Unfinished Hero 03 Raid (14 page)

Suddenly, Raiden yanked the popcorn from between us and kernels flew everywhere. His
arm went around my shoulders. He tugged me into his side and dumped the bucket in
my lap. He then lifted his hand to my jaw, tipped my head back and laid a hot, heavy,
wet,
long
kiss on me right in the Deluxe that was not even half filled, but
still
.

He came up for air
,
which luckily gave me the chance to suck some in at the same time I was trying to
control my rapidly beating heart and the pulse throbbing between my legs.

“Not pissed about the double feature anymore, seein’ as you’re so fired up about it,”
he murmured.

“Okay, well… good,” I replied, my voice breathy. I got control of the breathy before
I went on to inform him inanely, “You got popcorn everywhere.”

“Don’t fuckin’ care.”

There was no reply to that so I made none.

“I’m gettin’ you really like movies,” he noted.

“Yeah,” I confirmed.

His hand
,
still at my jaw
,
slid back into my hair. “Then live it up, honey.”

He tipped my head down and kissed my forehead before his hand slid out of my hair,
taking its time, traveling the entire length. He curled away from me
,
but held me close with his arm still around my shoulders.

I focused on regulating my breath.

Then, as the lights went down, I said, “I hope you like the movies.”

“I’ll like ‘em,” he replied
,
and I twisted my neck to look up at him.

“You like noir?” I asked tardily
,
then continued, “Have you already seen these films?”

“Not a movie person, or never was. Haven’t seen either. But bein’ in the dark with
you close, givin’ you something you like to do, don’t give a fuck what it is. Just
glad to be doing it.”

God.

That was nice.

“You’re very sweet,” I blurted as the commercials rolled on the screen.

“No, I’m not,” he returned. “I’m selfish and goal-oriented. This shit is multitasking
. G
ot you close, smell your perfume, feel your warmth
,
and later you’ll be in a good mood. All that works for me.”

To that, being an idiot, I couldn’t stop it

I kept blurting.

“You might want to try to stop being so sexy and hot and cool or you’ll give me a
heart attack and then your plans for later will be completely derailed.”

I heard the smile in his voice even over the loud commercials. “Then I better shut
up.”

“That would be wise.”

His arm drew me nearer and I felt the light shakes of his body, denoting his silent
laughter.

I liked the feel and memorized it as I turned my attention to the screen.

I’d been to movies with my other boyfriends and none of them held me tucked tight
throughout one movie, much less two.

To be fair, the Deluxe didn’t have those killer seats back then so it would be uncomfortable
if they tried.

Still, they didn’t try.

If they did, I might have attempted to be less uninteresting.

Because it was amazing.

Or maybe it was just Raiden who was amazing.

Halfway through
Sunset Boulevard
,
when he set aside the popcorn, I put my head to his shoulder. I cuddled closer
,
he let me and decided it was Raiden.

All Raiden.

Amazing.

Chapter Nine

Not That Kind of Girl

After two movies with a fifteen-minute intermission it was late when Raiden, his arm
around my shoulders holding me close, my arm around his waist doing the same, walked
us four blocks down to the car park at the edge of town.

When he’d come to my house to pick me up I’d suggested we take my car since he’d said
he wanted to drive it.

He took me up on this offer
,
and although no one but me had been in the driver’s seat of my girl, I liked sitting
beside him in my girl.

I liked more the way he handled my car. The ride was smooth
;
the car maneuvered unbelievably
,
but I wasn’t exactly a daredevil. I’d never explored the limits of her functionality.

Raiden was not so hesitant.

He drove her faster than I’d ever risk, testing her handling on the winding roads
that led from my place to Willow.

This normally would frighten me
,
but he operated the car with a natural confidence, like he drove her every day, or
like he drove NASCAR for a living. So I wasn’t frightened.

I was exhilarated.

And thus looking forward to the ride home.

We approached her, he beeped the locks and I saw the kick butt “Z” at the side illuminate
in a flash when he did.

I loved my girl.

And, Bodhi and Heather notwithstanding, I was back to glad I made my decision months
ago to broaden the horizons of my life.

Case in point
:
Raiden Miller walking me to my car at midnight on a Saturday night.

He moved me to the passenger side
,
but I turned my back to the car, blocking the door and looked up at him.

“You said at intermission that you thought
Sunset Boulevard
kicked ass. How did you feel about
Chinatown?
”

“You were right, that Dunaway
-
Huston gig was freaky
,
but it was a fucking good movie,” he answered.

He liked noir. For some reason, this thrilled me.

Yes, he just kept getting better and better.

Therefore, I blurted, “In case I forget, I’ll say it now to be sure you know. I had
an amazing night, Raiden Miller.”

At my words, one of his hands moved to span my hip, the other one cupped my jaw. He
shifted close and dipped his face to mine.

“Good to know, Hanna Boudreaux,” he rumbled through smiling lips.

I smiled back then shared, “I’m glad I didn’t eavesdrop and ruin the night by freaking
out and being stupid.”

“I’m glad I didn’t leave a pretty woman at a table and make a poorly timed phone call,”
he returned.

My smile got bigger. “I’m also glad nothing world rocking happened, like learning
my best friend since forever, KC, was the evil mastermind behind a dire plot to take
over the world, Homeland Security raided her house and hauled me in as a possible
accomplice due to our copious phone conversations and pedicure appointments.”

His body was shaking as were his words when he replied, “Reason to rejoice.”

I was laughing softly when I finished, “So thank you.”

“You’re welcome, baby.”

Baby.

I
loved
that.

So much I rolled up to my toes and kissed him.

Again, I was going for a quick peck. I was looking forward to making out with him
on my porch (or wherever) when he took me home
,
but just then I was going to do what he did.

A brush of lips against lips.

Raiden, as I was learning anytime this happened, had other ideas.

Except this time, without reason, when Raiden’s arms locked around me, crushing me
to him and his tongue slid into my mouth, the world exploded.

The other kisses were phenomenal.

E
ven though this one was not executed in the privacy of my farmhouse at the end of
a single track lane that was surrounded only by trees, but instead in a public
parking lot
in our hometown after a movie just let out, the kiss detonated.

Maybe it was because I wasn’t freaking out, heartbroken and being stupid.

Maybe it was because we hadn’t just finished exchanging heated words or heartfelt
confessions.

Maybe it was because my dream
actually
was coming true, bigger and better than I expected
.
I was in Raiden’s arms and he wanted me there.

Maybe it was just because it was the end of a really good date.

Whatever it was, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced. Nothing I even knew existed.

And something I wanted never to end.

It was huge. Consuming. The world melted away and there was just Raiden, his arms,
his big, hard body, his mouth and his tongue.

I couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t give enough.

And Raiden felt exactly the same.

I knew this when he arched me into the car, pressing close, hips, chest, lips.

I knew it more when his hands slid down over my bottom and he jerked me up.

I had my hands in his hair and I held on even as my legs automatically circled his
hips
. H
e shifted down the car, planted my booty on the hood and bent into me so my back was
to the Z, my legs circling his hips, his groin pressed deep to me and his tongue ravaging
my mouth.

I was so lost in the kiss, in Raiden, I would have been happy for it to go on forever
and more, even in the parking lot
. N
o kidding, I would have been happy for it to escalate to bigger and better things.

But suddenly, my surprised cry drowned down his throat, he yanked me up and set me
on my feet with a jarring thud.

I barely got myself steady before his hand clamped around mine. He dragged me the
short distance down the car, wrenched open the door and shoved me inside.

He slammed the door after me. Out of habit I dumped my purse on the floor in front
of me and I was trying to get my wits together, come to terms with the drastic and
unwelcome turn of events, and, with shaking hands, get my belt around me when he angled
in the other side.

“No belt,” his voice growled at me and my head snapped to look at him as he tossed
the key in the cupholder, hit the button to start the car and shifted into reverse
before the automatic ignition fully engaged.

We reversed out of our spot so fast, my body swayed with the movements. Then he rocketed
out of the car park and through town, picking up speed quickly. My breath caught and
I didn’t notice he was going in the wrong direction.

I didn’t notice this mostly because we left town behind in a blink
,
and we no sooner did that when his hand wrapped around the back of my neck and he
roughly yanked me his way. Shoving my face in his neck, his other hand quickly captured
my wrist and pulled it to him
,
then smoothed my hand over his hard crotch.

It was so hot, so forbidden, so dangerous
;
it felt like fireworks exploded in the car, their sparks landing everywhere, all
over me, dazzling me at the same time making me burn.

I pressed my hand deeper, moaning into his neck, my tongue gliding out, tasting his
skin.

His hand left mine. The car sped wherever he was taking us as I felt and heard his
gruff, rumbled, “Fuck me.”

My body molten, my mind dazed, everything that was me was about everything that was
him
.
I touched the tip of my tongue to his earlobe and whispered a desperate, “Hurry.”

My girl revved, Raiden shifted and my hand curled tighter around his crotch.

I trailed my lips along his neck, his jaw and reversed my path, using my tongue. I
shoved my face deep into his skin, loving his taste, his smell, the feel of his stubble,
the whisper of his hair against my forehead so much, I uncurled my hand and rubbed
my palm hard down the length of him.

Raiden grunted and we came to an abrupt stop. He hit the button and the car turned
off
,
but he already had his door open, knifing out. He dragged me over the driver’s seat,
taking me with him.

I didn’t know where we were. I didn’t even look.

I didn’t care.

I got my feet under me and ran to keep up with his long strides as, hand in mine,
he towed me to a building I noticed vaguely looked like stables. We went up a flight
of open backed steps at the side. Raiden wasted no time unlocking the door
and pulling me in. He slammed the door, flipped the latch then he stalked across a
room, dragging me with him
.

I took nothing in
and
kept taking nothing in
when he stopped, picked me up and suddenly
I was flying through the air.

I landed on mattress.

Raiden landed on a knee beside me, his hands at the belt on my jeans.