Raine

by J.C. Valentine

  Raine jumped out of the car without a second thought and rushed into the fray. Jarret was struggling with the wild woman, while the guy tried to strangle Jarret from behind. Grabbing a fistful of the woman’s hair, Raine wrenched her head back, eliciting a shrill scream of surprise.

  While Jarret focused his energy on subduing the man, she took care of the woman, throwing her to the ground. Sprawled on her back, the woman appeared stunned before rolling back onto her feet. She was preparing to spring back at her when the sound of police sirens approached.

  Giving her a dirty look, the woman collected her boyfriend and darted back into their apartment.

  “Are you okay?” Breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush, Raine looked Jarret over, seeing a few scuffs of dirt on his clothes, but no obvious damage. “I’m sorry that happened,” she apologized. She wanted to lie and tell him that this kind of thing never happened, that the whole scene was a fluke, but it did happen—more often than she wanted to admit.

  “Don’t.” The hard tone of his voice made her flinch, and she was surprised to find his furious glare directed at her. “Which one is yours?” She pointed to the apartment directly behind her, and he marched forward, grabbing her by the elbow and steering her toward it.

  Inside, Raine paused to catch her breath, her heart pounding in her chest as Jarret strode into the kitchen, his heavy footfalls like claps of thunder that filled her with worry, and the slamming of cabinet doors adding slivers of fear. “Where do you keep the garbage bags?”

  “Under the sink,” she called back, twisting her fingers together nervously. He emerged a moment later with the opened box and ripped several free, thrusting them at her.

  “You have five minutes. Pack what you need. Leave the rest.”

  Raine blinked several times before his meaning set in. “Jarret, I’m not leaving. This is my home.” She was backed against the closed front door in a heartbeat, Jarret’s body pinning her in place.

  “What the fuck were you thinking, jumping into the fight like that?”

  A tremor ran through her as Raine looked into his hard, pale blue eyes. “They were a-attacking you,” she stammered. Feeling cornered, she placed her hands against his chest, holding him away. Raw power rippled through the hard muscles hidden beneath his shirt and she knew that there would be nothing she could do if he decided to get violent with her.

  “I was handling it,” he growled. “You’re pregnant, Raine. What if that crazy bitch had hit you in the stomach. Did you ever think of that?”

  She hadn’t. She’d seen Jarret in trouble and she’d reacted. Shame washed over her as the reality that she’d just placed her baby in danger hit her. She swallowed hard, fighting back a rush of tears.

  “Your job is to protect that kid,” Jarret snapped, his eyes level with hers. He was so angry with her, that it caused a lump to form in Raine’s throat. “Now go pack your things. You’re not staying in this shithole another second.” Shoving away from the door, Jarret crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down, challenging her to disobey him.

  With the foul mood he was in, Raine had no intentions of crossing him.

  Clutching the bags to her chest, Raine took a shuddering breath and headed for the bedroom. As she crossed through the doorway, she paused. “Jarret?”

  “Yeah.”

  Looking down, she smoothed a hand over her rounded abdomen, feeling a tiny flutter in response. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t know whether the apology was meant for him, or the baby. Maybe both. No, definitely both. She’d been stupid to jump into that fight, and Jarret was right to be upset with her. If her actions had hurt her baby, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

  His voice gruff, Jarret said, “Four minutes, then we’re outta here.”

  ***

  She’d never packed so fast in her life. Being poor hadn’t afforded Raine many material possessions, but she was still surprised when she’d been able to fit everything she owned into three large garbage bags.

  Refusing to let her help, Jarret carried them all inside and set them on the floor of her new bedroom.

  He’d given her the largest of the rooms located at the front of the house. The gold tones weren’t what she would have chosen had she decorated it, but Raine wasn’t about to complain. It had an enormous bed, luxury linens, a massive television, a walk-in closet that would look empty even after she hung up all her clothes, and an en suite with a Jacuzzi tub. Compared to her apartment, this was pure luxury.

  “Are you sure you want me to stay here?” she asked for the tenth time since Jarret tossed her bags into the backseat of his SUV. This really was too much. Far more than she could have hoped or asked for since leaving her parents.

  Standing in the doorway, Jarret smirked. “If you try to leave, I’ll chain you to the bed.”

  “I guess that answers the question, then,” Raine laughed.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “No, I’m fine,” she said. He’d already given her too much and she was used to looking out for herself. To have someone like Jarret step in and take control felt, not wrong, but strange. Feeding her would just add to the weirdness, but despite her denial, her body had other ideas. Her stomach chose that moment to wake up and snarl. “Well, maybe a little.”

  “Settle in, and I’ll put something together.”

  After he left the room, Raine took a look around in wonderment. The room screamed money. Hell, who was she kidding? The entire property screamed money. She had to remind herself that this was only temporary. She couldn’t allow herself to get too comfortable. It would make it that much harder when it came time for her to return home where wealth and comfort didn’t exist.

  With a resigned sigh, she hefted the garbage bags and waddled them over, one by one, to the closet where she dumped them inside. She refused to hang up her clothes, refused to give in to the illusion of belonging here, in Jarret’s home.

  Closing the door, she made her way back downstairs.

  Jarret stood at the kitchen counter with the makings of sandwiches spread out around him. Music played from an iPod dock near the sink, and she smiled as she watched him bob his head and mouth the words to Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue.”

  Leaning her shoulder into the doorjamb, she tried to stay invisible while she enjoyed the show he put on. Jarret’s hands moved competently as he stacked meat and cheese onto the slices of bread and covered them with mustard in the shape of smiley faces. She couldn’t help her own smile as she observed him. Jarret was huge compared to her, all wide shoulders, thick build and hard attitude. But seeing him like this, so carefree, made him somehow more approachable.

  As he returned the items to the fridge, she ventured into the kitchen, biting her lip in amusement as the song changed to Hawthorn Heights’ “Ohio Is for Lovers” and his hips did a shimmy, shake deal.

  He’s too damn cute.

  “Holy shit!” Jarret’s hand flew to his chest, covering his heart when he turned to find her standing there on the opposite side of the counter. A grin split across her face, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How long have you been standing there?” he asked as he walked over and turned the music down.

  She looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think. “Oh, somewhere around Yellowcard.”

  His eyes squeezed closed briefly and he shook his head, realizing how much she had witnessed. “Oh, Godddddd,” he moaned.

  Raine’s smile widened until her cheeks ached. “I have to say, Jarett, I didn’t know you were a dancer.” His blue eyes glinted in warning as she picked up her sandwich and lifted one corner to peek inside. Turkey and cheddar. “You’ll have to show me how you do that wiggly hip thing.”

  “I’m going to regret bringing you here, aren’t I?”

  Fluttering her eyelashes, Raine bit into her sandwich and closed her eyes at the delicious flavors. Just one more thing to add to the list of things she’d been missing out on. “Keep making me lunches like this, and I promise your secret is safe with me.”r />
  EIGHT

  Raine’s car occupied the single space where his SUV normally sat in the garage, looking like a sparkling lump of useless silver metal and leaking oil onto the pristine concrete beneath it.

  Jarret had it towed in less than an hour ago, right after forcing the keys to his SUV into Raine’s hand and all but shoving her out the door so she’d make it to work on time. The girl didn’t know how to accept help. She resisted him at every turn, wanting to do everything herself, as if she had something to prove. He thought about earlier that morning, when he’d found her scaling the kitchen counter in order to reach a bowl to dump a can of peaches in. Apparently, it was her favorite meal. She’d scowled at him when he lifted her away and set her on her feet, handing her one with ease.

  Even now, the memory brought a smile to his lips.

  Maybe she did have something to prove, he conceded. What kind of parents kicked their pregnant daughter to the curb? Well, as long as she was under his roof, he was damned sure going to make sure she had all her needs met, and if she refused to accept what he had to offer? Well, he could out stubborn a mule every day of the week.

  “Playing grease monkey again, I see.” Jarret’s head jerked up and his brows furrowed at seeing his brother’s approach. Camron looked the car over, his mind working hard behind those blue eyes. “Isn’t this Raine’s car?”

  Wiping his grease-stained hands on a rag, Jarret folded his arms over his chest, bracing for an altercation. Two brothers, one girl. Sounded like the makings of a romance novel if you asked him. “It stopped running,” he told him, figuring there was no point lying. “I told her I would take a look at it.”

  Joining him, Camron peered into the open hood, careful to maintain a safe distance so he wouldn’t dirty his crisp white polo. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I just pulled it in, so I haven’t had much time to look it over.” He pointed to the ground beneath the car. “The oil plug is shot to shit, but that’s as far as I got. Figure I’ll start with that and work up from there.” Without the car running, and lacking the proper equipment, it was going to be a bit of trial and error until he got the thing running again, then the real fun could begin. Jarret loved working on cars—loved getting his hands dirty—something his pristine family had never understood.

  “Why didn’t you just have it dropped off at the garage?” Camron asked predictably, turning and leading the way into the kitchen. Digging in the fridge, he brought out two cans of diet soda and handed Jarret one.

  Because then he would have had to fix it right away. This way, he could take as much time as he wanted. But did Camron need to know that? Hell, no. Jarret shrugged. “Side project,” he said evasively, then took a healthy drink from the can, draining half its contents.

  Camron gave him a knowing look. “You trying to hit that, bro? I didn’t know you were into sloppy seconds.”

  Jarret bristled. “It’s not like that, and you need to watch your mouth. Have some respect for the mother of your kid.”

  Camron swallowed hard and pointed at him. “Alleged. And you can deny it all you want, but I’ve seen the way you look at her. It’s cool, bro,” he said as he crossed the room and dropped his now empty can into the trash. “You want to tap that, go for it. Maybe she’s into doing brothers.”

  Jarret’s vision mottled with red and he slammed his can onto the counter. Pop leaped from the open top and splattered over his hand and the surrounding granite. He didn’t even know why he was so angry, but he wasn’t in the mood to question it. “Damn it, Cam. How about a little decency. What did the girl ever do to you?”

  “What did she do to me?” Camron asked incredulously. “Let’s see. Aside from public humiliation and entrapment, I’d say accusing me of stealing her virginity is pretty damn reprehensible.”

  Jarret’s head jerked back in surprise. He couldn’t have heard that right. “What do you mean, accused you of stealing her virginity? Are you talking about rape? Did you rape her, Cam?”

  Camron’s eyes shuttered. “Hell. No. You weren’t there, bro. She was all over me. Yeah, I was her first, but she wasn’t complaining until she realized that I wasn’t coming back for seconds.” He took a seat at the bar, resting his elbows on the counter. “You know how girls are. She wanted more, and she got mad when she realized that I didn’t. She turned all fatal attraction on me after that. When I didn’t return any of her calls and avoided her at school, she showed up with the pregnancy thing.”

  Jarret’s head swirled, trying to make sense of this new information. Camron was his brother, and he couldn’t imagine him forcing himself on anyone. Not the guy who had girls falling at his feet at every turn. But he also had a hard time seeing Raine as some irrational, delusional person who would try to trap a guy because he didn’t return her affections. If anything, she struck him as a strong, independent type hell bent on carving her own path through life, even at her own peril.

  The truth lay somewhere between the two, but Jarret wouldn’t know what that was until he had a sit-down with Raine and heard her side of the story. Unsure what to say next, Jarret stared at his hands fisted in front of him. Thankfully, Camron’s phone buzzed and saved him the effort.

  “It’s Mom,” Camron said as he typed a reply. “She wants to know if you’ll be coming to dinner this weekend.” His gaze swept up to meet Jarret’s and a blonde brow arched up.

  “I don’t know…” Jarret hedged. Family dinners were a stuffy affair filled with prying questions and disapproving looks. He loved his parents, but he’d rather have a root canal than spend an hour at the dinner table with them.

  “You blew it off last month,” Camron reminded him. “If you do it again, Dad will have a fit and Mom will get another one of her headaches. You’d seriously leave your little brother to deal with that craziness alone?”

  Jarret’s head fell back on his shoulders and he stared up at the ceiling. “Always gotta play the little brother card.” He sighed. “Fine. You play dirty, but fine. Tell her I’ll be there.”

  Camron’s fingers danced over the screen once more, and then he tucked the phone away. Standing, he clapped Jarret on the back. “Thanks, bro. I owe you.”

  “Right. Mom and Dad won’t even know I exist,” Jarret insisted. “Not with their golden child sitting across from them.” Jarret may have been the first born, but Camron was the prized son. He did everything that was expected of him, following the path laid out before him without pause. Jarret was the black sheep in everything from his career choice to the hair on his head, and they never let him forget it.

  “You act like they don’t love you or something.” Camron shot him a pitying look.

  “Mom does, but the jury is still out on Dad,” Jarret muttered. Glancing at the clock, a jolt went through him when he saw the time. It was almost five o’clock and Raine said she was off at four. She would be back any minute. What would she do if she walked in to find Camron still there? Moreover, what would Camron do?

  The answer to that was easy. The Camron he’d seen at the graduation and again at the restaurant—the one he hardly recognized—would come out again. The last thing Jarret wanted to do was play referee or spend the rest of the night trying to soothe hurt feelings.

  He already wanted to touch Raine far more than was healthy. The night they first met, he’d been instantly attracted to her. If she hadn’t crossed his boundaries of personal space that night, pushing his panic button and setting him off kilter, he knew he would have kissed her—at the very least.

  But then he’d found out she was Camron’s. That still hadn’t stopped him from wanting her, but Camron’s ties to her were enough reason for him to maintain a modicum of distance, and he thought he could do it. But now that he’d given him the green light?

  Resistance would be damn near impossible.

  It wasn’t as if he planned to seduce her, but the thought was far more tempting than ever before. Already his lips tingled in anticipation of what it woul
d be like to kiss her. Would she be soft and sweet, or aggressive?

  Sweet, he decided. Everything about Raine was sweet, from her soft, silky hair to the gentle tone of her voice and, hell, even the way she smiled screamed gentle. But if Camron was still around when she got back, it would ruin everything.

  “I hate to rush you,” Jarret started, giving Camron an apologetic look.

  “No, it’s cool. I’m headed out anyway. Just make sure you’re on time to dinner Saturday. You know how Mom is—”

  “I’m home!” Raine’s voice froze them both in place, followed by the thump of the front door closing.

  “Dude, you really need to remember how to lock your doors.”

  Jarret’s expression pinched. “She has a key.”

  Camron’s head whipped around, his blue eyes wide. “A key?”

  Scrubbing his hand down his face, Jarret sighed. “It’s complicated, Cam.” He didn’t get to say any more before Raine appeared in the doorway.

  “Sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t hold you up if you had any plans, but I made a pit stop and found the cutest—” Her words broke off and she stopped in her tracks when she lifted her head from the plastic bag and caught sight of Camron standing there, his hands planted on his hips, his hardened gazed focused like a laser on her. “I... I…” Raine stuttered for a moment, before drawing in a deep breath and recovering herself. “I didn’t realize you had company. I’ll just head up to my room and put these away.”

  She was gone in an instant, but it was enough time for Jarret to catch the fear in her eyes when she looked into Camron’s, and Jarret wasn’t sure whether to attribute it to fear of the lies Camron claimed she’d spoken, or fear of him specifically for what he claimed he hadn’t done.

  “What the fuck, man. You moved her in?” Camron’s voice was shrill and piercing to his ears, and Jarret winced.

  “Just cool it, man.”

  “Do Mom and Dad know about this?”

  “No, and it’s none of their fucking business,” Jarret growled. Just because they bought the house didn’t change the fact that it was his. Hell, the title was in his name, but that didn’t stop them from thinking they still owned the place.