Chapter 47: 44 - Burgers and Boyfriends

Today had been a chill day for Raine and Xavier. And after yesterday's crazy mission, it was well deserved.

Raine had crawled into Xavier's bed in the middle of the night when sleep did not come to her. And very quickly, she had discovered that it was the best place in the whole world.

Being in Xavier's arms.

They had woken up together, nestled in a pile of pillows and blankets and it was by far, the best sleep they had both gotten in the past couple of days.

After getting ready, Xavier had left Raine to the comfort of their suite while he managed a couple of meetings that had been pending for days now.

It was late afternoon when she finally pulled herself out of bed. A whole day had almost gone by without Xavier and she wanted nothing more then to see his mystical blue eyes, that shined brightly only for her.

Pulling herself out of bed, Raine smiled when she heard Xavier's voice coming from his office. A smile graced her face instantaneously as a plan formed in her head and before she knew it, her feet swept her towards his melodious voice.

"Hey!" Raine said sweetly as she entered Xavier's office. "Xav I was just about to make dinner, what do you want to—" Raine abruptly stopped, seeing multiple people sitting in the room. "I'm so sorry!" She let out, her eyes widening in shock and embarrassment. "I'll just be going—"

"Wait, Raine." Xavier interrupted her, standing up from his seat and striding towards her. "Raine, meet some of our investors for Thorn Inc." He announced before turning to the gentlemen. "Gentlemen, please meet Raine Woods, my girlfriend."

A blush coated Raine's cheek as Xavier mentioned her as his in front of the others. He had told her before what she was to him, but it felt different now. It felt good.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Woods." The men said, snapping Raine out of her trance. "Mr. Thorn's a lucky man."

"That I am." Xavier grinned, leaning down and pressing a kiss on the side of her head.

"Sorry for the interruption, though." Raine smiled softly.

"That's alright." Xavier said, kissing her forehead one more time. "It'll just be a few more minutes, you can rest meanwhile."

"Alright." Raine smiled, before waving at the other men as she head out.

* * *

"What to do, do, do, do, doooo..." Raine sang as she pranced around the kitchen.

She was planning on being the chef for the night but her mission of finding out what Xavier wanted on the menu had taken a turned when she'd interrupted their meeting.

But despite that, Raine was still eager to cook for Xavier.

Her boyfriend.

"Let see what Mr. CEO has..." She muttered as she opened all of the cabinet doors, searching for anything she could use to whip up something special.

When she found nothing, an idea popped into her head. Quickly, she headed to find her phone, dialing Nick's number.

"Ms. Woods?" His voice came. "Is everything alright?"

"Yup." Raine grinned. "I need your help with something, though."

"At your service Ms. Woods." He happily complied.

"Great. I'll send you a list of some stuff, can you go out and buy them please?"

"Of course." Nick agreed. "I'll do that right away.

* * *

"Smells amazing in here." Xavier voiced.

It had been an hour since Raine had began working her magic in the kitchen. And just as she was about to finish her masterpiece, Xavier had entered the room, his hair disheveled and his tie out of sight.

"Aw, what is my cute little chef cooking up?" He smiled, pulling Raine into his chest as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"It's not much." Raine shyly said. "But since we're here, I thought... I thought I'd introduce you to a Woods household classic. Dinner Chicken Burgers with Paprika Fries."

"It's more than enough." Xavier smiled, kissing her rosy red lips softly.

They both sat down on the bar stools, plates of deciduous looking burgers in plain sight.

"So it's a family recipe?" Xavier smiled to which Raine happily nodded.

"Dad was in charge of making the burgers and Mom always did the fries." Raine explained and Xavier listened with joy.

It wasn't often when Raine opened up the doors to her heart that had been sealed shut for so long. But now that she was, Xavier couldn't help but enjoy the moment. He loved that glint in her eyes as she mentioned her parents. He loved the way her face brightened up.

"No one knew what Dad's secret recipe was! Not even Mom." She laughed. "But Dad told me."

"Really? Little Raine used to cook back then too?" Xavier asked, curious to learn more about her past life.

"Yeah!" Raine enthusiastically nodded. "The kitchen was my favorite place!"

"Well, I can't wait to taste this then." Xavier smiled. "I'm a special guy, aren't I? To be fortunate enough to taste a Woods family special."

"Very special!" Raine smiled shyly. "Besides the three of us, you're the only one."

And with that being said, they both diving into their plates, not pausing for once to stop and take a breath. It had been ages since Raine had tasted the recipe that satisfied her tastebuds like no other. And for Xavier, it was quite similar. Family meals and traditions were something he had long forgotten in the hustle of his busy life.

"Wow." Xavier moaned, devouring the last bite of the burger. "That was the best burger I've ever had."

"Thanks." Raine blushed as she licked her fingers clean.

"No, I mean seriously Raine, if you'd open up your own burger joint, I kid you not, you'd become a billionaire."

Raine burst out laughing. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"There's no doubt about it." Xavier grinned, shaking his head.

Raine stared back at Xavier in admiration. He was the key to her heart that had been long lost.

But while Xavier had pried the doors to her heart open, she still struggled to do the same with him.

"So, um..." Raine hesitated. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Raine..." Xavier said, reaching out to touch her hand. "You can ask me anything. You don't need to hesitate."

"Well, you... you know so much about me. Almost everything there is to know. But I don't know anything about you. You're still a closed book, and I'm waiting to discover you just the way you've discovered me." She confessed.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything." Raine said. "Everything."

"Well, you know already that my mom hasn't ever been a part of my life." Xavier began. "She... she passed away when I was only a year old and I don't remember anything about her."

Despite having heard the truth before, Raine's heart dropped hearing about Xavier's mother. She had made so many beautiful memories with her mom, but knowing that Xavier never had that chance, hurt.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, squeezing his hand.

"My father and I never had a good relationship either. He wasn't ever a dad to me." Xavier stated, pressing his lips firmly together in a line.

It was obvious that the topic bothered him. But despite that, him sharing it with Raine meant the world to her.

"When I look at you, you have so many memories, so many moments that you shared with your parents. You had a mom and dad and that probably meant everything. You were their world and they were yours. I didn't have that though. I never had a mom to begin with and my father, he could never become a dad." He chuckled. "A CEO? Yes. A brother? Yes. A husband? I don't know. But a dad? Definitely not."

Raine silently listened, observing the pain that swirled in his blue orbs. He was just a child that wanting nothing more then to be loved. But the harsh reality of this cold world in which he lived in, had robbed it from him when his mother passed away.

It didn't take a genius to figure Xavier out. The world just never tried to understand him. They took his cold eyes as his stubbornness and his loneliness as his ego. Never once trying to understand that the coldness in his eyes was a result of being starved of love and affection.

"Sometimes I wish Mom was alive." Xavier whispered. "But then I look at you. You're here. You smile, you laugh, you brighten up the whole room wherever you go. And I think to myself, why I can't I be like you?"

"Xavier, I smile and laugh and brighten up the room because of you." Raine pleaded. "You make me do all of those things. My life was just as lonely before you slipped your way into it... I know how you feel cause I've felt that way before."

"When I saw you cry that night..." Xavier began, lacing his fingers with hers. "You reminded me of my past."

Raine cocked her head in confusion.

"In hospital." He answered. "When you told me what happened to you. The way your Aunt betrayed you."

Raine nodded silently, remembering that night. It had been the first time she had ever told anyone the truth.

"Ziva. You remember her?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah." Raine nodded, recalling the only member of Xavier's family that she had met. And the strain upon that relationship was easy to see.

"She's my father's sister. Zander and Ziva...The Ziva you saw, was nothing like that one she used to be... When they were younger, she fell in love with the son of my grandfather's rival. And he didn't take it too well. Ziva was disowned from the family, leaving everything to Zander Thorn." He explained. "Back then, Thorn Inc didn't even exist. They used to have a small business. A single story motel that the family ran. However, my father didn't like the idea of it. He wanted to make a business, a name out of himself. He always dreamt big."

"Is that the man Ziva married?" Raine asked.

Xavier shook his head. "A couple of years later, when Thorn Inc had been established, Ziva came back saying the man she had given up her family for, had cheated on her. She was heartbroken with nothing left."

"And what did her father say?"

"He had passed before Ziva's return." Xavier answered. "Mom had died too. My father was all alone, so seeing his sister returning, he welcomed her with open arms." Xavier chuckled dryly. "He let her into our company, although she had nothing, he made her a shareholder, gave her a position on the board of directors, treated her as his own."

Raine noticed Xavier's jaw clenching as his knuckles turned pale. Her soft touch tried to calm his rigid body, but the pent up anger was no match. He needed to let it out. The same way she had let it all out.

"It was rare that my father ever spent time with me and the little time he did, he easily traded it in to take care of his sister." Xavier spat out.

Raine signed. She knew that Xavier was a man who was so brilliantly hiding the boy who was abandoned as a kid. He had masked all of his emotions so skillfully that the world saw none of the boy Xavier really was. All they saw was the fake facade he put up for the world. And they fell for it.

But Raine could see past it. She could see the pain in his eyes and the loneliness he had surrounded himself in.

"I sound pathetic don't I? Jealous of my aunt because she had something I didn't. My father's attention." He laughed dryly. "The funny thing is, my father was just getting duped the entire time."

"What do you mean?" Raine asked in confusion.

"Ziva. You think she's an innocent women?" He asked. "No. She isn't."

"A con artist is what I'd like to call her." Xavier dangerously smirked. "Her apology and sob story, it was all a pathetic lie. The truth was that once the stock market crashed, and her boyfriend was left out on the streets, she set her eyes on the newly developed Thorn Inc that was making headlines every day. She didn't come to my father to gain her family back. She came back for the money."

"The Thorn's weren't well off when she had been kicked out of the house but they were now. And for her, that was an opportunity to get what she wanted most." Xavier went on. "She was a gold digging bitch. She sweet talked her way into the company, spread lies about my father in the media to try to get him kicked off of the CEO position so that she could replace him. And when none of that worked, she stole 5 million dollars from the company."

"Wow." Raine was left speechless. "How could she do that to her own brother?"

"Doesn't surprise me." Xavier shrugged. "I always knew she was fake but who would believe me? My father was so damn busy with his company."

"But he must have realized at some point, right?" Raine asked. "That you were there. That you needed his love and support?"

"It was too late when he did, honestly." He shook his head. "He had pushed me away so far, that he couldn't get me back. And perhaps I had shut him out too, I didn't allow him to come anywhere close to my heart."

The sorrow in his eyes was deep, but Raine couldn't help but see guilt there too. It was faint, but it's presence was enviable.

"I grew up alone, with the help of some nannies that my father hired. The people who raised me didn't do so because they loved me, but because it filled their pockets with dollar bills."

"The distances that we had between us could never be fixed. The damage had been done." Xavier sighed. "I didn't give him a chance when he tried to come back and be the father he should've been years ago. I was hurt... I admit to my mistakes though. Maybe I should've let him in. Maybe I should've given our relationship another chance."

"Don't blame yourself, Xavier." Raine shook her head. "You were hurt and you had the right to be. Yes, maybe if you had given him a chance, you could've had the dad you always wanted. But that doesn't mean all of this is on you."

"He didn't fight hard enough." Xavier whispered. "And when I didn't melt from his daily apologies, they slowly faded away. He gave up on me, Raine."

A lone tear slipped from his eyes, trailing down the length of his face until it fell onto Raine's hands that lay atop his own.

"I wasn't even there." Xavier whispered. "I wasn't even there when he passed. I got a phone call when I was in London, where I was finishing my degree. Our family lawyer told me that Zander Thorn has passed away, leaving his multi-million dollar company to it's only heir. Me."

"I'm so sorry." Raine whispered, pushing herself out of her chair and into Xavier's chest. She sat on his lap, running her delicate fingers through his hair in a comforting manor. Xavier's body melted into her like chocolate. He held her close to him, passionately and protectively.

Raine knew that loneliness had been his companion for far too long, but she never thought it would be like this. That the man who always put a smile on her face had suffered for so long. Alone.

"I don't trust people Raine. I stopped. I don't believe in families. I don't believe in relationships. I believe that people will only hurt you. They use you, till there's nothing left. They use you, until they've gotten everything they've wanted and then they leave you there. Stranded and shattered." He confessed, his voice full of vulnerability.

"But everything changed when I met you. I... I saw a life that was more then what I was living." Xavier admitted, cupping Raine's face so that he could look into her eyes and feel her breath fan over his skin.

"I never believed I could fall because I was afraid no one would catch me. But Raine with you... I want to fall. Because I know that you'll be there to catch me. I want to take the risk." He poured out, finally revealing all of the feelings that had been lodged down in his heart. "There's nothing that's ever scared me. I've never been afraid in my life. But with you, you make me scared Raine, you terrify me. Because I realize that I can't live without you. I can't live without your smile. And that scares the hell out of me."

Their breaths were rapid and brains out of control. For now, in this moment, if anything was in control, it was the heart of an innocent lover that refused to back down from it's confession.

"Raine I think I'm... I think I'm falling for you." He breathed out. "I want this. I want you."

"Xavier..." Raine whispered, her heart thumping so loudly in her chest. "I'll always be there to catch you. I'll always be there to hold your hand. You don't have to be alone anymore. Because this time, you have me. And I'm not going to leave you alone." She giggled as tears welled up in her eyes. "So get used to me."

"I don't mind that a single bit." Xavier said, leaning down and capturing her lips sweetly. "You're mine. And I definitely do not share."

* * *

"Raine!" Xavier shouted from outside the door. It was late morning and Raine was in the shower, getting ready for the day.

"Yeah?!" Raine yelled from the other side.

"Jordon's coming over today, wanna grab some lunch before we meet him?!" He asked, walking up to her bathroom door.

Raine turned the shower off, wrapping herself in a warm white towel before opening the door.

"Raine I..." Xavier began, only to be left speechless at the sight of Raine in nothing but the small white towel that was wrapped around her small body. Water was dropping from her hair, trailing down her shoulders. Her eyes were glued to the ground and her cheeks were pinker then ever.

"Damn." Xavier muttered under his breath, unable to keep his eyes off the goddess in front of him.

"You were saying?" Raine mumbled.

"Oh, I... I'm sorry, I... Jordon's coming over later today. Wanna go out to lunch before then?" He managed to spit out.

"Yeah." Raine nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Cool." Xavier nodded, unable to keep his eyes from lingering on her body. "I have to talk to the manager about something, I'll meet you at the restaurant downstairs." He informed quickly. "Table's booked under my name."

"Ok." Raine smiled. "I should get ready."

"Yeah..." Xavier whispered. "Um... I'll leave you to it." He coughed out before taking one last look at her, and heading out.

* * *

After getting ready in a coral tank top and a white skirt, Raine dried her hair lightly, tossing it behind her shoulders before looking at herself in the mirror and leaving their room.

Xavier had left a couple of minutes ago and was expected to arrive soon at the restaurant.

Shutting the door behind her, Raine took the elevator down to the bottom floor where the restaurant was located

"Table for Thorn?" Raine asked the waitress politely upon arriving.

"Ms. Woods?" The lady asked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Right this way ma'am."

Raine sat down, browsing through the menu as while she waited for Xavier. Looking around, she took in the modern decor the restaurant featured. Of course, like all of Xavier's things, everything was high class, elegant, chic, and classy.

Just as she was looking around, her eye fell on someone she had missed in the past few days. A grin formed on her face, and before she knew it, Raine was out of her seating, waving towards Jordon.

"Hey Jordon!"

"Hello Raine." Jordon greeted happily, walking through the tables to get to her.

"You're back!" She exclaimed. "And just in time for lunch too! Come sit with us, Xavier will be here any minute."

"Raine, I don't think that would be proper of me considering that I'm merely Mr. Thorn's assistant and bodyguard." Jordon politely declined.

"Nonsense!" Raine refuted. "I don't care what you are to Xavier, but we're friends nonetheless."

Jordon shook his head at her stubbornness, taking a seat besides Raine causing her to grin in victory.

"I'm sure you've been through a lot in the past days, but I'm glad you're holding up well." Jordon spoke up.

"I do have Xavier giving me all the support I could possibly need." Raine smiled. "It's difficult but with him, I think I'll be fine."

"That's nice to—"

"Jordon?!" Xavier's voice interrupted. "I didn't realize you'd be joining us for lunch." He stated, his lips pressed in a firm line.

"I apologize Mr. Thorn, I was about to take your leave when Raine insisted that I stay."

"Yeah!" Raine cheered. "Come on Xavier, Jordon been running around since he got here, I think we should sit back and have lunch together for once."

"Hmmm." Xavier nodded, pulling a chair closer to Raine as he sat down in front of Jordon.

"So guys, wanna talk about everything?" Raine asked, noticing the awkward tension that was looming between Jordon and Xavier. It wasn't hard not to notice the glares Xavier was throwing his way, while Jordon tried hard to look away and act normal.

Xavier cleared his throat, breaking away from his glaring session. "Well if we are planning on discussing things over this..." Xavier pauses, glaring at Jordon, "...date, then it's only fair to include the entire team."

"Nick." Raine smiled. "He's a part of the team too!"

"So he is." Xavier nodded. "Give me a minute, while I call him."

"Mr. Thorn, allow me to handle it." Jordon interrupted. "You and Raine might want to catch up."

"Thank you!" Raine beamed while Xavier grunted in disinterest.

Jordon caught on with Xavier's sudden mood change and left the scene as quick as he could.

"Was it necessary to invite him?" Xavier turned to Raine.

"Jordon?" Raine asked. "I thought you said we were gunna talk with him though."

"After this date." Xavier stressed.

"Ohh..." Raine mumbled. "Sorry, I—"

"Don't apologize." Xavier quickly shook his head. "It's alright. We can do something together after this, Little Rose."

Raine blushed, shaking her head. "You're cute."

"And hot." He smirked.

"And adorable." She pinched his cheeks.

"Not to mention, sexy." Xavier swatted her hands away.

Raine burst out laughing, causing Xavier to chuckle and admire the little dimples that formed on her plush cheeks.

"I apologize for interrupting." Nick voice interjected, causing the duo to straighten up.

"Hi Nick!" Raine greeted. "Come join us."

Nick smiled at Raine, nodding at Jordon as they both sat down in front of Xavier and Raine.

"Ok gentlemen and girlfriend," Xavier began, winking at Raine. "Now that we're all here, let's talk."

Raine blushed, shaking her head as she leaned into Xavier, Jordon smiling at her.

"You've got some explaining to do." Jordon winked at Raine.

"Later." She mouthed, not going unnoticed by Xavier, whose grip around Raine was tightening by the second.

Xavier cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "As I was saying before, there's a couple of names Raine and I were able to find."

"Chadwick Knight and Killian Hawthorn." Raine clarified. "We found some flight information, inbound for New York. The fight was under the name of Chadwick Knight and Xavier believes that he is Malin."

"So you think he flew into New York with a false identity?" Nick asked.

"It's quiet possible." Jordon nodded. "I checked with the aviation controls and they didn't have anyone under the name of Malin flying in or out. It would make sense if he came in through a false identity."

"Exactly." Xavier said. "Jordon, I need you to run Chadwick Knight's name and see if you can get more information on this ghost."

"I'll check with the hotels." Nick volunteered. "See if we can find out his whereabouts while he was in the city."

"Great." Xavier nodded. "There's also another name I need more information about."

"Killian Hawthorn." Raine stated. "He has something to do with my parents. But I don't think I've ever heard his name."

"Killian?" Jordon asked. "I can't help but think I've heard that name before."

"Killian Hawthorn?" Xavier speculated.

"Yes." Jordon nodded. "When Mr. Thorn, your late father, was in charge, I used to manage all of his meeting and such." He explained. "I think your father knew him."

"What?" Xavier frowned in confusion. "What would he have anything to do with this?"

"Where did you hear that name from, though?" Jordon asked.

"He made the payment for a lawsuit against Cyber Soft."

"Cyber Soft?" Nick and Jordon questioned together.

"Yeah." Raine nodded. "Um... that's the company my parents used to work at."

"You mentioned a lawsuit?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. We found these legal papers in a secret location in Charles' office." Raine said.

"I read those papers, Raine." Xavier began. "Apparently the company that your parents worked for, was stealing information illegally."

"That's impossible!" Raine refuted. "My parents wouldn't ever be involved in anything illegal! They'd never steal anything."

"I understand your concerns, Raine." Xavier said softly. "But you do have to realize that we're dealing with cyber theft here. Your parents were great with computers. The company that filed against Cyber Soft claims that they had hacked into their private servers to obtain confidential  information."

"I still refuse to believe my parents would do such a thing." Raine said. "Xavier, out of all the people, I'd expect you to believe me." She whispered looking a little hurt.

"I do believe you, Raine." Xavier immediately comforted her. "I'm only stating the facts that have been written on these documents. I'd never not believe you."

"Mr. Thorn," Nick interrupted. "It's quiet possible that Raine's parents weren't the ones doing the illegal activities. After all, the lawsuit is against Cyber Soft as a company, not specifically Eden and Abby Woods."

"Not only that but..." Jordon said, showing an article in his phone to the rest of the people. "... I did some basic research on Cyber Soft, and your parents owned 30 percent of the shares for that company."

"But what about the private company that filed the case?" Raine asked. "What if they're just framing Cyber Soft."

"That's a possible situation." Xavier nodded. "But I doubt a lawyer as big and influential as Charles would take upon a case without proof. In fact, no lawyer would."

"I agree." Jordon nodded. "It's rather suspicious how Charles just so happened to get this case though. One so closely related to Raine, yet years before Malin's arrival to her live."

"I do think that's suspicious as well." Xavier nodded.

"And the fact that these papers weren't with the rest of the old case files." Raine said. "Why would he only hide these papers in that secret compartment?"

"That's a valid argument too." Nick nodded. "But I do have one more suggestion."

"What is it?" Xavier inquired.

"What it Cyber Soft framed the Woods?" He let out. "I mean, they were on a business tour, flying via a work sponsored aircraft. What if it was all the company's ploy?"

"At this point, anything is possible." Xavier signed. "We're gunna need much more information before all of this starts making sense."

"And our team is on it." Jordon assured. "But for now, Mr. Thorn, with all due respect, I believe it is best for you and Raine to return home."

"I can't go back to work until I sort this Malin issue out." Xavier protested. "I cannot focus on my company, knowing that the man you tried to steal Raine away from me forever, is on the loose."

"Jordon's right." Raine softly said, squeezing Xavier's hand. "We need to go back to New York, Xavier. We can't stop living our lives because of another man."

"But--" Xavier because to refute, only to be cut off by Raine.

"We're going home, Xavier." Raine sternly said. "Whatever's next for this case, will be done from New York."

"I agree with Raine." Nick spoke. "Mr. Thorn, we've done our job here, the case can further continue from the comfort of your home, where you will know that both you and Raine's safety isn't at risk."

At the mention of Raine's safety, Xavier nodded. "Fine." He stated. "We'll go back home."

______________________

A/N: Longest chapter I've ever written! But I hope all of you enjoyed it.

Also, new cover!! What do you guys think?!

And can we please take a moment to hit the star and vote for this chapter!? Please show some love and support so that I feel motivated to give you quick updates!

Vote

Comment

Breathe