Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
He gave a low growl—of what, she wondered. Approval? Agreement? Either way, the sound rumbled from his chest and suddenly, the need she’d banked along with the memories of Remy deep inside her surfaced. “Who makes these things up?” she asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
“Someone who believes in taking chances?” he asked, his gaze hot on hers.
“Read yours,” she muttered, hoping it was a lot more generic.
He glanced down and laughed out loud. “A good way to keep healthy is to eat more Chinese food,” he said, breaking the sexual tension that had been heavy around them.
She grinned at the quote, relieved their smoldering attraction had been put on the back burner. “Now can I clean up?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Now we can talk.”
* * *
The man or woman you desire feels the same about you. Raven’s fortune cookie was spot-on, Remy thought. But that wasn’t why he’d brought her here. Of course, he’d wanted to enjoy dinner with her but he’d also wanted to give her a chance to relax before he pressed her for information.
He watched her twist her hands in her lap and waited as she worked up the courage to talk. Whatever she had to tell him was going to be bad and he braced himself, warning himself not to react, to stay calm and give her support.
“Okay.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and blew out a long breath. “I already told you my mom died when I was five and I have no idea who my father was.” She rubbed her hands on her dark jeans. “I ended up in foster care and then a miracle happened, at least according to the child welfare agent.” In truth, it was a miracle she remembered that time considering how young she’d been, but her memory had always been good.
“I’m sorry you lost your mom.” He wanted to reach for her but she held herself at an emotional distance and he sensed his touch wouldn’t be welcome.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“What happened at the Kanes’?” He couldn’t figure it out. She seemed to have a close relationship with Caleb.
“Lance happened.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Caleb has a twin brother. Fraternal. They don’t look alike. And he’s a sociopath.”
“A sociopath,” Remy repeated, wondering if she was possibly exaggerating her description.
“With everything that definition entails. Lack of empathy, no remorse, he delights in causing pain, and he’s mean.” She visibly shivered as she spoke. “And when he wants to get away with his behavior, he can be charming and manipulative. And worse, he’s my mother’s favorite child.”
Remy, too, shuddered at the description, imagining Raven as a little girl growing up in that house without her mother on her side.
“But I had Caleb. He’s everything good in this world. He looked out for me and protected me when he could.”
Remy had a solid feeling about her brother and was glad to know his gut instinct still worked. But her words chilled him. “What do you mean, he protected you when he could?”
“Well, he couldn’t be home all the time, right? Lance would scare me, steal my things, return them broken and deny he did it. As I got older, he’d say sexually suggestive things and even sent me dick pics from a burner phone.” She rubbed her hands on her pants and he understood her nervous energy.
“Raven, that’s—”
“Disgusting. I know. Of course, without his face in the pictures as proof, my mother insisted it was someone else. And my father… he was just weak and deferred to her. But Caleb always believed me.”
“Jesus.” Unable to help himself, he grasped her hand, pulling it onto his knee, careful to keep her a respectful distance from his own dick.
“There’s more.” She looked at him, her eyes watery with tears, and he nodded. “So much more. My birth name is Raven Walsh, but my legal name is Caroline Kane. I changed my name back to Raven Walsh when I left the Kane home.”
Remy nodded. “I’d wondered why you and Caleb didn’t share the same last name.”
She lifted her shoulders and sighed. “I have so many reasons but none of that matters right now. What does is what happened the summer before I started college.”
He waited for her to continue.
“I thought I was alone in the house with my sister and when I came out of the shower, I realized I’d forgotten clothes. So I stepped into the hall, intending to rush to my room. Lance was there and he… grabbed me. I tried to pull away and he shook me hard. He pushed me against the wall and was about to rip off my towel when Cara rushed into the hall and screamed for him to stop.”
Raven didn’t look at him but she pulled her hand back and Remy released her without question. He needed to hold her but she needed distance.