Page 7 of Promises on the Mountain

"I like hearing about your family, Raine. I like learning about the things that made you who you are today."

Her words hit me like a cold shower, causing me to tighten my jaw till my molars grind. I turn to stare out my side window, hoping she doesn't see how my mood shifts at the innocent words.

"Tell me who Mia is...was. And why is Kay giving her all the credit for your hard work?"

4

APRIL

I'm not sure what I said. Raine's laid-back demeanor goes stoic. His jaw tenses and he shifts in the driver's seat till he's sitting up straight, concentrating on the road even though it's clear he knows it well enough to drive it blind.

"Mia was a friend," I begin.

The thing is, I want to tell Raine about Mia. I want to him to know everything about me.

I can't explain it, he just feels like a kindred spirit, like someone who's going to understand and maybe that I can trust to keep me safe from the ghosts that haunt me.

Of course, it's not the ghosts that I'm having problems with.

"I always wanted to be a barista. I mean, I know it's not exactly a high-profile job and a lot of people don't really think it's a viable career path but..." My sigh is wistful, thinking back on that first latte, watching the barista pull the shots from the old espresso machine, the way I was awed by the way she expertly poured the foam into the ceramic mug to top it with a perfect heart.

"My aunt took me to a coffee shop when I was eight. Like-- an actual coffee shop-- where they hand tamped the grounds and steamed the milk themselves. Nothing automated. It smelled like heaven in there and the barista did latte art. I was hooked. I knew I was going to open my own cafe one day."

"Mia came to work at the same coffee shop I was working my senior year of high school. She was a year older than me and I thought she was the coolest person in the world...especially compared to me."

"I think you're cool."

I giggle at the mere thought. Raine's a good decade older than me, and everything about him screams experienced. It's crazy that he's interested in simple little ol' me who's never broken a rule or even toed the line.

"You would probably have liked Mia," I mutter. Thinking about the bad boy beside me, and the possessive way his hand lays across my thigh like it belongs there without question, so obviously used to driving girls up to this remote mountain cabin for "picnics by the fireplace--" if Mia was here, he'd have gone for her instead. I'm sure of it.

I shuffle my knees closer together, scooting on the leather seat to put enough space between us that I can't feel the heat of his hard, muscled body pressed against me anymore.

Suddenly, I'm feeling insecure. Unsure about the man beside me. The same man that I've been swooning over obsessively for the last week, the one that I think about when I touch myself in bed at night, the one I was so eager to get in this truck with just half an hour ago when all I could think about was what he plans to do with me when we get to this cabin he's talking about.

He's used to a different kind of woman. Ones like Mia, that get high and go skinny dipping and are confident about what to do with boys.

"I like you, April." Raine's hand reaches to bring me back to his side and I can't help but melt into the silent command as his fingers wrap around my thigh. "You're the only girl I want to be with. Understand?"

He waits for me to nod and his hand creeps higher, strong fingers working deeper into the space between my thighs but not reaching high enough to relieve the ache that's growing inside me.

"Mia hated coffee," I laugh just remembering it, "she didn't even like the way it smelled. She worked at the coffee shop because she was into one of the guys that worked there.

"But we hit it off and then we started hanging out sometimes. Mostly, she got me into parties that I'd never have gotten invited to without her. For a while, I thought that was fun, but...it wasn't really for me, I guess. Mia always needed a sober driver and I wanted to make sure she was safe..."

My voice trails off, my thoughts going distant. Raine's hand tightens but it's not the sexy feeling like before, it's more for comfort. It feels like he's silently saying he understands something I haven't even said, bringing me into the present and out of my memories.

"She was going to come work for me when I opened my cafe." I laugh genuinely, thinking about how absurd it was. "I don't even know why she thought that was a good idea, but it just became our thing, you know? I guess I liked that she wanted to be my friend and it was fun to have someone to plan with."

"So, what happened to her?"

"She died."

I mean-- what else do you say, right?

"Sorry, baby." Raine's hand moves off my leg and wraps around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. It's nice. I get that he's trying to make me feel better, but it drags me into him so close that I pick out the individual scents of him-- the fresh, clean smell of laundry soap, combined with the warm, spicy scent of deodorant or cologne or whatever it is that makes my nerves light up with the hyper awareness of his masculinity.

I resist the urge to press my nose directly into him and squeeze my thighs together.

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