“Do you have a problem staying on your feet?” he asked.
“You know, most guys would like a woman who constantly found herself on her back,” I retorted.
He snorted in laughter. “Touché. I prefer to be the one on my back, though,” he said as he offered me a hand up.
I couldn’t even grip his hand, I was laughing so hard. I managed to sit up and he sat next to me.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come by tonight,” he whispered once the laughter died down.
“I wasn’t sure I would, either. But I wanted you to know something,” I started. Baker sucked in a breath in anticipation, obviously expecting the worst. “I’m going to tell you what’s up with me. I know that sounds lame, but I will tell you. I just need a couple more days, okay?”
“Take all the time you need, Rainey. I don’t expect you to share everything with me. But the fact that you want to, even if you don’t know how, makes all the difference. I would wait a thousand years to listen to something you had to tell me.”
My heart clenched and I drew his face closer to mine, anxious to kiss him and end this conversation that was precariously close to turning even more serious. I set my lips on his and when he gathered me in his arms, I knew he agreed with me about the conversation. He tasted like beer and I moaned into his mouth, loving every taste of him. His hands went to my hair, grip p ing my head and pulling me closer.
When I put my arms around his waist, I realized belatedly that he was naked and I was completely dressed. I started to giggle.
“Something funny?” he asked, nibbling the fullness of my lower lip.
“Well, I’m still fully clothed and you’re…not,” I giggled again.
Baker laughed against me, his shoulders shaking my body. “Let’s remedy that, then,” he suggested, rising up off the floor and helping me stand.
When I was upright, he undid the button and zipper of my jeans, pushing the material off my hips and down my legs. I stepped out of them and he made his way back to me, his hands trailing softly across my body. Goosebumps formed on my skin and I shivered with excitement. He slowly unbuttoned my shirt, paying extra attention to the chest area. My nipples strained against the fabric as he rubbed them through it. He grinned at me, enjoying watching me squirm in his arms.
He finally finished and pushed my shirt off my shoulders, letting it hit the floor. I stood there before him, almost completely naked , and felt a little self-conscious. My body had never been perfect, and I still wasn’t used to having a smaller figure now, even though it had been a while since I lost the weight.
As if picking up on my reservations, Baker called my attention. “Rainey, look at me. You are so exquisite, so beautiful I can barely keep my hands off you whenever I’m near you. But your beauty has little to do with your looks and the most to do with this,” he said, putting his palm over my heart.
My throat closed. How had I been lucky enough to attract this man? He was absolutely perfect, my exact match in nearly every way. Baker would walk through the fires of H ell for me, if I asked him to. Tears welled up in my eyes and everything went blurry.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he said, wiping a tear from my cheek. “You are truly beautiful.” Baker slipped his arm beneath my legs and lifted me up in his arms. My hands went around his neck and I smiled at him. He walked around the bed, careful to avoid the killer sheet , and set me on the mattress. He jumped over me onto the bed, making us both bounce.
I laughed and more tears escaped my eyes.
Chapter Eight
Baker
I wiped more tears from her cheeks and smiled at her. Rainey was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’d ever encountered. She returned my smile and I leaned down to kiss her gently. Even though I was primed and ready for a romp in the sack, I wanted her to know that what was between us was more than just sex for me.
So I rolled onto my back and dragged her over to me so that her head was cradle d in the crook of my neck. Her left hand trailed down my chest toward my erection , but I grabbed her hand and brought it back up to my chest.
I kissed her forehead. “Let’s just enjoy each other’s company,” I suggested. I heard her sigh and smiled with satisfaction.
Whether she liked it or not, I would make her fall in love with me before the summer ended. And I’d make her mine forever. If that meant moving to LA with her in the fall, I was okay with that, too. The bar was stressful and I was positive I could find a job in LA without any problems. I shook my head at my thoughts. I hadn’t even told her I loved her yet and I was planning our future together. But I did love her.
I loved her so much my heart ached every time I looked at her pretty green eyes, every time I heard her infectious laughter – she was perfect. If she needed time, I was okay with it, but there was no way I was letting her go again. When she moved to LA, I wished I had the courage to tell her about the way I felt about her then, but it wasn’t meant to be…yet. Once she told me her news, I would tell her how much I loved her, how she was the sun in my life, shining her brightness into the dark recesses of my body and soul.
Rainey curled into me, rubbing her face across my chest.
“How do you always know the right thing to say?” she whispered with a sigh. Her eyes were closed and my grin widened as I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t. But it’s good that you think so,” I replied . Her body rumbled next to mine as she stifled a laugh. We fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
The next morning, I woke to fins her staring at me.
“Tell me something,” she demanded.
“Anything.”
“When I tell you, do you promise not to freak out?”
I didn’t answer her right away. The seriousness of her tone suggested she was completely serious, and although I had never freaked out about anything in my life, I wasn’t so sure I could make that promise.
“Define freak out.”
She laughed nervously. “You know, like tell me I’m an idiot or yell at me, or even… Leave me . ” S he looked somber and I wanted to smother her fears.
“Well I sure as hell won’t leave you, Rainey. We have a pretty good thing going, don’t you think?”
“I do. Which is why I’m worried that you’ll leave once you know,” she trailed off, her eyes closing again.
“If you’re dreading it so much, just tell me,” I demanded, angry with myself for already pushing the subject when I told her I wouldn’t. I just couldn’t help myself.
“I can’t.” Her voice broke and she pulled away from me, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her knees. She shivered.
“Rainey, you do realize that this isn’t just some damn summer fling for me, right?” I asked, as close as I would get to admitting that I loved her. “I want us to be together for more than just a few weeks in the sunshine.”
She turned to glare at me. “No, Baker. That’s not how this works. We only agreed to a summer fling and I am not about to get caught up in the idea that we could be together for any amount of time, because it’s just not possible!” She got up off the bed and threw on one of my T -shirts. It reached the tops of her thighs, effectively covering her body. When she turned back to me, her eyes were pools of emerald fire.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Chris Baker – I am in control of this relationship. I say when it ends, not you!” she spat. I knew I must look like an idiot, staring at her, slack-jawed and silent, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around her words.
Here I was, deep in love with this woman and she was pushing me away again, and there was nothing I could say to derail this tragic train wreck. So I let my anger get the best of me.
“Of course it is, Rainey. You’re wrong on one aspect, though – this isn’t a relationship . ” I stalked toward her and she covered her naked body protectively. I put my face close to hers and enunciated every word. “A real relationship doesn’t involve massive amounts of control by one person and forcing the other person to do whatever she wants
him to do. I’m not some brainless oaf who you can just push around. You don’t get to just make me fall in love with you and then stomp all over me like a heartless bitch!” I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door so hard the mirror shook.
I turned on the sink and splashed cold water over my burning face. My pulse raced and I stared at myself in the mirror, noting my left eyelid twitching uncontrollably. My breaths were ragged, my fists clenched at my sides so tight my fingernails bit into my palms. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten into her space. The worst part was, I didn’t have any excuse.
Anger was hardly a new sensation to me, but this fierce possessiveness I felt toward Rainey was novel to me. I was a self-proclaimed perpetual bachelor – when did I turn into some lovesick pup? I might not like it, but I could hardly do anything to control my feelings for her. She was an amazing woman and I was an ass for treating her that way.
With a deep breath, I shut off the running water and opened up the bathroom door, ready to apologize for my behavior.
My bedroom was empty. Even though my gut told me Rainey wasn’t somewhere else in the apartment, I searched the living room and kitchen anyway. She was gone.
Smooth move, Baker. Real smooth.
Chapter Nine
Rainey
I ran out of Baker’s apartment and had no idea where to go. My first reaction was to go to Mallory or Gabby, but they wanted me to be with Baker and they would probably side with him. Hell, they pretty much already had. And so had Luke. They all thought I should tell Baker and they pushed and pushed until I had broken.
I wasn’t in a place to make undying vows of love to Baker, even though he clearly had feelings for me. My shock at his announcement of falling in love with me had gone unnoticed as he continued his tirade. When he went into the bathroom, I booked it out of there as fast as I could, afraid of him. Not physically, of course. Baker would never lay a hand on me, but his love was fierce and demanding, two things I just couldn’t handle right now.
Maybe if you told him about the leukemia, he wouldn’t push so hard, a voice said in the back of my mind.
Shut up.
And now I was talking back to the voices in my head. I must be clinically insane. The leukemia was obviously messing with my brain function.
I blew out a labored breath and continued to run. I made a left on Standpipe Road and realized I was only a mile away from the farm house Wolfe was renting. I might not want to talk to someone, but the truth was, I needed a non-partial party to vent to. And since a therapist wasn’t available, Wolfe would be the next best thing.
Six minutes later, I knocked on his door and rested my hands on my knees on his porch, trying to regulate my breathing.
The heavy oak door swung open. “Rainey?”
“Hey, Wolfe,” I said as I looked up.
His tall stance was only barely framed by the door. He probably had to duck his head to go through the doorway and I smiled at the thought. I had never paid much attention to him before, mostly because he was Gabby’s husband, which meant he was off-limits. His green eyes were darker than my own, more aged and wiser. They were in stark contrast to his jet-black hair that was long enough to remind me of Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo cartoon I’d watched as a kid.
He smiled at me. “Come on in,” he said, pushing the screen door open with a loud creak.
“Thanks,” I replied. I wandered into his house and noticed it was not well lived in. There were no pictures hanging on the walls, no frames adorning the bookshelves that lined the far wall. There were, however, plenty of books. Aside from the bookshelves, paperbacks lined the two end tables and even the small round kitchen table.
“Sorry about the mess,” Wolfe mumbled as he cleared away some space at the table. I stifled a laugh as I watched him haphazardly carry an armload of books to the coffee table in front of the couch. “Please sit . ” H e gestured to the wooden chairs at the table and dropped a few books onto the floor.
“Do you want some help?” I moved toward him but his glare stopped me.
“Stay right there!” he commanded. He tried to ease the remaining books onto the table but finally got fed up and just tossed them on the couch. “Fuck it,” I heard him mumble. He turned to me with a smile. “Want something to drink?”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and laughed out loud. “Sure,” I managed to get out in between laughs and gasps for air.
Wolfe grinned and went to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and a beer. He held both out for me to choose. I grabbed the water and he popped the tab on his brew and plopped down in the chair next to mine.
“So what’s up, girl?” He took a long swig of his beer and then eyed me suspiciously.
“I don’t know. I just needed to vent to someone, and not the usual someone,” I confessed.
“Finally. Does this mean I get to know your secret?” he asked hopefully.
“How do you know I have a secret?” I was incredulous. I thought I hid it well.
“Oh, come on, Rain. You can’t be serious…” H e stared me down for a few moments, gauging my response. “Okay, first, you never drink, and when you do, it makes you sick. Second, you went to Boston for ‘work . ’” H e used air quotes around the word work. “Plus, you don’t seem all that healthy.”
I was ready to combat him verbally until he said that. “What? I’m at the lowest weight I’ve ever been,” I argued.
“That’s what I mean. Gabby has photo albums of you guys as teenagers and you look vibrant and healthy. Now, you sort of look like Joe did. Sallow and sickly.”
He spoke so matter-of-factly that I couldn’t reply right away. Obviously, I wasn’t hiding my illness as well as I thought.
“You’re right. I have leukemia,” I told him.
His brows rose. “I didn’t think it was that bad,” he whispered, pushing his beer away and grabbing my hand. “What are they doing for you?”
“Everything they can. It was controlled very well for a while, but now it seems to be back, although I haven’t confirmed that with the doctors yet. I was tested the other day but haven’t heard back yet,” I explained.
“Have you told Baker?”
“No.”
“Why not?” he questioned.
“I’m not sure,” I answered. It was the most honest answer I had. I didn’t really know why I was so adamant that Baker not know exactly what was going on with me.
“Well, you probably ought to tell him. Imagine if you died and he never knew the truth.”
“Wolfe! That’s a little rude,” I reprimanded him. I pulled my hand away from his grasp.
“Bullshit. That’s the real world. How would you feel if he had cancer and never told you and then he died one day without ever telling you the truth? You’d resent him,” he said.
I looked away from his burning eyes, knowing he was right. I fidgeted with the paper label of my water bottle and bit my lip. He was right, of course. I didn’t want to admit it to him, but his words were plain as day.
“I’m not trying to be an ass, Rainey . ” Wolfe reached over and squeezed my hand again. “I’m just pointing out what it would be like for you if the situation was reversed.”
Tears pricked my eyes and I blinked them away. I glanced up at him and saw no pity, only understanding. He was a man who had lost the one woman he wanted in life, so he knew exactly how Baker would feel if he lost me. My heart flip-flopped in my chest at the thought of Baker mourning me. He would never forgive me, or himself, for that matter.
“You’re right,” I whispered. I put my head in my hands and let the tears fall.
I could feel Wolfe’s growing awkwardness as I cried in front of him. He patted my back uncomfortably while I sobbed. If I wasn’t so dejected and depressed, I might find it hilarious that Wolfe was trying to soothe me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stare at the ceiling while he pet my shoulder like he would a cat.
I wanted nothing more than to be alone, but I was grateful for Wolfe’s presence. His odd
way at comforting me was actually working. My chest ached with the weight of a thousand pounds, but the tears eventually slowed and stopped. I rubbed my puffy red eyes and chanced a glance at him.
Wolfe smiled at me. “Better?”
“Actually, yes,” I replied.
“Thank God,” he groaned, pulling his hand away from me and walking over to the living room to fetch a box of tissues. He handed them to me and leaned against the counter in his kitchen while I wiped the tears away in an attempt to not look like I’d just been crying.
“How do I look?” I asked him, planting a weak smile on my face and staring at him intently.
Wolfe didn’t miss a beat. “Gorgeous,” he responded with a straight face. I could see the glimmer of a smirk under his serious expression , though.
I burst into laughter. “You are something else,” I said, more tears squeezing out under my eyes. At least these weren’t the depressed tears.
“I try,” he commented. He walked over to me and pulled me up to stand. He wiped away a stray tear from my cheek and looked me in the eye. “Are you okay?”
The concern in his voice coupled with the fear in his eyes had me smiling at him. “I’m fine, Wolfe. I will eventually get through this. And I will tell Baker,” I promised.
He nodded at me and pulled me in for a hug. We stood there for several minutes and I let go of all the stress I‘d been holding tightly to over the last few weeks.
Joe’s death had been particularly difficult for me, mostly because it made me realize my own mortality. Add the stress of a new relationship, even with someone as easy-going as Baker, and I was bound to have a breakdown sooner or later. Now I just needed to get back to Baker’s place and apologize to him. Then I would tell him everything. No more running.
I pulled away from Wolfe. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Anytime.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Now go tell him the truth,” he encouraged.
Broken Dreams (Broken Series) Page 6
