What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  “God, Blaine!” he shouted, not even making an attempt to keep it down. His fingers curled through her hair, though he attempted to be careful not to tug too hard. She wasn’t making it easy, but she also wasn’t complaining, either. His legs were starting to get the pins and needles sensation, and the room seemed to spin in circles. She’d teased earlier with that mouth and now she was sure as hell making up for it.

  Blaine rose to her feet, her hand still wrapped around his cock. She was having a hard time keeping her own desire in check. She stared up in Randy’s eyes before they closed in little slits. His mouth moved, but no words came out. She knew she had him right where she wanted. In a quick move, Randy gently pressed her down on the bed, forcing her to let go of him. He practically fell in top of her, breathing heavily.

  “I want to be inside you before I explode. I want this for both of us,” he murmured.

  She nodded, desperate for the same thing. “Condom?”

  He pointed to the nightstand by the bed. “I’ll get one. Your job is to shed the rest of those clothes in the way.” She watched him attempt to get to the drawer. He was still having a hard time walking. She stifled a giggle. Ignoring the ache in her arms, she finished unclasping her bra and tossed it on the floor, not caring where it landed. Randy stood by the nightstand and tore open a condom package. He rolled it over his penis before turning her way again and climbed up on the bed. He leaned over her then bent down to kiss her.

  If he made her wait before he was inside her, she would lose it all. Her body quivered, anticipating him. Randy gently spread her legs and settled between her thighs.

  “Don’t hold back,” she pleaded. She sensed his hesitation.

  “Blaine-”

  “Don’t. Hold. Back!”

  He shook his head, but didn’t argue. Still, she noticed he was holding back a little as he plunged deep inside, taking it easy at first. That just wasn’t going to work.

  “Love me, Randy.”

  “Always.” He lowered his head to claim her lips.

  She pulled him close, running one hand through his dark hair while the other rested in the middle of his back. His breaths were hot against her skin.

  So this was passion. This was what it meant to feel like. So real, so … perfect! Randy was so in tune with her. As her climax started, sudden and intense, she yelled. “I love you!”

  Moments later, Randy moaned and fell on top of her.

  She thought about what she said. Those three words. While she knew she’d felt a change in her feelings for him, telling him she loved him came as a surprise. But when she thought more, it made sense. Randy helped bring a spark back into her life. She felt passion about things again, including dance. In his arms, she almost didn’t have a care in the world. “Please say something.” The silence tore at her all of a sudden.

  Randy raised his head, a slight twitch in his lips as they curved upward. “You’re full of surprises tonight.” He pulled out and lifted his weight off her.

  But he never said the words back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Blaine couldn’t find Randy anywhere the next morning at work. She wondered if he was purposely avoiding her. Disappointment sagged in her shoulders as her shift was over and she still hadn’t seen him. Last night they’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, never getting a chance to talk about what she’d said. Randy was already up and gone in the morning when she woke up.

  She grabbed her purse and was ready to leave when Randy’s father approached her. A knot formed in her stomach. Was this it? The talk of “You’re doing a good job, but we have to let you go”? His expression gave her no indication of what he wanted to say. He was good at staying neutral. Did he want to warn her away from his son? God, why didn’t he just say something already!

  “Hi,” she squeaked out. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll consider giving Randy that exclusive,” Mr. Hughes said, leaning against the desk.

  Huh?

  “What are you talking about?”

  Randy’s father pursed his lips. “I see he hasn’t talked to you about it. I should have figured.”

  Talked to her about what, damn it! What exclusive?

  She fought for the right words to say.

  “Look, I know this is all pretty bad right now. I thought if you sat down and told your side of the story to Randy, the air will be cleared for both of you. I’m trying to stay on a middle ground here, but when my son’s personal life is being thrown in the national news with an attempted murder suspicion, I can’t just stay on the sidelines. I’d like to think you’re a victim in all this too, seeing as you grew up here as a decent enough person.”

  Wow, the nerve. But then again, did a man running the town newspaper have the right to be that judgmental? Or was it just against her? How come she’d never noticed this stuff before?

  He sighed. “I’m going about this the wrong way. Blaine, I’m just looking out for my family, and for this town. Harmony’s Echo has already had plenty of trouble, and it doesn’t seem to stop. Avery’s birth mother, the mess with your brother’s girlfriend, Avery’s husband with a shady past…”

  “I came home to get away from trouble. I never expected it to follow me here,” she snapped, unable to control her anger. “You can’t blame Avery, Lucas or Melody either. Not everyone has a perfect past. It’s not like we mean to be smack dab in the middle of trouble. Why would you ask your son to get an exclusive when you know how he feels about me?” Not that she meant to throw that in his face, but it was kind of weird. Or did he think because she and Randy had some sort of relationship that he could get everything out of her? Why didn’t Randy even bring this up? Conflicted feelings rolled around in her head. “I’m sorry. I need to walk away and clear my head. I mean you no disrespect, but just because you’re telling the news doesn’t give you the right to judge everyone. You try having your past thrown up in your face. I promise you, it’s not fun. Despite what the articles say, I don’t enjoy being exposed this way. The night with Randy was a whim, not something I do in my spare time. I’m not that kind of girl, and never have been.”

  Grabbing her purse, she pivoted and marched out of the office, knowing everyone in the room just heard her outburst. For once, she didn’t care. She was tired of being judged and looked down on just because she had stuff happen recently. Not paying much attention, she fumbled in her purse for her keys and ran smack dab into someone. “Oh! I’m so-” She was about to say sorry until she looked up and realized she’d bumped into Randy. A mix of anger, relief and frustration rolled through her. “You! We need to talk.”

  Randy sighed. “Yeah, we do.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  “I came to tell you right now! How did you know already?” Randy reached out to steady her.

  “Your dad approached me! Why didn’t you just tell me about it!” Irritation seeped into her voice and she pushed his hand away.

  “Wait. I think we’re talking about two different things. I don’t think my dad knows.” Randy’s brows drew together in a V as a confused frown spread. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, maybe the exclusive you’re supposed to get on me?” Blaine tossed back, crossing her arms over her chest. The guilty look in his eyes explained it all. “Damn you!” she shouted.

  “Wait, Blaine! I’ll explain that in a minute, but I do have something important to tell you.” He tried to reach for her again.

  She doubted it but she stopped anyway, staring at him expectantly. He moved closer to her again.

  “Frederic’s awake. He’s been for days now, but where he was hit messed with his memory a little. He’s only just now gaining some of his memories back. The police dragged me in to see if Frederic recognized me. I guess they were trying to pin point if I was the one who hit him. I’m cleared. The person who hit him is in hiding, but Frederic told the police who she was.”

  Her knees buckled beneath her. They must have been imitating Jello as
they wobbled. Randy caught her before she fell.

  “Awake? He’s going to make it?” He’d been awake this whole damn time? “Did he say why he was there that night? Did he record us?” Waves of nausea swallowed her.

  “Whoa, take it easy. You’re so pale. Come on, let’s get out of the sun and go sit down, I’ll fill you in.”

  Could that be really it? She’d been so scared that she’d wake up one day to Randy being arrested. Frederic was awake. She kept repeating that in her head, letting the truth soak in. Part of her wanted to march into that hospital room and give the jerk a piece of her mind, finally relieving herself of the stress and burdens she carried this whole time.

  Randy kept his arm around Blaine’s waist to keep her from falling. The news of the morning felt surreal, and while a weight was lifted off his shoulders that he was no longer a suspect, it still didn’t sink in. Until the police officially announce his name in the clear, Harmony’s Echo would still see him under the shadow of suspicion. He debated on telling Blaine to go with him somewhere else, as he wanted to be nowhere near the newspaper and his family right now.

  Damn his father for approaching Blaine like that! In retrospect, he should have just told her about the idea and let her decide for herself what she wanted to do. It wasn’t like he meant to keep it from her. He definitely wouldn’t have done anything without asking her, but of course in Blaine’s eyes, she wouldn’t see it that way. She’d already been betrayed too many times. Still, it hurt that she thought he’d hide something from her on purpose to gain anything. It wasn’t like that at all.

  He led her to a nearby bench and they both sat. Blaine’s legs were shaky.

  “I don’t know about that night yet from Frederic’s side. I’m sure they’ll be asking him, but their first priority was to find out who hit him. I think the police will want to talk to you about whether you’re pressing charges against him for the recordings. I’m technically not supposed to tell you any of this right now because they’re still keeping it quiet that he’s awake. I think they’re hoping the woman will come forward. I don’t know. Does the name Isabelle Banes sound familiar? Do you know her? That was the name Frederic gave.”

  Blaine gasped. “Isabelle? Is that who hit him?”

  “So he says. I’m wondering if he made videos about her as well, considering I heard her yelling at him about videos before she hit him.”

  “Oh my God. That’s his old assistant and ex-fiancée. Why would she be in his life again, unless that was another lie he fed me,” Blaine growled.

  So Frederic had a pattern of dating his assistants. Go figure.

  “I didn’t know about their dating history when I first started working with Frederic. All I knew was that she was supposedly psychotic and couldn’t handle his working around so many women. He had a restraining order against her at one point.” Blaine shook her head. “But if that was her that night, she had to have been following him for a long time to know his whereabouts. Ugh, this just gets messier by the day! Maybe he was seeing her again. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.”

  “At least we’ll have our names cleared soon,” Randy said quietly. That had to count for something.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m glad you won’t be caught in this crossfire any more.” She turned her gaze to him, a mix of relief and confusion in her eyes.

  “Blaine, about that exclusive,” he started.

  She narrowed her eyes, leaned back and waited.

  “I didn’t mean to not tell you. It wasn’t like I planned on doing it behind your back. I’d been debating on telling you what my dad said and letting you decide, but I never could find the right time. I’m sorry he approached you.” Just how angry was she, and could he fix this? From Blaine’s side, this looked bad, especially with all the things she’d dealt with with Frederic. Just when he thought things were going well, this had to come up.

  “I don’t like being bombarded.” Her voice was laced with anger. “You of all people right now should know that.”

  He reached out to hold her hand. “I know, and I’m sorry. But you of all people should know I’d never hurt you purposely.”

  “I’m going to get kinda girly on you for a second, which I don’t normally do,” Blaine started, then hesitated.

  He already had a feeling he knew about what. Her words last night. The I love you. He’d been so surprised by them that he never responded, and with how she’d been feeling lately, that was the wrong move. It wasn’t like he meant to ignore them. In fact, he loved hearing her say it, but he also worried it was one of those ‘caught up in the moment’ things. He was afraid if he said them back or somehow acknowledged them she’d take it back, realizing the error of her ways. Stupid, he knew, but there it was.

  She twisted her lips up in a weird expression. “I thought you…” She shook her head, breaking eye contact.

  “Blaine. Look at me. You can tell me anything, although I have a feeling I know exactly what’s bothering you.” Randy gently caressed her cheek, guiding her to look at him again. When she didn’t speak again, he decided to go ahead. “Is it because you said you loved me and I didn’t say it back?”

  He got a nod out of her.

  “Thought so. I was surprised when you said it, to say the least. Here’s my honesty. I thought if I said it back or somehow acknowledged it, you’d realize it was a mistake, that maybe you said them because you were caught up in the moment. I’ve dreamt about you saying those words to me for a long time. I wasn’t ready for the reality that you might not have meant to say them.”

  “I meant them, Randy. I don’t use those words lightly,” Blaine protested.

  “In my heart, I knew that. My head told me otherwise.” He pulled her closer and kissed her lips. “I love you, Blaine Grant. I have for a long time, and I don’t see it ever changing. I’m sorry I made you feel insecure, and I’m definitely sorry for not telling you about Dad’s request for an exclusive.”

  “Told you I’m such a mess.” Blaine laughed through her tears.

  He threaded his fingers around her and pulled her even closer. “You’re my mess, and I wouldn’t have you any other way. I promise if you say those words to me again, I won’t ignore them.” She loved him. She loved him! Score for the geeky guy getting the girl. He almost laughed at the thought.

  Her eyes held so much love. She didn’t even have to tell him, but he wanted to hear it anyway. “I love you, Randy. Thank you for being someone I can count on. Just please don’t break my heart.”

  “I have no intentions on breaking your heart. I’ve waited too long to even have this chance. I’m not going to mess it up.” He claimed her lips again, his heart swelling with happiness that Blaine finally felt for him what he’d wanted her to all this time. “What do you say we get out of here and to spend some time together?”

  “Don’t you have to go back to work?” She gestured at the office building.

  “If I sneak away with you right now before anyone else sees us, no one will notice I’m gone.” He sensed her hesitation at first. “I’m not sure I want to walk back in there right now anyway. Who knows what my dad will say, and it would be nice to get away for a bit. I don’t know when they’ll announce Frederic’s condition.”

  “Let’s go.” She jumped up from the bench and darted away like she was afraid they’d get caught.

  “I don’t know if I could’ve taken one more day of staring at Anthony’s cold eyes.” Melody sighed. After a long two days of sitting in that courtroom, Melody and Chris said all they needed to say. Unless they wanted to stay for the verdict, they were free to go home. Emotions were running high right now for both Chris and Melody, but Jameson couldn’t be more proud of her than he was right now. He couldn’t imagine having to face someone like that. He’d had his own ghosts of the past to deal with, but nothing like this.

  “I know you feel like you could have done better, but you were amazing. You’re so brave, Melody. I don’t think I could ever understand what you felt. Just know how proud
of you I am.” Jameson took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. “We’ll go home in a few days, and this part of your life will be done. You’ll never have to see Anthony again.”

  “I’m glad. I still shudder when I think of the year I spent with him and had no idea.”

  “Come here, baby.” Jameson opened his arms and she snuggled against him in them. He took in the sweet scent of her perfume as she leaned in close.

  “Is it bad that in some ways, I don’t want to ever come back? I don’t have the best memories of this place,” Melody mused.

  He kissed the top of her head. “No, it’s not bad. I understand. I don’t ever want to go back to the house my dad died in. Too many bad memories.” Sure, in the long run, the things that changed led him to Melody, but the painful reminders were best left in the dust. He knew exactly how Melody felt. “Want to make one last good memory here?”

  “What do you have in mind?” Melody’s voice filled with curiosity.

  “One moonlit private concert from guitarist Jameson Grant.” He laughed. Melody scooted out of his arms and Jameson reached for the guitar case sitting beside them. He’d spotted it earlier in the house and had asked Joelle if he could borrow it for a special occasion. Climbing to his feet, he faced Melody.

  “I happen to be in love with that guitarist. I might be a bit biased, but he’s amazing.” Melody giggled.

  “Yes, I think you’re definitely biased, but I love you for it.” Jameson grinned, strumming the guitar.

  “What are you going to sing?”

  “A very special little tune.” Jameson continued to play, running through a series of chords. Excitement and nerves danced through his veins. “I want to give you a memory you won’t ever forget.” Without another word, he launched into a song.

  Life has a way of changing

  Things come along we don’t understand

  I’ve made my share of mistakes

  Went down a road so dark and lonely

  I couldn’t find the light