Feel The Fire (Unforgettable Series) (21 page)
Read Feel The Fire (Unforgettable Series) Online
Authors: Adrianne Byrd
“Oh, God!” Her nails sank deeper into his flesh.
He sucked in his pain and continued to thrust forward while she bucked fiercely against him. Her body clenched and quivered around him with her orgasmic release and he could feel a rush of her body’s sweet juices around his cock—spurring his own wild, hot, pulsing releasing.
“Aargh!” he roared against her ear.
Her vaginal muscles continued to grip him tight.
With a final thrust, he shoved his entire length into her, roaring out as he emptied everything he had.
When it was all over, their harsh breathing and their desperate pants mingled together for a full minute. Finally, Jonas lowered her legs back down to the floor and then tucked his limp, sex-glazed organ back into his pants.
Without a word, he retrieved her purse and coat from the near by closet, handed it to her and then opened the front door.
He was kicking her out.
“It’s not you. It’s me,” he said evenly.
Toni sucked in a startled breath, cut a gaze to his stone, expressionless features and felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.
But wasn’t this what she wanted?
If so, why did it hurt so bad?
Lifting her head high, she forced her Jell-O-like legs to cross the threshold, but then jumped, when the door slammed closed behind her.
New tears raced down her face; she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Back at the Wedding…
Chapter 26
“Q!” Sterling shouted, and stormed toward his startled brother. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over the place for you.”
“Well then, mission accomplished, dear bro.” Quentin made a mock bow and then winked over at Alyssa. “If I’m not careful, one of these days they’re going to implant a LoJack device under my skin and I’ll never be able to sneak off with you again.”
To her surprise, an uncharacteristic giggle tumbled from her lips. It was what other women did whenever they were around Quentin—not that she was a woman, yet. But soon, she promised herself, she would be.
Belatedly, Sterling noticed the starry-eyed teenager. Suspicion narrowed his gaze as his eyes ping-ponged between the two. “Am I interrupting something?”
Q took one look at his brother’s face and launched one eyebrow high along his forehead. “Certainly not what you’re thinking.”
Sterling cleared his throat while looking both guilty and embarrassed.
Alyssa wasn’t sure she followed the conversation.
“I was simply filling little
Alyssa
in on how our wonderful brother Jonas has, once again, found himself ready to walk the plank to the abyss of happily-ever after.
Sterling’s gaze fell to the empty champagne glass in his brother’s hand. “How many of those have you had?”
“Not nearly enough,” Q laughed. “But hey, the night is still young.” He winked at his older brother.
Sterling drew a deep breath in an obvious effort to remain calm. “Dad wants to see you. He’s in his library.” He glanced at his watch. “When you’re done, Jonas wants to see you.”
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Q said, marching away.
Disappointed, Alyssa’s shoulders slumped at having been so quickly forgotten. Then, as if he’d heard her thoughts, Q stopped and turned with a magnanimous smile.
“Oh, but I haven’t finished telling poor little Alice the story.”
Alice again.
Once again, Sterling’s gaze shifted the shy tomboy.
“Don’t worry.” Q smiled. “I was real careful to abridge the racy the parts. Perhaps you could finish for me?”
Horror rippled across the older Hinton’s face like he wasn’t quite used to talking to someone so young.
“Don’t worry,” Q continued. “She won’t bite.” He made a silent toast with his empty champagne glass and stalked off.
Alyssa smiled dreamily after her future husband until he disappeared into the house. A sigh she didn’t even realize she was holding, exploded from her chest.
Sterling chuckled.
Embarrassed, Alyssa’s face heated to the point her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“I’ve seen that look before,” Sterling said, with an air of superiority that irked Alyssa. She didn’t like for a moment she’d given her emotions away to a man who would undoubtedly feel it was his duty to give her some type of speech.
“Don’t worry,” he covered. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Unable to hide her surprise, Alyssa eyed him with warily.
“What?” He asked innocently enough. “I know what it’s like to have a crush.”
It took everything she had not to protest and proclaim that what she felt for Quentin was stronger than any playground crush. Q was her destiny.
“Or maybe I should say what it feels like to be in love?”
Alyssa experienced another bolt of surprise. Somehow the man was truly reading her thoughts.
Sterling smiled and for a brief moment, his handsome good looks rivaled his younger brother and she was stunned by how it sent her heart aflutter.
“I better get back to my room,” she said, and turned toward to the servant’s quarters.
“You don’t want to hear the rest of the story?”
Surprised, she stopped in her tracks. “You don’t mind telling me?”
“Well, I’m sure I’m not as colorful a storyteller as Q...but if you really want to know.”
Alyssa faced him again to judge whether he was being sincere or just being charitable.
“Where did you guys leave off?”
She hesitated; but when she realized that he was being sincere, she approached. “Jonas kicked Ms. Wright out of his condo after she tried to break things off.”
“Well that is the PC version of things.” He chuckled.
Alyssa frowned and Sterling cleared his throat.
“Well, let’s just say that Jonas refused to speak to Toni after that...”
Chapter 27
Toni hadn’t slept in two weeks.
As a result, her job performance suffered to the point she was failing to drum up the necessary business she needed to stay afloat and frankly, she didn’t care. She lost seven pounds on her already svelte frame, but food held no interest for her and neither did the fresh batch of men who passed her their numbers in restaurants, bars, and even gas stations. All she could think about 24/7 was how much she missed Jonas.
Something was seriously wrong with her.
Admit it: you’re in love with him.
The first few times those words floated across her head, she’d laughed. Laughed hard.
Fourteen days later, she wasn’t laughing anymore.
A steady stream of questions raced across her head. Where was he now? Was he still angry about that night? If she called, would he talk to her?
This wasn’t how it usually worked.
The routine was to pick out a new sexual partner, have some fun for a month, maybe two, break things off before either one got too serious and then cast her line back into the sea for another big fish.
Not this time.
She wanted the fish she’d just thrown away back.
Thinking about Jonas’s stony features when he’d held open the door, it was clear there was no going back.
The realization made her chest ache.
In the past two weeks Toni had picked up the phone more times than she cared to admit. She’d dialed Jonas’s number and, like a silly teenager, hung up when he’d answered the line.
The shenanigans went on until the last time she’d called his personal numbers, she learned they’d all been changed.
A voice inside her head told her not to be too proud to beg and to march over to his office and throw herself at his mercy.
It was stupid.
So why did she drive to his office? It was pointless anyway. Hinton Enterprises’ headquarters had packed up and moved back to North Carolina.
Now what?
Also in the past two weeks, she’d avoided calls from her girlfriends. Judging by the growing frantic messages on her answer machine, the tight sisterhood was on the verge of staging an intervention. Finally one evening, she picked up her ringing phone, determined to lie her way into forgiveness.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” she lied to Maria. “I’ve just been busy at the office.
Maria didn’t believe a word. “You know you don’t always have to wear a damn Superwoman cape,” she rebuffed. “I’m your girl. You can lean on my shoulders. Lord knows I’ve worn your shoulders out a time or two.”
“C’mon.” Toni tried her best to downplay her devastation. “It’s nothing like that. Hell, I didn’t even know him that well or that long. I’m good.”
Maria grew quiet and Toni couldn’t help but feel condemned by her silence.
“I’m mean, sure, the sex was great.” Actually, it was fantastic. “But you know me. I bore easy. It was time to move on.”
“Still using the ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ speech?”
Another painful ache throbbed in her chest. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to what works.”
“Whatever, girl. I’m not judging you.”
“Yes, you are,” Toni snapped before she had a chance to block the accusation from bursting from her lips. “You think I’m losing it,” she continued uncensored. “You think I’m finally getting what’s coming to me after years of thinking ‘I don’t need anybody.’” She sucked in a deep breath but then choked on a sob. “Well it’s true. I don’t need anybody.” She bolted to her feet and paced the familiar path before her bed. “Love, marriage, children. That’s all women bitch about. Like being some man’s property is the answer to our lives. Well, it’s not. There’s not a damn thing a man can do for me that I can’t do for myself!”
Silence greeted her sudden tirade.
Toni squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the tidal wave of regret. When it hit, every limb in her body trembled and quaked. What was wrong with her? She usually had better control of her emotions than this.
Then again, it wasn’t every day she’d thrown away a chance of a lifetime. A chance at real love.
Maria finally found her voice. “Maybe I should come out and visit you for a while? You know. Hang out like we used to.”
Toni collapsed onto the edge of the bed, this time unable to prevent a low rumble of laughter from falling from her lips. “No. That’s not necessary. I’m all right. We’re all entitled to one hysterical outburst in life, right?”
Maria didn’t answer. Probably was too afraid to.
“I better go,” Toni said, wanting to get off the phone before another rant took them both unawares. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
“Of course. I just have a lot to get done tonight,” she lied. Tears trickled down her face as she ended the call. By the time she disconnected, her tears had transformed into a rushing river.
“I’m not in love with him. I’m not,” she shouted into the empty room. But even the walls called her a liar.
“I’m not settling!” Nora Gibson snapped, leaning back in her chair and folding her slender arms to glare at her former bosses, her ex-lover and their team of attorneys.
Toni exhaled a long breath, wishing that she could somehow disappear underneath the table. Nothing she said would deter her client and after watching William Bassett’s “The Best of Nora” home movies, Toni was almost willing to write her client a check from her own personal account to get her to go away.
At least Nora’s ex-colleagues and girlfriends, who’d also filed suits, quietly dropped their claims and pulled a Houdini when Toni informed them of Mr. Bassett’s home movies.
But not Nora.
The woman was unshakable and determined to win a big money payday. “Those tapes don’t prove anything,” Nora insisted, and then slapped on a smile. “I did those things in order to remain in good standing with this company.”
“My client is correct,” Toni informed the men in black across the table. The usual suspects were all there...except for Jonas. She sort of hoped he would be. “We acknowledge that Ms. Gibson had engaged in sexual acts with William Bassett. Our suit clearly states she felt pressure to participate and cultivate his wild fantasies.”
Where in the hell did she pull that rabbit?
“Ah, c’mon, B-pie,” Willy crooned, winking at his ex-lover from across the table. “You know most of these games were your idea.”
“B-pie?” Toni asked.
Willy’s face lit up. “Yeah. It’s sort of my pet name for the best damn
blackberry
pie this side of the Mississippi.”
Toni gasped as the rest of the men in the room groaned. Suddenly feeling a little more confident in the case, Toni turned her gaze toward her opponent. “Brian, do you really want a jury to meet this man?”
