Raine on Me

by Laurann Dohner

  “He leaves you alone now?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “There are restraining orders in place and he’s supposed to stay far away from me. The truth is that Dale heard my ex-husband would be showing up in town and he sent me here where I’d be safe.”

  River’s dark gaze locked with hers and he looked furious as they studied each other. “You’re definitely not leaving, baby. I’d never hit you. I might be an ass about some shit but know that, okay? I’d never hurt you.”

  “I know.” At least her gut told her she could believe him and River definitely wasn’t anything like Kyle. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Good.” His body relaxed over hers. “I am a bit controlling but only about sex. You’re not running away from something we both feel. I’d carry your bag out to your car for you if I honestly thought you weren’t attracted to me.”

  She couldn’t look away from his beautiful eyes, seeing honesty there. “It’s just not a good idea for me to get involved with anyone. I’m going to be totally honest here, okay? My ex-husband is dangerous and if he ever found out I slept with you, discovered who you were, he’d do everything in his power to make you suffer for it.”

  “I don’t give a shit.”

  “You would if he ever came after you.”

  “I’d kick his miserable ass. I hate to break this to you but I’ve gotten into quite a few disagreements with other men in my time. I can more than handle myself in a fist fight. Women might like me but men rarely do.”

  She ignored his attempted humor because this wasn’t a time to joke around. “I’m not talking physical. You could totally take him in a fight with one hand tied behind your back. He’d smear your name and spread nasty rumors about you, maybe even about your entire family.”

  A loud laugh came from River as he grinned. “I’m a Raine.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means everyone knew my father as the town drunk and my mother as a whore. What the hell could this guy really say that is worse than the truth? I grew up with folks looking down on us so, in their opinions, there’s not much lower us Raines can get. Guess what? We don’t give a damn. My brothers and I are tight, our family is all that matters, and nothing that anyone could say would hurt us because it’s probably already been said a thousand times.”

  She hesitated. “He’s dangerous, River. He’s crazy and I don’t want you hurt. I don’t want you in the middle of the war I have going on with him.”

  “It won’t be a war and I won’t be in the middle since you’re safely tucked away on the ranch. This guy won’t find you and you aren’t leaving.”

  River made it sound easy but he had no idea how insane Kyle could become. She wished it were that simple. She knew she’d be safe as long as Kyle couldn’t find her and she’d left no way to link from her life to the Raine family. She’d covered her tracks and knew Dale would look out for her back home. He knew what kind of sneaky bastard her ex-husband could be and wouldn’t leave anything to chance.

  She debated on telling River the rest but then discarded that idea. He didn’t know her well enough for her to tell him all the sordid details. She bet he’d be happy to release her and let her go though, if she did reveal exactly how she’d gotten away from her ex-husband.

  “So you’re staying, right?” His leg moved and he kicked one of the dangling chains. “If not, I’m really going to secure you to this bed.” He grinned. “I’m almost hoping you say you still want to leave. I have this fantasy about having you staked out and fucking you into submission. Being on top of you sounds like the best way to spend a few days if that’s how long it takes.”

  How could she resist him? I can’t, she admitted to herself. He was too handsome and his beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement. She’d told him enough that he knew she came with trouble but he wasn’t fleeing. A lot of men would, not wanting that kind of baggage attached to a new relationship. Of course he wasn’t offering a real relationship, instead it would be more of a sexual romp that would last a month, but still, he wasn’t escorting her to the door to get her out of his life faster.

  “I’ll tell you what,” she said softly, “I need to eat. I’m starving, but then I’ll let you use your chains on me.”

  Lust burned in his gaze as he licked his lips. “Damn, baby. You make me so fucking hot. I’m hard again. Are you trying to kill me?”

  She hid her flinch at his question. “No but I am really hungry. Hold that thought.”

  “Okay. It wouldn’t be right to starve you when I know damn well you’re going to need your energy for what I have in mind.” He winked and then rolled off her body. He got to his feet and held out both hands to her. “Let me help you up since I put you there and then I’ll treat you to a Raine steak sandwich.”

  She leaned up and put her hands in his so he could pull her carefully to her feet. She hesitated. The sandwich comment had her remembering when Ryder had spoken after he’d watched them have sex.

  “What was that about you and your brother sharing women? I haven’t forgotten that and since we’re about to leave your room and we’ll probably run into him, I want to assure you I’m not into that shit.”

  His grin died instantly and something in his gaze grew a little chilly. “You have a past and so do I. Ryder and I grew up with people thinking the worst of us. It kind of made us a bit wilder than most boys. It was a bad-boy reputation we were more than happy to help along.”

  “So you did share women?” Something inside her turned a little cold at the thought and she tried to free her hands.

  River invaded her space when he stepped into her, going body to body with her, until she had to look up at him. He kept a tight hold on her hands, refusing to release her. “If my brother were to touch you I’d kick his ass and I told him that. We haven’t done it in a long while and definitely won’t with you. I can’t put my finger on why but no other woman has ever affected me the way you do, Brit. I’ve never wanted a woman more and I feel strangely possessive of you.”

  She again saw honesty when she stared deeply into his dark eyes. “Okay. I just wanted us to be on the same page.”

  “We are. I’m not sure what is between us but it’s strong.”

  Brit suddenly grinned. “I can tell you exactly what’s between us. You’re hard again and digging into my stomach.”

  He laughed. “Food first, then fucking. I’m a great cook and I make the best steak sandwiches in Texas.”

  “That sounds really good. I could eat a horse right now.”

  He laughed. “Cow, not horse. I love them too much to ever put one on a plate.” He released one of her hands, stepped back, and then tugged her as he started to walk toward the door. “Come on. I really want to get you back up here as soon as possible.”

  Brit dreaded running into River’s family. He might tell her it would be no big deal but she wasn’t accustomed to sleeping with a guy around his family. It made it worse that she didn’t really know the Raines and worried they might think less of her for jumping into bed with River.

  The downstairs was silent and empty as they entered the kitchen. River flashed a grin and released her hand. “They must be napping.”

  “Your brother takes naps?”

  “No. Nav and Trina are probably in bed fucking but I didn’t want to say that. Ryder is probably hitting up Adam and Trip for a poker game.”

  “Do you need any help with lunch?”

  “Nope. Just have a seat and let me show you my kitchen skills.” He grinned. “I was taught by the best.”

  “Your father cooked?”

  The comical look on his face answered that. “Uh, no. Mary taught us boys how to cook.”

  “Who is Mary?”

  A sad expression filtered across his face. “She was Adam and Trip’s mother. My dad hired her after my mother left. She raised us until she died of cancer. We were still in high school when she got sick. It broke our hearts.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He turned
away from her to open the fridge. “Thanks. It tore us all up pretty bad, watching her fight and be in so much pain for so long. It also became the last straw with my father.” He pulled out something wrapped white paper and moved to the stove.

  “Your father?”

  “He slept with Mary almost every night. She loved him, and had for years, but he never treated her right. He always cheated and lied to her, she’d find out, but she stayed for us boys. When she grew sick, my Dad became even worse to her. He barely came home and he avoided her. In the end all of us stood outside her bedroom door and told him we’d kick his miserable ass if he tried to leave her side so he held her while she died. I guess that counts for something. She left this earth the way she wanted to go.”

  Brit remained silent for a few moments, taking it in. “That’s good that you did that for her,” she finally said, not knowing what else to say.

  “Mary never deserved someone like my father, no one did, but I’ve been assured he wasn’t always that way. I guess that’s something. He died less than a year after Mary did.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged, keeping his back to her as he fired up the burners and placed a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. “We had Nav and us boys were always close. Mary gave us a woman’s touch and of course she brought Trip and Adam into our lives.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “They actually changed their last names to Raine before Mary died. She wanted them to belong to a family and not be left alone in this world after she passed on. I think she wanted to marry Dad but he refused. She was a good woman.”

  The silence in the kitchen was only broken as River added two steaks to the pan when it got hot enough. The smell that filled the room made Brit’s stomach grumble. River glanced at her a few times, smiling, and pulled out a bag of chips from the pantry.

  “Let me help.” Brit stood. “I’m used to doing all the cooking.”

  “You could grab the steak sauce from the fridge. I wouldn’t mind a tall glass of milk either. The glasses are in that cabinet to your left.”

  It was a comfortable companionship as Brit moved around the kitchen. She’d never had a man cook for her before. Her husband had been old school all the way. Women cooked, kept a tidy house, and he hadn’t lifted a finger to do any of the household chores. It reminded her once again of all the differences between River and the kind of man she’d married.

  Ten minutes later she swallowed her first bite of River’s steak sandwich. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

  He winked. “Hold off on that amazing word until you see what I’m cooking up for you in my bedroom.” He lifted his milk. “Eat up. You’re going to need your strength.”

  Chapter Seven

  Brit suffered a little nervousness when she stripped out of her clothes, knowing River stood just feet away, watching her closely. She lifted her gaze, met his, and the intense look she saw there had her pausing. He studied her with a purely carnal gleam in his eyes.

  “I won’t hurt you.” His voice turned husky.

  “I’ve been tied up and it wasn’t a fun experience for me.”

  He cocked his head to the side, watching her with narrowed eye. “Your husband?”

  “Ex-husband, and yes.” She tried to push back the awful memory that surfaced.

  “You weren’t afraid before.”

  “That’s because you distracted me.”

  A slow grin spread his sensual mouth. “Trust me, Brit. I promise you’re going to enjoy the hell out of what I do to you. Your pleasure is all I have in mind.”

  “Mine, huh?” She relaxed, moving again to free herself from the rest of her clothing. “What about yours?”

  “Seeing and hearing you does wonderful things to me.”

  She believed him. She turned to face his bed and her gaze landed to the books she’d seen earlier—the sex books. He’d done a lot of research on sex and she could believe he’d been a good student since she knew firsthand what he could do to a woman’s body. She climbed onto his bed naked and rolled over, going to the center where she thought he’d want her. Her attention locked on River, watching him undress.

  His body looked really firm, his muscles pronounced under that tan, sexy skin—an incredible man. He shed his jeans and she licked her lips at the sight of how aroused he could get without even touching her yet. His cock stood proud and jutted outward from his body. When he moved toward her it slightly swayed with each step. His knee hit the bed and the mattress dipped slightly before he reached for one of the chains he’d kicked loose earlier. His gorgeous eyes burned with lust.

  “I’m going to bind your ankles and wrists. You’ll have a little wiggle room but not much.” He didn’t look away from her as he maneuvered to grip her ankle, adjusted her leg so it spread open and her toes pointed toward the bedpost. “You’ll have some room to move your legs. That way they are easier to adjust when I’m playing with you.”

  Brit really liked the idea of him doing that. The man had a real talent for knowing how to touch her to get her really turned on and hot. “Okay.”

  The cuffs were lightly padded on the inside so when one encircled her ankle it was comfortable even though he adjusted them tightly. She wiggled her toes, feeling no pain, and nodded at him. River grinned and moved to lock her other ankle into another cuff.

  He crawled up the bed along the edge and hit the post. The chain and cuff fell downward and then he secured her arm. In minutes he had each of her limbs restrained, leaving her sprawled out and open. She moved on the bed, realizing that she could freely move them at least half a foot in each direction.

  “I can adjust them so you couldn’t move but I want you to learn to trust me first and then we’ll see if you’re ready for that.”

  “Okay.”

  He got off the bed and Brit tensed. “Where are you going?”

  He bent, reached under the bed, and she knew the answer. She heard the bag move on the floor and held her breath for a second as he pulled out his sex toys. Her heart hammered and she took deep breaths, trying to calm her libido, which suddenly flared to life. The zipper sounded loud in the room as he opened it.

  “I have a few things I’m going to use on you.”

  She silently wondered what items he’d get out, not willing to admit that she’d snooped through his bedroom. Minutes later he rose, smiled at her, and started to set objects on the edge of the bed. She had to crane her neck a little to see and her eyes widened.

  “That’s a big vibrator.”

  He chuckled. “Not really.”

  “I have a bullet one so yeah, that one is big.”

  He lifted it. “It’s six inches in length and an inch in diameter. I’m bigger so I know you can take it since you take me.”

  Her nipples hardened and her vaginal walls quivered. River moved between her spread thighs, holding it up for her inspection. It was black and curved a little at the tip. He held up a small vial of lube. His focus locked on it as he used his teeth to twist the cap off and coat the vibrator tip generously. He put the cap back on the lube and then dropped it next to his leg. His gaze lingered between her thighs.

  “Spread open for me a little more.”

  She wiggled a little and bent her knees, moving them as far apart as the chains would allow. He flipped the switch and the sound of the vibe had her tensing a little but then she relaxed.

  River rubbed the tip of the vibrator against her slit and then just pushed it inside her slowly but didn’t pause until it was firmly seated. She gasped, not expecting that. She’d assumed he’d play with her clit first to prepare her but as the vibrations strummed through her vagina she couldn’t exactly complain since the stimulation had her aching.

  He moved on the bed and reached for a small black box that Brit hadn’t investigated. She watched him open it, a grin spread across his lips, and then he withdrew something he kept hidden from her in his curled palm.

  “What’s that?”

  “Something
a friend of mine brought back recently from a trip overseas.”

  “What is it?” She lifted her head, attempting to see through his fingers.

  A chuckle came from River. “It’s a tiny vibrator. Hold real still, baby.”

  Brit had no idea what he’d do. She couldn’t see when he lowered to crouch between her thighs and his hair fell down, making a curtain of silky strands that tickled her lower stomach. His finger touched her clit and then she frowned as something pinched the little hood directly above it. The small sharp sensation made her hips jerk in response and then something cold touched her clit. She could tell it had to be some sort of metal. The next second she cried out in shock as vibrations hammered her clit strongly.

  “Oh God.”

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

  She stared into his eyes, having a hard time not closing her own, and bit her lip hard. The sensation became stronger and pleasure nearly overwhelmed her. River watched her and then softly cursed.

  “You’re so responsive that I’m sure you’re ready. You’ve got a sensitive clit, don’t you?”

  A moan was the only answer Brit could manage. She was going to come hard and soon. The sensations of both vibrators were too much, overloading her system. River softly cursed, grabbed the lube, and looked down. She followed his gaze and watched him coat his cock generously with the slippery substance. He just tossed the lube off the bed and lunged forward to grab another small black box with his ungreased fingers.

  A motor came to life and Brit found herself suddenly lifted by the chains. She realized the sound came from above, that he had some kind of electronic lift/pulley system hooked to those chains. Her body rose a few feet from the bed, holding her open, and then the ones on her ankles moved. The chain actually slid along the top corner of the canopy frame to the side of the bed, forcing her legs to spread open further. Her stunned gaze fixed on River.

  “It’s okay.” The motor cut off and he inched closer then shoved pillows under her back to support her weight. “You’re just at the right height.” He hesitated, dropped the remote, and picked up another one.