Besieged by Rain (Son of Rain #1) Read online

  Even if I hadn’t realized it at the time, that plan went out the window the moment I saw her pick up the magnolias. For all I knew she would scorch me the instant she saw me, but I still had to see her. Toweling myself off and dressing quickly, I formulated a plan in my mind.

  For better or worse, by the end of the next day, she would know that I was in town.

  Whether she liked it or not, I would make her talk to me.

  If it was possible, I would kiss her again.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MY PALMS GREW sweaty at the thought of what I was about to do. Evie was just yards away, and I was going to talk to her. I was going to plead my case.

  At least, I was going to if I could make myself open the damn door.

  All I had to do was walk inside the small variety store that held the CCTV camera that had given me Evie’s location and explain to her what I wanted.

  I just need closure, that’s all. Then I’ll be able to get her out of my head and move on.

  Maybe another kiss will help me clear her from my mind.

  I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t scared, but I was nervous. What if she recognized me and her first words were full of abuse? Worse, what if she didn’t recognize me at all? There was no way of knowing for sure either way until I got inside.

  It’s just a handful of steps and then pull the door open.

  Wiping my hands on my jeans, I spun away from the door at the last minute.

  I’ve got this. Time to man up motherfucker!

  I swallowed down my nerves as best as I could, swung around, and reached for the door before I could back out again. Any thoughts of just closing the door again disappeared when the ringing of a small bell announced my arrival.

  Evie dropped the paper in her hand and looked straight at me. Before she had a chance to hide her initial reaction, she jumped back from the counter, and her mouth formed a little O of surprise, which drew my attention for so many reasons. I looked over her body, which was all her and not disguised the same way her eyes and hair were.

  Maybe I’ll need to screw her to really get her out of my system.

  “How can I help you today?” The words were uttered as if I was a total stranger and yet they were almost enough to make me rush to her and declare every emotion I’d been harboring since her disappearance after our first kiss.

  Ignoring the errant thoughts that were already starting to force the blood away from my brain, I stepped forward and reached for the counter to support myself. “Did you get the flowers I left for you?”

  Despite seeing the confirmation she had with my own eyes, I wanted her to know that I’d seen the real her buried beneath the wig and contacts.

  She stared at me, wide-eyed and silent. I could practically hear her heart pounding against her chest from where I stood.

  Do I frighten her that much despite what she can do?

  “Will you please answer me?” I whispered. Being so close to her and having her completely disregard our history—limited as it was—was driving me crazy. As if I wasn’t already insane enough for tracking her down in Charlotte.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered and, for the tiniest moment, I wondered if maybe I’d been wrong. Not about the fact it was her. I was positive about that voice—it had haunted my dreams for so long after all. Maybe I was wrong about her recognition. Maybe she didn’t remember me. Or she wasn’t able to recognize me now. Then she met my gaze and, despite her ruddy brown contacts, I saw the plea for me to leave and the wide-eyed fear.

  “Sir?” I raised my eyebrow as her lack of regard settled over me. Her apathetic words stung more than they rightly should. If I’d gone to the effort of finding her, the least she could do was admit that she knew who the fuck I was. “Evie, please?”

  She stepped closer to the other side of the counter, close enough that I could feel the remnants of her radiated heat. I wanted to vault over the counter and draw her body against mine to see whether her warmth truly felt as wonderful as my fantasies made it seem—at least in the seconds before it turned to scorching fire.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

  I glanced over my shoulder at the security camera I knew was watching us. It was the reason I’d finally had the opportunity to try to exorcise the demons she’d created within me, but it could also be the reason I had to leave again in a hurry. My family could easily find me, the same way I found her, if I wasn’t careful. If they tracked me the same way, it wouldn’t be good for her health or my sanity.

  “Not here,” I said. “Can you meet me later?”

  She gave a tiny shake of her head, and I had to fight back the growl of frustration. Didn’t she understand? I’d come all this way. I’d put in years of effort trying to find her, and she wanted to dismiss me with a shake of her head.

  It wasn’t enough.

  I wouldn’t accept it.

  She had to talk to me; she owed me that much for making herself so unforgettable. I reached out for her wrist, trying to slow my heart rate, which had spiked with the fantasy of her heat pressed against my body.

  “Please?” I begged through my constricted throat. “I just want to talk to you.”

  “No.” Her voice was forceful, but there was an undercurrent in her tone that I couldn’t identify.

  “Please?” I needed to talk to her to try to work out her hold over me, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t. Now that I was near to her again, her presence called my attention.

  “I—I can’t.” She seemed afraid—genuinely frightened—of me.

  I was standing before her, almost unarmed, asking her to meet with me in private—something that could easily get me killed—and she was afraid.

  My hate-filled words must have affected her more than I could have ever dreamed. I moved closer to her, tugging lightly on her arm to guide her to me. Almost the instant I touched her, she leaned forward against the counter so that her face was inches from mine. I tried to push thoughts of her lips and her tongue moving in perfect synchronicity out of my mind; it wasn’t helping my sanity or control in that moment.

  “I understand why,” I murmured, the proximity to her body stealing away any volume I hoped to have. “But I’m not going anywhere until you do.”

  Her eyes closed off to me, staring vaguely into the distance, and she yanked her hand from my grip as she nodded. It wasn’t the type of agreement I’d wanted, but I would take it. Maybe I could use it to convince her of my true intentions—if only I knew what they really were.

  WHILE I waited for Evie to finish work, I hiked the path between the shop and her house at least fifteen times. Each time, I kept my eyes open for the best place to approach her.

  I wanted her to feel as at ease as possible, but I didn’t want to give her the opportunity to spot me too early either. If I stood somewhere that she could easily see me, it was likely that she would quickly change direction and, as I’d learned when she fled from under the magnolias in Ohio, she could be pretty fucking fast when she wanted to be.

  Once I found the perfect place, just out of sight around the corner near the railway line, I loitered underneath an awning in front of a small shop. Unless she was planning on walking the long way round, she’d have to come past my spot, but after that there were a number of different routes she could take. It was impossible to guess which one she’d choose.

  While I waited, I tried to calm my racing heart and restless nerves.

  If my family could see me—witness the hold she had over me—they’d be disgusted.

  It had barely been two weeks since I’d left them, and I didn’t know how much longer I would have before they’d be expecting my return because I hadn’t really given them a solid reason for leaving. All I’d explained to Eth was that Ben’s capture by the doppelganger had reminded me of the hours I’d spent helping Lou and that I needed a break before the next case. I’d even convinced him that I didn’t want to do anything special for my birthday. At the time, I’d had my own birthday present
planned, and although it was a few days late, I was at least on the path to receiving it.

  Then I’d disappeared off the radar.

  The reality was that Eth was probably the only one I needed to be concerned about in the short-term. Lou was busy helping Ben through his issues, and Dad wouldn’t probably even notice I was missing—he’d no doubt just assume that I was spending hours locked away with my precious computers. More often than not, he made certain to remind me how much of a burden I was to him—especially with my changed attitude as my guilt over letting Evie get away ate at me. He’d tried to get me to channel my attitude into other paths, even going so far as to push me toward Assessor training to get rid of me—I’d taken in what I could but didn’t like spending too much time around the crazy bastards.

  Despite the other distractions, my lie would probably only buy me a few more days until at least one member of my family tried in earnest to find me. If I was lucky, I might have a week or two before they appeared on my crumbling doorstep, but I hoped that would be just long enough to have a proper encounter with Evie and finally free my mind of her influence.

  If only I could get her to stop running from me so we could have a proper conversation.

  And maybe even something a little more . . .

  I huffed as my frustration built within me again. There would never be anything more until Evie understood that I wasn’t there to hurt her. If I’d wanted that, if this was just a standard case of tracking a normal monster, I would have bagged my kill and been halfway home by now. The thought sickened me when applied to Evie though. I didn’t want to hurt her and I damned sure wanted to ensure I didn’t give her reason to hurt me. If I startled her, I might very well end up as a charcoal smear on the pavement.

  It’s probably best not to startle her.

  When I spied the brown curls of her wig bounce past me, I pushed myself off the wall I’d been loitering against and walked toward her. My steps naturally fell into rhythm alongside hers.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said, trying to keep my voice as even and non-threatening as possible.

  She held her arms tightly across her chest and walked faster.

  “We have nothing to say to each other,” she hissed back at me. “Besides, I think you made yourself clear the last time we spoke. If you’re here because of some sick sense of duty, just do it and stop tormenting me already.”

  Do it? Do what?

  I needed her to stop moving.

  Damn it!

  What was going through her head? I needed to know so I could get things straight in mine. Plans, ideas, and self-preservation flew out the window as I grabbed her arm and used my hold to guide her into a small alley that ran behind the shop I’d been waiting near. I led her close to the wall and did the only thing I could—pressed her against the wall. Gripping her hands in mine, I pinned them above her head.

  In response, anger flashed in her eyes and her body warmed noticeably. Or maybe it only felt like it had because I was finally where I needed to be, if only to erase the desire from my mind. With the words I’d hurled at her rushing through my head, I finally voiced the apology that I owed her—even though duty dictated that I shouldn’t. “I’m sorry for what happened that day . . . I can’t even tell you what’s been going through my mind since then.”

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and I moved closer to her; my eyes focused on her full, inviting lips.

  She opened her eyes again and when she did, fire raged in their depths. She was talking, but I could barely comprehend a word she was saying. It seemed to be something about monsters and groups. Instead of focusing on the words, it was the shape of her mouth forming those sounds and the enticing movement of her tongue behind her teeth that forced my captivation. I was almost as hard as the brick wall we were leaning against.

  Everything about her screamed out to my boyish desires. Even the little bow of her top lip seemed to be an arrow pointing to her plump pout. I was barely able to resist the siren call of her mouth a moment longer. I yearned to crash my lips to hers and taste her on my tongue again.

  For close to two years, I’d dreamed about what our next kiss might be like. I had imagined kissing her firmly and kissing her gently. I’d fantasized about recreating our first kiss and also about pushing myself so tightly against her that we would be in danger of fusing together.

  “I know why they sent you and what you’re here to do,” she said, her tone low and dangerous.

  The words surprised me enough to snap me out of my lust-induced haze. They were issued with such a combination of defiance and fear, it was almost endearing. Or would have been if her fear wasn’t enough to kill me.

  “You really don’t,” I said to try to ease her mind.

  “You made your feelings about me perfectly clear last time.”

  Guilt ate at me. Just as I’d assumed when I’d watched her reaction to the magnolias I’d left, she had obviously spent the better part of the last two years thinking I hated her. That I would have killed her given half a chance. Maybe I would have if I’d known sooner, but I couldn’t. I wanted to set the record straight, but I didn’t know how to do it when the words I’d already uttered had failed to make her see.

  She thrust out her chin with a look of defiance printed on her features—clearly ready to fight to the death. I hoped we could avoid it coming to that, but I didn’t know how to make her see—how to show her that I wasn’t there to destroy her.

  Whether it was from anger or fear, I didn’t know, but her bottom lip quivered, and the sight drew my gaze. I longed to suck on her pout, to hear her moan against my mouth, and to wrap my body around hers. It was then that I saw the best way to force her to understand. It wasn’t through the use of words to tell her how I felt, but actions to show her what I needed.

  Please don’t let this go badly!

  “Why don’t you stop wasting both our time and just do it already!”

  Before she’d even got the words out fully, I leaned forward, and my tongue stroked her lower lip. A sharp indrawn breath and still body warned me that shock held her in its grip. It didn’t matter though; I became a man possessed. The tiny taste wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy the hungers that had burned in me for so long. My breath rushed from me in a sharp exhale as every part of me gave into the emotions that roiled within.

  I barely gave her the opportunity to resist before I pressed my lips against hers with an almost punishing force. With my desperate kisses, I would reveal everything I needed to. The kiss stole away my breath, but I didn’t need air any longer anyway. There was nothing but me and her. Nothing but the sensation of her soft tongue surging forward to meet mine.

  My hands moved from blocking her escape to pulling her closer, releasing her from my hold in the process. My fingers inched under her wig, wanting to pull it away so that I could experience the moment with her—the real her. The mere thought of it had me groaning into the space between us. Her body pressed closer to the wall and each time she shifted, I moved forward—desperate to hold onto her as tightly as possible as if doing so would capture the moment forever.

  Her hands pressed again my chest, and for half of a dreadful second, I thought she was going to push me away. If she did, I would follow her instruction.

  The push never came though. Instead, her fingers fisted into my shirt, as if she needed to hold onto me so that I couldn’t escape. It seemed almost impossible that she would be as affected as I was, and yet that was what her touch suggested.

  Her body warmed, and I knew it should have been a warning sign to back away, but it called me closer instead. I wanted to experience that warmth over my whole body—surrounding me like I’d dreamed of on so many occasions.

  Heat equals a scorch mark on the pavement, my unhelpful mind warned. It means she doesn’t want this.

  Just as I started to doubt that the kiss was what she wanted, despite the actions of her tongue and hands, which spoke differently, her hips ground forward to slide against mine, and her arms wrapp
ed around my back. I growled lightly at the feeling of warmth that reached out from the depths of her and wrapped around me like a cocoon. It was exactly what I’d imagined it would be only moments earlier. When I saw my need reciprocated in her, I realized that this wasn’t the way I wanted our reunion to happen—even if it was what I’d had in mind when I’d been overtaken by my lust.

  I worked to constrain my body and tuck away my tongue. Unwilling to completely break the contact between us, I leaned forward to rest my forehead against hers.

  As the kiss replayed on a loop through my mind, I breathed out a sigh.

  “I’ve waited two years for that,” I whispered, barely conscious of the fact that I was even speaking aloud. “And it was as perfect as I’d dreamed it would be.”

  Once I’d released her, Evie stood still as a statue with an expression on her face that wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped to see. It was needful, her lips swollen from the urgency of my kiss, but there was still doubt.

  Fear.

  I frowned. Obviously my plan wasn’t quite as smooth as I’d wanted it to be.

  “What?” she whispered. “Why?”

  “Can we please talk?” I pleaded again. I had to tell her she plagued my mind and haunted my dreams. Maybe then I could work on walking away from the phase in my life where I was obsessed with someone who wasn’t even human. Although the rush of warmth that ran through me as I watched her struggle to get her breathing under control again made me wonder whether walking away was even possible. Had it ever been?

  Pressing her fingers to her lips, she nodded with a dazed look still present in her gaze.

  “Meet me here.” I gave her the address of the warehouse, written on a blank business card. “Anytime that you want, I’ll be waiting.”

  As soon as the card had left my hand, I felt a strange sense of relief. There was nothing more I would do. I wouldn’t beg her to see me. Not again. I’d pled my case and shown my hand; whatever happened next was up to her. If she showed, I would tell her everything. If she didn’t, I would just have to work harder to force her from my mind when I got home.