"Wait right here, let me get you something to eat." Xavier said, pushing himself off the bed.
They had spent all day nuzzled up together in the comfort of blankets, as they watched Pixar movies and relaxed.
Raine was getting better but Xavier couldn't help but be cautious when it came to her. He had almost lost her once and he wasn't planning on taking any more risks.
"Wait, I wanna come too." Raine pouted.
"But Raineâ"
"No" She whinned. "I've been in bed all day."
"Ok fine." Xavier gave in.
He walked around to Raine's side of the bed before pushing the blankets off her body and lifted her up into his arms, effortlessly.
"I can walk, you know?" Raine asked while blushing.
"I know." Xavier smirked. "But I like you in my arms better."
* * *
With her nested in his arms, Xavier gently climbed down the stairs, heading for the kitchen.
"What would you like to eat?" Xavier asked as he set her down on one of the bar stools. "I can send someone to get something for you, if you'd like."
"Something cold." Raine giggled as she watched Xavier shuffle around the kitchen as if it were some foreign place.
It wasn't hard to figure out that Xavier did not spend much of his time there. And how could he when he was so accustomed to drowning himself in the depths of his work? But at the same time, she knew that cooking was something he enjoyed.
"Something cold..." Xavier muttered as he opened the freezer, searching for something Raine would like.
Carefully, Raine climbed off the stool and grasped onto the marble countertops to guide her to Xavier as she took baby steps. Nudging Xavier to the side, she browsed through the freezer herself.
"Raine, you need to rest." Xavier insisted, immediately putting his arm around her waist to support her.
"Popsicles!" She suddenly cheered, pulling out a box of raspberry popsicles that were stashed in the corner of the freezer.
"Mr. Thorn, Ms. Woods, can I help you out with anything?"
They both turned around to find Maria, Xavier's housekeeper, standing behind them, waiting patiently.
"Yes, can you make Raine something toâ" Xavier began, only to be cut off by Raine.
"Nothing!" Raine said. "We're fine here, thanks for asking though." Raine cut off, smiled politely at Maria who was waiting for Xavier's approval before she could leave.
"We're good." Xavier said, glancing at Maria and nodding.
An amused look washed over Xavier's face as he watched Raine unravel a pack of popsicles before beginning to devouring it.
"I haven't had these in forever!" Raine exclaimed, an innocent look perched upon her face.
"Neither have I." Xavier agreed, taking a popsicle for himself.
There was an innocent silence in the room as the two of them licked their popsicle sticks clean, tossing them in the trash.
"So..." Raine began, her doe brown eyes meeting Xavier's ocean blue ones.
"So?"
"How long will you be holding me hostage?" She asked curiously.
"Forever." Xavier said, almost instantly.
"Forever huh?" Raine replied with amusement. "But won't you get tired of me?"
"Never." He said, the smile never leaving his face.
Raine looked up into Xavier eyes, looking for anything but all she found was the truth. Something that was always in his eyes, along with a lot of admiration. Admiration for her.
To Xavier, she was simply breathtaking along with every little detail about her. The way her eyes grew big when she was excited, or the way her cheeks turn pink when she was embarrassed, or even the way she bit her lips when she was nervous. Everything about her was utterly gorgeous and Xavier couldn't resist.
He found himself leaning into her pull and she was doing the same. Their breaths mingled with each other's, their lips about to connect until sounds of footsteps approaching, pushed them apart.
"Hello Mr. Thorn." Jordon said, entering the kitchen and causing Raine to move away from Xavier. "Hello Raine. It's nice seeing you up on your feet."
"Hey Jordon." Raine smiled, her cheeks tinting pink. "And I'm glad to be on my feet too."
"Even though you're supposed to be on strict bedrest." Xavier inputted, causing Raine to roll her eyes.
"I'm fine." Raine pouted.
"I'll be the one to judge that." Xavier replied smugly, winking at her before turning his attention to Jordon. "What's up Jordon?"
"Mr. Thorn I needed to discuss a couple of things in regards to..." He began, glancing at Raine before trailing off. "Is this a good time or shall I come back later?"
"We can talk about it here. It's only fair to let Raine know." Xavier decided.
"Know what?" Raine asked in confusion.
"The person who hacked into our servers was looking for you Raine." Xavier announced.
"The same person who kept calling the company phone to reach you, but soon hanging up once he had confirmation on your whereabouts." Jordon confirmed.
"The same person that broke into your house." Xavier added.
"Malin." Raine whispered, her fingers trembling for a brief second before Xavier quickly held onto her hands, squeezing them in comfort.
"Malin?" Jordon questioned.
"Malin is the mastermind behind the whole plan." Xavier stated, his jaws clenching in anger.
"And who exactly is this Malin?" Jordon asked, looking suspiciously between Raine and Xavier.
"Someone from my past." Raine spoke. "He wasâ"
"He's a psychopath that has a mad obsession with Raine." Xavier finished for her.
"He's from California." Raine informed. "We used to be friends until he wanted more from me. But I ran away and came here." She briefly described. "It doesn't make sense how he got here though. I never left a single thing that could trace me back to New York."
"That's why you were afraid of your pictures in the media?" Xavier asked, putting the pieces together. Every time cameras and media had been involved, Raine's behavior had drastically changed.
"Yeah." Raine mumbled, looking down at her hands. "I didn't want anyone to recognize me. But I guess it doesn't even matter now. He found me anyways." The sadness is her voice was unbearable for Xavier to hear.
"But your pictures were never in the media." Jordon assesses. "Not any that showed your face, at least."
"Jordon's correct." Xavier said. "And Malin seems to have been following you before we even went to Paris."
"Yeah, the messages I got from him, I've been getting them for a long time. Even before Paris or even the Charity Event we went to." Raine admitted.
"Why didn't you ever tell me Raine?!" Xaiver asked with a strained voice. "I could've done something to stop him."
"I never thought it would be him." Raine softly whispered. "I don't understand how he even got my number."
"Wait a mintue." Jordon cut in. "This whole situation started with the text messages, correct?"
"Yeah." Raine nodded. "I've been getting them before the security breach and before Malin broke into my apartment."
"Did you recently get a new phone?" Jordon asked.
"I got one for her." Xavier stated. "After that... that bastard attack her that night at the cafe, her old phone broke so I bought her a new one."
"And did you ever get these messages on your old phone?"
"No." Raine said, thinking back. "I'd only given that phone number to Daisy and Mike and when I got a new phone, my number changed."
"Who are all of the people that currently have your phone number?" Xaiver asked. "Malin had to have gotten it from somewhere. It was the first thing he knew about you. But how did he find out?"
"You have me number, Daisy, and Mike." Raine said thinking about all of the people she had given her number to. "Jordon, you have it too."
"Anyone else?" Xavier pressed. "Think harder Raine."
"I put it on some of my applications."
"Applications?"
"Job applications. I told you remember? I was looking for a job but then you offered me one so yeah... That's the only other time I've given my number out." Raine explained.
"Then that son of a bitch must have gotten it from there!" Xavier claimed. "My phone is secure, and so is Jordon's. And Daisy and Mike, they wouldn't be giving out your phone number either."
"Raine, do you remember all of the companies you applied for jobs to?" Jordon asked.
"Yeah, I'll email you the list."
"Ok, get that to me as soon as possible. Also is there anything else you can tell me about this Malin?" Jordon inquired.
"Umm.. well his full name is Malin Hadleigh. His father is Charles Hadleigh, he's one of Sacramento's biggest lawyers."
"And your parents?" Jordon asked. "If you don't mind me asking, what are their names?"
"Eden and Abby." Raine mumbled. "Eden and Abby Woods."
"That should help a lot." Jordon said, typing up all of the information in his iPad. "Take care Raine. And Mr. Thorn, I'll inform you as soon as I learn any more information."
"Great." Xavier said, watching Jordon leave.
There was an awkward silence in the room for a few brief moments before Xavier shot out of his seat.
"Raine, I'll be back in five mintues, just stay here ok?" He quickly said, pressing his lips to the side of Raine's head before rushing out of the kitchen.
"Jordon!" He shouted, running through the hall as he watched Jordon leaving his line of sight.
To his luck, his voice had reached the ears of his trusty employee, who halted, turning around to find his boss rushing towards him.
"Mr. Thorn?"
"Jordon." Xavier said panting. "I need your help."
"Of course Sir, anything."
"Look, Raine's apartment isn't safe and I definitely don't want Raine anywhere near that place." Xavier bagan. "But there are a couple of things there that I need you to get for me. It's really important."
"I'll go get all of her stuff immediately."
"No, wait." Xavier stopped him. "She doesn't need everything, I bought her new clothes and other essentials already. But there's a couple of boxes in the closet down her hall. I had left them on the top shelf." He recalled, remembering the day he had personally helped Raine move in. "I need you to get those boxes safely to me. They're very important."
"I will do that right away Mr. Thorn."
"Thank you." Xavier said genuinely before letting Jordon leave.
* * *
"What happened?" Raine softly asked when she saw Xavier enter the kitchen once more. "Did you forget something?"
"Sort of..." He replied vauguely. "What were we doing?"
"Eating popsicles?" Raine adorably responded.
"Ah yes..." Xavier said, his mind preoccupied with his previous conversation with Jordon.
"So..." Raine trailed off. "Yesterday, um....I..."
"Thank you for sharing your story with me Raine." Xavier said with gratitude. "I'm glad you trusted me enough..."
"I wish I trusted you earlier." She confessed. "Maybe all of this wouldn't have happened."
Xavier pushed himself off the counter and to Raine, pulling her into his chest. "Raine, let's forget the past and move on."
"Hmmm." She mumbled from his chest.
"And anyways." He pulled her apart, only to cup her face and bring her closer. "Now that I've got you, alive and safe, I don't want to waste my time dwelling on the shit that's going on."
"Do you think they will catch him?"
"They will." Xavier stated sternly. "And when they do, let's just say, he'll be begging me to kill him."
"Xavier, Iâ"
"Shhh." Xavier silenced. "Don't ruin this moment by talking about him."
"Then what else do you want to do?" Raine asked, resting her head back against his beating heart that always seemed to beat fast when she was close.
"I can think of many other things I'd like to do." Xavier smirked, his eyes focused on her pink lips.
"Xavier!" She whined, blushing deeply as she playfully hit his chest causing Xavier to chuckle.
"Can we go outside?" Raine asked, staring at the blue jays that were flying around the bushes in front of the large windows.
It was by far Raine's favorite place. Xavier's garden was vast, stretching out so far with so many different elements. From a orchard to a gazebo and a stunning koi pond, the garden was simply outstanding.
"Raine, it's chilly outside." Xavier said. "I don't want you catching a cold."
"But I really wanna go." She insisted. "Please?"
"Ok fine." Xavier gave in, unable to deny her charming smile. "Let me go grab a blanket."
Raine waited in the kitchen while Xavier ran to his room to fetch a blanket.
He came down the steps rapidly, covering Raine's petite body in the comfort of the plush blanket, before scooping her into his arms.
Sliding the French doors open, he stepped out onto the deck, climbing down the steps and following a cobblestone trail that led to the gazebo.
Although there was a chilly breeze, the ambience was exceptional for musing around the garden.
Seating himself on lounge chair, he pulled Raine into his lap, adjusting her blanket.
"What are you thinking about?" Xavier asked, his eyes focused on her breathtaking face as she looked up at the sky with admiration.
"How life changes within the blink of an eye, yet the stars, the sun, the moon. They all stay the same." Raine uttered.
"No matter how much life will change, these things will always be there with you, Raine." Xavier said, glancing up at the sky himself.
"They won't ever betray us. Won't they?" Raine asked.
"They won't." Xavier assured. "The world is a horrible place, filled with cruel people."
"You're not." Raine said, turning to look at him. "To me at least."
"I can't possibly even imagine being cruel to you." Xavier stated. "Others? I can't promise anything."
"Why is that?"
"Cause you're you." Xavier shrugged. "Simple as that."
"You're sweet." Raine giggled. "Not bitter like the coffee you drink."
Reaching up, her fingers trailed his face, from his forehead, to his vibrant eyes, to the tip of his nose, his soft lips, and stubbled chin.
"Thanks for letting me in." Xavier whispered, his breath fanning her face. "I don't think I ever told you how much that meant to me. For you to trust me like that. With your biggest secret."
"I owed it to you."
"No, don't say that." Xavier refuted, shaking his head.
"Honestly, I wanted to." Raine said genuinely. "I really did."
"And why is that?" Xavier asked.
"Cause you're you." Raine laughed, repeating his previous line.
"You're beautiful, you know that?" Xavier said, enchanted by her melodious laugh that often caused his heart to go wild.
"And I'm mad about you." He suddenly confessed. "Ever since the day my eyes landed on you that day at the cafe. I've had you stuck in my head, unable to take you out. Not wanting to take you out. Ever."
She didn't know whether it was the softness of his touch or the warm of his pressence or even the rythm of his heart beat, but Raine was in a trance. She hadn't ever felt so loved before. So wanted. So needed. Not ever before.
"Me too." She whispered, only causing the grin on Xavier's lips to grow wider.
"Go on a date with me?" Xavier whispered ever so softly in her ears, nuzzled his head in her long locks that flowed off her shoulders.
"I'd love that." She blushed, hiding her face in his chest.
* * *
After a fun filled day with Xavier, Raine had been carried in the arms of her knight in shining armor, back to her room. Raine rested in bed, while Xavier took care of some work in his home office.
"Daisy, it's so nice to see you here!" Raine exclaimed as she saw her close friend sneak into her room.
"It's so nice to see you awake too Raine!" Daisy said. "And even better to see you in Xavier's bedroom." She winked mischievously.
"Not this again." Raine said rolling her eyes. "Where's Mike?" She asked all of a sudden.
"Oh, Mike..." Daisy said, diverting her eyes. "See, the thing is...Well him and Mr. CEO don't really get along that well. So I figured it would be best if I just came alone. Especially since the last time..."
"What happened the last time?" Raine asked in confusion.
"Nothing." Daisy quickly covered up.
"Just time me already." She insisted, seeing clearly through Daisy's attempts to cover up.
"They kinda got into an argument at the hospital and well... I just think it's better they stay away from each other."
"What kind of an argument?"
"Mike kinda blamed this whole situation on Xavier and he... He wasn't happy about it." Daisy said, looked at the floor.
Raine face scrunched up in confusion. "But why would Mike think that? If anything, Xavier's the reason I'm alive."
"I honestly don't know." Daisy shrugged. "Mike's just never been fond of Xavier and I guess he was pissed that you moved out."
"That's ridiculous." Raine said, shaking her head. "I was planning on moving out anyways and I get that Mike is trying to be protective, but Xavier is harmless. He's literally the reason I'm alive."
"Oh really." Daisy grinned. "That's a lot of praising for a 'just friend'."
"Oh please." Raine rolled her eyes, laughing. "I mean it though."
"Well you know exactly how male ego works." Daisy laughed. "He'll come around one day. He'll have to."
"Yeah I guess. I just want them to get along." Raine sighed.
"He is your future husband, after all. They will have to get along someday." Daisy teased.
"Shut up!" Raine said, throwing pillows at Daisy as she ran out the door, leaving Raine a blushing mess.
______________________
A/N: Hola Amigos! I'm back with a new part! A little romance, a little suspense and a little mystery! Now that everyone knows who Malin is, what do you think will happen? Will he get caught? Will he hurt Raine? Or will Xavier skin him alive? To find out, please show some support and hit like!
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