Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (18 page)

Chapter Twenty Two

Two Months Later

Megan finished restocking the supplies in an empty exam
room and moved to the next one.  She’d been back at work a few weeks, and it
felt good to have her mind on something other than her dysfunctional life.  The
relationship between her and James had taken on a bit of a strain, but he was
relentless and wouldn’t let her cut him from his life.

He explained his reasons for lying and she could do
nothing but accept it.  Hell, what good would it do for her to have a breakdown
over something she had no control over anyhow?  She looked at it as another
mother not wanting anything to do with her, and she refused to look for a
person that didn’t bother to look for her first.

While recovering from her injuries, she and Ryan took a
week to visit Connor and his family.  He admitted he knew she was his
half-sister but didn’t think of her that way.  She was his sister period. 
Connor and his wife entertained Ryan and Megan, taking them sightseeing around
Miami. They promised to return and hit the night life once Megan had healed,
and they had more time to spend in Miami.

Megan also met James’ current love interest, Vicky.  The
woman was extremely friendly and made her and Ryan feel at home.  She was the
complete opposite of Iona.  Megan had to question her father’s sanity for
dumping this loving and tolerant woman for Iona. A small part of Megan wished
she had been raised by Vicky instead.

A week of relaxation in Miami did both Megan and Ryan a
world of good.  She was able to relax and not look over her shoulder and
reconnected with Ryan on a higher level.  They were deeper in love now than
ever before.  They’d even discussed starting a family.  Megan wanted to get
pregnant as soon as possible.

Stooping down to stock clean gowns in the drawer, Megan
concentrated on what she was doing and didn’t hear the door close.  A hand
touched her on the shoulder, and she jumped, letting the folded gowns she was
holding go flying over the room.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ryan
laughed.

“You scared the crap out of me!” Megan fussed. “Why didn’t
you say something when you came in?”

“I did.  You were too deep in your work to notice me.”

She scoffed. “You probably whispered my name.  You know
you don’t raise your voice for anything.  What are you doing at the hospital?”

“Another run.  Thought I’d pop in to say hi to the love of
my life,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her tight to
him.

Megan melted. This was home. In his arms, she was home. 
Nothing could change what they shared.  Not her newly found identity or that
Iona was still on the loose and could be waiting to strike again. Megan felt
that was probably unlikely but made it a habit to look over her shoulder when
alone, and never to let her guard down.

As he held her close, she felt his need pressing into her
stomach. “Behave yourself, Ryan.”   She playfully teased him grinding into
him.  “I’m at work and you’re in uniform.”  She ran her hands over his chest.
“You look so damn handsome in it too.”

“I’m trying to behave.”  He looked around. “The ER is slow
Megan, give me five minutes,” he begged pouting his lower lip. “You know you
want to.  Every couple wants to do it on their job at least once.”

She rolled her eyes. “We could get caught.  I could lose
my job fooling around with you when I should be working.  What are you going to
do if you get a call?  Zip up and leave me hanging?”

Ryan ran a hand through his short hair releasing an
unhappy breath. “You got me there. Just once, I want us to live outside the box
and be wild.  I think we could both use that bit of adventure.”

“You naughty boy,” Megan teased. “I like this side of you
and I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.”

His radio went off. “Dammit! Okay, I will think of
something and let you know.  I’ll see you later, baby—love you.”

“I love you too.”  Megan picked up the gowns she’d dropped
on the floor and dumped them in the laundry basket.  She smiled thinking not
all was bad in her life.  Ryan Tisdale was the best thing to happen to her.

*****

Ryan sat at the table counting down the final hours of his
shift. He’d come up with a way to be spontaneous and couldn’t wait to get
home.  He’d put himself into further debt by purchasing Megan a new wedding
ring.  Nick plopped down in the chair, and Orlando sauntered into the breakroom
waiting on his shift to start.

Ryan looked up at both and gave them a head-nod. “What’s
up?”

Nick grinned. “What the hell is up with you lately? 
You’re always smiling these days.”

“I’m just happy, man.  Ain’t nothing wrong with that is
it?”

Orlando poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table with
them. “Ryan, it’s hard to believe you used to be a teacher and use that type of
language.  I think we’re a bad influence on you,” he joked.

Ryan folded the newspaper in half and tossed in the middle
of the table. “I was a history teacher, not English, so I can slip a zinger or
two and not get slapped on the knuckles with a ruler.”

“It’s great to see him smiling instead of seeing that face
of worry, man.  That means the turbulence is over, and the ride is now smooth.”
Nick arched a brow. “But I want to know if all the rides are smooth?”

Ryan laughed out loud. “Everything is back to the way it
should be and that’s all I’m saying. You can take that for what it’s worth.”

“Our boy is back in the saddle again,” Nick roared
slapping hands with Orlando. “I swear when the bedroom is out of whack, don’t
nothing work right.”

Orlando chimed in, “Well enjoy it while it lasts.  I’m
here to tell you when the baby comes along, that the bed won’t be used for shit
but sleeping.  My kid seems to know when Regan and I are about to get it on. 
I’m looking forward to this wedding so we can have some alone time.”

“You got a babysitter?” Nick asked.

“Yep.  My mother is keeping Miguel while we’re away.  I’ll
have Regan all to myself for once.”

“Cut it out, Orlando,” Ryan smirked. “It can’t be that
bad.  I mean the kid does sleep and takes naps, right?”

“He does sleep when I’m not home, or we aren’t in a
romantic mood.  Geez, I swear no sooner than I get the panties off he gets up,
and when I get him down again, Regan is fast asleep.  I can’t win.  I know
you’re trying to have a baby, Ryan, and don’t let what I’m saying discourage
you, but be prepared to see a decline in your sex life.”

Ryan turned to Nick. “Man, is that true?”

Nick nodded. “To an extent it is.  We have three kids that
cause a lot of interruptions. So it is hard to get that alone time, but I have
a mother willing to keep the grandkids whenever we want to have a date night.
It balances out if you have the right people willing to help you out once in a
while.”

Ryan grew quiet. “Damn, I know she wants a baby, but Megan
and I don’t have that type of support system.  We should probably rethink
having kids.”

“You have a support system, Ryan; you got us,” Nick said
in a friendly tone. “Hell, one more kid spending the night wouldn’t matter to
me.”

Orlando raised a puzzled brow at Nick. “Damn, I have to
pinch myself when I hear you talk like that.”

“What can I say, I grew up,” Nick winked.

Ryan got up from the table. “Thanks for the advice,
fellas. I’m about to hit the road.  See you in 72-hours.”

“Wrong,” Nick shouted. “My house tomorrow night—remember
the six of us are getting together for some adult fun.”

“Oh yeah; we’ll be there.”  Ryan’s cell phone rang as he
stepped outside the firehouse. “Hello”

“Ryan, this is James Jones.  I need to see you right
away.  Will it be possible for you to stop by my office on your way home?”

Ryan felt a chill run through his body. “Sure.  Mr. Jones,
is Megan in any danger?”

“Not as long as I’m alive. I’ll fill you in when you get
here.”

He shook his head looking up at the sky. He had to wonder
if Station 30 was the only firehouse in the city cursed with so much drama.

James’ assistant escorted Ryan to his office.  The office
reeked of wealth and success as it was decorated in dark mahogany wood with
cream colored walls.  He walked over to a matching set of leather plush chairs
that were in front of the large executive desk. He noticed the desk was free of
any paper clutter, and the computer was turned off. 

There were pictures that graced the desk. A gold frame had
a picture of Megan and Connor at an early.  Another frame was a picture of
Vicky posing in a rose garden.  He didn’t see any pictures of Iona.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” James apologized as he
entered his office. “I had a board meeting that ran later than I expected.”

“That’s okay, I haven’t been here long,” Ryan answered.
“So what is so urgent that you wanted me to stop by?”

James sat behind his desk.  “I have something for you.” He
opened a drawer and flipped through it.

“Is Iona stuffed in there somewhere,” Ryan joked.

“Ha, I wouldn’t let her body soil my expensive desk. What
I have for you is a gift.”  He handed over an envelope.

Ryan opened the envelope and removed two first-class plane
tickets to the British Virgin Isles. His eyes popped. “Whoa, what is this for?”

“Megan mentioned you two wanted to renew your wedding vows
someplace secluded and with just the two of you.  Those are open tickets,
Ryan.  Whenever you’re ready to go, you can.”

“Mr. Jones, this is very generous of you, but I can’t
accept….”

They were interrupted by the door opening. “Boss, I got a
lead…Ryan?”

Ryan’s mouth dropped open when he saw Eddie. “Boss?  You
work for Mr. Jones?”

Eddie shoved his hands in the pocket of his trousers.
“Yeah, I do.”

“Doing what, Eddie?  Because when I think of what you do I
see the words henchman, strong-arm security or something along those lines?  I
don’t see you working behind a desk doing actual work.”

Eddie folded his arms across his chest. “Ryan, what I do
for Mr. Jones is not for you to know. All you should know is that I keep my eye
on you and Megan.”

“This explains how you knew about Emin.” Ryan let his gaze
bounce between Eddie and James. He threw up his hands. “I don’t want to know a
damn thing that either of you are doing.  As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Jones is
in the consulting business, and you are a messenger or errand boy that works
for him. With that said, I’m out of here.”  He tossed the tickets on the desk
and headed for the door.

“It’s not like that, Ryan.  This job took me off the
street and got me clean!  I owe Mr. Jones for saving my life.”

“What exactly are you doing, Eddie? Are you doing
legitimate work here or will I have to go to the morgue to claim your body if a
turf war goes bad?”

“It’s not like that.  I’m not a gangster, and Mr. Jones is
not a warlord.  His businesses are legit.”

Ryan nodded. “Whatever, it’s your life and I can’t tell
you how to live it.”

Eddie frowned. “It is my life and it’s a hell of a lot
better than the one I had growing up. I shouldn’t have to tell you; you were
there.”

“Ryan, listen to your brother.  I’m not dirty dealing; I
just take care of my family. Plus, you don’t have to give back the tickets.  I
got those as a gift for you and Megan,” James said.

“No offense, Mr. Jones, but I don’t want the tickets. I’ll
pay for me and my wife to have a dream vacation when I can afford it. You’ve
done enough for us, and I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness.”

“You aren’t doing that if I’m offering my services to
you.”

Ryan nodded. “Mr. Jones, if you really want to help Megan
and me, find Iona.  Megan is constantly looking over her shoulder. She
shouldn’t be a prisoner in her home or be afraid to go out without me.  So, if
you and Eddie want to help us, find her and make sure she and Emin will never
bother her again.”

Ryan left the building with his suspicions about his
brother and Mr. Jones confirmed.  He would seriously have to rethink bringing a
baby into the world.  Their families had a deeper dysfunctionality than he
believed.

Ryan unlocked the door and tossed his keys in the bowl. 
He didn’t notice at first, but a floral scent drifted in the air.  He looked
down and saw rose petals making a trail along the floor.

He smiled and followed the path knowing where it would
lead.  He opened the door to the bedroom and music filled his ears.  Megan came
from the closet on cue from the music.  She moved her body sensually to the
beat of The Weekend’s
Earned It
. Ryan watched her dance, enthralled,
eyes drawn to her undulating hips barely covered by the lacy red boy-cut
hipsters and matching bra she wore. The stilettos gave her legs length and
shape as she moved suggestively in front of him.

“Welcome home, baby,” she whispered as she moved her head
towards him, touching her mouth to his lips in a tentative kiss.

Ryan’s disappointment with Eddie evaporated like water
droplets on a hot radiator.  Eddie was a grown man and if he was happy being James
Jones henchman, then more power to him.

“I like this welcome.” Ryan traced his palms upwards as he
spoke, tracing her rib cage and stopping just beneath her breasts. His eyes
came up to catch her gaze as she bore into him with a palpable intensity. “You’ve
been on my mind too, baby.” 

He reached for her, but she danced away from him,
forbidding him to touch her. “I didn’t think you’d ever get home.  I’ve been
thinking about you ever since you left the hospital this afternoon.” She danced
around him, teasing him seductively. She wiggled a finger at him. “Not yet.  I
want you to enjoy my dance.”  She turned around bending over to trace her hands
up her smooth legs.

Ryan felt his manhood jerk uncontrollably from the sight
she presented to him. He moved behind her, his palms, cupping her breasts
through her lacy bra and squeezing her ample orbs none too gently causing her
to moan. As he swayed his body in motion to the music with her, he said, “I’m
here now, so let’s not waste any time.”