He popped the top and took a swig and tried to contain the ferocious heat running through his blood. Experiencing death first hand sucked, and he needed something soft and sweet to knock the dark memory from his brain and force life back into his veins. He needed her.
He'd managed to stay away from her for two aggravating weeks, and now as he searched for Elaina, he had to stop time and time again to speak to people he knew. The guest list was varied. Older married couples interspersed with middle-aged singles. Dotted around in groups were teenagers and young twenty-somethings. He imagined Janie had invited them for Elaina. He glanced around as casually as he could and tried to break free from a neighbor who had heard from the vet about the loss of his animals. Word travelled quickly. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about, and he pulled away as quickly as he could.
Still, it was forty-five minutes after he arrived before he found her. And when he did, his mood turned even more black and ugly. The fire in his gut smoldered with feral jealousy as his tortured gaze saw her and the animal inside of him tried to break free.
She was outside in the gazebo, holding a glass of champagne, surrounded by a group of young people, both men and women.
That wasn't the part that made him see red.
Trevor stood beside her with his hand playfully twirling in her hair. He wasn't touching her anywhere else, but it was enough to send rage and jealousy spinning through Raul.
He stood on the pebbled pathway, downed half his beer, and tried like shit to gain some fucking control. He wasn't going to jump. Trevor was basically a good kid and Raul absolutely couldn't go over there and kill the little prick. His feet took two steps toward the gazebo and he froze.
He was not fucking going to go over there and jump down that kid's throat. He wasn't.
He lifted the beer, drained the rest and crushed the can. His throat tightened and he waited for Elaina to see him.
When her eyes lifted and fell on him, she stilled. Completely.
He was twenty feet away but he could see the tremble in the hand that held her champagne.
It made him feel slightly better.
Her head tilted to the side, away from Trevor, and he watched as she surreptitiously lifted her hair off her neck and made it fall from the younger man's hand.
The kid let his hand drop as he turned away to laugh at something one of the other girls in the group said.
As Raul stood and watched the scene in front of him, he heard the rumble of an engine and looked across the way and saw Brian on a tractor, hauling a twenty foot trailer full of hay around to the back of the house.
One of the girls screamed, "Hayride!" and one by one the kids took off toward the trailer loaded with hay and a cooler full of drinks.
Elaina stayed still and Trevor reached down to pull on her arm. She hesitated, watching Raul.
Raul shook his head at Elaina, giving her a silent command to stay where she was.
Another girl in the group, one Raul recognized as one of the Monroe twins, began pulling on Trevor's other arm, trying to get him to move in the direction of the trailer.
Raul walked toward the gazebo and looked at Trevor and the Monroe girl. "You best get going. You're gonna miss your ride."
Trevor balked, obviously not wanting to leave without Elaina. But the little Monroe girl was persistent, and before long she won the fight and was pulling Trevor down the drive while he threw looks of longing in Elaina's direction.
The tractor rambled off and Raul wasted no time. He picked up Elaina's hand and dragged her away from the gazebo, away from the lights of the yard, and marched her twenty yards from the noise of the party. He swung her around until her back was against the implement barn, and he had her caged between his arms in the darkness of the black night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elaina's breathing was coming shallow and speedy. She hadn't seen Raul in two weeks, and the sudden sight of him watching her like a predator in the night had the blood pulsing through her veins in a loud, clamoring testament to the feelings she'd been trying to understand. She felt a rush to her head as within mere moments, she was propelled away from the party and held hostage by the most uncivilized man she had ever encountered.
He hung over her, his breath rattling out of his lungs, his eyes brilliant in the dark night. They stood together, breathing raggedly, eyes on each other.
He reached down, took both of her wrists in his calloused hands and pulled them over her head and pushed them up against the rough exterior of the barn.
She sucked in a breath as he leaned into her. Tendrils of fear added to the sharp, hot bite of sexual excitement that lacerated her insides. Liquid heat pooled in her panties as currents of pleasure and need coursed through her system.
"What'd I tell you?" He hissed the words at her.
Elaina stared, eyes wide, shocked into silence, unable to answer.
He pushed his torso into hers. "What'd I tell you?" he demanded as his tone became harsher.
She shook her head, unable to calm her raging heartbeat enough to answer him.
"I told you to stay the fuck away from him. I told you not to let him touch you. I told you not to let him kiss you. Did he fuckin' kiss you again? You let him fucking touch you again?"
"N-no."
"Am I gonna have to beat the shit out o' him? Is that what it's gonna take?"
"Raul, Jesus, you're scaring me--"
"I'm scaring you? You're scaring me shitless, Elaina." The blood left his face, turning it white, as the intensity of his emotions ripped through him.
"C-calm down, nothing happened." She tried to get him to understand. "I haven't been seeing him, I promise." He held tight to her wrists so she reached out to him the only way she could. She pushed her face into his neck and tried to soothe, "Shh."
He dropped his head and sucked in oxygen. He waited for the count of three seconds and then moved his lips to hers.
He kissed her softly, taking light sips from her trembling lips.
"You don't know that boy, baby. He's got a reputation with women." He spoke between kisses, his lips lifting from hers and then going back for more. "He wants to fuck you. You know that? That's all he wants." His words were basic. Primal.
She trembled violently in his arms as his mouth moved to her ear, feeling him suck in a breath. He kept talking, his voice lowering to a ragged whisper in her ear. "He can't fuck you, Elaina."
His hands released her wrists and dropped down until his arms encircled her waist completely. He hugged her to him, running his hands up and down her back. "I get that you're too young for me. I can't have you yet." His hands clenched tight in pure possession. "But baby, you need to take care. You belong to me--"
She jerked in his arms and caught him off guard. "I don't belong to you---"
His head whipped up to glare at her face and his hand grabbed her chin and lifted it. "You're gonna fuckin' belong to me. Just as soon as you get grown, I've told you before. But you need to take care, protect what's mine, or all bets are off and I'll move in now. Your choice. I'll give you time and space but you gotta promise. Nobody fucks you. Now. Promise now."
"I don't understand what you're asking for, Raul. You're asking me for a commitment? Without us being together?" Confusion creased her forehead into lines. "You what? You want me to go about the business of my life, but promise my virginity to you?"
Raul felt the sucker punch to his stomach.
"You still a virgin, baby?" God, he wanted it to be true.
Elaina closed her eyes and let out a whoosh of breath. She hadn't meant to say that. But she figured he already guessed it anyway. Shit, she was only making her situation worse. He was going to shit a brick when he found out she was lying about her age. Not exactly lying.
She did know one thing. She wasn't confused anymore. She still didn't know if she was ready for this yet, ready for someone like him. But God, she did want him. That was for sure. His intensity be damned. She'd learn how to handle it. She had to. She hadn't thought of anything or anyone but him for weeks now.
The temptation was going to eat her alive. He was so incredibly hot. He was temptation personified.
She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wanted someone like him to take her virginity. She wanted him to be the one.
She just needed some time. Some time that she knew she wasn't going to get. She needed to make up her mind. She needed to reconcile herself to his intensity, quick-fast. He was so intense.
He wouldn't be easy to handle.
His fingers clenched around her face and demanded an answer. "You still untouched?"
Well, now, that was a different question.
She took a deep breath and attempted to answer him. "Virgin, yes. Untouched, no."
"How touched is touched?"
She felt a flush come over her face and couldn't answer that question.
His hand jerked her chin up and his eyes seared into hers. "You still got your cherry?"
Elaina gasped and began shaking harder. Jesus Christ.
His voice dropped as he continued. "Answer me, Elaina."
"Y-yes. I mean, I think so--I guess so."
Raul learned a lot with that shaken statement. She didn't touch herself. At least not internally. And she probably still had her cherry. He was going to find out. But not tonight. He couldn't trust himself tonight. But he would know. He needed to know.
"Okay, now for my promise." His eyes glittered down into hers. "I'm waiting."
Elaina searched his eyes. Could she promise that? Did she want to? And what about him? The question came from her mouth, "What about you?"