Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (11 page)

“I have to know the truth, Emin. I can’t do
another marriage based on lies and deceit.  Are you paying her?  She seems to
think once we get married, she will have access to your family’s money.”

He hesitated and clenched his jaw.  Megan
saw him thinking.  Emin was not equipped to stand up to Iona.  She had
something over him. “Traditionally, Iona would receive a dowry as the mother of
the bride. But this is modern day, Megan, and arranged marriages are not done
anymore."

“I can understand that, Emin.  Since my
father wasn’t included in any of these arrangements, when did the khosgab take
place? That totally makes this arranged marriage untraditional and unacceptable
according to Armenian culture.”

“Megan,
I was assured by Iona that Mr. Jones is in agreement and is elated we are
getting married.  So stop worrying about it. I’m the only son and therefore,
traditions will not be strictly enforced.  So the “tying of words” or “khosgab”
as it is traditionally called did not happen.” His voice elevated. “My parents
want to see me happy. You are the woman I have chosen and they are okay with
that.”

Bingo! First lie to be revealed
.
Megan
narrowed her eyes. “How much, Emin?” Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“Tell me or I’ll walk out of here, so help me God.”

“Iona accepted a stipend of $3,000,000 plus
other incentives.  She will receive a house and a staff to maintain it.  Of
course, all will be paid by my family.”

“You bought me for $3,000,000? You’re a
bigger fool than she is.”

“How so? As I see it, you were a bargain. A
woman of true Armenian decent would have received a lot more. My family is
willing to oversee that you have a cornucopia of genes running through your
bloodline instead of being a thoroughbred, Megan. If you’d been all white, that
would be entirely acceptable to them. The African-American in you…well, they
were unsettled about that, but we managed to come to an agreement. I agreed we
would not have kids. That is OK with me since they would be in the way of us
traveling and doing whatever we want to do.”

Megan reeled. She no longer heard the music
playing or paid attention to the people in the club. She was shouting at this
point and didn’t care who heard her. “Whoa, first off, I am not a fucking
horse! I’m proud of who I am, Emin.”

“Lower your voice, Megan. Everyone doesn’t
need to hear our business.”

“I’m not doing this shit!” She grumbled as
she searched for her purse. “I’m out of here, and there will be no marriage.
You were an idiot in high school and a bigger idiot now that you think you have
grown up.”

He looked at with slanted eyes. “Sit down
and stop making a spectacle of yourself.”

She curled her lip and snorted. “Screw you!
I’m going home.”

“I advise you to sit down. I know you’re
trying to get Ryan’s attention and hope he’ll come to your rescue, but he is no
longer sitting at the bar.” Emin folded his hands and leaned into her. “I envy
him right now.”

Megan glared at him. “Why?” “Look at how
many years I pursued you. You never looked at me the way you do at him, and I
know you slept with your lab partner. He couldn’t wait to spread that little
gem. It was all over campus how he deflowered your tasteless ass. Call me
crazy, but here I am years later, willing to pay $3,000,000 for a used piece of
ass, and your ex-husband is getting it for free with the slut he picked up. I
should just lower my standards and be like him and sleep with random women. 
Although, I could get a better class of women since I have money.”

Megan chuckled. “Wow, you really know how
to put your foot in some shit.  You just said the wrong thing, my friend.”

“I’m surprised you’re finding any of this
humorous.”

“It’s funny as hell, and you will see how
funny in a minute. Turn around and meet your fate, Emin.”

He turned around and gasped. The iron
curtain the four firefighters formed caused Emin to stutter. “Wh-What…”

Nick snatched Emin from the chair, dangling
him by the neck. His eyes bulged as he put his face close to Emin’s. “That
woman you called a slut is my wife! I think you owe her an apology.”

“I never said that!” he said, trying to pry
Nick’s hand from around the knot of his tie.

“Oh really, because I have it on tape,”
Megan said, pulling the wire from her bra.

“You were taping me?” Emin puckered his
lips and spat at her. “You bitch!”

Megan jumped up as the wad of spit hit her
in the face. Nick drew back his fist to hit him, but Ryan beat him to it,
knocking Emin to the ground.

Ryan pounced on him once he fell to the
floor, hitting him repeatedly. “You want to spit, motherfucker! You’ll be
spitting teeth for the next fucking week once I get through with you.”  The
blow to Emin’s mouth made his knuckles bleed, but he kept hitting.

The nightclub became still as Jon and
Orlando tried to pull an enraged Ryan off an unconscious Emin.  Nick finally
tackled him, and the three of them held him down until he stopped fighting with
them.

Gabrielle held a shaken Megan in her arms.
“Let’s get you out of here.”

Firefighters in the bar rushed over to
start medical treatment on Emin but ordered their brothers to leave before
police arrived.  Although the owners of the bar would never call the police on
them, a patron who wasn’t familiar with the atmosphere might.

Megan couldn’t breathe and shook
uncontrollably.  Gabrielle sat her in the front seat of her car. “Megan, snap
out of it.” She tapped her lightly on the face. When that didn’t work,
Gabrielle reached in the glove compartment and removed a small bag.  Taking out
a capsule, she snapped it before waving it under Megan’s nose.

Megan blinked her eyes inhaling a deep
breath.  The smelling salt did the trick. “Where is Ryan?”

Shaking her head, Gabrielle answered. “I
don’t know.  The guys have him, so I’m sure he’s okay.”

Megan started to cry. “Is Emin dead?  Ryan
will go to jail for the rest of his life because of me!”

Lincoln came over to the car. “How is she?”

“In shock.  Have you seen the guys? She’s
worried about Ryan.”

“They just drove off.  We hav
e to get out of here now, Gabby,
”
Lincoln said getting in the
backseat of the car.

“I know,” she said, sliding
behind the wheel of the car.

Chapter Thirteen

Ryan sat in the chair with his head hung low.  Through his
haze, he saw the blood that covered his clothes, and shoes.  It was a mix of
Emin’s blood and his.  He ran his fingers over the cuts on his knuckles; they
burned like hell.

Jon came in the basement. “I got word that Emin isn’t
dead.  He was on his feet before two men came and took him away.  Whoever they
were, they came out of nowhere according to Brett.”

Ryan exhaled a relieved breath. Brett was the manager of
Illuminations.  Also, he didn’t want Emin dead; just out of Megan’s life. “I’m
relieved to hear that.”  His cell phone rang.  He hoped it was Megan. “Hello?”

“What did you do, Ryan?”

“Eddie, how did you know I did anything?”

“I have my ways of knowing what you’re doing.  I had to
fix this for you.”

“You had Emin taken from the club?”

“As far as tonight is concerned, the four of you went to
dinner with your ladies and had a nice evening.”

Ryan stood up and walked a few paces across the floor.
“Did Megan call you?”

“No, she didn’t.  As I said, I fixed it for you.  If you
and Jon keep your mouth shut, this will go away in a day or two.”

“What about my other friends, Eddie.  I don’t want Orlando
or Nick to face any backlash because of me.”

“Go check on your wife and don’t worry about Emin.  He
suddenly had to leave the country to take care of some important business. I
promise you, he’ll never step foot in Cleveland again.”

“Eddie?” The call ended. He looked at Jon. “I don’t know
what my brother did, but we’re in the clear…all of us.”

Jon responded. “Good.  And we will not talk to anyone
about this shit, ever. Are we clear on that?”

Orlando and Nick both agreed and said their goodbyes.
“I’ll take you home, Ryan.  Megan is probably scared shitless.”

“I bet she is.  Jon, do you think my brother is involved
with the Mafia or some shit? I don’t know what the hell he does.”

“I don’t want to even guess what he does, Ryan.  I know I
just want to stay on his good side.”

Ryan entered the house and looked around the front room. 
Everything seemed in place.  He checked the windows to make sure they were
locked before going to look for Megan.  He wasn’t sure if she came home or went
with Lincoln, for whatever reason she wasn’t picking up her cell phone. Before
he entered the kitchen to check the windows, he noticed light filtering from
under the bedroom door.

He opened the door and saw Megan curled up in a small ball
in the middle of the bed.  The table lamp, still on, cast just enough light for
him to see her face wet with tears. Ryan flipped off the light, stripping off
the bloody shirt and he climbed into bed. Draping his arm around her stomach,
he drew her in close to him. “Baby, I’m okay.” The bedroom was warm yet Megan’s
body shivered as he held her.

“I’ve never been so scared, Ryan.  I didn’t know what
happened to you after they took me out the club.  All kinds of wild stuff ran
through my head.”

“Babe, those guys weren’t gonna let anything happen to
me.  Plus, I’m not going anywhere and leave you behind.  We’re together until
the end.”

She drew his arms tighter around her. “Promise me that.”

“I promise,” he whispered against her ear. He vowed that
moment he would never let another person come between them.  That included Iona
Jones.  She was next on his list.

*****

Sunlight streamed through the blinds. Megan awoke
panicked.  Could last night have been a bad dream?  Did she drink too much and
hallucinate the whole fight between Ryan and Emin? Closing her eyes tight, she
prayed it was. There was no way her mother would sell her for money. Nothing
about last night could be true.  It had to be a dream.

She heard light snoring from behind her. She knew someone
was lying next to her, but unsure who since her mind was not cooperating.

Trying to roll over, a heavy arm made it impossible to
turn over. Finally, she was able to roll just enough to see from the sunlight
filtering in the room, Ryan sound asleep and curled around her. Megan ran a
finger lightly down his chin, trying not to wake him. She couldn’t help but
take in his perfect face his square jaw, his perfect nose, dark thick
eyelashes.

She withdrew her hand as he began to stir. With his eyes
still closed, he mumbled, “That feels nice don’t stop.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you.  I thought I was careful not
to disturb your sleeping.”

He smiled as his eyes opened. “Your hand roaming all over
my face wasn’t going to let me sleep.  You meant to wake me up.”

“If I wanted to wake you, I would have moved lowered,” she
playfully said.

He took in a breath and kissed her on the nose. “Yeah,
that would have done it for sure.”  He turned over on his back. “So, do you
want to talk about what happened or just pretend nothing happened and plan
something to do today?”

She settled on her side and slid her hand under the cover
to explore his body.  “We should talk about it because it’s not over.  My
mother is expecting me to marry Emin and suddenly he isn’t around.  I’m not
supposed to be with you since we’re at each other’s throats and in the midst of
a divorce.  We have to talk about all of that.  But right now, all I want to do
is forget everything and enjoy my husband.  I’m thanking God you’re alive and
lying next to me.

He said in a husky, “Do what’s in your heart, baby.  No
domination from either one of us.”

Megan leaned her neck back to kiss him as he leaned over
her shoulder. “Good.  I just want my husband to make love, to me let me know
that everything is going to be okay.”

She moaned out as he reached her breast through her shirt.
Rolling her taught nipple in his mouth, she pushed up against him. He placed
his manhood at her core, from behind but didn’t move for several minutes. She
gyrated her hips against him; enticing him. A loud groan left her mouth as he
slid just inside and pulled back and she thrust forward. He began to move
slowly in and out, only changing his angle to hit her spot as he began to toy
with her swollen nub. Arching her back, a loud moan left her body as he covered
her and settled between her legs.

Ryan took both of her hands and pinned them above her
head, spread her legs with his thighs, and pushed his erection against her sex.
He deepened the kiss, his hunger for her growing with every flick of her tongue
over his, and she moaned. It should be downright illegal for a man to kiss as
well as Ryan did. He silenced her wandering mind with another mind-numbing kiss
that had her moaning and wriggling beneath him. When he finally released her
from the kiss she just laid there, her lips parted on a sigh, and her body
craving more of him.

“Ryan,” she half sighed, half groaned his name.

“Shhh.” His lips brushed over hers in a gentle caress. He
began to kiss her neck and throat, his teeth grazing her sensitive flesh until
they found her earlobe and tugged. His breath was hot against her ear. He
adjusted his grip on her so that both of her wrists were clasped in one of his
large hands.  Not binding her, but to use his free hand to lift her nightshirt
until he was able to reach her breasts. His rough calloused hands sent shivers
through her body and she moaned softly. The tension from the night before left
her mind as he rolled her nipple between his fingers, making it hard and aching
for more. His mouth was on hers again, erotically nipping at her bottom lip,
sucking it into his mouth and then repeating the onslaught all the while
tweaking her nipple.

“Are you ready for me, baby?” He asked in a sultry voice.

“Hmm? Do you have to ask?” That's all it took. Her brain
turned to mush and she was like melted putty in his arms.

“I need to feel more of you,” Ryan growled. He put her
ankles on his shoulders and his hands on the mattress on either side of her
head and quickened his thrusts making her etch out a small shriek.

The penetration was deep, bordering on painful, but
fantastically glorious. “Yes! Ryan!” Her screams and moans reverberated off the
walls. “I'm gonna come!”

“I love feeling you tighten around me,” he said as he
increased his movements.

Once again, her mind exploded at the exact moment her body
convulsed in orgasmic bliss. Ryan slowed his thrusts, stopping completely as
she came down from her peak. He let her ankles fall from his shoulders.  She
gasped as he started to move again. This time he was slow and steady. His mouth
went back and forth between her nipples and her lips. He began to swell inside
of her and she couldn't believe it when she felt her body responding in kind.
There was no way she could survive another orgasm so soon without nourishment.
“Ryan,” she whimpered. “Not again, I have to eat first.”

He put one hand on her hip, keeping her pinned to the bed.
"We’ll eat later,” he said in a soothing voice. “Please, baby. I want to
feel you come with me.” His voice was a low grumble against her ear.

She looked into his pleading eyes. “For you, I will.”

“That’s it, baby. Look at me.”

Megan’s eyes fluttered open and met his gaze. His eyes
were a dark shade of brown that stole her breath. “God, I love you,” he said
steadily increasing the frequency and intensity of his pushes. “Yes, that’s it,
baby.”

Her thighs tightened around his waist as they climaxed
together amidst a flurry of moans, grunts, and screams. Ryan collapsed on top
of her, his face buried in her neck, and they stayed like that until they both
calmed their breathing.

“I love you,” Megan said passionately.

He pulled out of her but remained on top of her. He met
her eyes. “I don’t have to tell you how much I love you every day because you
already know. Megan, I would give my life for you. So, I don’t want you to take
any blame for what happened with Emin.”

“I am to blame. I lured him to Illuminations.”

“He started the fight.  We only wanted a confession about
Iona and him working together.  When he spat on you, I lost it.”

“I’ve never seen him that mad before. None of this feels
real and makes me believe my childhood was a joke. I loved my mom so much, Ryan
and to know that she would do this to me is like a kick in the chest. Talk
about losing respect for a person in minutes, the dejection I’m feeling is way
past words. My family meant everything to me and now I have nothing.”

“That’s not true, Megan.  Mr. Jones and your brother
haven’t left your life.  Plus, you still have me.”

“You all haven’t left me yet.  I have a brother I hardly
see and probably doesn’t have a clue what I’m going through.  My dad is this
quiet man that, I don’t really know either.  He’s living a separate life in
Florida that I know nothing about.  And eventually, I’ll screw up again and run
you away.”

“I’m not going anywhere, ever.  Iona saw that fat check
dangling in her face and reached for it. As bad as it is, I believe Iona does
love you. I think she is aware that your father is unhappy and wants out of the
marriage therefore she’s trying to secure her future one way or another. Emin,
on the other hand, was desperate to have you and willing to pay any price to
get you.  He’s been standing in the shadow of other men waiting for a chance to
love you, but you didn’t reciprocate his feelings.”

“He knew the drill. There are people you are curious about
and he never was that person for me. I tried to set him up with dates.”

Ryan chuckled. “Believe it or not, I understand his
position.  You are the love of his life.  He did what he felt he had to do to
be happy.”

Tears slid off the side of Megan’s face to hit the pillow.
She knew he was trying to make her feel better. She even agreed with what he
was saying, but it didn’t stop the guilt. Her picture-perfect childhood now was
tainted with shame and humiliation.  Her father, which she idolized and did no
wrong in her eyes, was having an affair. Her mother wasn’t the adorable mom her
friends wished they had.  She was a money-grubbing woman that held nothing
valuable and would put a price tag on anything.  It didn’t matter whether she
birthed it or not.

Ryan wiped away her tears with the back of his hand.  For
a man with big hands, she felt his touch was light as a feather.  He was tender
with her. If anyone one should be bitter about their childhood, it should be
him. But he didn’t say anything against her parents or bad mouth how deceitful
parents could be to their kids. He just let her talk.  And hopefully lift the
heavy burdens from her chest.

 She licked her dry lips and said, “Emin is not dumb. He
knew a marriage between us would never happen no matter what went down. Why did
he let it go this far, Ryan?  It’s out of his character.  She had something
over him.”

“What do you think it could be? If she did have something,
it had to be devastating enough that he didn’t want his parents to find out
about it.”

She squirmed under his weight. “I don’t know. We lost
contact after he went off to grad school.  But, I do know, $3,000,000 is not
enough to keep Mom set for life. She loves spending money. She would have found
a way to keep seeping money from him. He usually gives up easily.  He should
have just walked away from Mom and none of this would be happening.”

“Not necessarily, Megan. Maybe he had built enough
confidence in himself to believe he could pull it off. He didn’t care the love
would have been one-sided or, maybe he felt he could whisk you away to Armenia
where you would be dependent on him for everything.  Eventually, his plan would
be to make you fall in love with him.”

Her heavy eyelids closed as she murmured against his
shoulder. “I love you too much to ever want another man. There is so much that
could have happened in the park that day. I really thought you would retrieve
Sparky and go about your way, but you didn’t.”

“I noticed you in the park before that day and I also saw
you checking me out even though you were pretending to be reading.  I’m not
dumb either,” he said nuzzling her nose with his.