The Bond (Unbroken Raine Falling 4)

“Yeah. What’s fast to prepare?”

He closed in, palm whispering up her arm, settling at her nape. He snared her with hazel eyes, making all kinds of demands without uttering a word. She sensed what he wanted wasn’t purely sexual.

“Stir-fry.” Raine swallowed, wondering why she was nervous.

“Can you have it ready in ten minutes?”

“Less.”

She’d done all the prep the other night and just hadn’t mustered the energy to cook. With surprisingly unsteady hands, she heated the wok, took out the chicken she’d already marinated, and started some quick rice.

Behind her, Hammer clung to her hips and watched, sprinkling kisses up her neck. She wanted him. Hell, she couldn’t be in the same room without aching for the man. But the long caresses of his fingers and the reverent press of his lips tugged at her heart, too.

“Macen?” She turned to him. “What’s on your mind?”

He gave her a wry smile. A few months ago, she would never have been able to decipher that expression. He could be deadly hard to read. Now…she could see he was something close to nervous.

“Besides everything?” he quipped.

She tossed chicken into the hot pan, satisfied with the sizzle. Absently stirring with one hand, she turned to him. “I’m here for you. You know that.”

“And I thank God every day.” He brushed a thumb across her cheek. “I need to tell you something I should have a long time ago. I just didn’t want to disappoint you. Disillusion you. I didn’t want you to see my weaknesses, faults, and imperfections.”

A corner of her brain realized the time had come to add the vegetables. The rest of her was completely attuned to the man who’d captured half her heart years ago. “You could never disappoint me.”

He took the bowl from her hands and poured the mushrooms, onions, and peppers into the meat mixture. “Stir.”

Absently, she did, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “What is it?”

The rice beeped. The stir-fry steamed. Raine didn’t move. He wasn’t severing his ties with her and Liam…but whatever he had to say was big.

“I should tell you about me.” He pulled back and grabbed a pair of plates from the cabinet, then two forks from the nearby drawer.

Anticipation gripped her. Raine held her breath. Was he finally going to let her in?

She’d asked him endless questions about himself and his past the first couple of years at Shadows. He’d refused to give her more than vague answers. He’d grown up in New York. He hadn’t been close to his parents. He’d gone to college but hadn’t finished. Hammer had never been willing to divulge more than that.

Raine quickly dished food onto the plates and walked them to the breakfast nook, surprised to see he’d already set out a couple of placemats and napkins.

“You and Liam planned for us to be alone tonight?” she asked as she set the dishes down.

“Yes.” He held out her chair.

She sat, unable to take her gaze off him. “I’m here. I’m listening.”

“Eat. Liam says you’ve done a poor job of that lately. The doctor will scold you at your appointment tomorrow morning.”

With everything going on, she’d completely forgotten. “Will you be there?”

“Liam and I both will. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

That filled her with a bit of relief. She mixed her food together and forked in a bite gingerly. With her stomach jumping nervously, she wasn’t sure how much she’d get down, especially if Macen wouldn’t end her suspense. “Thank you. Would you just tell me already?”

He smiled, relaxing a little as he swallowed a bite. “It’s good.”

“I’m glad,” she snapped. “You’re stalling.”

Macen shook his head. “No, I’m going to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know and more. I love you and I owe you. But you know I find your impatience adorable.”

Raine wanted to be annoyed, but part of their dynamic was this push-pull. A mutual poke. She mouthed off; he found a creative way to correct her…at least until they repeated the cycle because it was too delicious to ignore.

“You’re messing with my temper, Macen.”

He took another bite and shook his head. “Just hoping you still look at me the same way once you know everything. This will tell you a lot about who I am…and why.”

“You mean like having a condo in San Juan? I had no clue.”

Hammer waved that information away. “I haven’t been there since before Juliet died. I should have sold it years ago. It’s been nothing but rental property for a long time.”

Raine understood that it wasn’t meaningful to him, but Macen Hammerman knew everything about her—the vitamins she preferred, the fact that she got weepy on the anniversary of her mother’s disappearance, her obsession with Caramel Caribou ice cream, the way she liked to nap on rainy days. He’d known every one of her cycles for six years. Her bra size was a given. He’d even bought her shoes that fit like a glove without her trying them on.