28
Haven
"You don't haveto worry," I say, stumbling out of the bar, "I can get my own room tonight." I reach into my small purse and pull out eighty dollars, handing it back to him for the money he lent me last night. "Here."
"What's this?" he asks.
"The money from last night?" I question.
"You can keep it," he says.
"No," I say, placing my hand on his arm. "Don't worry. This money isn't mine." With a raised brow and a small grin, he questions me without saying a word. "Daddy's?"
Before the word completely seeps from my mouth, Raine takes the wad of cash and stuffs it into his pocket. "You should have led with that."
"My apologies," I offer, with a cunning eye roll.
"You really think it's a good idea to stay in your own room tonight?" he asks. "This place is known for getting break-ins and shit."
"I'll be fine," I assure him.
"Oh yeah? What method of self-defense would you use?" Raine teases as he places his arms tightly around my chest from behind before placing a kiss on my cheek. “How would you get out of this one?”
"I know self-defense," I lie. “And if I wanted to get away from you right now, I would.”
He releases his hold and twists me around, pulling my body into his as he stares down at me. The look in his eyes softens, and it makes my heart liquefy into tiny exploding bubbles. “But I still think you’re kind of hot,” I tell him.
“I still think you’re cute as a button,” he plays into our memory. “Though, at your ripe old age of twenty-three, you’re also the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He leans down, sweeping his hand across my cheek, and curls his fingers around my ear as he closes the space between us. His fingertips press tightly into the back of my head, and his other arm wraps around my back, holding me so tightly against him, I feel like I may run out of air. He works his lips so meticulously over mine, it’s hard to believe so much time has passed since I allowed myself to feel this way. A quiet moan escapes his throat and vibrates into my mouth, sending shock waves down the length of my body. When he pulls away, and I’m chasing my last breath, a small smile pinches at his lips. “You are my weakness, always have been. I wanted to hate you as much as I hated your father, but from the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew I was doomed. There’s nothing in this world that could make me hate you—a shitty father, a little white lie, or wrong decisions—none of it holds a flame to the good I feel for you, the good that I know is inside you.”
My hand feels shaky as I touch my fingers to my tingling lips. “Neither of us asked for the life we were born into, or the way we were brought up...that’s what we have in common. That’s our connection. It can be the strength between us.”
He curls his arm around my neck and pulls me into his chest. “You’re something else, you know that?”
“Oh, I’m aware,” I laugh softly.
“Still want your own room tonight?”
“Maybe it’s best...just until things get sorted out. The last thing I want to do is cause you more trouble right now.” I hurt him once because of my selfishness, and I refuse to do that again. I feel too much for him to risk anything like that.
"Okay, I get it," he sighs. "But, I'm not sure you could even fend off a big spider if it broke in."
"That's ridiculous," I argue.
He doesn't continue the disagreement as we walk into the motel's office. "Two rooms, please," I tell the aged woman. She looks back and forth between Raine and me, likely making up some story about us in her head, just like everyone else in this damn area.
She places the two keys down on the countertop, and I hand over the proper amount of cash, settling the bill for both of our rooms. Now knowing where the money is coming from, Raine doesn't argue.
We walk out through the broken glass door of the office and up the stairs. "Did you happen to find anything besides money today?" Raine asks.
I clutch my purse tightly to my side in response to his question. I found a lot of things with little meaning. There is one thing I'm unsure of, though. "I don’t know if it will be any help, but I'm not done looking yet."
Raine drops his arm from around my shoulders and steps in front of me. "Well, what is it?"
With a bit of hesitation, I let my purse slip down the length of my arm and open it nervously. I pull out a few papers and hand them over. Raine unfolds them as fast as his hands will move and studies them under the fluttering light above our heads. I hold my gaze steadily on the concentration flashing over his face, and I'm not sure if he's having trouble reading it in the dim light or if he doesn't know what he's looking at. It was the latter half for me, but one thing did stand out.
"Come inside for a minute," he says, looking down at the key in his hand. He walks ahead, two rooms down, and unlocks his door, allowing me to walk in first.
I step inside, finding a clean room, which is a pleasant surprise after checking into a room that wasn't clean last night.
