Release (Iris Series)

by Lynn, Rebecca

  Jeremy looked at her, with surprise. His expression then shifted to one of… relief? Then his eyes warmed with compassion, and he said kindly, “I’m so sorry, Ryann. I didn’t know. I only assumed… and I see now that I shouldn’t have.”

  “It was a natural assumption given how I was introduced.” She smiled at him, wanting to ease his discomfort, and remove the air of awkwardness that was now hovering around the group.

  After a moment of everyone looking at each other, Mr. and Mrs. Callahan continued looking at her sympathetically. She didn’t want pity. She understood people didn’t know what to say, but she hated the look they were giving her. She put her hand on Mrs. Callahan’s arm, and gave her a reassuring smile.

  With a look of relief, Mrs. Callahan finally got her bearings, and looked at Jem. “Well, as your uncle was saying, we were off to find your mom. Mrs. Thornton, uhh, Ryann, umm… I’m sorry, Mrs. Thornton. Do you still go by Mrs. Thornton? I’m sorry, this is so awkward,” she stammered. “I’m always so used to referring to you as Mrs. Thornton. How should I - ”

  Ryann interrupted. “Please. Call me Ryann. I think under the circumstances, it might be easier. After all, I’m no longer Robbie’s teacher, so there’s no need for the formality anymore.”

  “Fine. Ryann it is,” Mrs. Callahan smiled, glad that the matter was settled. “So as I was saying, Jem, we were just about to find your mother to introduce her to Ryann. Ryann is a big fan and would love to meet her!” Mrs. Callahan put her arm around Ryann and gave her a squeeze. “Let’s go see if we can find her.”

  They left their empty glasses on the small table near where they were standing, and turned to go in search of Tabitha Lowe, when Jeremy interrupted.

  “I’ll take Ryann to meet her. In fact, it would be my pleasure. I just saw where she was a few moments ago, and I haven’t yet had a chance to talk to her either. Ryann?” He offered his hand, and without waiting, took hers and brought it through to wrap in the crook of his arm, trapping her to him.

  They turned to go, and from behind her, she heard Mr. Callahan say, “Why don’t we all join you? I would love to see Tabby’s face when she discovers who Ryann is. She’s certainly heard Robbie talk about her often enough.”

  They stopped and looked over their shoulders to Mr. Callahan, and Ryann noticed Jeremy’s face. His jaw was tight, and he had a resigned look about him, but smiled and nodded to them. “Of course.”

  At that moment, Robbie walked over and interrupted. “Hey,” he said as he looked at everyone with a smile. “I just wanted to make sure Mrs. T found you guys. I’m almost done, and then we can go.”

  “You don’t have to help with clean up?” his mother asked.

  “Nope. I was the first shift. Thank God.”

  “Ok. Well, why don’t you go finish up and we’ll take Mrs. Thornton to meet your aunt. Then we can head out.”

  “Cool.” He looked between Ryann and Jeremy, then smiled. “I’ll see you before you go, right Mrs. T?”

  “Oh, you definitely will,” she said, giving him a look.

  He smiled his charming smile, and said, “Ok, see you later?”

  She shook her head, then smiled. “Yup, we’ll say goodbye before you go,” she said with a wink.

  “Okay,” he said blushing.

  As Robbie walked away, Jeremy began to lead the group through the exhibit, using his other hand to toy with her fingers wrapped around his arm. She could feel her nerves stretching, as her left breast pressed up against his arm, and her nipples tightened.

  Moments later, they were separated a bit from Robbie’s parents who were waylaid by another couple wanting to say goodbye. Suddenly, it seemed as if she and Jeremy were the only two people in the room. He released her arm, and moved his hand proprietarily to the small of her back. His fingers stroked there where his hand rested and she could feel her body going turning warm and gooey.

  Get it together, Ryann!

  Peripherally, she could feel his look burning through her before she even glanced up to meet his gaze, but couldn’t tell what he was thinking by his expression. Then he said, “Robbie has a crush on you.”

  What? That was the last thing she expected him to say. She shook her head. “No he doesn’t. I taught him for two years, and we had a great relationship. He was one of the few students who I genuinely liked, and we simply have a mutual care for one another. That’s all.”

  “That might be true, but he still has a crush on you. If my former high school English teacher winked at me, I wouldn’t have been so affected. Mr. Harkins didn’t look as good as you,” he said wryly. “But you don’t look like most teachers. Robbie got all flushed when you winked at him just then.”

  “Did he?” she asked, disconcerted. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t wink at him anymore. He’s not a kid. It might be ok for you to wink at a kid, but when that kid is now a young man, it takes on a whole new meaning.”

  This guy was unbelievable. Did he think she was being… inappropriate with his cousin? Now she was pissed.

  “First of all, it was completely harmless and innocent, and you know it. I… always wink at people. It’s just, I don’t know, what I do. Robbie knows that. Stop making it into a bigger deal than it is,” she stammered.

  Now she was flustered. She realized she sounded defensive and didn’t like it. She had nothing to feel guilty about. Geez, did he think she had been flirting with Robbie? She would never do anything like that. Ayanna would be snorting her head off right now if she were here. Doesn’t this guy know you don’t even know how to flirt with MEN?, she’d say. You certainly wouldn’t know how to flirt with a teenage boy. And, eww, that’s gross, by the way.

  Ryann agreed. It was gross. Not to mention just plain wrong on so many levels. Yuk. She didn’t even like thinking about it, and shook her head slightly to wipe the visual from her mind.

  “Do you?”

  What were they saying again? She couldn’t think straight around him. Come on, Ryann. What the hell is wrong with you? She must’ve looked confused.

  “Always wink at people. You shouldn’t. Especially men. Unless, of course, you want a man to get all kinds of ideas in his head.” He gave her a heated look.

  “Oh, for crying out loud,” she muttered in exasperation, and she looked away. “If you think I would ever do anything to…lead someone on…or make inappropriate overtures to teenage boys, then you really don’t think very highly of me, Mr. McCallister. I would never do anything like that.” Now that she had begun, she couldn’t seem to stop. “And by the way, you could’ve told me that Robbie was your cousin earlier!” she said as she lightly whacked him in the chest with the back of her hand. And a hard, nicely chiseled chest at that. “You just let me go on and on.”

  “It’s Jeremy, first of all. And secondly, I know you would never intentionally be inappropriate. I simply meant that when a sexy woman in ‘fuck me’ shoes winks at an unsuspecting man, it makes him think of all the different ways he’d like to bury himself inside of her,” he snarled.

  She gasped, looked around to see if anyone had heard, then glared at him. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

  “Oh, Ryann, baby. I haven’t even gotten started.” He grabbed her hand and continued to lead her through the gallery. She was flustered, pissed, incredibly aroused, and furious with herself! She didn’t want to be aroused. She wanted to…kick him!

  The entire time he dragged her to wherever he was taking her, she muttered under her breath. She would never intentionally be inappropriate? What the hell did that mean? That he thought she had been inappropriate? She was the most damn appropriate woman she knew! Who the hell did he think he was?

  She had to jog to keep up, all the while trying to squeeze her legs together to relieve the throbbing at the juncture of her thighs.

  Somehow, they ended up in an uninhabited corner by another one of his mom’s paintings; an oil of a beautifully serene New York City in the fall. The mood of the painting was at
odds with the electricity charging the atmosphere around them. He turned to face her, and maneuvered himself so that he blocked the other guests from seeing them. She could smell his subtle spicy scent. Don’t get distracted, Ryann. You need all of your faculties about you.

  Then he stared at her, his eyes darkening, looking like he was ready to gobble her up.

  She blurted out in an exasperated loud whisper, “Don’t look at me like that! Talk about inappropriate!” she sputtered. “You know, you make people feel uncomfortable when you stare at them like that.”

  “I’m not your student, Ryann. And you’re not my teacher,” he said with a lust fueled look. “So I can look at you anyway I want.” He shifted closer. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” He didn’t look like he cared in the least if he was making her uncomfortable. In fact he looked happy about it. He stepped a little closer while he stared at her lips.

  “What…what do you want from me?” she asked in a furious whisper, while her eyes jumped around nervously to make sure no one was listening. She felt like a deer caught in headlights, and felt a moment of panic. “On second thought, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”

  He answered anyway. “That mouth of yours, for one thing. Has a man ever told you that it inspires all kinds of dirty thoughts? Plump, wet lips. Mmm, a delectable. Fuckable. Mouth,” he said huskily, punctuating each word.

  She blinked, not believing what she just heard. No man had ever talked to her like this. Not even Brent!

  She sputtered in a low growl, “Stop…talking to me like that!”

  Again, she nervously looked around to make sure no one heard him. She could feel the creaminess in her thong sliding between the lips of her sex. She was mortified. Could he tell how wet she was? Oh, God. Could he smell her? She didn’t want him to know how aroused she was by the way he was talking to her, but she was. There was no doubt about it. Her thong was drenched. Her breath hitched in her throat and she thought, would there be a wet spot on her skirt?

  His low chuckle rumbled in his throat, and he leaned in, his nostrils flaring. His right hand made its way up her arm and rested in the crook of her neck, his fingers lightly dancing over the soft hairs at the base, his thumb resting under her jaw line.

  With an intense look on his face, his gaze latched onto her mouth, while his thumb made its way to rest on her bottom lip. Instinctively, her lips parted and the tip of his thumb moved into her mouth. God, she had never been so turned on in her life. Without thinking, the tip of her tongue grazed his thumb, and she noted its salty flavor. He pressed his thumb in a little further, and she sucked gently, ending with a slight nibble to the tip.

  Jeremy inhaled sharply, and his eyes glittered. “God, Ryann, you’re killing me.”

  He licked his lips and continued. “You’re all flushed, your pupils are huge, the pulse at your neck is jumping, your breathing is heavy. Do you want to know what I want to do to you right now? How I want to lift that skirt that fits you like a glove, glide it up over your luscious ass, peel your panties down your legs, anchor you against the corner of this wall here, and plunge myself so deep into that sweet, wet pussy of yours that you scream?”

  She whimpered. Oh, God, was this really happening? Oh, God. Her breasts felt so heavy, and she truly felt like she was going to melt into the floor at any moment. She had never wanted something so desperately in her life. She knew they were in a public place, but the visual he had just painted was so erotic, she couldn’t think of anything else. She was so out of her league. She knew she was just staring at him, but she honestly didn’t know what to say. She just stood there looking up at him, her breath erratic, her eyes glazed over.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  She mentally shook herself. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. “What? That’s none of your business,” she said breathily.

  “I just made it my business, Ryann. Answer the question.”

  “God, you’re such a … jerk.”

  Apparently taking that as an answer, he leaned in closer, with his sexy half smile. “When I was stuck in traffic, and saw you, I had quite a few moments to think about what I would do to you. I’ve been thinking about fucking you from the moment I saw you standing in the rain. All wet,” he whispered. “And beautiful.”

  His grip on her neck became a little firmer, and his thumb gently forced her chin up to meet his gaze more directly. “Without your car here, it looks like you’re going to need me to give you that ride after all.”

  Chapter 6

  Ryann swallowed. She was in full panic mode. There was no way she was getting into a car with him. She would be flat on her back within 30 seconds of being in there. Or pushed up against the door.

  Because as much as she hated to admit it, he made her want things. And, oh God was he dangerous. She didn’t stand a chance against him. She absolutely needed to slow it down and take a step back. She just needed a moment to think. Because that was the problem. She couldn’t think around him.

  She tried to move away, but he still held her in his grip.

  “You’re not driving me home. I’m calling a car service.”

  He glared at her. “No, you’re not. I’ll be driving you home tonight.”

  Now she did break away. He was way too sure of himself, and although she had to admit she liked it, she didn’t want to like it. And she certainly didn’t want him to know that she liked it. This man needed to be knocked down a peg or two. Just because he wanted her, and God, did she want him, she needed to regain a semblance of control.

  Right now, he definitely held all of the cards, and she couldn’t make herself vulnerable to him. If she did, he could break her in two. How many women did he talk to this way, anyway? I mean, she thought, who talked that way to women they just met? She imagined Ayanna was used to this given the men she usually dated, but this was a new experience for her.

  It was obvious he was comfortable in his skin, but he just met her. Was he like this with every woman who he happened upon and was attracted to? She wasn’t comfortable with being another notch on his bedpost. It was time for him to realize that he didn’t always get what he wanted. She stepped back, and hit the wall behind her.

  “You’re a presumptuous asshole, Mr. McCallister, you know that? And you’re not driving me home,” she huffed. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but as far as I’m concerned you have too many strikes against you in the personality category for me to even think about getting into a small space alone with you. Your charm may secure your place in most women’s bedrooms, but it certainly won’t secure your place in mine. What kind of woman do you think I am anyway?”

  She knew she was working herself up into a full out hissy fit in public, but she couldn’t seem to slow herself down or stop babbling. She tried to get herself under control and lowered her voice, then looked him dead in the eye.

  “What am I, some kind of challenge to you? Is that it? Now that you know I’m a widow, you think I must be lonely and desperate because I haven’t had sex since my husband died? I’m some pity fuck? Well, I got news for you, buddy. I’d rather get off using my vibrator, then get off with you.”

  She was such a liar.

  She clenched her fists, and huffed out one last breath, then moved around him to stalk away. God, she just admitted that she hadn’t had sex for two and a half years. Shit. Did she just admit that she used a vibrator to a man she hardly knew? She couldn’t remember swearing this much in one evening in her life. What had gotten into her?!

  The reality of everything she spewed at him started to sink in, and she was desperate to get away from him. How could she have been so stupid? This was the last man she wanted to show vulnerability to.

  She felt his hand gently but firmly grab her arm to turn her back around to face him, while he said, “Hey.” She tried to struggle out of his grip, but didn’t want to make a scene. Instead, she looked down at his hand on her arm, then glared at him. And if looks could kill, he would be six feet under.

>   “Let go of my arm. Please.”

  His face was grim, his lips pressed together, and his eyes…his eyes looked sorry, so kind and sincere. He released her arm, but not before stroking her there, as if to soothe her. Her head was spinning from the change in him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, this time in a whisper. “I do not pity you, Ryann...there’s no doubt that I want you. You’re all I’ve thought about for the last couple of hours. But I can promise you this, pity has never entered into my thoughts.”

  He shifted closer to her and said in a rush, “You’ve had me on a roller coaster all evening. I didn’t even know about your past when I saw you in traffic, and I wanted you then. Then when I saw you arrive at the gallery, I couldn’t believe you were here. You made my dick so hard, I thought I was going to explode. When Robbie referred to you as Mrs., I had to shift gears and try not to look disappointed that you were taken, all the while trying to tame the hard on in my pants. Only to find out minutes later, that you are available, under circumstances I would never wish on anybody.”

  He paused. “I don’t often apologize, Ryann, and I find I’m a little out of practice, but I am sorry.” He looked at her sincerely. “Please.”

  “There you two are! We found Tabby, and when she said she hadn’t seen you yet, we sent out the search party!” Mr. Callahan said with his booming laugh.

  Jeremy and Ryann slowly turned around. Jeremy put his hand up behind her neck and squeezed, then said, “I just discovered that Ryann had car trouble on the way here. We were just discussing how I would give her a ride home.”

  Chapter 7

  She tried to stop her racing heart, and took a cleansing breath, letting out a deep sigh. How was she going to gracefully get out of this? Did she even want to get out of it? No, her heart said. Then she mentally shook herself. Of course she did, her rational side told her indignantly. He’s a pompous ass! She wasn’t going anywhere with him! She continued arguing with herself.