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

by Toye Lawson Brown

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s pushing you to marry me. Did you offer her some sort of payment for my hand in marriage? I mean, that is how it works in the old country right?”

  “Megan, I’m not caring for your attitude right now. I love you and always have. Iona didn’t have to sell you to me. I’ve wanted this since the day I met you.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. I believe my mother called you the minute she found out I was thinking about divorcing Ryan.”

  Emin became agitated. “Why does it matter now? We are finally together.”

  “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 have 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 fi
xed 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.”