Chapter 8

CHAPTEREIGHT

It was hard to believe how fast things were happening. A week ago, Khloe could walk around Fallport relatively unnoticed. People were friendly, sure, but they didn’t go out of their way to talk to her. Now, she couldn’t step into any establishment or walk down the sidewalk without someone wanting to stop and chat. Thank her for saving Duke. Ask her if she was going to open her own vet clinic. It was crazy.

And she couldn’t believe she’d finally told Raiden everything about her former life. About what had happened to her. The one thing she couldn’t stand was pity. She’d seen the looks all the time when she was in rehab. Everyone in the facility seemed to know what happened to her, that she’d been run over.

But Raid didn’t seem to pity her. He was angry. Not at her, but at Alan. That reaction was…nice. Which might not make her a decent human being, but she didn’t care. It felt good that someone felt the same way she did about everything that had happened. It was crazy that Alan had blamed her for his dog dying. He’d abused her for months, years, and then when she died as a result of his actions, he did his best to shift the blame to Khloe. Even going so far as to try to kill her. It was insane.

Khloe would’ve felt better about finally getting her story off her chest and not having to hide who she was anymore…except she knew Jason and his brother were out there waiting and watching. She had no idea what they had planned, just that it wouldn’t be good. It was as if she was constantly waiting for the second shoe to fall. It was stressful, and she hated it.

Today was the day she was getting together with her friends and telling them her story. She didn’t want to. Wasn’t looking forward to it. But they needed to know. If the Mathers were going to target them in order to get to her, they had a right to understand why.

No matter what Raid said, Khloe wasn’t sure telling them they could expect to be harassed as they were walking down the street, that Jason might convince customers to stop patronizing their businesses, that they could very well be in physical danger, wouldn’t change how they felt about her.

Of course, things between her and Raid hadn’t changed, and she’d warned him that he could be drawn into whatever plans the Mathers had for her. He’d simply shrugged and said he hoped they did target him.

But in other ways, things had changed. Their relationship was…deeper. It had started when she’d saved Duke. It wasn’t as if Khloe thought she’d overly impressed him, it was more that a door had been opened between them. It was hard to believe he wasn’t upset in the least that she’d lied. He seemed almost glad she wasn’t simply a librarian’s assistant.

He’d tried to explain his feelings by saying he’d always thought she was hiding something, and finding out what it was, that she wasn’t on the run from the police and wasn’t hiding a husband or fourteen children somewhere, was a relief.

Khloe wasn’t sure she completely bought his reasoning, but she could admit that she liked how she and Raid were now. A lot. Though, a part of her continued to be reticent around him. Yes, she liked him. But he was still a mystery to her. She might’ve told him everything about herself, but he hadn’t reciprocated yet.

Khloe knew the basics, that he’d been in the Coast Guard as a dog handler, that he’d quit after his dog died, and that he wasn’t close with his parents, but that was about it.

No, that wasn’t true. She knew he was an introvert who didn’t go out of his way to hang out with his friends, yet he was as loyal as anyone she’d ever met, and protective as well.

She knew Raid’s house was full of books…science fiction.

He didn’t stay up late at night, he didn’t have a lot of photographs around, he hovered over Duke—part of his overprotectiveness—and if one of his friends called for help, he’d drop everything to assist.

Okay, maybe she knew more about Raid than she’d first assumed. But his past was still a huge mystery. Much as hers had been up until a week ago, so she’d cut him some slack. But he’d dropped enough hints about whatever happened when he was in the Coast Guard for Khloe to know it wasn’t good. That it had messed him up more than he was letting on. That his partner had dealt with whatever happened worse than Raid had.

As much as Khloe wanted to know what happened, she didn’t ask. It had only been a week since their relationship had morphed into what it was now and the last thing she wanted to do was push him to remember hurtful things from his past. Also, Raiden had shown all the patience in the world with her; she could do the same for him now.

“You ready?” Raid asked.

Khloe jerked in surprise. Shit. She’d been lost in her head, and now Raid probably thought she was having second thoughts about the evening because she was staring into space. She wasn’t. Not telling the other women about the danger they could be in simply by being around her was irresponsible and could get them hurt. No matter how much she hated to have to share what happened, she wouldn’t keep it to herself any longer. She couldn’t.

“Yes,” she told Raid.

They were standing in the kitchen, looking over the piles of groceries on the counter.

“Good. There are plenty of drinks. And snacks. If you guys need anything, all you have to do is give me a yell. I’ll be at Rocky and Bristol’s place with the guys, Tony, and Marissa.”

“I know.” And she did. She’d been with Raid when he’d gone overboard at the grocery store. He’d bought more food than she and the other women could eat in a month. There was also enough alcohol to make sure everyone was well and truly hammered.

“You sure you’re okay with Duke staying here?” Raid asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Khloe said. The truth was, she wanted the still-recovering bloodhound at the house as a distraction. If she needed a break, she could always claim she needed to take him outside, or look at his belly, or make up some other excuse to have a moment to herself.

As if Raid knew exactly what she was thinking, his lips twitched.

“What?” she asked a little harsher than she meant to.

“You want to arrange for me to call at a certain time so you can bail?” he quipped.

Khloe’s eyes narrowed. “You think you’re funny?” she asked, the familiar back-and-forth between them feeling surprisingly good.

His grin widened. “I am funny,” he said with a shrug.

“Whatever.” It was a lame comeback, but Khloe was too happy to be back in a familiar place with Raid to care.

Then he stepped toward her and nudged her with his shoulder.

Khloe pretended his small push sent her flying. She staggered sideways and “caught” herself with a hand on the counter.

Looking up, she expected to see Raid laughing at her—but instead he was reaching for her with a concerned look on his face.

“Shit, Khloe! I didn’t mean to hit you so hard. Are you all right? How’s your leg? Did you hit the counter with your hip?”

For a moment, Khloe was overwhelmed with his concern. She’d expected him to laugh, to tell her she was a lightweight. To make fun of her size like he’d done in the past. She couldn’t deny that his concern felt good. But to hide her feelings, she forced a chuckle past her lips. “Jeez, Raid, you really think you’re that strong? Give me a break.”

It took a moment, but the frown on his face slowly morphed into a calculated look.

Khloe didn’t have time to brace before he was on her, his fingers digging into her sides. “Ah, she’s full of jokes tonight, huh?” he asked as he mercilessly found all her ticklish spots.

“Oh my God! Raid, Stop!” Khloe squealed as she did her best to twist out of his grasp, with no luck. “I’m too ticklish!”

She couldn’t stop laughing as he continued to tease her.

When his fingers finally stilled, he didn’t let go of her. Khloe looked up to find that he’d backed her into a corner of the kitchen. Raid towered over her, staring with something that looked a lot like awe. And tenderness.

Her heart was beating fast and her own fingers were clutching the short sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. She had to crane her neck to look at him. Khloe had never dated anyone as tall as Raid. When she first met him, she’d thought he was freakishly tall, but now, caged in by him, his large palms on her sides, her head barely reaching his upper chest, she felt…feminine. More feminine than she had in a very long time.

“Raid?” she whispered when he didn’t move away from her.

She thought he was going to lean down and kiss her, then he seemed to get control over himself, and he very slowly dropped his hands and stepped back.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Khloe opened her mouth to ask what he was sorry about, to tell him that even though she wasn’t a huge fan of being tickled, she loved his hands on her, when the doorbell rang.

Relief settled over Raiden’s face as he turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Understanding hit Khloe then. Raid was smart, snarky, protective, loyal…and shy. Which she knew, of course. Or at least, she’d known he was extremely introverted. But he’d been so open over the last week, she actually forgot.

In all the time she’d known him, she’d never seen him express interest in a woman. He never touched any of his friends’ women without their permission. Earlier, when they were shopping, he didn’t often meet people’s eyes.

And yet with her, he didn’t seem to hold back when he had something he wanted to say. He ordered her around at work, had no problem telling her when he thought she was doing something stupid, had been downright chatty since she’d been in his home.

But he rarely ever touched her. Well…rarely before the last week. He’d held her without a second thought after Duke’s surgery. He’d let her sit close enough to touch on the couch, while telling her story. He’d reached across the table and touched her hand a time or two. But when a moment turned too intimate, he backed off, looking uncertain.

Khloe knew that if he’d leaned down and kissed her, she would’ve returned the kiss without hesitation. The longer she spent around the man, the more she was attracted to him. The attraction had been simmering under the surface for months…hidden behind quips and verbal sparring and her attempts to keep her distance from everyone.

But it was slowly dawning on her that if she wanted anything to happen between her and Raid, she was going to have to be the one to make the first move. The fact that a man as huge and handsome as Raiden could be shy had never occurred to her. But women weren’t the only ones who struggled with self-worth. With feeling that they weren’t good enough or pretty enough to attract a partner.

Her resolve strengthened. She had no idea what was in her future, but she was more determined than ever to make sure Raid knew what an amazing man he was. How glad she was to have his support for the last week.

Hearing voices, Khloe took a deep breath. Things with Raid would have to wait. She had to get through the evening with her friends first.

She’d just entered the living room when Lilly and Elsie appeared.

Both of them gave her a long, hard hug before letting go and turning to Raid.

“Okay, out. This is now officially a women-only zone,” Lilly told him.

Raid smiled. “Right. If I come home to find my walls painted pink and covered in flowers, I’m not gonna be happy.”

Khloe chuckled along with the other two women.

“Not happening. But I can’t promise our talk about babies, men, and all things female might not seep into the walls and bring some much-needed estrogen to the place,” Lilly retorted.

“If you gals need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” Raid told them.

Elsie rolled her eyes. “As if I haven’t heard that a million times already from Zeke,” she said.

“Right?” Lilly said with a grin.

“Okay, on that note, I’m leaving,” Raid said. But instead of walking toward the front door, he wandered into the living room and crouched down next to Duke’s dog bed. The bloodhound hadn’t bothered to get up when Elsie and Lilly entered. Khloe knew the dog liked the two women, but apparently his comfy bed was more important at the moment than saying hello to the newcomers.

Raid said something to Duke, scratched his ear for a moment, then stood.

Once again, it struck Khloe how tall the man was. She’d probably always be in awe of his sheer size. He towered over all three of them, and when Bristol was around it was even more comical. But the longer she was around him, the more comfortable she was with his height…and the more irritated she got when people commented on it.

“I’m off,” he told them again. “Khloe, can I have a word in private real quick?”

The other two women took the hint and headed for the kitchen. Khloe could hear them oohing and aahing over all the food and drinks that were laid out on the counter.

“What’s wrong?” Khloe asked.

“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I was serious earlier, when I offered to call and give you a reason to bail if you need it. The women are great, and I’d do anything for them, but they can also be overwhelming. You’re going to be sharing some pretty personal and emotional history. I know what it’s like to need some space. You need me to come up with a reason to get you out of here…let me know.”

Lord, this man. He was amazing.

“Thanks. Although I’m not sure how you’ll do that when they’re all in your house.”

“I’ll think of something,” Raid said with a shrug.

“I’ll let you know,” Khloe told him.

“All right,” he sighed. “I know I should go. I’m sure Ethan’s getting impatient out there. He’s probably got something extra-manly planned. You know, like an obstacle course in the yard or a mock bad-guy house we have to clear. You can take the man out of the SEALs but you can’t take the SEAL out of the man.”

Khloe giggled at his ridiculousness. “Have fun,” she told him.

“Not my idea of fun,” Raid said with a shrug.

He definitely wasn’t all fired up to go hang out with his friends, and suddenly she felt bad about kicking him out of his own house. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the other men; he clearly did. He was just wired differently. But he was going anyway…to give her the time and space to do what she needed to do.

“You’re gonna talk to the guys tonight, right? About my situation?”

“Yes.”

“Are they gonna be upset about me possibly putting their wives in danger? Or girlfriend, in Drew’s case?”

“Upset? No. Concerned? Yes. Pissed way the hell off that anyone would dare hurt you, would come into our town and try to insult your good name? Hell yes. You have nothing to worry about, Khloe. Promise.”

“Okay,” she whispered, feeling overwhelmed.

They stared at each other for a moment and just when Khloe was about to take a step forward to give him a hug—a hug she desperately needed—there was another knock on the door.

“That’ll be the rest of the girls,” Raid said reluctantly. “Don’t hesitate to text me,” he ordered, before turning to the door.

Bristol, Caryn, Finley, and Heather were at the door, as he’d guessed. They all entered in a whirlwind, greeting her and Raid as they passed.

“It’ll be fine, Khloe. You’ve got this,” Raid said before lifting his chin at her and heading out the door. He was getting a ride to Rocky’s house with Ethan, since he’d dropped Lilly off and would be coming back for her later. In fact, most of the men had dropped their women off, and Khloe watched as the caravan of vehicles pulled away from the house and headed down the driveway. The only one she didn’t see was Rocky, so Bristol had obviously gotten a ride from one of the others.

She closed the door slowly and took a deep breath before heading back toward the kitchen. Like Raid, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to the night, but it would also feel good to finally get everything off her chest with the people she admired most.