Reaching his hand out as he continues to read, he urges me over to him. With hesitance, I walk over and place my hand in his. "What are you doing?" I ask, honestly confused by the games he's playing with my head.
"I'm not going to cover your pain either, and I'm sorry because I know that's what you were hoping for."
Rather than spew the words that roll to the tip of my tongue, I digest his statement and the meaning of it. Raine pulls me onto the bed and positions within his arms as he continues to read. I rest my head on his bare chest, inhaling the fresh scent of soap while experiencing each of my senses come to life, one by one. I hear the fast beat of his heart as the heat of his chest burns through my cheek, and the comfort of being held like this immediately turns into my new favorite thing next to reading. "They kiss in the first chapter?" he asks.
I peer up at the printed words on the page he's reading. "Not everyone can resist the urge," I tell him. My words cause my pulse to match the speed of his pounding heart. Seemingly taking notice, he places the book down on the other side of him before rolling onto his side, gazing into my eyes. With the light pouring in through the window behind him, I notice the specks of teal peppered through the mocha coloring of his eyes. His arm lifts and sweeps around me as his hand finds the exposed skin on the small of my back where my jeans and t-shirt separate.
"I can understand that," he says, leaning down and touching his lips so lightly to mine, it almost tickles. "Your sweetness could heal me." Heal. He's homeless. I don't think I can fix that.
"I doubt that," I whisper into his mouth.
His lips press into my mine with more firmness as his nose glides against the side of mine. Our mouths move in small circles, fighting against one another's, battling, knowing there won't be a winner. My lips feel hot, and after a long minute of struggling for breaths, he gently pulls away. "You taste like orange juice," he mutters under his breath.
Left without words, I smile and rest my face down on the side of his arm. As he places a kiss on the top of my head, we slouch further into the bed as the feeling of calmness envelops me.
I close my eyes and inhale deeply as a vibrating sensation in his hand wrestles against my back, then moves around me through Raine's body like a zap of electricity. I snap out of my groggy state and sit up sharply to figure out what's happening. While I’m still confused, the vibration stops almost as quickly as it started. His hand and body still against my skin, and with worry, I look up into his eyes. "What—"
"It's okay," he says.
"But—"
"I get twitches sometimes. It's no big deal."
"That wasn't a twitch, Raine."
"That's all it is, okay?" he assures me.
I shouldn't be looking at him the way I am while trying to extract an answer I'm almost positive he won’t give me, but Raine is not telling me the truth. "Are you okay?"He just said he was okay.
"Haven," he says, running his fingers through my hair while residual twitches move through his fingers like dying currents. "I'm okay. I promise." I don't believe him, but the buzz from the dryer tells me I should drop it and obsess over this later, so I climb out of bed and pad down the hall with the tip of my finger pinched between my teeth.That wasn't a twitch.
My thoughts continue to spiral with erratic assumptions, concluding nothing that makes much sense. I pull Raine’s clothes from the dryer and carry them back down the hall, passing by the main foyer where I see Paula pulling into the driveway in her SUV. Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I run into my bedroom, finding Raine sitting up against my pillows, holding the book up again. "My housekeeper is here. I—I didn't think she'd be coming today with all the flooding. You have to leave." The urgency in my voice sparks his motivation to dress quicker than I've ever seen someone get dressed. It's less than ten seconds before he's running out of my room and in the opposite direction of the front door. He must know of the side door since that's the way I've come in and out each time I've seen him. My thoughts shouldn't be concerned with a missing goodbye as much as I should be concerned with—"
"Haven," Paula calls. "Whose boots are these?"
My heart stops beating. My throat swells, and I try my hardest to think of a good reason a man's boots are in the house—boots that most definitely do not belong to Dad.
Think. Think. Think. "Uh—" I shout. "I found the boots outside this morning so I brought them in to dry. I figured someone must have lost them in the flood." Not a good lie. I'm better than that.
Paula appears in my doorway, holding them. "Both boots were together, and someone lost them in the flood?"
"Weird, huh?" There is guilt in my voice and I can assume it’s written all over my face.
Paula eyeballs me and tilts her head to the side. "Why is the gardener's truck out front?"I can't think of anything to say.Paula's eyebrow raises about a half an inch. "Your parents would kill you, Haven."
"Yes, but…" I smile because Paula loves me. "It's not what you think—" Interrupting the snowballing lies, the doorbell rings.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Haven," she sings on her way to the front door. I follow silently behind her, worried for what's about to happen.
"Can I help you, Mr. Carson?" Paula addresses Raine.
"I just checked the back porch for any flooding damage. It looks like the Leighs have lucked out here. Is there anything I can be of assistance with? I'm checking with my customers to see if anyone needs help with damage control."
"Mr. Carson," she says, pausing briefly. "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"
Staying hidden behind the corner wall, I watch Raine swallow the invisible lump in his throat. "There's nothing worse than soaked boots, Ma'am."
"Well, do these belong to you?" she asks, holding the large black boots up in the air.
"They do. I left my boots on the front porch, hoping they might dry out a bit while I tended to the backyard." The lies are ridiculous, and she's not buying them. However, she hands Raine his boots with a small, knowing sigh.
"Well, thank you for checking in here. Good luck with the rest of your customers today."
The door closes after Paula's dismissive remarks, and my heart thumps in my chest as I race back to my bedroom. Expecting her to come question me some more about whatever she's assuming, I seem to get away without another word on the matter as she sets herself up in the kitchen.Thank you, Paula!
Looking out my window, I see Raine settling himself into his truck. He's looking toward my window, and I don't know if he can see me, but I hold up my hand, motioning for him to wait. I should consider myself lucky after almost getting caught with him, but Ididwant to say goodbye. I grab my rain boots from my closet and tread quietly into the hall and out the side door.
