Feel The Fire (Unforgettable Series) (15 page)
Read Feel The Fire (Unforgettable Series) Online
Authors: Adrianne Byrd
Toni lost count of the number of black eyes, broken arms, ribs and busted lips her mother sustained all in the name of love. When Rosalind Wright finally summoned enough courage to leave, her husband decided that if he couldn’t have her then no man would.
On the morning of Toni’s fifteenth birthday, a drunken Anthony Wright tracked his wife and daughter down at an Atlanta woman’s shelter. When Rosalind spotted her husband in the parking lot, she’d convinced Toni to leave her side and run. Just when Toni had made inside the building and shouted for help, she heard a gunshot. Toni jumped, pivoted toward glass doors. Her mother lay sprawled on the black asphalt. She glanced up at her father just as he stuffed the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger.
That day changed her life forever.
“I had hoped that one day we would get-”
“You said you had some business you wanted to discuss with me?” she asked, hoping to successfully change the subject.
“Yes, but I was hoping we could-”
“Brian,” she said firmly. “It’s over. There is no future for us. You have to get that through your head.”
A vein twitched against Brian’s left temple-a sign she recognized from her father when he was close to exploding.
Toni squared her shoulders prepared for anything-even in this crowded place. “I didn’t come here to play games, Brian. Do you have business you want to discuss with me or not?”
Jonas arrived at Club Secrets with Patsy clinging and smiling on his arm. He dropped his name to the bodyguard at the velvet rope and was ushered past the long line and then up to the VIP section on the top floor. No sooner had he and Patsy taken their seats, did Jonas’s gaze zoom to a table downstairs near the dance floor.
The woman’s long crossed legs and smooth ebony shoulders caused the blood in his body to heat. What was it about Toni Wright that got under his skin? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?
“Jonas?” Patsy touched his arm and captured his attention.
“I’m sorry. What?” He looked at her and saw a waitress standing at their table.
“I asked if you wanted to order a bottle of champagne?”
“Sure.” He waved. “Whatever you want.” He returned his gaze to Toni’s table and for the first time, he noticed the man sitting with her.
Brian Olson.
Jonas clenched his jaw and flexed his hand into a tight fist. What the hell were they doing here together? Agitated, he shifted in his chair and continued to watch the couple closely. After a few minutes of reading the couple’s body language, Jonas’s jealousy waned and his curiosity grew.
Leaning forward, he tried to get a better view of Toni’s face. Her straight shoulders, her firm profile-everything screamed that she was uncomfortable with being there.
“You know,” Patsy said, standing from her chair to ease into his lap. “It’s considered impolite to ignore your date.”
With his view of Toni blocked, Jonas heaved an impatient sigh, but collected himself in time to ease on a smile. “You’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right.” She fingered his open collar as she leaned against his chest. “Gosh, I can’t believe how long it’s been,” she whispered in his ear. “When I get you back to my place, I’m going to give you a night you’ll never forget.”
“Sure, baby. It will be great.” Jonas swiveled his chair to the right so he could recapture his view of Toni and Brian.
“Your champagne, sir.” The waitress returned to their table with their requested bottle chilling in a silver bucket of ice.
“Well, I see you finally made it.”
Jonas sighed at yet another interruption. Turning, he glanced up to see a glowering Solomon standing near his table. Unable to stop himself, Jonas laughed. “Jesus, man. Smile. I’m beginning to think marriage doesn’t agree with you.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Solomon took a seat. “Don’t worry about my marriage. It’s solid.”
Jonas shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
Patsy shifted on his lap. “You know, I think I’m going to just visit the ladies’ room while you two talk.”
The men ignored the announcement and Patsy popped out Jonas’s lap with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “Try not to miss me.”
Jonas stole a quick glance to Toni’s table and relaxed when he saw she was still there.
“What will it take to buy you out?” Solomon asked with menace.
Jonas coolly quirked a brow. “Don’t tell me I’ve worn out my welcome.”
“Do you really need me to tell you that?”
Smiling, Jonas leaned back in his chair. “I’m not interested in selling. I have a feeling you boys are going to make me a lot of money.”
The house lights blinked a few times and the club’s volume dimmed considerably. In the next second, Ophelia took the stage in a beautiful aqua blue dress that reminded Jonas of the blue diamond he’d bought her as an engagement ring.
“I always thought she looked good in blue,” he whispered.
Solomon promptly stood up from the table and left.
Jonas snickered behind his back. “Geesh. Can’t pay some people a compliment nowadays.” He reached over for the bottle of champagne and then glanced down at Toni’s table.
She and Brian were gone.
Jonas’s heart quickened as he bolted to his feet. Where did she go? Did she and her ex leave together? And if so, where are they going now?
An unbidden image of Toni sighing and moaning beneath the pencil-pushing geek had him rushing from the VIP area and navigating through a throng of people.
“Welcome to the stage: SisterSol,” Ophelia announced, and the crowd responded with a thunderous applause.
Jonas reached the door, pulled the bouncer aside and gave a brief description of Toni.
“Yeah. I saw her,” the beefy man admitted. “She and some dude just left about a minute ago.”
“Did they leave in the same car?” he demanded with his hands balling at his side.
“Sorry. I can’t help you out on that. I didn’t notice.”
Jonas muffled a curse and then slipped the man a bill. “My car.”
The Bouncer peeked at the hundred dollar bill. “Yes, sir.” He rushed toward the valet and a few minutes later, Jonas was in his car and peeling away from the club.
A lone voice in the back of his head tried to calm him, but Jonas’s raging emotions silenced it. At the moment, he didn’t want anything to do with reason. He didn’t want to hear about how he had no right to be jealous or had any say on who Toni saw, talked to or even slept with. He just knew that Brian Olson needed to keep his grubby paws off his...what?
Jonas shook his head-not wanting to get mired down with labels or lack of labels. He just knew that he was going to punch Brian’s lights out if he was at Toni’s. Screeching through Toni’s subdivision, Jonas’s whipped his Mercedes up the circular drive and braked in front of the front door.
Incensed, he had no memory of actually getting out of the car or even bounding up the stairs. However, he was aware of pounding the door and determined to knock it off its hinges, if need be. “Open up, Toni! I know you’re in there!”
Chapter 19
“Who is it?” Toni’s agitated voice roared from the other side.
“Me! Open up!” He continued to bang while the locks disengaged.
The door finally swooshed open and an angry Toni, wrapped in a silk, champagne-colored robe-and looking too damn sexy for her own good-glared back up at him. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Jonas ignored the question and Bogarted his way into the house.
“Hey!” She slammed the door in his wake.
Still a man on a mission, Jonas searched the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room and then raced up the stairs.
“Jonas Hinton, you get back down here,” she demanded, stomping her foot. When he continued to ignore her, she sprinted up the staircase mad enough to chew a handful of iron nails.
She found the deranged man in her bedroom, snatching open her walk-in closet and bolting inside like he was a member of a SWAT team.
“There’s no one here,” he said, his face twisted into a confused frown.
Toni crossed her arms and leaned against her bedroom’s doorframe. “Are we not counting the crazy nut job that just tore through my house looking for his imaginary friends?”
Jonas blinked and made another glance into the man-less closet.
“There’s still no one there,” she said, her anger radiating in waves.
A few seconds of awkward silence lapsed between them before Jonas’s lips sloped and his cheeks dimpled.
“Don’t even think you can charm your way out of this,” she warned.
Finally, he tossed up his hands. “Okay, okay. I might have been a little out of line.”
Toni arched a singular brow. “Might?”
Straightening his shoulders, he strolled across the room, still relying on his charm to help him out of this mess. “I saw you tonight at Club Secrets...with Brian Olson.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor and Jonas swore he sighted a sliver of emotion that he was curious and determined to get to the bottom of. “I apologize,” he offered. “I saw you two together, I jumped to conclusions and I raced over here to...to...”
Hell, he hadn’t thought this part through.
“You raced over here to what?” she asked. This time both of her brows crawled upward.
“To...make sure...that you didn’t do something you might regret.”
“What? Like sleep with Brian?”
The mere thought and the casual way she said it, stirred his jealous anew. “Something like that.”
“And you think I’d regret that?”
“Well, sex with an ex can usually lead to problems.” Never mind that was exactly what he had planned for the evening.
Damn. He’d forgotten about Patsy.
“Is that right?” she asked, still leaning casually against the doorframe. “And who, pray tell, was the beautiful woman propped on your lap this evening?”
For the second time in five minutes, Toni had verbally fenced him into a corner.
“A friend,” he barked and coughed at the same time.
Toni’s dark eyes flashed. “Do I look like I was born yesterday?”
Despite Jonas’s collar buttons being open, he swore the damn thing was clenched tight across his Adam’s apple. “No, um.” He cleared his throat. “I think we’ve already established that you were born quite a few years before me.”
Wrong choice of words.
“Are you deliberately trying to piss me off or is this something that’s just comes naturally for you?”
This time, he dropped his gaze. “No. I’m just trying my best not to admit that I...was jealousy when I saw you tonight.” His heart muscles squeezed so tight that for an insane two seconds he thought he was experiencing a heart attack.
While silence roared like a freight train between them, Jonas cursed himself for admitting that god-awful truth. So much for his plan to remain emotionally detached—to not be vulnerable—to not get hurt. The train appeared to roar on for forever and Jonas simply grew tired of waiting for her to say something.
“I better go.” He moved to step past her in the doorway.
Toni unfolded her arms and caught him by the hand. “I was jealous, too.”
Jonas froze and then slowly shifted his gaze back to her upturned face. The anger was gone and she looked soft and approachable—and still sexy as hell.
“When I saw you in the VIP tonight,” she whispered. “I was out of my chair so fast, I think I made Brian’s head spin.” She smiled.
“That’s not so bad. I left my date powdering her nose in the ladies’ room when I noticed you were gone. I’m willing to bet money she’s pretty pissed around about now.”
Toni laughed.
Jonas relaxed despite the warning bell sounding off in his head and the growing hard-on throbbing against his pants leg. Her hands still held his and he caressed her long fingers.
“So what do we do now?” she asked, pressing up against him. “You want to run back to the club for your date or...” Her head tilted toward the cherry-wood sleigh bed.
His eyes followed her direction while a smile carved onto his lips.
“I have to warn you though,” she added. “If you walk out this door, I’ll probably shoot you.”
Jonas released her hand only to slide his arms around her curved waist. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me out of this bedroom.” He leaned forward, anxious to taste her lips again and then moaned in pleasure when he found them sweeter than the last time.
Though she stood a half-foot shorter than him, Jonas, nonetheless, felt overwhelmed by her soft curves and heavenly fragrance. When she moaned and twined her hands behind his neck, he deepened the kiss and scooped her up into his arms.
Tipping her back onto the pillows, Jonas simply crawled on top and continued to overindulge on her heady kisses.
Toni pulled at the buttons on his shirt and felt them pop off one at a time. When the last one pinged across the room, she peeled the fine material off his broad shoulders and roamed her hands across the wide span of his back. After her fingertips assessed every inch of him, she couldn’t help but sigh with the results of their exploration.