by Pamela Ann
When he had told me that, I had never imagined the oh-so-simple request would be something I would forever remember. The view I had enjoyed several moments before had been turned into a winter wonderland, brightly lit with Christmas lights. A partial part of the lake was frozen, and two sets of skates were sitting on a ginormous lit sleigh. There were snowflakes everywhere, appearing out of nowhere, and some glittery stuff that I couldn’t very much comprehend at the moment, because I was in too much awe, in too much of everything to even move.
“Merry Christmas, Lindsey.”
I was about to cry, feeling far too overwhelmed as I tried to laugh it off. “Umm, that was days ago.”
He simply led me farther onto the icy lake before kissing my forehead. “I know, but since we never got to spend it together, I thought we’d make a night of our own.”
It was too much. I somewhat anticipated reindeers with Santa flying in, out of the blue, since the setting was completely surreal, like the ones we saw in movies, yet so much better because it was all planned by Dimitris.
“God, I fucking love you so, so much. Argh! I can’t believe you did this for me!”
I was freaking out and knew it, but I was in for another shocker when we almost reached the sleigh that had our skates. He suddenly got on his knee, looking up at me as if I was the most beautiful woman in the world. I definitely felt like I was right then. In his eyes, I was everything.
“Don’t cry. I know you’ve been in such a hellish place for the past couple of weeks, most especially for the past several days. Even through such turbulent times, you’ve shown me love and affection. I never would have believed you could be so forgiving, let alone stay with me through it all.
“My love has quadrupled seeing how you’ve handled things. You’ve shed the old views and embraced loving me, even if doubts consistently hound you. For that, I’m always going to be grateful. I know I’ve been nothing except rotten to you, but I’m hoping you’ll give me another chance, let me do this right with you this time. I want you to be my wife once more, but not because you love me—I know you do and would do anything for me. I want to ask for your hand in marriage again because I have let my fears rule me, fearing something would trigger you and you’d eventually turn out like your mother. Seeing how you’ve been and how different your actions have been compared to how you used to be, I know in my heart that my fears were unfounded.
“When things started falling apart, the thought of losing you again … I simply couldn’t fathom a life without you in it. I don’t know where we’ll be a few years down the line, but I can move to the States and be with you, just give me time to train my cousins. I would do anything, anything to make you officially mine, my wife, once again.”
“Dimi …” Was he crazy? He didn’t need to go through this. “You don’t have to marry me to secure me never leaving you. You must know, I can’t live, let alone function, without having you in my life. I’m yours, so there’s no need for this. Seriously.” I meant it, too. I knew he didn’t want to get married, and I had accepted that.
“Call me crazy in love. I know you’ve accepted it, but the moment I realized that you did and actually stopped bringing it up, the idea itself kept me up at night. I want you. I need you. And marriage might just be a piece of paper to many, but to me … To me it means commitment, and more importantly, I don’t want any other man thinking that you’re available. I just don’t want any of that, so they can all go to Hell.” He lightly laughed it off, seeming silly. “I love you, Lindsey Mason Kosta. So, please, do me and the bloody world a favor and be my wife once more.”
“Please …” I sniffed. “Please get up. There’s no need for you to be down there.” The second he got on his feet, I embraced him for being so wonderful to me. “You’ve proven time and time again that love could heal any wound. You’ve showed me that. My scars and ghosts that I’ve nurtured since childhood have slowly left me because of your consistent love and devotion. The kind of worth you’ve given me has freed me from my old beliefs, and I can’t thank you enough for that. There’s nothing in this world that would honor me more than to be your wife again. But only if this is what you truly want. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“This is what I want,” he murmured before kissing me softly. “This magic we make together, that’s what I want for the rest of my life. Let me do right by us, and I promise you that you will never regret it.”
It was I who had tons of regrets, but I was slowly making amends. “All right. I’ll marry you. But, please, let’s do it right this time. This time, let’s involve our friends and family.” I grinned at him, thinking about the first time we had gotten married.
“That actually wasn’t so bad. It was perfect, if you could recall it properly.”
“It was, wasn’t it?”
Taking my hand, he produced a beautifully crafted ring with a green stone in it. “It absolutely was.”
“Wow, this kind of emerald is so fascinating,” I gushed, gazing at it from different angles as it caught the facets of the light around us, dazzling me into enchantment.
He snickered, giving me a thoughtful look.
“What?”
He shook his head, amused. “It’s not an emerald, yineka mou. I actually had to fly to South America for a short time to negotiate this rare gem for you. It’s a green diamond and one of the rarest of its kind. I couldn’t settle for anything less worthy of you.”
See, those speeches never failed to make my precious heart palpitate. “I could listen to you speak nonsense all night. I’ll fall in love with you over and over again.” Maybe it was the faint accent or the way he would passionately talk about anything. To me, he was simply enthralling to watch.
“Tonight, perhaps?” He wickedly raised his brow before kissing my hand with his ring proudly on display. “You can listen to me tell you all the nasty things I’d like to do to you. Last night’s festivities left me quite hungry since someone decided to fall asleep on me right after I gave her the orgasm of her life.”
I huffed, pouting. “Yeah, right, you can’t blame me for being so exhausted. You’re an insatiable stallion.”
“What happened to stud?” he questioned, incredulous. “I happened to like the stud instead of stallion!”
“Well, maybe you just need to perform better tonight, don’t you think, mister?” I threw him a challenging look before he tackled me into the sleigh, ready to prove to me how badly behaved he was.
Instead of skating, we ended up cuddled in the sleigh, happy just enjoying our surroundings. I felt like I was on my first date. We started making out, and The Greek McHottie kissed me until my lips were raw. Only then did he decide to take it indoors for much more pleasurable activities.
*
The next morning, we woke up later than planned. Our scheduled flight was supposed to be at nine in the morning, but we didn’t leave until half past ten. I could only thank the convenience of having a jet and pilot ready to do his bidding because the nightmare of booking another flight had we flown on commercial airlines would have been a nightmare. I supposed there were perks in dating a hotshot.
I was about to take a nap thirty minutes in the air when Dimitris decided to sit with me after rapidly typing on his phone for the past forty minutes or so.
“We have a quick detour en route to Athens. I hope you don’t mind.”
“If it’s that important, I don’t mind at all.” I knew he had all sorts of business to take care of, and I was more than happy to tag along.
“All right, then. We’ll be landing in Paris shortly.”
That perked me up way more than expected. “Paris, you said?”
“Yep. Paris.” He threw me a look. “You’ve been there before, haven’t you?”
Paris. Claudine. Or was she still in Athens?
“I hope this doesn’t involve a particular someone from your past or current, depending on—”
“Depending on what?” he pressed, setting his phone aside to fully focus on
our strained conversation.
“It’s just that… I don’t think this is right.” Where was he going with this? Why would he put me through this the day after we got engaged? What the flying mother of fuckers.
He made a sigh. “Trust me on this, will you? Just this once. Please, just trust me.”
Fuck. Okay.
“If you mess this up, I’ll make your first year as my husband really difficult,” I threatened with all seriousness. “I’d most likely show up in your meetings, pretending that you’re cheating on me or something scandalous. I’m not joking, Dimi. You of all people know how much I hate her, so please, don’t scar me, or I will smash your balls and feed them to the pigeons hanging around the Eiffel Tower.”
“Jesus, woman, that’s some imagination you have!” he barked out, laughing before kissing my hand. “Yineka mou, spending a lifetime with you definitely won’t be boring, ne?”
I did have a weird tendency of being aggressive, despite the fact that my threats were merely threats. Some people simply couldn’t take me for what I was, and that was fine. However, this Greek guy wanted to strap himself with me for the rest of his life. Well, good luck to him.
All fun and games aside, I was surprised to find Claudine in one of the more prestigious hotels, waiting for us. She looked drab with her eyes in a ball of redness.
“Go on, Claudine. Tell her what you confessed to me,” Dimitris rigidly said to her before turning to me.
Claudine gave me a haughty look before turning her gaze to Dimitris. “Must I do this? It’s not as if she deserves you. You know she doesn’t!” she insisted, about to start tearing again when Dimitris started speaking to her threateningly in French.
Since I had no idea what in God’s name they were talking about, I remained close to his side, hoping someone would shed some light on what they were discussing.
It took about ten minutes and a few yelling sessions until Claudine fessed up, explaining she had planned and instigated everything to set-up Dimitris so I would eventually leave him. Then, when I hadn’t, she had meant to do more harm by trying to set him up and announce to the media that she was with child so I would leave him permanently. She even went on to say that she had placed a sleeping pill in his wine to knock him out. Though she had been tempted to have sex with him whilst passed out, she had felt guilty enough; therefore, she hadn’t gone ahead with her rather radical plans.
The meeting took less than an hour, a time in my life I would never get back. It was slightly traumatic to hear the woman I loathed more than anyone alive was actually suffering from a nervous breakdown. After her confession, Dimitris hired people to help her. She wouldn’t be out of therapy—aka the psych ward—until she was well on her feet.
“Don’t you think that it was rather harsh to put her through that, knowing she isn’t well?”
“I know, and I feel bad as it is, but I didn’t want to take any chances that you might not believe me,” he dejectedly said, looking sad. “Someday, you might decide to look into the story, and what then? I’d rather I cover this now than later on. I promised not to cause you any more pain, and I want to stand by that promise. I will never put you through that again. I swear to you.”
It was my turn to confess. “Dimi,” I started, a little nervous, “I actually saw the newspaper in Heathrow before arriving in Athens. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but upon seeing you, I knew I simply couldn’t let you go. I think that night … I had forgiven you already.”
“Hell! You knew all along, and you never said a damn thing!” he exclaimed, looking as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. “Fuck, Linds. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, okay? So, please, let’s just go home and forget this ever happened. Last night was magical, and I don’t want to taint that memory with Claudine.”
“You’re right, but if you think last night was magical, you should think again,” he murmured before holding me close.
“Why? What’s next on your agenda, Kosta?”
He winked at me, bestowing me with the sexiest smile ever. “You shall see.”
The One & Only
Lindsey
“Oh, my God!” I gasped in utter shock. “What is all this?” I gazed at Dimitris then at the familiar faces I held dear to my heart: Emma, Trista, Carter, Aunt Alice, Uncle Gary, and even Amber. They were all there, waiting for us on the yacht. They were dressed as if there was … a wedding? “Oh, God!” I shrilled when I saw Pappou, Elias, and Maria come out of nowhere to join the small gathering in the main salon turned into a beautiful altar made of white everything and accented with pink peonies.
Dimi beamed, looking somewhat teary-eyed. “I’ve brought them all here to celebrate with us.”
“I know,” I gushed, holding down my tears. “But for us to do it right now? Are you sure?” I was more than perplexed.
“I’ve never been more certain in my life than this moment.”
Carter chose that moment to come over to give me a hug. “Be happy, sis. He’s the man for you. Not a lot of guys can tolerate your kind of crazy. Besides, it’s high time you became happy again. I think you’ve shed enough tears. It’s time to smile again.”
“When did you become so mature?” I poked him before all of my friends gathered.
I sensed then that Emma and Carter didn’t seem awkward at all. Had I missed something? Hmm.
While Trista was busy crying and congratulating Dimitris for finally coming to his senses, I reached out to the one person I had missed having in my life.
“Amber, thank you for coming. I know you and I haven’t been on the greatest of terms—”
She shook her head, dismissive. “No. Please don’t apologize. It’s all my fault. I should’ve said something to you. I mean, I was just too afraid that you might hate me, and I couldn’t bear that ever happening. I hope that someday you might be able to forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. I love you, even though I thought I hated you at one point. I might’ve said hurtful things, but none of it was true. I’m so sorry for being such a bitch. I should’ve at least given you the courtesy to hear your story instead of jumping the gun like I usually do. Whatever it is you plan to do, I just want you to be happy, even if that happiness involves Brody. You have my full blessing.”
“No,” she huffed out. “No, not with him. It’s not like that at all. He was never into me and only had eyes for you.”
“Don’t give up on him just yet. He’s a prick, but he wouldn’t betray my trust over something that didn’t mean anything to him. He cares for you, too, but I think he’s too lost to see it at the moment.”
She made an understanding nod yet never carried on saying anything in regards to Brody. Instead, she gushed over Dimitris and how insane his life was. I supposed Amber had missed out on most of our crazy exploits.
“Well, dearest friend, we’ll christen you soon enough.”
“I’ll help, though let’s take it down a notch, ‘kay? I don’t think Taylor would appreciate seeing me on Instagram going cray or anything. You know how possessive he gets.”
“You guys!” I stretched my hand to all three of my gorgeous besties, almost in tears. “I’m getting married!” I squealed.
“Again! I know!” Trista butted in.
“Wish me luck!”
Emma kissed my cheek before lovingly cupping my face. “You don’t need luck, babe; you have everything you need to make it through. Just keep following your heart. It will always lead you to the right place.”
And so it did …
I was in a happy place, and no one was stopping me from achieving what I had set my mind on. Only I had the power to choose my fate. Not even my ghosts could stop me from making it happen.
And so it began—my future with Dimitris as Lindsey Kosta.
Love the nice ring to that!
Lindsey + Dimitris
Do you remember your first kiss? Not the I-dare-you-spin-the-bottle kind, but the first ki
ss. You know, the one where you first feel your stomach somersault in anticipation, and your heart pounds so hard against your chest you think you are about to die on the spot. Well, that was Brody Thompson for me.
For years, I kept my mouth shut about how I felt about him because everyone knew Lindsey Mason, one of my best friends, was in love with him. One drunken night of my sophomore year, I spent the night in his arms, and it meant everything to me, but sadly, I hadn't mattered much to him.
I watched him chase after my friend when he realized Lindsey was starting to take men seriously. So I remained on the side, seeing the man I loved fall more deeply for someone else.
My love for him not only broke me; it crushed me to pieces.
Crushed
(Torn Series #7)
Pamela Ann
Crushed
(Torn Series #7)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Copyright © 2015 by Pamela Ann
All rights reserved.
www.PamelaAnnBooks.com
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“There’s something terribly tragic about unrequited love. Some have even committed suicide over it. Yet, in a sense, what could be more romantic? An “untried” love is virtually without limits precisely because, never really having begun, there’s been no time for disillusionment to set in. The beloved—frequently distant, uninterested, unavailable, or unapproachable—can remain an object of indefinite idealization.”
