Nick

I kept waiting for Rayne to get restless, expecting and preparing for the day when she would freak out and take off. I was careful to keep my comments vague when referencing the future and non-committal anytime she talked about the day she would eventually leave.

However, every day that passed, she seemed to become more content and it lulled me into a false sense of security.

One night, we were snuggling in bed, naked and sated after making love. I’d worshiped her body, trying to convey through my actions how much she meant to me. A storm raged outside, the rain pelting the windows, and thunder rumbling in the distance.

She was sprawled across my body, her head resting on my chest. I kissed her temple and ran my fingers through her hair. “If you could visit one place that you haven’t been, where would it be?” I asked conversationally. I was fishing…

“Hmmm, Greece, I think,” she answered lazily. Sighing, she cuddled closer and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.

“That would be an amazing trip. I could definitely get on board with seeing you in a tiny bikini on their beautiful beaches.”

She chuckled and rested her chin on my sternum, looking up into my eyes. “I’m not sure how I feel about all those other women ogling your hot body.”

I grinned, but it dropped as I thought about what she said. She had an excellent point. “You’re right. You’ll have to wear a long bathing suit, one that covers all the parts of you that are for my eyes only. Maybe even one of those cover-up things.”

Rayne rolled her eyes and laid her head back down, resting on her cheek. “If we went—” she cut herself off and her body tensed. “If I ever get there, I’ll think about you every time I see a beach.”

I sighed and used a single finger to lift her chin. “What if we went there together, baby?”

Her dark eyes became anxious and she shifted edgily.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Rayne?” I asked, failing to mask the impatience in my tone. “I’m not going to let you go.”

She attempted to extricate herself from my embrace, her face betraying her panic. I kept her there for a moment, but I could tell she wouldn’t really hear me while she felt constricted. I would take Trevor’s advice and back her into a corner, but I had to do it carefully. At the moment, she needed room to breathe.

“You have to!” she cried out as she crossed her arms and rubbed her arms vigorously. She grabbed my shirt from the floor and slipped it on, the covering acting like a wall for her to retreat behind. “I can’t stay, Nick. I’ll leave eventually and it’s better I do it now before we get truly attached.”

I bounded out of bed and stood before her, grabbing her biceps firmly enough to keep her in place but not hurt her. “How can you not see that we are already fucking attached? You want me as much as I want you, Rayne. If you’d just drop your defenses and look inward with honesty, you’d have to admit that you want to stay.”

She shook her head and wrenched out of my arms, dashing to the closet. She came out a minute later, haphazardly dressed and carrying her bag which she started frantically throwing her things inside.

My hands clenched in frustration as I squelched the need to trap her in my arms and demand she be truthful with herself, and me.

“I’m not what you want, Nick. You’ll see that when I’m gone.”

I cursed in exasperation and closed the gap between us. “You’re wrong, baby.”

With a hand on her waist and another cupping the back of her head, I tugged her up against me. My eyes locked with hers as I told her what I’d been dying to share, what was in my heart. “You’re my boom.”

“Your what?” she asked in confusion.

“My boom.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” She placed her hands on my chest and tried to push me away. I wasn’t having that and kept my hold on her secure.

I tried to explain, “See, there’s this curse and…the Mayson family…it might be contagious...” I sighed. “You know what? Never mind. What I’m saying is, you’re it for me. The moment I saw you it was like boom! I knew you were mine. My one.”

Her jaw dropped and I took her mouth in a deep kiss. When I pulled back, I told her with all seriousness, “I love you, Rayne. And, I know you love me, too.”

I attempted to kiss her again, but she used the skills I’d recently learned she possessed and maneuvered herself out of my arms. She grabbed her bag and ran from the room.

With a string of curses, I dragged up the jeans and T-shirt I’d discarded earlier, then took off after her. I caught up with her just as she was dashing out into the storm.

“Rayne!” I yelled over the loud pounding of the rain. I grasped her arm and spun her around.

“Please,” I begged. “Let me in, take down the walls around your heart.”

She stepped back but didn’t try to free her arm. “We are too different, Nick,” she argued desperately. “I’m a risk taker, always searching for the next adventure, I…”

“Baby,” I interjected. “There is no greater risk than giving away your heart. I’ve put mine in your hands and I promise, if you let me, I will protect and cherish yours.”

A softness crept into her expression and I felt hope spring at the possibility that I was getting through to her.

I kept going, not giving her a chance to come up with a reason to resist. “There is no adventure that isn’t a million times better when you can share it with someone. I want to be with you, to see the world through your eyes, to give you the freedom to choose where we go.”

Her body lost some of its tension, so I pushed forward. “But, you’re not your parents. I also want to have a place where we can have a stable foundation to rest. Somewhere we can have a true home, leap into the adventure of raising a family. Your spirit can be free, even when you are standing still. Loving you sets me soaring, you free me to be who I am. Let me do the same for you.”

“I…” she pressed her lips together, fear churning in her eyes. I brought her close and cupped her face, using my thumbs to wipe away some of the wetness on her cheeks. It was quickly replaced as the rain poured heavily over us. “I do love you,” she admitted, her voice raised to be heard over the rain.

I smiled tenderly. “I know you do, baby.” I placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Stay with me. Take me with you. Be with me, no matter where we are.”

“I don’t know if I can change,” she said, her voice trembling.

I shook my head and ghosted another kiss over the corner of her mouth. “I don’t want you to change, baby. I want you to show me every side of you.” I smiled cheekily. “Your Jekyll and Hyde.”

She snickered, and her lips turned up into a small smile.

“I’ve shown you mine,” I whispered as I placed my hands on her back and urged her forward until she was only a breath away. “Now show me yours.”

She hesitated for a moment and I held my breath. Then she threw her arms around my neck and I lifted her up as the air rushed out in relief. Her mouth crashed down on mine and she kissed the ever-loving fuck out of me.

We were both soaked to the bone, but our trembling was caused by the raging passion between us rather than the cold torrential rain bursting from the sky.

Eventually, we stumbled inside and headed for the bedroom, discarding our wet clothes and stopping to kiss and touch each other along the way.

As we entered our bedroom, I swept her into my arms and stalked to the bed. Laying her down, I drank in her beauty, knowing it was a much inside her as out. “Damn, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Her cold, wet hands slid up my chest to grip my shoulders and I shivered a little. “Cold?” she asked sassily. “I know how we can warm each other up.”

We burned up the sheets and were warm in no time. After fucking hard, we took it slow and easy, whispering words of love and pouring our souls into each other.