“Just let me go, Kenny!”

“Where’s Rainer?” Kenny calls and I freeze, spinning around.

“No!” I yell. “No, please.”

“Someone hurt you, and they’re not getting away with it.”

“Kenny, please.”

He disappears and I become more frantic. I drop my keys and cry out loudly. My shirt rips more as I kneel down to try and fetch them. I can feel the cold night air against my skin, and I know my back is exposed.

“Emalie!”

No.

“Fuck, Emalie!”

Please no.

Warm hands encircle my waist and I’m being hauled up into Rainer’s strong arms.

“Rainer,” I sob.

“What happened? Shit, Emy, who did this to you?”

“Jack did it to her,” Kenny says.

“What?” Rainer growls, his voice like ice.

“We saw him with another girl and Emalie ran off. I told him that she’d seen him and he followed her . . .”

Rainer turns me so I’m facing him, and he really takes me in. His dark eyes travel down over my torn clothes and I see the rage fill his gaze.

“What did he do to you? Don’t lie to me, Emalie.”

“He followed me into the trees. We talked. I told him I was s-s-s-sad about him not giving me a chance. I mentioned that I couldn’t believe I was going to s-s-s-sleep with him and suddenly he . . .”

“He what?” Rainer growls.

“He started kissing me, and grabbing me.”

“Where did he touch you?”

I look into his eyes. “Rainer, please . . .”

“Where?” he roars.

“My b-b-b-breasts and . . .”

Rainer doesn’t need anymore. He turns me into Kenny’s arms and he sprints towards the trees.

“Rainer!” I scream, shoving out of Kenny’s grasps.

By now half the party is behind us, and as I run towards the trees, they all do to. Rainer catches Jack just as he’s exiting the tree line, and Jack doesn’t even get a chance to open his mouth before Rainer drives a fist into his face. The two boys go down quickly, and I watch in horror as Rainer punches Jack over and over. The sickening sounds of bones breaking snaps me back into gear.

“Rainer, stop!” I cry, running forward.

He hits Jack again and again.

“You piece of fucking shit. I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Rainer,” I sob, trying to reach for him.

“How dare you fucking touch her?”

“Rainer!” I scream so loudly he stops, fist in the air.

He turns and looks at me, and I’ve never seen his eyes so enraged. He’s panting, his big body heaving with anger.

“Please,” I whisper. “If you kill him . . . I won’t have you. Rai . . . please.”

His mouth is open and I can hear his angry pants.

“Please . . .”

He turns back to Jack, who is now groaning on the ground, blood all over his face. Leaning down, Rainer grabs Jack by the shirt. “It’s only because of her that you’re not fucking dead right now.”

Then he slams Jack down and turns, reaching out for me. I run to him. He’s got a bloody lip. I don’t know when that happened. Jack must have gotten one hit in—he certainly didn’t get more than that. Rainer curls his arm around me and we walk through the crowd who are all gaping at us. Rainer’s arm is protectively wrapped around me, and halfway there, he realizes how exposed I am and he stops, removing his shirt and spinning, sliding it over my head.

I think that, right there, is the moment I fall in love with Rainer Torrence.

~*~*~*~

“Just stay still,” I whisper, dabbing an alcohol wipe against Rainer’s split lip.

“Bit hard when you’re putting that shit on my face.”

“You have a split lip. I don’t want it to get infected. I’ve done enough, I don’t need that, too . . .” I say, looking anywhere but at his eyes.

We’re in the bedroom and I’m trying to clean up his face, but the air between us is thick with unspoken truths that we’re both trying to avoid.

“Emalie,” he says, reaching up and taking my wrist, stopping me. “Look at me.”

“Rainer, please,” I beg.

“Now.”

I move my eyes to his, and there’s something else in his brown depths, something I’ve never seen before. He’s looking at me with compassion but there’s a fierce protection behind his depths.

“You didn’t do anything. You didn’t ask for anything. You deserved none of what happened to you tonight.”

“Didn’t I?” I croak.

“Fuck, Emy, no.”

“I changed myself for him. I wore that dress and I let him touch me. Then tonight, I told him I wanted to sleep with him. I can’t blame him for being so angry. Maybe I did deserve it. Maybe . . .”

“Don’t,” Rainer warns, cupping my jaw in his hand. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ let me hear you say that again. He had no right to touch you. I don’t care if you danced naked in front of him. He had no right.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t respect me because that’s the way I am. You said it yourself, Rainer. I’ll never get anyone like—”

“Enough,” he growls. “Don’t, Emy. I was wrong. You’re beautiful, you’re funny, and any man would be lucky to get you.”

“Stop saying that,” I say, my voice trembling. “I know you don’t mean it, Rainer. You’re saying it because you have to.”

“When have I ever said anything I don’t mean?”

Tears spill forth and he reaches up, stroking them away. My eyes connect with his and something passes between us, something we’ve never seen in each other’s eyes. It’s lust. I adore Rainer, hell, I think I love him, but I’ve never had such an intense emotion when I’ve been looking at him.

“Rainer,” I whisper.

We lean closer and my breath hitches. He’s going to kiss me. Not because he stole my first kiss, but because he wants to. I can see it in his eyes. I can see it in the way he’s holding onto me. Rainer Torrence is going to kiss me, and he’s going to want it. I think I might want it just as much.

My skin prickles and my entire body becomes alert and ready for him. As he moves closer, I think about how it’s going to feel to have his mouth on mine again. So soft. So intense. I swallow and my lips part as my eyes travel down and stare at his. Gosh, his lips are slightly wet, glistening, and ready for me. My heart rate kicks up, and I don’t want to wait a second longer.

I want him to kiss me.

I want it more than my next breath.

His lips finally connect with mine, and fireworks explode in my body, the fireworks I was so desperately searching for with Jack. We both gasp and his arms wrap around my body, hauling me up against him. I go willingly, wrapping my legs around his waist. He parts my lips with his tongue and then slides it inside. A shudder breaks out over my body and I press myself closer to him, reaching up to tangle my fingers into his hair. He stands, taking me with him and walks over to the bed, laying us both down.

The kiss becomes intense and so damned passionate I can barely breathe. I never realized until this moment just how much kissing Rainer would affect my life. I knew I cared about him, and I knew he was the most important thing in my life, but I never ever thought he’d be the person I’d fall in love with. Yet here I am, wanting as much of him as he’s willing to give.