Reno was ready to kill Loraine for laughing but the confused stare Riana gave him had him frozen. What exactly could he say? ‘I didn’t want you to know him so I didn’t tell you his race?’
Reno knew Riana was only following his lead when he’d asked their mother never to speak of that man. That day, he’d walked in on their mother trying to explain things to Riana and he heard the loving way she’d said his name and that was all it took for Reno to lose his temper and forbid their mother from ever mentioning him in their home again. She’d tried to reason with him, but Reno had just come from an all night shift at a textile factory and had only four hours before he had to be at his other weekend job. He was bone tired and his patience was shot worrying about everything, including wondering how he was going to finish high school, if the bills kept piling up. The last thing he needed to hear was the reason as to why he had to work to h
Loraine dropped her bags at the door, feeling every minute of the long and uncomfortable seven hour flight in her body. And of course the guilt of taking off and leaving Reno sound asleep in her bed. She pressed the heel of her palms against her closed eyes. Damn, she really thought she could do it this time. She’d felt it—the lust, the desire. She’d even felt safe in his arms… it was Reno, Riana’s big brother. He would never hurt her. And I know that! Her thoughts screamed. But the moment all their clothes were gone and his large body crawled over hers… her muscles stiffened and her joints locked in place. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She felt suffocated and held down, completely trapped by his huge body. The panic rose, tears flooded her eyes and she began to cry. Reno launched off her so fast he tripped but stayed on his feet after clumsily backing away from her. She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest and hid her shame filled face in them as she cried. It had taken seeing t
Loraine watched her father as he paced in front of her in the living room cursing up a storm. Her mother on the other hand, sat next to her, moving between nervously wringing her hands and smothering Loraine with hugs—which she particularly didn’t mind at the time, considering the situation.She liked this kind of mothering—her mother had her wrapped in a blanket, filling her with cup after cup of tea that was meant to calm Loraine but didn’t seem to have the desired effect on herself. The kind of mothering Loraine didn’t like was the nagging her mother called training to be a proper lady worthy to be married to American royalty.Loraine had called her debutante ball her auctioning ceremony where all the other fathers could examine her like a horse and see if she was befitting for their sons before one of them put her on reserve until said son was ready to marry.Such bullshit! It was so ridiculous that sometimes she wished she didn
Reno stood at the beach shore, his feet sinking in the white sand as the tide washed in, lapping at his ankles. This was his favorite time of day, when the sky was orange-red as the sun set in the horizon, the blue ocean sparkling with the final rays of sun light. Even the cool evening air smelled sweeter and he loved the feel of it against his skin. Like the gentle caress of a lover, blowing into his clothes and touching every inch of his skin with its cool soft touch as a loving mistress would.He closed his eyes, leaned his head back and spread his arms wide. He always felt free in the arms of his mistress. The one female in his life he loved without reserve. She was always there for him, never leaving, always ready and willing to help ease his heavy mind and strangled heart.And right at that moment, the one thing weighing on him was Loraine Larson.Everything had gone so well until that moment…They had danced till the wee hours of the morning
He tried to deny the thought that persisted in his mind but the tortured, defeated look in her eyes made it scream louder in his head. He wanted to shout, throw something and punch, no, pummel the man responsible for her pain until he was nothing but a bloody pulp. He wanted to tear him apart and cause him more pain than he’d caused Loraine. Hell, he too was in pain just watching her suffer.“What do you need from me?” he’d asked, hoping there was some way he could take her pain away, even if it was for the night.She’d crawled toward him and he’d tensed, watching her, keeping his body still. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his torso. All she wanted was to be held and so he did, holding her tight against him. When she barreled into him, he held her tighter rocking from side to side until he felt her go limp and her breathing became shallow. He put her in bed, intending to sleep on the chaise beside the window but she moved into him when he laid her down, holding t
Loraine wasn’t sure exactly what kind of reception she would receive from Reno. More than disgust, she dreaded being pitied and it truly surprised her when he spoke to her like that night never happened. She was speechless, watching that come hither smile play on his lips like they were back to their seductive banter. The man should have been an actor, not even his eyes gave him away. “Ah, Melody has some business with you and I thought I’d tag along for a free vacation.” Reno nodded, looking behind her for a moment before his eyes settled on her again. “Did she tell you why she’s here?” Loraine wasn’t sure how Melody wanted to handle brokering the subject with Reno so she thought best to keep that information to herself and be as vague as possible. She shrugged. “Something about a business proposition for you.” He nodded. “You want to take a walk with me?” Loraine blink a few times, a little confused at what was going on. “Ahh, sure?” He pointed to her feet with his chin. “Tak
He heard the whimper first, and then the creaking of wood as it cried under the strain of weight. At first, he thought an animal had somehow found its way into his home, a beach house he had built a few miles away from the resort where his first home, his mother’s home, had once stood. The one bedroom shack that had been his mother’s pride and joy, but for Reno it had been a reminder of his painful past. So he replaced it with a two story, four bedroom home, with floor to ceiling windows for walls in the living room and dining area at the bottom level. He heard the whimper again, but this time it was louder and coming from one of the guestrooms. He climbed off his bed and moved to the door, paying keen attention to the noise again. A few minutes of silence passed and Reno turned around to go back to bed when an ear piercing scream had him rushing out of his room and into the opposite one. It was Loraine’s room. She was thrashing and crying, fighting the man in her nightmare, her body
“Hey, bro.” Ruiz slapped Reno’s back as he took a seat next to him at the dining table.Reno grunted his reply, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It had taken a while before he fell asleep. He kept on waiting for Loraine to wake up screaming again but she slept peacefully, her body wrapped around his just like the first time they’d shared a bed. And that time too he had kept a vigil watch over her.“How’s Loraine?”Reno rubbed the back of his neck wishing he didn’t have to go to work that morning. He needed a few hours of sleep, but he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t in him to miss work and the only time he had was the three days he was in Rome for Riana’s wedding. The fear of going back to the life he had was enough to keep him working from sun up to sun up. And his studiousness had paid off because La Paraiso was now the most sought after resort at the Cable beaches.When he had inh
Reno was dragged out of bed by the beautiful aromas that came from his kitchen. No one had ever used the area before except for the microwave and fridge. Everything that was in the kitchen was put there by the interior decorator he had hired. Even though he knew he was never going to use any of those appliances because he had his meals at the resort or brought from the resort kitchen, he still wanted it. He wanted to know how it felt to have something, not because he needed it but just because he could afford it.Georgia couldn’t cook a lick and he couldn’t trust Riana with any of the appliances, especially the knives, during her depression. So who was cooking? Loraine or Melody? Though they were the only two possible choices, he was a little skeptical that either of them even knew what a skillet looked like. Table cutlery sure, they dined like royalty because they were wealthy, but if they knew the difference between a curving knife and a saw was something he dou