Charlie
SINKING MY NAILS INTO HIS leathery skin isn’t going to do anything but make me feel more vulnerable. Touching him was a bad idea. However, the thought of Austen on the other side of that door is worse than any other outcome.
Rain’s hand sprawls across my belly as he pushes me backwards into the furthest corner of the living room, blocking me from the door. The knocks become rhythmic, and his eyes change from cold to something else, but I can’t tell what it is. Then he places his index finger over his mouth in warning.
He moves smoothly across the floor and towards the knocking before he disappears from view. The front door opens. I hear a voice but only for a second before the door slams shut again. Although my legs are shaking, I stand strong. If Austen is outside of that door, I will fight to the death before I go with him. Rain is only gone for a few minutes before he returns, nonchalantly strutting in.
“It’s fine. Relax.”
Blowing out a hard breath, I slowly leave the safety of the corner and back to the round table that sits in the center of his humble kitchen. I plop down in the seat and try to calm my nerves by looking at the beautiful house I’m in. It’s much different than the piece of shit place Austen moved us into. The A-frame log cabin is rustic and masculine. The red woods expand from the log walls to the cabinets. On entering the house, the large open space features a horseshoe kitchen and, adjacent to it, a large area for the round dining table. The living room has high windows and a fireplace made of round stones that reach the ceiling. Two identical couches sit parallel to each other on either side of it. There are stairs that lead to some kind of loft above. Everything inside resembles the beauty and purity of the forest. My eyes travel back to Rain only to find he’s looking at me, the way I’m looking at his gorgeous house. One eyebrow is raised as his eyes bore into me, the danger vivid in them. I’m reminded that I don’t know this man and I’m in his house in the middle of the woods. This guy is probably a mass murderer. That would be my luck. I finally get away from Austen and run right into the hands of a serial killer.
“Am I allowed to leave, or are you holding me here?” I meekly ask, hoping I don’t regret it.
“Do you want to leave?”
My eyebrows furrow, not knowing what to do or say. I should leave. Should.
“Okay, answer this. If you leave, where are you going?”
“Big Pine,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Big Pine? Who do you know in Big Pine?”
“Nobody. It was my stop for the night.” The lies stack up.
“Were you going to sleep in your car? Because Big Pine consists of ten homes and a House of Prayer.”
Damn.
“I didn’t know that,” I admit quietly.
“You didn’t plan much for this little road trip of yours did you? With Daddy’s car no less.” His cocky smirk irritates me. He knows that I’m not telling the truth.
“Haven’t you ever just felt like you had to get the fuck away from everything?”
A chuckle reverberates from his chest. He lifts his arms and turns to look at the room. “You do realize that I live in the middle of nowhere.”
I nod, feeling stupid, and Rain drops his arms, taking a deep breath. He moves his tall body close, places one hand on the table and the other on the arm of the chair, closing me in.
“I’m keeping my eye on you. I don’t know you and you’re in my house. I trust no one and expect no trust in return. My soul is dead, and my heart is ice. Don’t fuck with me, and we’ll be fine. If that’s understood, you don’t have to, but you can stay here. Figure your shit out. I’ll see if there’s any saving that piece of shit car. Don’t count on that though. The undercarriage looks pretty fucked.”
Once he’s gotten his point across, he moves away from me. I don’t know whether to thank him or be scared to open my mouth. This could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done other than stay with Austen for all those years. But what do I have to lose? I can’t go aimlessly walking into the fucking woods. Without a car, I’m screwed. My vision turns from the wooden floor planks to his dangerous dark-brown eyes. His rustic body now leans up against the kitchen counter. His legs are stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. The muscles in his arms bulge in his dirty gray Henley. I don’t know how I got myself into this situation, much less how to get myself out of it.
“Thanks.”
“Good,” he says. I can’t help but let a yawn escape my mouth. The sun has risen long ago and I’ve been awake for over twenty-four hours. “Come on.”
Following Rain out of the kitchen, my fear begins to grow again as we head up the stairs. A bed sits in the middle of the loft that overlooks the dining and living room. There’s no privacy here except in the bathroom, but I guess that’s not something he usually needs. Luther follows us up and jumps right on the bed.
“What kind of dog is he?” I ask.
“A Giant Schnauzer.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Giant Schnauzer before. He’s so sweet.”
“Don’t let him fool you. He’s been trained. One word and he’ll rip you apart.”
I giggle quietly to myself as Luther presses the side of his black head into my hand while I scratch him. Rain fumbles through a dresser that I almost didn’t notice because it’s the same color wood as the walls.
“Here.” Rain tosses me a t-shirt. “You’ll sleep in my bed.”
“In your bed?” I blurt, surprised. “Look, I know I need a place to stay, but I’m not interested in—”
“Relax. I’ll sleep downstairs.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. I feel bad kicking you out of your own bed.”
“Listen, you didn’t ask and you aren’t kicking me out of anywhere. I highly doubt you have the strength to do either one.”
The tone of his voice is almost condescending. I’ll be damned if I leave one abusive man to put up with another one. It’s time that I regain some of the strength I lost.
“I think you may be underestimating me, Rain.”
Instead of the reprimand that I was fearing might come, the son of a bitch smiles. A full grin that stretches from one side of his face to the other, revealing the cuspid tooth on his left side is higher in his gum line than the rest of his teeth. It fits him perfectly. I don’t realize until it’s too late that I’ve sucked in my bottom lip. Fuck, what am I doing?
“Perhaps I am.”
Rain nods at me before going back down the stairs. I move to the farthest corner of the bedroom to make sure that he won’t be able to see me changing. The shirt Rain gave me is huge on my small frame. I’m much shorter than he is so the shirt reaches just above my knees. The cool, gray sheets feel amazing on my worn body. I have to push Luther over with my legs as I squeeze myself in next to him. He grunts at me but barely moves. I scratch his ear as he rests his heavy head on my stomach.
“Yeah, you’re a real killer, aren’t you, boy?” I whisper to Luther.
“Luther.” Rain yells from below, but the dog doesn’t move. “Luther!”
A minute passes before I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. As Rain comes into view, it’s hard to look away. The clothes he was wearing earlier are gone and have been replaced with only black sweatpants that sit low on his protruding hips. I try everything to force my eyes off of his hard, chiseled chest that flaunts his naturally tan skin, but it’s impossible not to look. A large scar stretches across his lower abdomen around his side and halfway to his ribs. This man screams danger, and yet at this moment, all I want to do is touch him. He saunters over to the bed, reaches down, and my breathing quickens. Why is he having this effect on me? As his hands come close to my thighs, the excitement grows between them. He eyes me hard, then passes my leg and picks up his dog.
“Rule number one: My dog.”
Then he turns and carries Luther down the stairs. After a few minutes, I regain my composure. Unable to sleep with visions of Rain tormenting my thoughts, I quietly tiptoe to the banister to peek over at the couch below. His long body is stretched out on his back with one hand resting over his heart. The other is folded behind his head, his large bicep on display. Luther is now curled up in the crook between his legs, and both of them seem to be asleep. I should go back to bed, but instead I take in his cut, tan chest. I would guess he’s Italian with that glowing skin and dark hair. His muscles are impressive but not overdone. He doesn’t have a weightlifter’s body. It’s more of a working body. Not like Austen. Austen works in an office downtown and sits all day long at a computer and then comes straight home to sit for the rest of the night. To say he’s out of shape is an understatement. He stopped caring so much about what he looked like and more about what I looked like. It’s been a long time since I could admire a beautiful man’s body. As I stand here, I grow more and more weary that this little arrangement isn’t going to work out. If he keeps walking around here like that, I’m going to be in trouble. Then again, I am so fucking sick of being the good little girl. Before, I always used to stand up for what I believed in. Never backed down when I knew I was right. Stuck up for myself when someone was being a jerk. Austen took all of that away from me. He robbed me of more than my freedom. When I decided to run for it, I made the decision as a strong woman that I was going to stand up and live life to the fullest. And I’m going to do just that.