The man gave a curt smile. “Mr. Tisdale?”
“That’s me,” Ryan answered.
“My name is Emin Grigorian. I’m a friend of Megan’s—your wife.”
Ryan crossed his arms revealing the bulge of muscles that made up his strong arms. “I know who she is. What do you want?” he asked harshly.
Emin took a step back to put room between them. Ryan Tisdale’s height and bulk made him appear to be an intimidating man. “Well, I thought we could talk about Megan. Megan and I have been friends since high school.”
Ryan spoke louder as he interrupted Emin. “Again, what do you want? Are you dating my wife?”
Jon walked away to join the other firefighters that were now glued to the conversation taking place. The Chief was even in the room but didn’t say anything. Emin cleared his throat looking around at the seated men that had quieted. Not one female was present. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”
“This is about as private as it’s going to get and that might work to your advantage depending on what you have to say about my wife.”
“Look, I’m here because I care about Megan. She is hurting badly and I think you need to ease up on her. If you agree to sign the divorce papers today, I’ll take care of the process for free. Why pay two lawyers when I’m offering to do it for the both of you free of charge. My only stipulation is that you give Megan whatever she wants.”
Jon and Nick stood up once they saw Ryan’s body go tense. He was boiling inside and it took all his restraint not to throttle the man’s throat. “Did Megan send you here?”
Emin stammered. “I-I…”
Ryan frowned and his lips thinned. “Did she specifically ask you to come here to do this? What is so hard about that question?”
“No, no she didn’t ask me to come here. I took it upon myself to help a friend.”
“You know what, FRIEND…you have a lot of fucking nerve coming here to confront me. Now, I’m not a violent person and I’m not threatening you in any way, but I suggest you get in whatever you drove over here in and leave before you’ll need an escort.”
“Mr. Tisdale, you are in fact posing a threat to me. I’m feeling a little intimated at the way you’re coming at me. You’ve already been through one tedious trial, I’m sure you don’t want to go through another one for assault and battery. You have a lot more to lose than a teaching job this time around.”
Ryan’s face turned to stone. “Get out!”
“Why are you fighting this? You both want the divorce and face it I’m better suited for Megan anyhow. She’ll have everything she could ever want if she marries me. She’ll be set for life. You do want her happy, don’t you?”
Jon and Nick were now standing on either side of Ryan. “Just let it go, Ryan,” Nick said trying to drag Ryan away.
Ryan pulled his arm away and asked. “Is he for real? Does he realize I’ll stomp his midget ass into the ground and not give a damn?”
“He’s not worth catching a case over, Ryan; come out back with me so you can cool off.”
Jon ushered Emin to the bay doors. “You need to go and don’t come back here again. If Megan hires you as her attorney, she can let Ryan know herself.”
“I’m trying to help both of them,” Emin stated.
“By telling the man you’re better for his wife? How is that helping him? As I see it, you were trying to push Ryan’s buttons and make him attack you. We weren’t going to let that happen.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the brotherhood among firefighters code; you all stick together.”
Jon chuckled. “In this case, we were protecting you. See, our EMT’s are out on a call and we don’t have the right equipment to treat injuries from a beat down at the moment.”
“I don’t care for your humor. I know my rights and this is intimidation at best.”
Jon narrowed his eyes. “Huh, it seems you came here to intimidate Ryan. I don’t have a law degree, but you threw his past in his face knowing that has nothing to do with his divorce. You started this shit. I’m making sure you walk out of this firehouse under your own power and none of your blood is on my floor.”
Emin fumbled in his briefcase for a notepad. “What is your name? I want all of the names of the men that witnessed what happened.”
“Lieutenant Jonathon DiMinico. And, if you’re cocky enough to go back in there and get names, got for it.” Jon shook his head as Emin looked out the bay doors before stepping outside. He hurried to his car and took off. “Damn coward,” Jon mumbled.
*****
The house was dark when Ryan walked in and clicked on the light. Megan’s car wasn’t in the garage either. He dropped his duffle bag on the floor and sorted through the mail on the table thinking she was probably out with Emin. It took him a minute to remember that name, but it came back to him that Emin was the boyfriend before him. For 24-hours, he had to stew at work with that on his mind.
As he dumped the junk mail in the trashcan, one piece caught his attention. He flipped over the card that had Megan’s name on it. He wasn’t actually invading her privacy since it was a postcard and not a letter in an envelope. He frowned. “What the hell is this?”
The door opened and Megan walked in the house. “Oh, didn’t know you would be home tonight. How are you?”
“I’m fine. What is this, Megan?” He asked in a stern voice.
“What? I don’t know what you are talking about?”
“Look, I’ve had a bad day and I don’t need any bullshit right now. I’ve had time to calm down from your boyfriend visiting me yesterday, I just want the straight truth about this,” he said shaking the postcard in front of her.
“What boyfriend visited you? I’m not seeing anyone and what are you shaking in my face?” She snatched it from his hand. The look on her face took a tumble. It was where she registered at the baby warehouse when she found out she was pregnant three years ago. They were sending her information on their new store location. She swallowed. “It’s an advertisement for a baby outlet store…what’s the big deal?”
“Why is it addressed to you? Megan, we don’t have kids,” he argued.
“Ryan, my name was probably pulled from a third-party database. Anyhow, who came to visit you at work? I swear I am not doing anything and I won’t until we are officially divorced. Besides, getting into another relationship won’t happen for me for a long time.”
For some reason, he believed her. “Emin came to visit me yesterday. He offered to file our divorce for free. The dickhead had stipulations though.”
She swayed and held onto the table to steady herself. “Please tell me you are joking.”
“I wouldn’t kid about that, Megan. Did you ask him to represent you?”
“No, I didn’t! I haven’t spoken with any attorney. And I definitely haven’t asked him to do anything for me.”
“He had me under the impression you were ready to get it over with. All I had to do was agree to give you whatever you wanted and our marriage would be over sooner than later.”
Megan stumbled to the couch. “My mother is behind this, Ryan. She is going to drive me to the nut house. I just want both of them to go away and leave me alone.”
Her outbreak of tears caught him by surprise. He wanted to be mad at her, but he couldn’t find it in him. He hadn’t noticed before, but her hair was different. She was probably coming from the salon. He liked the short haircut and how it highlighted her delicate facial features. She smelled good too. The scent wafted from her body and he breathed it in. When she got off the couch to go to the kitchen, he watched her curvy hips sway in the hip-hugging jeans. He followed her like a dog in heat. He was horny for her even though she didn’t do anything to entice it. Then, he wouldn’t classify it as lust. He missed being with his wife, simply put.
He tossed the mail on the kitchen table. “Hey, why don’t we put aside our differences for one night and go out to dinner?”
Megan rubbed her eyes careful not to mess up her mak
eup. “You want to have dinner with me?”
“There isn’t anyone else in the room but us. You look beautiful with your new hairdo and perfect makeup. You should show it off.”
Megan bit down on her bottom lip and smiled. “You’re right, I do look good. Okay, let’s go to dinner. Tonight we are two friends enjoying an excellent meal.”
Ryan chuckled. “We used to do it all the time when we first met. One more thing, we will not talk about the divorce, your mother or my job.”
She nodded. “I promise I will not spoil this evening.”
Chapter Six
Ryan chose Megan’s favorite restaurant. They came here often when they were dating. Unlike, Emin, who took her to fancy restaurants where she couldn’t pronounce the entrees and was skeptical of what the food actual was, Ryan kept it simple. Ruby Tuesday’s was their once a week hangout and the place she fell in love with her husband.
They waited to be seated when a cute hostess approached them. The curvy brunette put a smile on her face and batted her lashes at Ryan, flirtatiously. He pretended to be oblivious to the woman flirting, but Megan was not and fumed silently.
“Well hello and welcome to Ruby Tuesday’s. Would you like a table or a booth?” The hostess asked not looking in Megan’s direction.
Ryan smiled politely, “Booth, please.”
She removed two menus and walked ahead of them making sure to switch her small ass in a way Ryan would notice. Megan slid in the booth keeping her eyes closely on the woman.
“I don’t mean to pry but are you really a firefighter?”
Ryan nodded. “That I am. I’m based at Station 30 in Cleveland.”
“That’s so awesome. You guys are real heroes in my book. And that cute smile must make your victims feel at ease. Can I start you off with something from the bar or will others be joining the party and you want to wait?”
Megan rolled her eyes as a deep red blush formed on Ryan’s face. He answered, “I’ll have a beer and she’ll have a spiked frozen lemonade with extra lemon slices.”
Megan smiled that Ryan remembered her favorite drink. Before the separation, their date nights had been dropped due to his depression after quitting his job. There was little money for them to do anything but sit at home and watch television.
The hostess tapped her pen on the table. “I wish my friends remembered what I liked to drink when we go out. I always have to remind them.” She smiled at Megan and said, “I bet this friend’s a keeper.”
Abrasively, Megan said, “Well he isn’t just my friend but my husband. And no one else will be joining us tonight. So you can bring our drinks now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t…I’ll be right back with your drinks.” The hostess hurried away from the booth.
Ryan chuckled. “Damn, Megan, you didn’t have to be so abrupt and why didn’t you inform her, I’m soon to be your ex-husband?”
“She doesn’t need to know that and you aren’t my ex-husband yet. It pisses me off that she assumed we were waiting on other people to join us instead of a couple on a date. People need to get over the color barrier shit. All races, of some sort, are intermingling these days.”
“Maybe she thought someone as beautiful as you wouldn’t be with a lug like me,” he said with a smile.
Megan replied with a snort. “Yeah, right…that’s what she was thinking.”
“If I were you, I would look for strange substances floating in my drink before taking that first sip.”
“She’ll probably stick her finger in my drink. Plus I didn’t like she asked you so many questions. She saw the emblem on your shirt and knew you were a firefighter. Then you gave her a detailed answer by telling her where you worked.”
“That’s my fault for being a nice person. Anyhow, I should’ve changed clothes before we left home. I’ll make sure to do that next time so I won’t have to talk to the waitresses.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew what he was thinking. “I’m not jealous, Ryan; I don’t like being ignored.”
“Of course you aren’t jealous. It will ease the process if I just nod and smile and let you do all the talking,” he said winking his eye.
The heartwarming banter brought back memories of better days. Megan hoped there would be more dates and the conclusions that followed date night once they got home would also resume.
He picked up a menu and opened it. “I guess we should decide what we want to eat before she gets back with our drinks.”
“You taste my drink first. If she snatches it away then I know she put something in it,” Megan teased and he laughed.
Yes, this was going to be a wonderful night.
Megan sipped on her frozen spiked lemonade while Ryan enjoyed a tall cold beer. She couldn’t help but stare at him. He was a gorgeous hunk of a man. It didn’t matter to her that he wasn’t rich or socially connected like her mother wanted. He was a man that didn’t let what others had influence him. She was often swamped by guilt for not telling him about the miscarriage, but he was under so much pressure, she didn’t want to add more. It was probably for the best since they didn’t know how the trial would end. Ryan would have been devastated to know they were having a baby and he wouldn’t be able to raise it if he were serving a long-term prison sentence.
“Why are you staring at me? Do I have beer dripping down my chin?” He asked with a smile.
Megan’s heart raced in her chest. She loved his smile. Perfect white teeth and sexy lips made his mouth a tasty treat when they kissed. She missed his kisses, she missed his touch. Her body quivered as desire shot through her. Only Ryan could make her scream with passion. She wasn’t a virgin when they met, but he made her forget the man that took her virginity at age eighteen.
She took another long sip of her drink. “There is nothing on your chin. You look very handsome tonight and I can’t help but notice another woman checking you out.”
He sat up straight and looked around. “Really? Where is she sitting?”
Megan was happy that she could provide him with some amusement because she couldn’t seem to find anything else to do to satisfy him lately. Every waking moment they were arguing about something or he was calling her childish and immature. Well, he was right. She was childish and immature and that needed to stop. She was an adult dealing with a serious situation. When she got married, it was for better or worse and not to run when things didn’t go her way.
She faked a frown and said, “Don’t worry where she is; you’re mine for tonight.” Did I just say that out loud? She must have because the look on his face was priceless.
He didn’t respond and drank the rest of the beer. The waitress returned to the table placing their food in front of them. “For the brave firefighter, the rib and chicken platter. And for the lady, the classic cheeseburger and fries. Enjoy your meal.”
Ryan unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap. “This brings back memories.”
Megan cut her burger in half and lifted it to his mouth. “It will be once you take a bite of my burger. You always had to have a bite of my burger no matter what you order.”
“Yeah, I do.” He leaned over and took a huge bite of the burger.
Megan roared with laughter as she pulled what was left of her burger away and chomped down on it. Every muscle in her body relaxed as the tension washed away. This was what she enjoyed the most out of everything she had. Ryan was her life, the man she wanted to be with forever.
They arrived home. Megan kicked off her shoes and stretched her back. It was late and she had an early day in the morning. Since they agreed not to talk shop, she didn’t tell him that she’d been assigned to work in the ER and now had a permanent 12-hour-day schedule. “Thank you, Ryan. I enjoyed having dinner with you.”
“Thank you for being my date for the evening. Well, you look tired so, go to bed. I’m going to stay up for a while.”
Megan couldn’t get her feet to move as she stood there in a trance. No, Megan. Don’t think about that. Dinner is all
he asked you to have with him. Her fingers itched to touch his face, to stroke his sexy, strong jaw. Just thinking about that large, solid, dominant body over her made her fidget. She took a deep breath, willing her racing heart to slow. Ryan expected total control in the bedroom. He dominated her and she loved it when he did that. Short of tying her to the bed and having his way with her, which she wouldn’t mind trying at least once with him, no one would know that about her mild-mannered husband. He was a freak in the bedroom and she wanted him to make love to her right now.
He looked up at her from the couch. “Is something wrong?”
The breath left her body as her eyes roamed over him. “I want you to take me a hundred different ways and then do it again.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
“You heard me. We’re still married, Ryan. I want you so badly right now it hurts.”
“Megan, I don’t think we should…”
“What, you don’t find me desirable anymore?”
“That’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it, Ryan? I’m offering myself to you with no strings attached, just for one night.”
*****
Ryan never saw her coming. She dropped her ass in his lap and her arms flung around his neck. His arms tightened around her waist to keep her from sliding on the floor as she peppered him with kisses. He could feel the sexual excitement radiating from her body.
“Ryan, I want you. I know you want me too. I see how you look at me when we’re here together. That seductive eyebrow lift you do…I’ve seen it more than once.”
Oh, Christ! This was a rare delicacy being handed to him. A craving he’d had since they separated. He did want her and if she didn’t stop bouncing that luscious rear end against him, he was going to have an accident in his pants. Her ample breasts were pressed against his chest and rubbing him when she moved. Megan threaded her fingers through his short hair and their eyes collided as she tipped his head back. Ryan’s heart stuttered from her passionate gaze. She still loved him and desired him. The fire that their marriage once had was not completely gone.
Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) Page 5
