He’s serious.
Dead. Fucking. Serious.
Every word he’s said since he demanded the keys to my apartment has been serious, and the reality of that seeps into my veins, leaving me an odd mixture of terrified and aroused.
I’ve heard more than a few whispers about Rayne Saint James. He’s a criminal, a murderer, and an eternal playboy, but the way he’s looking at me, his gentle touches as he surveys my bare skin, the possession in his eyes, it’s intoxicating.
I should be fighting like hell. Logically I know that. He’s not holding me tightly enough to keep me restrained if I wanted to break his hold, but the warmth he exudes, the way he looks at me like God put me on Earth just for him, it’s heady and I can’t bring myself to push him away.
“I asked you a question.” Rayne’s eyes burn into mine, so dark I swear they’re almost black.
I nod, unable to put words together.
“I need your words, sweet girl.” His thumb brushes over my bottom lip and I barely stop myself from nipping at it. His touch is addictive, his body towering over mine and almost making me forget my own damn name.
“Yes,” I whisper.
A moment later, Rayne’s eyes drift down my body, pausing at my almost bare chest, the bra and camisole doing nothing to cover the hardening peaks. My body has a mind of its own when it comes to Rayne and I’m almost certain that’s not a good thing. It’s dangerous, just like the man setting my body on fire, and I’m growing addicted to the flame with every touch.
Rayne’s eyes drop lower to the bruises forming around my waist where Brad held me. Internally, I reprimand myself for not fighting back, for allowing him to hurt me. He was high on something, meaning he really could have hurt me if Rayne didn’t leave when he did. I know self-defense. I’ve used it more times than I care to admit, so why did I freeze?
Rayne’s face is pained as he surveys the marks, and I long to ease his worry. “I’m anemic. I have low iron, so I bruise really easily,” I tell him.
His eyes drag from the bruises back to my face, a new storm brewing in the darkness. “Why is your iron low? Do you need to see a doctor?”
“I… what? No! I don’t need to see a doctor. I have pills, but it’s still pretty low.” I stare at him, and I’m sure I’m looking at him like he’s lost his fucking mind, because I’m pretty sure he has.
“It’s not fine if it’s low. That’s the opposite of fine,” Rayne growls. “Isn’t there more they can do? Maybe I should take you for a second opinion, I’m sure I could get you into my doctor.”
“No!” I catch him off guard and duck out of his hold, putting some much-needed distance between us. “I’m anemic because I have bad periods, okay? My doctor has done everything under the sun and this is just how it is. It’s been this way for the last ten years, and it will probably be like this for the next thirty. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Rayne stalks toward me, seemingly unaffected by my embarrassing confession. Before I can even blink, he’s backed me up until I’m pressed against another wall, and his body is holding mine in place. “No, that is not okay. If your iron is low, we need to get it higher. If your periods are bad, we need to make them better.” His voice is low and filled with danger and fuck me if it’s not the hottest thing I’ve ever heard. I know my face is flushed because I feel impossibly hot, like I’ve been thrown into a sauna. “I’ll make you an appointment with my doctor.”
“No.”
“No?” He stares at me like he’s never heard the word before.
“No, I will not go and see a doctor, who I feel very comfortable assuming is a man, about my periods. You’re being crazy. This is crazy!” I struggle against his hard body, but I’m surrounded by him, his scent, and an erection that scares the fucking life out of me.
“I can see we have a misunderstanding here, so let me spell it out for you.” Rayne grinds his cock into my lower belly and I barely withhold the moan rising in the back of my throat. “You are mine. And as part of being mine, I need to know that you’re okay. Your health. Your safety. Any danger that could come to you is my business. If that means taking you to doctors, then that’s what I’ll do. I need you safe and healthy.”
Every word out of his mouth is crazy. That’s the only word I can use to explain what’s happening, and no matter how fucking hot he is, and how it makes my core heat when he talks about claiming me, about needing me to be safe and well, I know I can’t allow it to happen. I cannot allow myself to feel anything for someone like Rayne.
“I need you to leave.”
Rayne stiffens, his entire body going still. “Emerson…”
“No, Rayne. I need you to get out. I can’t do this with you. Not now. Not ever. I don’t know where the fuck this all came from, but it’s not going to happen, and I need you to leave.”
He stares at me so deeply and for so long I’m sure he is looking right into my soul, I’m sure he can see my heart beating so hard it ricochets off my ribs painfully and the way regret begins to seep in the moment the words slip from my lips. Because I don’t want him to leave, not really. But I can’t allow myself to want him, because wanting someone like Rayne would be the end of me. My life is already a shit show of epic proportion, allowing myself to fall for a man like him could fucking destroy me.
I don’t know how much time passes, but when he nods, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Okay Emerson. I’ll go. But only because I know I’ve thrown a lot at you, and I want to give you some time to process it. But know this.” His fingers gently brings my chin up until I’m looking him in the eye. “This is happening. The sooner you make peace with that, the sooner all the fun can begin.” A smirk tugs at his lips a moment before they lower to hover a breath above mine.
He’s so close I can almost taste him. One kiss from Rayne will ruin me and my resolve. It will obliterate every ounce of self-control I have left and set me on a path of self-destruction.
“Soon, sweet girl,” he whispers against my lips, and then a moment later he’s slipping a card into my hand. “This is my number. If that asshole comes near you again, I want you to call me immediately. If you’re sick, I want you to call me. If you’re hurt, I want you to call me. If you’re scared, or feel unsafe, I want you to find somewhere safe and call me, and I will come to you. If I find out you didn’t call me, believe me when I say, you’ll be in a world of trouble. Do we understand each other?”
I find myself nodding before he’s even finished talking, the need to please him making me go against my better judgment. If Brad shows up, there’s no way in hell I’m calling Rayne to deal with it. I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself, and I sure as hell don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me. And yet, his ‘do not underestimate me’ look has me nodding despite myself.
Rayne stares at me expectantly, like he’s waiting for something, and I quickly remember his words from before. “Yes, I understand.”
“Good girl,” Rayne praises, his smile so breathtaking it almost knocks me off my fucking feet. It’s so at odds with his harsh exterior and the dark eyes that seem to look straight into the depths of my soul. His praise heats my skin, making me feel impossibly warm considering it’s winter and I’m half naked in an apartment with no heat.
He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip, as if committing the feeling to memory. His eyes sweep over my face, making my cheeks heat in their path. No one has ever looked at me like this, like I’m the most precious thing in the world, like their world would stop if I were to walk away. It’s addictive, and I don’t ever want him to stop looking at me like this. “Give me your car keys.” He holds out his hand.
“You have them,” I tell him. “They’re on the same ring as the keys for the apartment.”
Rayne nods once. “Your car will be here before you need to leave for work.” His fingers move from my skin and he takes a step back, putting distance between our bodies. I feel the loss immediately, and I crave his warmth the moment the cold air rushes around me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And then he’s walking out the door, leaving me half naked in the middle of my living room, trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement. What the hell just happened?
Rayne Saint James is going to destroy me, and I’m going to love every single second of my own demise.
