Free Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy by Karen-Anne Stewart

“Talk to me, sweetheart,” he gently coaxes.
    He feels her stiffen, and he turns her around, running his comforting hands up and down her arms. “I’m sorry about bringing it up like this, it’s not what I planned. It’s just that I noticed you didn’t have any emergency contacts on your medical forms and that it was a tax payer ID that was listed instead of a social security number. I thought that was odd, and after what the doctor said about the abuse, I started checking, and nothing pulled up under your name prior to four years ago.”
    Raina shakes her head, trying to free the cobwebs that have taken over. “It’s legal, the tax payer ID, my name, it’s all legal,” she mutters, praying that he will not push any further but knowing the questions have just begun.
    Kas brushes his lips softly across her forehead, “I never said they weren’t, darlin’, but why do you not exist before your sixteenth birthday? Is it because of your father? Are you hiding from him, sweetheart?”
    Raina pulls away, angry at him for his prodding questions, angry at her father, angry at herself for not being careful enough to cover her tracks better.
    Kas sees the anger flashing in her eyes and feels a rush of relief. Anger is better than fear. He can’t stand to see her afraid, it cripples him. “I need to know who your father is,” he states truthfully and unapologetically.
    Raina shakes her head vehemently. “There’s no need,” she replies firmly.
    “Rain, I can’t protect you if I don’t know who I’m supposed to protect you from.”
    “I don’t need you to protect me, I can take care of myself,” she snaps, and Kas isn’t sure if she’s trying to convince him or herself. Sorrow glints in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like that with you,” she tells him, the anger in her voice subsiding.
    Kas pulls her to him again and wraps his arms around her. Raina breathes in the clean, woodsy scent of him, and liquid heat runs through her as she presses her cheek against his bare chest. Her hands run across the firm muscles on his stomach to his strong back, and the warmth of his skin seeps into her, erasing the chill from the early morning and her memories.
    “You have nothing to apologize for, I’m the one who caught you off guard.” He kisses the top of her head, and despite her good senses, she leans into him, memorizing the feel of his hot body against hers.
    “Is your father the reason you changed your name?”
    Raina knows that he’s not going to stop until he gets at least some answers. “Raina is my real name, I just changed my last name. I’m not running from my father, I just needed a new start, a fresh name for a new place,” she offers, sincerely praying that it’s enough of an explanation.
    Seeing right through her vagueness, Kas refuses to settle for half-truths, “So, your father knows where you are?”
    Her lack of response is answer enough to prove to him that he doesn’t. “Okay, so I’m back to my earlier question. Is your father a threat to you if he finds out where you are?” Silence is his only answer. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he growls. “You’ve got to tell me who he is, darlin’,” Kas implores, pushing Raina back to where he can see her eyes, needing to be able to read her emotions.
    “It’s not like he’s going to come after me,” Raina offers, knowing that she isn’t worth enough to her father for him to waste time to track her down.
    Kas runs his hand down his face, trying very hard to think of the best way to get her to finally open up to him. “You’re sidestepping the questions. I’m thinking it’s a pretty safe assumption, from your lack of responses, that your father is still a threat to you if he happens to show up. Any kind of threat to you is something I take extremely seriously, so I will ask again, what’s your real name?” he demands gently.
    “Look, my father doesn’t know where I’m at, so that means that there is no