Several songs later, the trio joins the table laughing and sweating. Raina grabs her water, draining the glass, before taking sips of her mojito, trying to cool down.
Seth leans back in his chair, “I’ve missed you guys, you have to come visit me in Boston, I have a killer suite overlooking the city.”
“Doesn’t every big shot marketing specialist?” Raina teases.
“Nah, only the best ones,” Seth quips as Sara smacks his arm.
Seth takes a long sip of his drink, “Seriously, all of you need to visit soon.” He turns to Kas and Chase, “I can get you tickets to whatever game you want. The perks are the best part of the job.”
“We’ll take you up on that,” Kas promises.
Raina pulls her long hair into a ponytail, “It’s unbelievably hot in here!”
Kas holds back a needy groan when he takes in her flushed cheeks and sweat slickened skin. Tracing his finger down her neck, he wishes it was his tongue, “I’ll get you some more water.”
“Thanks,” she calls out to him as he makes his way back to the bar. Taking another sip of her mojito, she finishes the drink that was mostly ice.
Sara slides her margarita to her, “Here, I’ll share until he gets back.”
Raina takes a small sip, not wanting to drink too much but wanting to quench her thirst. Sara takes a quick sip herself before grabbing her friends again and dragging them back out onto the dance floor.
Chase studies Raina, relieved to see no residual effects of her last encounter with Chris apparent in her tonight. Taking a swig of his beer, his eyes darken. The realization of how close she came to losing her life that night is sobering. He’s still amazed at how Chris was able to remove the monitor without alerting the authorities. Pete’s still working on how Sutton did it. His thoughts slip to Evan Parker, and he grips his mug tighter. Both are geniuses, both malevolent. Seeing her being just another twenty-one year old tonight is refreshing. He takes another sip of his beer, musing about how she deserves this night, how she needs this night.
“They’re already back out there?” Kas asks, setting the water and another mojito on the table.
“Yep, I can’t tell who’s torturing who more,” Chase states quietly.
Kas doesn’t miss Chase’s meaning. Searching the crowd for them, his body reacts involuntarily when he spots Raina. Her slick, creamy skin is glistening in the flashing lights. Her eyes are the brightest jade. The long auburn mane is bouncing back and forth with every move of her sensuous body. When she throws her head back in a fit of laughter, he can’t take anymore.
He’s a man on a mission as he walks onto the dance floor. He reaches her, grabs her by the waist, and spins her around. The surprised look in her eyes ignites a wildfire, and he pulls her body flush to his, his hard torso pressing against her soft, slender stomach, “Dance with me.” His words are more of a command than a request, and she eagerly obeys.
Sara smiles at her friend, happy she has Kas in her life. Her gaze shifts to Chase, and she feels a strong tug in her chest causing her smile to widen. Having Chase in her life has changed everything. Her meeting him has uprooted every dream she ever had of taking on New York until it lays at her feet. She has never been more grateful for discarded dreams.
Seth holds up his hands. “I need a break,” he states breathlessly.
Sara slips her arm through his and heads back to the table.
The rigorous tempo finally slows and Kas pulls Raina closer to him, sliding his hand against her back. The damp cotton of her shirt is pressed against her skin from the heat. He can feel her heavy breaths against his chest, and he brushes his lips against the corner of her eye, tasting her sweet, salty flavor. He can’t help but smirk when she scoots even closer to him, sliding her thumb through his belt loop as her fingers on her other hand brush against his neck. Usually shy and reserved in public, he can tell that she’s had more to drink than she realizes. He had noticed the empty mojito on the table when he returned. I should’ve warned her. The slow song ends too soon, and he wraps her hand in his, leading her back to the table. Handing her the glass of water, he pulls her chair out for her before taking his seat.
Seth bumps Raina with his elbow, “Man, I forgot to tell you! I ran into Professor Shawny earlier today. He’s still pissed, and I’m still guilty by association.”
Sara spews the sip of margarita she just took across the table, laughing hysterically at the memory, “That man hates us. I swear the only reason I got a C in that class is because of what you did, Rain.”
“What did you do?” Kas asks, his interest highly piqued.
Raina blushes and takes a quick sip of her mojito.
Seth answers for her, “She put him to shame in front of the dean in a room full of students and colleagues. I will never forget the look on his face, it was priceless!”
The scarlet blush on her cheeks deepens, and Raina absently takes a gulp of her minty drink, trying to think of a way to change the subject.
“Sip the mojito, it’s small, but it will sneak up on you quick, sweetheart,” Kas states, then realizes she’s already too buzzed to pay any attention to him now. Suppressing a grin, he asks again, “What did you do?”
Raina shrugs, “I didn’t mean to.”
“You didn’t mean to what?” Kas inquires, his expression eliciting more information.
Sara jumps in, “First, you have to understand Professor Shawny’s mentality. Let’s just say that the man has an extremely healthy self-regard.”
“What she’s trying to say is, he’s an arrogant ass who loves to show off his intellect on every occasion he gets,” Seth interjects.
“So, he doesn’t take too kindly to the students who he finds as rivals. He goes out of his way to make them look inferior,” Sara states.
“Why does the university allow that kind of behavior?” Chase asks.
“I doubt they’re even aware of it. No student has dared challenge him directly that I’ve ever heard of. Well, not until Rain did,” Sara responds, smiling proudly at her friend who takes another self-conscious sip of her mojito, wanting to slide beneath the table, not recalling the memory anywhere nearly as humorous as Seth and Sara find it.
Kas leans towards Sara, the curiosity of exactly what his tenacious wife did intriguing him. Sara looks at Seth and laughs again before continuing, “Shawny has been published in a variety of prestigious magazines which he has flaunted in his classroom on numerous occasions. Any time a student shows too much promise, he creates an equation that’s nearly impossible to decipher, then has an open forum for students to try to work it. I can’t tell you how many students have tried and failed. The first day Raina came to the university, the dean was showing her around campus, and Professor Shawny had one of his infamous forums going on. When she walked into the room and the dean introduced her, praising the academic accomplishments she had received by the tender age of sixteen, Shawny saw fresh prey and went in for the kill.”
Seth elbows Raina again, “Your girl here naively took the bait. She walked up to the board all shy and innocent, her face about the shade of red it is now, and studied the problem for a few minutes. The smug grin on Shawny’s face disappeared faster than Sara’s money at a Coach sale.”
“Hey,” Sara protests, smacking him on the back of his head.
“Raina turned around and told Professor Shawny that it couldn’t be solved because the equation wasn’t correct. The man’s back was as straight as a board when he examined what Raina pointed out. When he realized she was right, his face was so pale, I swear I thought he was going to puke right there when Raina corrected the error, then solved the problem. The dean beamed at her, and Professor Shawny mumbled very insincere congratulations as he quickly excused himself from the room. The classes for the next month were unbearable,” Seth chuckles, “the class was divided between the students worshipping her and downright loathing her.”
“I had no idea it was his equation,” Raina explains, the unpleasant memory still sharp. Othe
r than Seth and Sara, who took her under their wings, she doesn’t remember many good wishers, only the evil stares over the next few weeks. When Chris enrolled a couple of years later, the notoriety was still buzzing, which is how she ended up meeting him after he sought her out.
Kas’ laughter halts when he sees the expression on Raina’s face as she downs the rest of her drink, trying to hide behind the glass. Grabbing her hand, he kisses it, “Dance with me.”
Extremely grateful for the distraction, Raina jumps to her feet, swaying a little. Kas places his hand behind her back to steady her, “I told you those drinks will sneak up on you, sweetheart. You alright?”
“Fine. Let’s go,” she blurts out, taking the lead to the dance floor.
A retro mix blares so loudly Raina can feel the vibrations in her chest. The flashing lights scatter rapidly across the dance floor, lighting up faces too fast to be able to make out features. For a second, her head spins, but when she feels Kas’ hands around her waist, everything falls back into place again. She begins to move, and the hungry look in her husband’s eyes incites her, causing her body to find the rhythm and match its beat. Feeling braver than she’s ever felt before, she lets herself go, for once not over thinking every move she makes or every thought that pops into her overanalyzing head. She allows herself to just be in the moment, to feel each and every second.
Letting his fingers explore, Kas slides them underneath the hem of her shirt, just barely skimming the skin above the waist of her jeans. Wanting to feel more, but not wanting to tempt her or her lowered inhibitions in the crowded club, he explores no further. Chase, Sara, and Seth slowly make their way close to them, and Sara loops her arm through Raina’s, “Girl, you’re rockin’ it tonight.”
“I love this music,” Raina states, giggling.
“I’m thinking it’s the mojitos that you’re loving right about now,” Seth quips.
Raina turns back to Kas, throwing her arms around his neck, “I feel so . . . free!”
Chapter Five
“I feel like I’m going to die,” Raina groans. Her head is hovering over the toilet as Kas holds her hair off her face. The dreadful feeling of nausea rips through her again, and, somehow, more contents spill from her empty stomach. The feel of the cool, wet cotton Kas holds against her forehead provides little reprieve from her heaving, and she takes the washcloth to wipe her mouth before flopping down onto the floor. The cold tile feels so good against her cheek. She would be perfectly content spending the rest of her life on that floor, especially since the room seems to be on a merry-go-round.
“C’mon, darlin’,” Kas whispers, soothingly shooshing her whimpering protest as he lifts her off the floor, into his arms, and carries her to the bed. “Sleep, baby,” he whispers, brushing his lips against her cheek. He hears her mumble something incoherent before she rolls over and is out.
Removing her shoes and tugging at her jeans, he gets her to where she can sleep comfortably, even though he’s fairly sure she’s not feeling anything at the moment. Shedding down to his snug briefs, he slides onto the bed next to her. Pulling the sheets to her chin, he runs the back of his fingers softly across her cheek before closing his own eyes.
“Wake up, beautiful,” Kas whispers, nuzzling his freshly shaven face against her buried neck.
A low groan is heard underneath the auburn mound topping her face. The light attacks her when Kas brushes the hair away from her eyes, and she groans again.
“C’mon, darlin’, we have to go to work.”
Squinting from the harsh light, Raina slowly slides into a sitting position. Her head seems to be having difficulty deciding between the percussions and the drumline. Her mouth feels like someone snuck in and filled it with dry cotton last night.
Kas lowers the lights and hands her a plate of dry toast, a glass of water, and two aspirin, “Take a few bites before taking the pills.”
Raina glares doubtfully at the toast but takes a small bite. Waiting a few seconds to be sure it will stay down, she tentatively takes another bite. After a few more, she swallows the pills and finishes the water, wanting to clear away the fuzz in her mouth. Feeling Kas shift on the bed, she can’t bring her gaze to meet his. Putting down the glass on the bedside table, she fumbles nervously with her fingers before making herself look at her husband. When she sees only love and empathy in his eyes, she feels worse. “I’m sorry.”
Kas slides his thumb across her knuckles, knowing this was coming with her father’s issues tainting her views, “For what?”
“For getting drunk,” she whispers, her voice full of regret.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Raina.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. You’re very inexperienced with alcohol, and I should’ve warned you earlier. Besides, you were with me and other trusted people, it’s not like you went to some party and got wasted with a bunch of people you barely know.” Kas’ expression turns stern, “Now, if that happened, this conversation would be very different.” Seeing the doubt still lingering in her eyes, he takes her chin in his hand, his expression and voice softens, “Rain, you’re human, I don’t expect perfection from you. I don’t want perfection from you.”
Raina gives a weak smile, and Kas decides to kill the fear that is worrying her the most, “Lighten up on yourself a little, I don’t think any less of you, sweetheart. You are not your father, and I don’t want you ever worrying that you are anything like him, do you understand?”
She nods softly.
Leaning closer, he presses his lips gingerly to her forehead, “The shower will help.”
Raina slides off the bed, eager to try anything to make her feel better. Her head pounds as she steps underneath the warm spray. Why would anyone ever get drunk a second time?
The sunglasses aren’t nearly dark enough on the drive to the agency. Kas leaves the radio off and gives Raina a sympathetic smile as he pulls into the parking deck, “Today’s gonna suck. Tell Erik to keep the disco out of the office.”
Slipping off her glasses, she takes a deep breath, sucking it up. She realizes it’s time to pay the piper for last night. “I’ll break his computer if he even thinks about playing any heavy metal today,” she only half teases.
Kas pushes open the door for her and follows her inside to his office. Austin is waiting at the door, “Hey Rain, Lawson’s looking for you. He had to run an errand but will be back soon.”
“Thanks,” she mumbles.
“What’s with you?”
“Sorry, I just had a little too much fun last night.”
Austin cracks up, “You have a hangover?”
“I’m glad you find that so amusing,” she smirks, taking the offered coffee he hands her, “thanks.”
“Looks like you need it worse than me,” he teases. Placing his arm on Kas’ shoulder, he shakes his head, “Our girl’s all grown up now.”
Kas can’t keep his smile at bay.
“Traitor,” Raina playfully jabs, heading towards the stairs, not near brave enough to try her stomach with the lurch from the old elevator.
Mercifully, Erik hasn’t yet made his musical choice of the day, and Raina bribes him with lunch at his favorite restaurant if he promises to give her a break. Calling Lawson, she leaves him a message, letting him know she’s there whenever he gets back.
Raina opens her laptop and fires it up, “I want to test the new algorithm I’ve been working on.”
“I hear a strong ‘but’ in there,” Erik frowns.
“I need to be sure that I go in undetected, which means I need to try it out on someone’s account that knows how to look for intruders.”
“You want to hack into my personal system?” Erik says with an amused grin.
“Yes, and I need you to be looking for me when I do.”
“Alright, girl, give me your best shot.”
“Have anything on there you want to warn me about first?” she teases.
“About a million things, but y
ou’re a married woman now, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
The scarlet flush on her cheeks induces Erik’s fit of laughter, “I’m kidding! Well, for the most part anyway.”
Raina begins, nervousness joining the sickening flutter that the hangover left in her stomach. Carefully, she pulls up Erik’s personal files, painstakingly accessing them one by one. Several minutes pass, “Anything yet?”
“Nope. I don’t know if that should make me excited or seriously pissed off. I’ll forgive your intrusion if you do me a favor. When you get to the file Susanna set up with new recipes, delete it. I’ve been trying to think of a way to rid myself of her experiments for months. This gives me the perfect excuse.”
“Already passed that one,” she laughs, “the chicken marsala looks really good.”
“Yeah, but there’s a huge difference between your cooking and hers. The girl can write a musical masterpiece, but when it comes to food, she really needs to stick to take out.”
“Okay, I’m all done, with the exception of saving your palette.”
Erik shakes his head, the grin on his face widening, “Not even a peep. You have impressed me again, girl.”
“Don’t be impressed, not yet. We need to set up some serious firewalls. I’m talking Presidential covert protected files firewall kind of set-up.”
“It’s going to be a long Saturday isn’t it?”
Suppressing a groan, she nods, “A very long Saturday.”
It’s 5:30 p.m. when Lawson pulls Raina from the tedious anti-hacking mission that she hopes to blow all to pieces when testing the algorithm. She meets with him and his team, going over the details of the op they’re leaving for on Monday. Kas sits in on the meeting, which would be considered normal seeing as he’s the head agent over the trafficking department, but everyone knows his presence is for more personal reasons.
After the Rain Page 7
