Red Phoenix's Passion is for Lovers Collection (Boxed Set) (17 page)

Her body was humming, so close to the edge. “Help…” she whimpered. The orgasm crashed over her in a furious wave. Her inner muscles contracted in powerful pulses, caressing his shaft, and Luke cried out in response. He tensed just before his cock released its essence. “Yes, Luke. Come for me.” His shaft claimed her as his woman, releasing his seed in rapid thrusts. She moaned in ecstasy.

By the time his orgasm ebbed, Luke’s injured arm was shaking uncontrollably. He lay down beside her, panting from the exertion. Tesse snuggled up to him and purred. “That was way better than the first time and I thought our first time was perfect.”

Luke turned his head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Way better, even though the first time
was
perfect.”

Tesse rolled on her stomach and playfully swung her legs in the air. “I think we were made for each other, Luke.”

“Agreed, my love. Although you got the short end of the stick.” He raised his right arm and massaged it irritably. “It’s getting stronger, but still isn’t strong enough for you.”

“Nonsense. You know I love everything about you, including this arm.” She kissed his fingertips and the place where his two digits used to be.

Luke wrapped both arms around her and pulled her to him. “I could stay like this forever. Never leave this hotel.”

“My mom says you’re headed out tomorrow. Are you going to London?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Yeah… Classes start in a few weeks and I need to get settled.”

“Do you think you could wait a week longer? I’d like to go with you.”

“What are you saying, Tess?”

“My mom suggested I look into going to school in London.”

He held his breath for a second before asking, “What about your singing?”

“I can perform there, silly.”

Luke gazed into her eyes. “Are you sure, Tesse? I never meant to disrupt your life.”

“Not being with you was the disruption. This is just setting things back to the way it was supposed to be.”

“But what about your career after college? I’m still heading back to Africa after I get my degree.”

“I don’t know how I feel about Africa.” She grinned when she saw the concern written on his face. “I won’t know until I get there, but I hope I love it as much as you and Rachael do.”

He shook his head in amazement. “You’ve changed everything. I was dreading my future without you and now I can’t wait to share London with my girl.”

Tesse’s heart thrilled at the thought of traveling together. She couldn’t believe the turn her life had taken in just a short few hours. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. “I think Christine got it all wrong. The Phantom is far more sexy and thrilling.”

His chuckle sounded like a deep roll of thunder. “I’m lucky you’re crazy, Tesse.”

“Crazy about you!” She looked up from his chest. “I never told you that I was totally obsessed the first day you came into Mr. Steele’s class. I even had dreams about you that night. It was pretty serious.”

“Then I have a confession as well. I told my mom the first day at your crappy school that I had met the girl of my dreams.” He lightly stroked her cheek with the rough fingers of his injured hand, a sweet gesture of trust between them. “My feelings have never changed.”

“Luke, being with you is all I ever wanted. Nothing else matters.”

“You’re wrong, my love. The world needs to hear your beautiful voice.”

She laid her head back on his chest and sighed contentedly. “I don’t know how a doctor and a singer are going to make it work.”

“The same way Princess Tesse and The Freak make it work.”

She moved up to his lips and kissed him. “I love you, Luke. You kept your promise. You came back to me and now nothing can separate us. It’s you and me forever.”

Forever and Counting…

A story of saving tenderness

When a young girl tries to kill herself, a man of great character intervenes

with love that heals

The Rescue

I
t would be so easy. Just a quick step into oblivion. Time it right and the subway would carry her away. It would be quick.

Lauren stared at the track. Would her mind have time to register pain when it hit? She dropped her purse when she heard the rumble of the approaching cars. No more pain, that was all she wanted. She looked down the gloomy tunnel. She stepped to the edge when the lead car breached the dark opening. Lauren closed her eyes.

“Excuse me.” A firm hand touched her bare arm. “Miss, you’re too close to the edge. You need to step back.”

His smooth voice required her attention. Lauren opened her eyes and stared at him. Her savior wore greasy overalls and an ironed-on patch that read, “Cyril.” He was a large, burly man with muscular arms, dark Mediterranean skin, and gentle black eyes. When she didn’t move, he pulled her against him to avoid the train as it pulled up.

The air turbulence whipped her long hair around. Lauren stood there in a daze, her mind slowly accepting that she was still alive.

“That was too close,” he commented, letting go of her. He picked up her purse and handed it to her. Lauren automatically took it from him, but stumbled from the weight of it. He immediately grabbed onto her elbow as support. “Are you okay?”

Lauren’s sluggish mind converted his words and she repeated, “Yeah… okay.”

The doors opened and the large man got onto the train, holding out his hand to her. Lauren stared at him unmoving. Just before the doors closed, he jumped back off. “You’re not okay.”

“No.”

He gently took her arm and led Lauren out of the subway, walking her to a small diner across the street. Lauren sat down listlessly. Cyril ordered two coffees and a piece of pie.

“What’s your name?” he asked after the waitress walked away.

“Not important.”

“Yes, it is.” In a commanding tone, he asked again, “What is your name?”

“Lauren Bell.”

He nodded and smiled, obviously pleased that she was responding. “Lauren Bell. That’s a beautiful name.”

She stared at the cup and saucer the waitress put in front of her, but she didn’t make a move towards it. Without asking, Cyril put two spoonfuls of sugar in her cup and stirred in a little cream, pushing it towards her. “Nothing warms the soul like a hot cup of joe.”

“Sure,” she said dully.

He reached over and took her small hand in his. The man asked in a quiet tone, “Lauren, were you trying to kill yourself back there?”

She glanced away and stared at a prissy businesswoman hassling their waitress over a dirty spoon. The waitress immediately replaced it with an apology and a smile, but the woman wasn’t satisfied. Lauren shook her head in disgust and looked down at her lap.

“No comment,” she finally answered.

Cyril squeezed her hand and stated, “You matter.”

She looked up from her lap, shaking her head in disagreement. “Nobody would have cared.”

“I would have.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the self-absorbed woman in the business suit. The conceited woman was arguing with the manager over the stupid spoon, humiliating the waitress over something so unimportant.

“Leave me alone, Cyril.”

“I am not the kind of man who sees someone in need and walks away.”

She growled under her breath, “I don’t
need
anyone.”

Cyril was silent. Lauren only heard the clinking of his spoon against the ceramic cup as he stirred his coffee with conviction.

The waitress came to the table, placing the pie in front of Lauren with a wink. “You look like you could use some pie.”

Her kindness after being shamed by the businesswoman touched Lauren’s heart in ways she could not have imagined. “Thanks.” The waitress nodded and gave another wink to Cyril before leaving the table.

Lauren glanced briefly at the man across from her. Cyril looked quite a bit older than she was. He was grimy from a hard day’s work, something she respected. What struck her most was the aura of kindness surrounding him, which softened his imposing stature. Overall, Cyril seemed safe—which was not what she wanted.

She turned her attention back to the pie with a mountain of whipped cream on top and her lips twitched. Lauren took the spoon and scooped up a mound of it. She turned the spoon upside down and slid it across her tongue. The sweet creaminess calmed her nerves as only whipped cream could. “Mmm…”

Cyril looked amused, but said nothing. He slurped his coffee noisily instead. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to be funny, but she found it endearing and smiled to herself. After all the whipped cream was gone, Lauren pushed the pie away. She looked Cyril in the eye and asked, “Why did you do it?”

“Do what? Pull you from the edge?”

“Yeah.”

“You would have been killed.”

“So?”

“You are far too young to end that way.”

Lauren twirled a strand of her long brown hair. “You may think you’re a big hero or something, but the fact is I’m still here. I’m still in pain.” She got up from the booth and started walking towards the door.

Cyril jumped up and followed behind her, calling to the waitress, “Money’s on the table.”

Once they were outside, she tried to make a quick escape but he grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip.

“Let me go!”

“No.”

“Do you want me to scream bloody murder?”

“You won’t,” he said confidently.

She growled and tried to shake him off. “You did your big rescue. It’s over. Let me go.”

“Where are you headed?”

Lauren said nothing. She was going to end her pain tonight, one way or another.

He accurately read her silence. “I see. Then you’re coming with me.”

She struggled more violently against him. “No, I’m not.”

“I’m not leaving you alone, Lauren.” Cyril started pulling her back towards the subway. She planted her feet and tried to jerk away from him. He continued forward unfazed, her small stature no match against his hefty one. People began staring at them.

Lauren didn’t want the attention so she reluctantly followed Cyril, determined to run the moment he loosened his grip.

Her Confession