself, He totally fucking would.
Dad’s eyes flick between Rayne and me, as if he’s not sure what to make of us. That makes two of us.
I feel like I’m on a fucking rollercoaster, rising to the highest of highs, seeing and feeling things I never dreamed of, only for the dip to come out of nowhere and catch me off guard, and before I can catch my breath, we start the climb again.
“If you’ll excuse us, John. I want to introduce Emerson to my family.” Rayne smiles, tugging me away from my father before either of us can say anything.
Wait… family?
My eyes widen and my body becomes stiff in Rayne’s hold. I can’t meet his family, arguably Chicago’s favorite family, before I even know how to define what we are. It’s one thing being around him all the time because he’s rarely in the public eyes, I can separate him from his last name, but the rest of the family…
“You’re panicking.” It’s not a question. He can feel it in my body, fear vibrating through my entire being.
“Of course I’m panicking,” I whisper shout, looking anywhere but where we’re heading.
I’ve always found it surreal coming face to face with people that frequent the front page of every newspaper in the city, but this is different. This isn’t chatting with someone who might donate to the Center, or that wants to boost their public image. No, this is something else entirely.
I’ve never met the parents. None of my exes had ever taken me home to meet anyone. No parents, no siblings, and only the occasional friend. It was never worth it to them to introduce me to the people in their lives and I don’t know what to think of the fact Rayne is introducing me to his entire family less than a week after he informed me that I’m his. Self-doubt eats at me and every step we take has nausea bubbling in my belly.
Rayne brings us to a halt. His large hands spreading across my cheeks, enveloping me in his warmth and tilting my face up until our eyes meet. “Sweet girl, you have to reason to be afraid. My parents are the sweetest people you’ll ever meet, and when I mentioned you, I thought my mom and sisters were going to pass out from excitement. Snow hasn’t stopped bugging me about meeting you since I asked her to find a dress for you for tonight.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “They’re going to be as obsessed with you as I am.”
A moment later his arm is back around my waist and he’s pulling me toward to Saint James family in all their incredibly attractive glory. Jesus, this gene pool.
The whole family seems to notice us heading toward them at the same time, and while terror wraps its fist around my chest and squeezes, the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen in my life spread across their faces, even Storm, who has a reputation of being grumpy and disinterested, has a wide grin as his brother approaches.
The familial similarities are obvious the closer we get. Rayne has his dad’s dark eyes, and both the brothers have dark hair and features, while all the girls have striking blue eyes and are various shades of blonde. Storm is the only one whose eyes don’t match one of their parents, a mesmerizing gray that every woman in Chicago swoons over.
I take a deep breath as we close the distance. I can do this. They’re just people. People with a lot of money. People who basically every other person in Chicago are obsessed with. I’m in so far over my head I actually might drown.
“They’re staring at me,” I whisper.
“That’s because I’ve never introduced anyone to them before, and they’re excited to meet you.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head and I melt into his side. I don’t know how he knows how to placate me, but fuck me, am I grateful for it right now.
“Stop looking at them like that. Do you want to scare her off before she even meets us?” I hear his mother reprimand them.
“No Mom,” they all say together and my heart aches to have what they have. I don’t remember my mom, not really. There are snippets of memories from my childhood, but I was always closer to my dad, and when she left, it hurt me more to see my dad hurt than it caused me any pain. She was absent a lot, worked more than she spent time at home with us, and when push came to shove and she had to choose between her work and her family, she chose work. For the first few years after she left, I heard from her every so often, birthdays and Christmas usually, and then little by little those phone calls dropped off, and now it’s been almost three years since I heard from her.
She has a new family, a five-year-old with her new husband, a dog, and a white picket fence. All the things she gave up when she left us because she wanted to put her career first.
I snap myself out of my pity party and slap a smile on my face as we take the final steps to meet them, my heart beats so hard and fast I think it might leap clear from my chest any minute now, and I lean into Rayne for support. Jesus, who would have thought meeting the parents would be so terrifying?
Our feet have barely stopped moving when Snow steps forward and throws her arms around me. I’ve never been especially affectionate, normally shying away from physical contact, but Snow’s hug eases some of the anxiety I feel about meeting the Saint James family.
“Snow! Give the poor girl some space,” their mother hisses and Snow immediately releases me. “I’m sorry, dear. I swear I raised them with manners.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” I shift on the spot awkwardly. I don’t really know what the etiquette is when it comes to meeting someone’s family, and I’m hoping someone else is going to take the lead to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment.
Rayne smiles down at me before looking to his family. “This is Emerson.” He beams. Rayne is a hard man, and although when we’ve been alone, he’s let down his walls, I’ve never seen him look so open in public.
I give an awkward wave, reprimanding myself immediately for how stupid I probably look to the distinguished family standing in front of me. It’s not even like they’re the first celebrities I’ve ever met, but apparently I’m more determined to make a fool of myself than usual.
Rayne’s mother is the first one to step forward, stopping right in front of me before bracing her hands on my elbows. Her touch is warm and gentle, and before I can stop myself, I sink into the feeling. “You’re just as beautiful as Rayne told us you were.” She grins. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Emerson. I’m Bethany, but please call me Beth. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Rayne has found someone he’s so smitten with.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Beth.”
She looks over her shoulder at her husband and waves him over. “Ron, isn’t she just lovely?”
He chuckles and wraps a possessive arm around her waist, similar to the hold Rayne still has on me. “Hi, Emerson, I’m Ron. I’m sorry for my entire family. They’re very excited.”
I giggle. “It’s okay. I don’t think anyone has ever been so excited to meet me before.” The honest words slip out past my filter.
Beth slaps her husband’s chest with the back of her hand. “Shush, you. You’re just as excited as the rest of us. Now, Emerson. You already met Snow. This is my other daughter Wynter, and my other son, Storm.”
“I can totally see why Rayne hasn’t stopped talking about you.” Wynter throws her arms around me the way her sister had a few minutes ago. God, I’ve had more physical contact in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve had in the last ten years, and I don’t hate it.
I look up at Rayne who looks guilty. Has he actually been talking about me? Surely it was just a fleeting comment, and they were blowing it out of proportion.
“I’m so glad you chose this dress. I mean, you would have looked incredible in any of them, but holy shit, this one is stunning on you!” Snow grins.
“There was more than one option?” I ask, peering up at Rayne through my lashes.
“There were eight,” Snow answers before he has a chance. “Big bro didn’t give me much to go on other than long sleeves, which is a total no duh in this weather, and a size, and I wanted you to have options. Obviously Rayne made the choice for you.” She winks.
Eight? I look back up at Rayne with more questions than I have answers as I mentally do the math. If the other seven dresses cost even half as much as the one I’m wearing, Rayne spent a literal fortune on dresses for me for one event.
Rayne shrugs. “I figured you’ll wear them at some stage. The others are in my wardrobe at home.”
I’m speechless. Actually fucking floored. Where the fuck am I going to wear another dress like this, let alone seven? We only have one gala per year, and I don’t go anywhere else that would warrant such extravagance.
“Plus, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to spoil my girl, is there?”
I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. Rayne looks at me with a smug smile, like he enjoys rendering me without words.
“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson. Rayne has nothing but lovely things to say about you.” Storm smiles from where he’s standing beside Wynter. “Would you mind if I borrowed my brother for a few minutes?”
“You are not working tonight!” Beth scolds. “All you boys do is work, and we never have a nice night as a family without one of you having to run off to take care of something important.”
Storm’s cold eyes soften as he looks at his mother. “It won’t take long, I promise.”
Rayne looks hesitant to leave me with his family and I can’t tell who he thinks will embarrass him more. Me. Surely it has to be me.
“Stay here,” he tells me and by the look he’s giving me, I know he’s dead serious. He drops a quick kiss to my forehead before disappearing after his brother.
“Okay, now they’re gone, I’m going to need to know everything there is to know about you.” Snow grasps my hand in hers. “Having another sister is going to be the best thing ever!”
My eyes go wide. Sister? I’ve only known Rayne for two weeks, and I’ve only known he’s interested in me for a few days. Surely it’s too early to be at sister status.
Wynter rolls her eyes. “Don’t mind Snow. She’s excited that our oldest brother is less growly than normal, and that one of them is finally dating.”
“I’m sure he’s dated before.” I laugh nervously.
“If he has, we’ve never met them. And we’ve certainly never had our presence demanded at an event like it was for this one. God, our lives wouldn’t have been worth living if we said we were busy.”
This family has rendered me speechless more times in ten minutes than I think I’ve been in my entire life. I assumed Rayne’s fascination with me had an expiry date, and that that date probably wasn’t far away, which was for the best. After Brad I couldn’t see how I would survive another broken heart, the sooner Rayne realizes I’m not worth his time, the better it will be for me. But the way his family has welcomed me with open arms, the way they’re talking like Rayne has never acted like this before, and the fact that not one, but all of them have spoken to him about me, it’s caught me off guard.
What I assumed would be a short-term infatuation, doesn’t seem to be on his side, and that scares the hell out of me.
I look around the room that’s filled with Chicago’s richest and most powerful people, people who make enough money in one hour to fund our Center for a full year, and somehow, I’ve found myself surrounded by one of those families. I take a deep breath, the panic rising through my chest to the point I can barely breathe. “I’m just going to pop to the bathroom before they call for speeches,” I tell them, hoping they don’t notice the panic in my voice or the fact speeches aren’t for another hour.
I’m walking away before anyone can stop me, needing to put some space between myself and the Saint James family. The moment I make it to the bathroom, I lock myself in the stall and lean against the door.
I’m fucking insane. That’s the only reason I would be getting involved with a known criminal who lives his life in the public eye. What the fuck am I doing?
