[English Novel] SIZZLE

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“Isn’t that going to be difficult if she won’t talk to you?”

“I have a plan,” he said grinning.

I frowned. “Why does that make me nervous? You aren’t going to do anything stupid are you?”

He started to laugh. “No.”

“I’m going back to Donovan’s place. I still need to keep my distance from Thalia until this whole mess is sorted.”

“You don’t need to stay away, because you aren’t marrying her, even if I have to stand up in the middle of your wedding and announce that fact to everyone.”

Shaking my head, I climbed out of his car. “Thanks for telling me, and just be glad Thalia has me tied in knots, otherwise I’d be using my fists.” I slammed his car door, wondering how the hell we were going to get out of this ****ing mess.

Chapter 32

Thalia

The days had dragged on since the last time I’d seen Jack. Three days, it had been three miserable days. I missed seeing his face, and the hot look that would cross it when he’d meet my eyes. I’d missed hearing his voice. I was falling in love with him. I’d met him close to three weeks ago, and although we hadn’t spent much time together, my heart knew what it wanted and it wanted Jack.

He was downstairs. I’d heard his voice about five minutes ago so I was rushing through getting dressed and quickly pulled my hair up on top of my head with a clip, before I dashed out of my room. I quickly walked downstairs and was about to push my way through to the kitchen when I heard another voice. ‘Her’ voice; it stopped me dead in my tracks.

What was she doing here? Hadn’t Jack spoken to her yet? Cancelled everything?

It would kill me if I walked in there only to find them all over each other.

Suck it up, Thalia. With a deep breath, shoulders back, I walked into the kitchen.

Mia was sitting at the kitchen table with her face buried in her hands crying. Jack was standing with his back against the sink, rolling his eyes and Liam was hovering over Mia.

“Thalia, you’re up,” Liam stated, while patting Mia on the back.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

I looked across to Jack who hadn’t said anything, but looked as though he was hurting.

“Are you okay?”

He ran his hands down his face without replying.

“Why does this have to happen three weeks before the wedding? Why did she have to go and do that?” Mia moaned.

When she mentioned the wedding I glanced back to Jack who seemed to have a mask in place.

My heart was beating wildly in panic. Had he not cancelled the wedding?

I pulled a chair out at the table and sat down before I fell down.

“Rebecca broke her arm last night when she fell over something in the dark. I’m getting married in three weeks and now my bridesmaid can’t be my bridesmaid. What can I do?”

Was she saying her friend couldn’t be a bridesmaid because she’d broken her arm? How stupid.

“Why can’t she be your…bridesmaid?” I stumbled over the bridesmaid word, not wanting to think about her wedding.

“Didn’t you just hear what I said? Are you an idiot?” Mia screeched.

“That’s enough.” Jack shouted, stunning her into silence. “Thalia is a guest in this house and she will be treated as such, not called names by you.”

Inside I lit up at Jack’s defense of me, but outwardly I tried not to show any emotion. He sure looked pissed though and wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Thalia. I just can’t believe this is happening.”

Okay, I could be nice. “I’m sorry about your friend, but why can’t she be a bridesmaid if she’s only broken her arm?”

“I don’t want wedding photographs with her having a white cast on her arm.”

Was she for real? I needed to keep my mouth shut before I said something to set her off again.

“I need coffee.”

Standing, I walked towards Jack who was standing next to the coffee pot and kept my eyes on him, until he met mine. I couldn’t explain the feeling I got when we locked gazes, and it wasn’t good. Something had happened within the past three days.

Without moving away from me, Jack reached up into the cupboard and retrieved a cup, then poured me my first coffee of the day. Passing it to me our fingers touched, sending tiny flutters of awareness through me.

“We need to talk,” he whispered.

I quickly glanced across to Liam and Mia, but they were engrossed in conversation.

“When?”

“Later,” he said to me then walked towards the table. “I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now.”

“Okay, I’ll look after Mia,” Liam said.

“Hey, wait,” Mia said, suddenly lifting her head from her hands and looked at me. “Thalia, you can be my bridesmaid. You’re about the same size as Rebecca. Oh, this is perfect.”

I was dying inside. This couldn’t be happening. Jack looked as shocked as I felt.

“Mia, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” At least Liam hadn’t lost his voice.

“It’s the perfect idea.” Mia waved her hands in the air, “She’s going to be here so it’s not out of her way or anything. It’s perfect.”

“Thalia, you okay?” Jack asked.

“Speechless,” was all I came out with. My mouth hung open in shock and I snapped my teeth together to prevent the denial that was on the tip of my tongue bursting free.

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There was no way I could be a bridesmaid, not when she was marrying Jack. No way. Out of the question. No way!

“Jack, why are you looking at Thalia like that?” Mia asked, her gaze darting back and forth between the two of us.

I hadn’t noticed him looking at me at all; I was still in melt down.

“I think…” Jack began slowly.

“That it’s a wonderful idea.” Mia interrupted him, her voice hurried.

“I’ll take you down to the bridal boutique so you can be fitted for the dress.” Mia started wiping the tears from her face. Glancing down at her hands, she must have just realized she was still holding Liam’s hand because she dropped it quickly, as though it stung.

Jack turned to me, “I’m sorry,” he whispered looking so sad. All I wanted to do was walk into his arms and hold him, be held by him, never letting go.

My tears were so close to the surface. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and knew that my heart was breaking. The wedding was going ahead as planned. I knew that with every breath in my body.

“I need to go,” Jack stated, with one last look in my direction he walked out of the kitchen.

“Thalia, hurry and get something to eat so we can go,” she told me over her shoulder as she raced from the kitchen. “I’m just going to find Stephanie.”

I looked across to Liam who looked just as shell shocked. “I can’t…” I closed my mouth and tried to take in some deep breaths. “I can’t be a… you know. Oh God, Liam. Why does this have to happen to me? What’s going on? Jack didn’t look too happy.”

While waiting for Liam to say something, I swiped at my eyes with my fingers.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Until this morning I honestly thought the wedding would be cancelled and Jack would finally make his claim on you.”

He stood up and gripped the edge of the counter, his gaze staring out the window, but I didn’t think he was seeing anything. “And that I’d be able to...” He sighed, turned around and took hold of my hands. “I don’t want to give you hope, but I think there might be more to this; Jack marrying Mia.”

“What?” I squeezed his hands, not letting him go when he started to move away.

“Something isn’t right. Don’t ask, because I don’t know. It just…feels wrong.”

I frowned at him.

“Okay, it feels more wrong than it did before.”

“Let’s go,” Mia said, bursting back into the kitchen.

Chapter 33

Jack

I was a bastard. There was no other word for it. Bastard. ****!

After talking to Liam a few nights ago I’d gone and let off steam with Donovan and Reece, telling them some of what Liam had said. The only thing wrong with his plan was that Mia was terrified of her father and wanted me to be the one to walk away from her. Two nights ago, I’d gotten her to meet me and refused to let her go until she’d listened to my idiot of a brother. Mia had admitted to agreeing to marry me initially because of what Liam had done to her, but she also admitted that her father was adamant that the marriage would go ahead. She hadn’t a clue about what to do, and had begged Liam and me not to do anything for now. Liam had agreed and I’d gone along with him, but the look on Thalia’s face had nearly torn me in two earlier.

I’d left the woman who’d crept into my heart with the woman I was being forced to marry. How ****in’ screwed up was that? And what was more screwed up was Mia telling Thalia that she could be her bridesmaid. ****! I needed to have a word with her about that, because there’d been no need to say that at all. She knew I had feelings for Thalia.

I slammed the brakes outside Kix and stomped up the front steps. It was early, but I needed to be away from everyone back home and hopefully Ryder with his ‘sunny’ disposition would cheer me up. Ha, as if!

There were only a few people inside, already with a beer in hand at what, eleven in the morning, and I was about to join them.

Ryder walked out from the back as I took a seat at the bar.

“Well, this is a first.”

“Yeah, well. It isn’t everyday you leave the woman you’re falling in love with, alone with the woman you’re being forced to marry… I’ll take a beer.”

Ryder didn’t move and I glanced at his face. He was stunned, standing there, his hand resting on the smooth bar as his other hand rubbed the rough stubble on his chin. “Did I hear you right? You’re in love with one woman, but marrying another because you have to. Is that right?”

“That’s about it.” I downed the beer in one. “Another.”

Ryder passed me another, opening one for himself as well.

“I never drink before ten in the evening, but I think I need this today having talked to you.”

I started to laugh. “Yeah, my ****ing screwed up life makes anyone drink.”

“What I don’t understand is why. Why do you have to marry the other woman?” Ryder leaned on the bar taking a long drink of his beer.

“Family.” I drained half the bottle and looked at Ryder who was knocking his own back. “Family is the only reason why I’d do something that makes me sick to the stomach.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that. I’ll give you my advice for free, and that is to tell them it’s your life and you’ll live it how the hell you want. Cancel the wedding and grab the woman you love before it’s too late. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t.”

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That was the most I’d heard Ryder speak in one sentence since I’d known him.

“Was that from experience?”

He paused, chucked the empty bottle into the tub of empties then started walking towards the back of the bar.

“Yeah.”

Nobody knew anything about Ryder other than he was an ex-marine with a bad attitude, although the attitude had stayed hidden during our ‘chat’.

Before noon I’d consumed three beers, so not good. I needed some food to soak it all up otherwise by tonight I’d be in no fit state to get on the stage. It was Saturday night and the crowd at Kix on the weekend was usually standing room only.

The first few gigs we’d done had large crowds, but gradually over the past week or so the crowds had grown and Ryder had started removing the tables from around the room into the back storeroom to fit more bodies in.

Last weekend, he’d even mentioned getting folks to buy tickets so he didn’t exceed the maximum capacity allowed by the fire marshal.

It felt good to know that our music and songs were attracting a larger audience, which kept growing weekly.

“What the **** you doing here at this time?” Reece asked, sitting his ass on the stool next to me. “And with a beer?”

“I’m drowning.”

He sat silently beside me for all of five seconds.

“Look, I heard what you told me and D the other night after you’d spoken with Liam, but surely, if she goes off with Liam and you go off with Thalia, your dad isn’t going to withhold your tuition. He wouldn’t want the town knowing he refused to pay your fees.”

Reece could be an insensitive jerk at times, but every now and again he said something that made me think.

“You need to call his bluff.”

Standing up, I drained the rest of my beer, ready to leave. “That’s a lot easier said than done.” I stretched and looked around the bar, which had started to fill up some. “I haven’t spoken to Thalia. She was in bed when I arrived home last night. This morning Mia arrived at the crack of dawn in tears. Thalia walked into the kitchen to find Liam and me in there with Mia still in tears.”

His fingers worked the label on the empty bottle, slowly ripping it off. “She had no idea we were pretending the wedding was still going ahead, and I can’t get the look on her face out of my ****in’ head.” I ran my hands through my hair. “It took all of my strength not to shout from the top of my voice that the wedding wasn’t going to happen, because I was in love with Thalia.”

Reece’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at my announcement.

“Yeah, I love her and I can’t ****ing have her. God I nearly lost it when Mia shouted at Thalia. I need to talk to her, to try and explain, because the look on her face nearly tore me in two.”

“Man, I sure as hell don’t envy you, although I wouldn’t mind a woman of my own; someone sweet, someone who hasn’t been around a lot. You know what I mean.”

Stunned, I stared at him. Yeah, I heard the words, but couldn’t believe they’d come out of his mouth.

“What.” He started to laugh. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but the fact is, I’m twenty-six and getting fed up of all the meaningless girls that run through my life. It’d be nice to just have the one…Hell, I’ve been hanging around with you too long.”

“All I can say is that I’m glad I wasn’t drinking when you made that announcement. Wow. On that thought, I’m going to leave and walk into town for something to eat.”

Walking away, I turned back to look at Reece, who was watching me. “You amaze me sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said grinning.

Chapter 34

Thalia

All I’d wanted to do as soon as Jack left was run to my room and cry; my heart was shattering into a million pieces. The fact that I’d only known him for a few weeks didn’t matter. He was in my heart and I was dying with jealousy and pain.

What had happened in the past few days to make him change his mind? When he left me the other night, he said he was going to stay away until the whole thing with Mia had been taken care of. That he wasn’t going to marry her, but according to what happened this morning, everything was most certainly still going ahead. I was so confused and needed to talk to Jack.

Standing in the dressing room of the bridal boutique in a pale green bridesmaid dress, which was fitted to the top part of my slim frame and fell to my feet in an A-line style, I grimaced. It looked amazing on me and if it had been any other wedding, I would have been thrilled to be wearing it. Instead, I was pissed that it looked so good – well, at least until your gaze reached my face; at that point, I looked like a torture victim.

My eyes were red rimmed, because I was trying not to cry and my skin looked grey. In fact I looked as sick as I felt.

Liam had given me some weird looks once we’d left the house and while arriving at the boutique. A couple of times he’d taken the dresses out of my arms that Mia had thrown at me. Probably because he could tell I was seconds away from throwing the damn things back at her and storming out.

Grabbing my purse, I quickly reached inside for some face powder, which I quickly applied to my cheekbones and then some green eyeliner, which accentuated my green eyes.

Inhaling and with a slow exhale, I exited the dressing room and walked on wobbly legs out through the curtain to show Mia, and I suppose Liam, who was sitting brooding across the room with such a look on his face. If I didn’t know better I’d say he had a thing for Mia. Wait a minute. What did Liam say to me about not being able to have whom he wanted?

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I needed to think about that…and watch.

“Thalia?”

****, Liam was standing in front of me. How’d I miss that considering I’d been staring at him?

“What do you think?”

“You look great, Thalia. That color suits you,” Mia said walking around me in circles.

“It looks as though it fits you well.”

“It does.”

She spent a moment looking at Liam, and then turned back to the sales assistant, “We’ll have this one, please.”

“That’s fine.” Clara, the sales assistant looked delighted. She turned to me, “Why don’t you go and remove the dress. I’ll put it with the others to be collected the day before the wedding”

Without a word, I turned tail and walked back into the dressing room wondering what the hell I was doing. I seriously didn’t think I’d be able to go through with this. A huge part of me kept hoping that I’d wake up to find out that it was a dream. That the wedding was going ahead, but with Liam as the groom instead of Jack.

Callie would know what to do. In fact, she’d tell me to get on the next plane to Texas and find myself a cowboy. The thing was I wanted to stay near Jack. I mean how sad was that? Staying in the place that caused me the most heartache all because I couldn’t be away from the reason for that heartache.

“Thalia, are you about done in there?” Liam shouted.

With the dress still on as I hadn’t made a move to take it off, I cringed and replied, “Yes, give me a minute.”

The zipper was down the side so I quickly unzipped and climbed out of the dress before grabbing my jeans. I pulled them up my legs followed by my t-shirt over my head. Two seconds later Mia opened the curtain, took the dress from me without a word and walked back towards the main part of the boutique. If I wasn’t mistaken she looked upset.

As I picked my purse up from the floor, I took a steady breath and walked out of the changing room to catch Liam with his hand on Mia’s back. She was turned into him and her eyes were gazing up into his face. I moved to step back out of view, but my movement must have caught Liam’s eye because he glanced up at me and stepped away from her. A look of longing spread across his face and he looked almost like it was painful to move away. So he wanted Mia. I wondered if Jack was aware of that.

“Do you guys mind if I take off?” I wanted some time on my own away from everyone.

“How will you get back?” Liam asked.

I tried to smile, but didn’t think I’d succeeded by the look on Liam’s face. “I have legs…or you could come and get me later.”

He held my gaze. “Okay, but make sure you ring me for a lift. I don’t want you walking back.”

“See you both later then.” I quickly pulled the door open and nearly tripped over my feet in the rush to get away.

With the door firmly shut behind me, I dashed up the sidewalk, crossed the road and through the opening into the forest, which probably wasn’t the brightest thing to do on my own, but I needed space.

I’d been walking for about twenty minutes when I spotted the lake through the trees up ahead so heading in that direction, I shoved my way through and…wow. The view was amazing. Sitting down in front of one of the trees I just looked out to the water and gradually my vision became hazy.

The tears I’d kept in all morning had finally let loose and so did the sobs I’d been holding in as well. I brought my knees up, wrapped my arms around them before resting my face on top of my knees and cried my heart out.

How long I’d been crying I couldn’t tell you, but by the time they’d started to dry up the sun had changed position slightly.

“Thought you’d never stop.”

I jumped and turned quickly in the direction of the voice – Donovan.

“How long have you been sitting there?” I rooted around in my purse for a napkin or something to mop my face up with, but before I could find anything, Donovan passed me a tissue.

“Long enough.”

He slid down and took a seat beside me in front of the trees.

“Let me guess, Jack.”

I wouldn’t look at him.

“Thalia, I know you don’t know what’s going on and Jack’s probably confused the **** out of you. The fact is this isn’t what he wants, I mean Mia. He can’t stand her much, but there are things you don’t know that he can’t tell anyone. ****, I shouldn’t be telling you that.”

“Please Donovan. I need to know, because one minute he’s cancelling the wedding and the next, nothing’s been done and the wedding is still going ahead.”

“I’ve never seen him so screwed up before over a girl. Never. Since you arrived home with Liam, you’re all he can think about… This is hurting him as much as it is you.”

He hardly knew me, but yet he’d given me hope. I couldn’t help but pass slight glances in his direction.

He started to laugh. “Don’t look at me like that. I only told you what I did so you wouldn’t hate Jack. Him and Reece are the only friends I have. More like brothers and I’d do anything for them. You need to talk to Jack and try to get out of him what’s going on.”

I looked back at the lake. “He said he wanted to talk to me.”

“So there you go… Come on let me give you a lift back to the house. This place isn’t safe on your own.”

He held out his hand to me so I placed mine in his and let him pull me up from the ground.

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Donovan was a hot guy. Tall, broad shoulders, dark brown hair and his eyes…swoon worthy. Callie would melt on the spot if she got a look of him. I smiled thinking about my best friend. Perhaps if I sent her a picture of him it would give her even more incentive to come to Alabama, although she had already told me she would be here in an instant if I needed her.

“Donovan, can I take your picture?”

He stopped dead and looked at me. Then grinned. “You think I’m hot?”

“Oh please.” I could feel myself blushing.

“Yeah, you do.” He started laughing while he pulled me along with him.

I pulled him to a stop. “Yeah, I think you’re hot, but I wanted to send a picture to my friend in Texas.”

His eyes widened.

“Please…”

He was the one who was embarrassed as I retrieved my phone from my back pocket.

“Say cheese.”

After I quickly snapped the picture I sent it to Callie, telling her Donovan awaited her in Alabama. I decided to keep the fact that Donovan and Reece looked to be players to myself. If anyone could tame Donovan, it would be Callie.

Chapter 35

Jack

“So this is where you’re hiding?” Donovan said, taking a seat opposite me.

“I’m not hiding. Skipped breakfast so I needed to fuel up, especially after the beer over at Kix.”

“Beer?”

I’d stunned him into silence. “Yeah, I ended up there, figuring other than you guys no one would know where I was. Ryder kept shoving the beer into my hand, so I drank.”

He shook his head. “I’ve just taken your woman home; in case you were interested.”

I stopped eating and glared at him.

“I saw her dart into the forest, alone, so I followed her and sat and watched her for about twenty minutes while she cried buckets; because of you.”

****, I’d lost my appetite.

Mandy one of the servers was walking by so I passed her my plate. She gave me a quick glance then the plate before she removed it and took it back to the kitchen.

“I don’t know what to say.” I put my head in my hands then looked back to Donovan. “What did you say?”

He leaned back in his seat deep in thought. “I told her she needed to talk to you, because you couldn’t stand Mia.”

“****. What did you tell her that for? Hell, I don’t know what I was going to say to her, but I need my parents and Mia’s to believe that the wedding is going ahead for now until it all gets sorted. Hell, for all I know I might end up having to go through with it.”

“So it wouldn’t bother you if she went off with someone else?”

It would kill me to see her with another guy. I sighed, it was the same as what it was doing to her if Donovan was telling me the truth and he had no reason to lie.

“I didn’t think so. Talk to her and tell her the truth. She needs to know what she’s feeling isn’t one sided.”

No matter how much of an ass Donovan…and Reece could be, they always knew the correct thing to say. Unless they wanted to yank my chain, then fists usually flew.

“Was she that upset?

“Yeah, she was. Also on the way back to the house, she told me about Mia. How could you let Mia railroad her into being a bridesmaid at the wedding of the guy she’s in love with? How ****ed is that?”

Unable to breathe, I slipped out from the booth. “Let’s get out of here.” We grabbed our jackets making our way back outside.

Standing on the sidewalk, I felt as though I could finally catch my breath and started walking back to Kix.

“Hey, I’ve got my wheels over here,” Donovan shouted, already on his way to his car.

Donovan kept his car spotless with the most kick-ass stereo system ever invented.

“You know I’ve been thinking.”

I ****ed an eyebrow at him in question. Donovan and thinking was dangerous.

“I think you and Mia need to get together and put a stop to all this. Her father obviously cares about her in his own weird way, surely if he knows she’s in love with Liam, he’ll accept that. Once he does, it will leave you to get it on with Thalia, and there is no way your father will do what he threatened. That was all talk, which, if I remember, I told you twelve months ago.”

It only took us a couple of minutes to pull up outside of Kix so climbing from the car I leaned my elbows on the hood when in actual fact I felt like banging my head against it.

“I just want to forget everything for tonight and get lost in our music; anymore I’m going to crack.”

The front door to Kix opened then slammed shut. “What are you two girls doing out here?” Reece asked.

Grinning, I replied, “Waiting for the third to join us.”

“Ha ha – funny; not. While you two *****’s have been gossiping like a bunch of women, there’s work to be done.”

We both just stood and watched him retreat back inside.

“What’s up his ass?”

“**** if I know. He was fine when I was in here earlier talking to Ryder.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Ryder get all the alcohol, which had been delivered, put away. It went either behind the bar or in the cellar and the work kept my mind busy; only an odd thought crossing my mind about Thalia and what the hell I was going to say to her when we finally had time alone. One thing I did know was that I had to keep my hands to myself when we did get together; touching her wasn’t an option.

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Sitting with my back to the bar, I’d been watching everyone arrive for the past hour, maybe longer, and the place was filling up good.

We’d gotten all our equipment set up earlier so all we had to do was entertain the crowd once Reece decided to show his face. Donovan had seen him disappear out back with Dahlia. No doubt to get his rocks off. At least he should be more laid back than what he’d been recently.

“He not back in yet?” Ryder asked, passing me another beer. I’d lost count how many I’d had since returning from town with Donovan. Unfortunately, I still felt sober.

“Nope.”

“She must be a good ride.”

I wasn’t getting involved in that conversation; it’d only piss him off. He’d had a boner for Dahlia when he first arrived, but that had soon disappeared when he realized she was at Reece’s beck and call.

“He’s back…looks like he lost someone along the way,” Ryder bit out, slamming another beer in front of me. I still had half of the other bottle, but I quickly knocked that back and tossed the empty into the bin behind the bar.

“You ready?” Reece asked, but instead of looking relaxed he looked pissed.

After looking at him for a minute, I stood and with my beer in hand followed him to the stage where Donovan was sitting chatting to a group of girls.

Chapter 36

Thalia

Liam was driving me to a new bar, which had opened a few months ago, on the outskirts of town. That was his idea of cheering me up.

I’d managed to calm down some after Donovan had brought me back to Liam’s house. The soak in the tub probably had something to do with that as well.

Wearing my new ‘Alabama’ style cowgirl boots with a short, fitted denim skirt paired with a black tank, I turned to look at Liam who’d been silent during our drive. “Why are you so quiet? I mean I know you don’t usually chatter away, but you look like you’re brooding.”

He let out a sigh and looked at me. “I’m okay. Just have a lot on my mind.”

“I’ll leave it for now, but you’re not okay and neither is Jack, and, how the **** did I become a bridesmaid at his wedding. That is just screwed up somewhere.”

“I agree with you there. He should have spoken up and said something. Just go along with it for now.”

I winced at his suggestion. Why did everyone keep telling me to go along with it? “Liam, it’s in three weeks. I can’t just act as though everything is normal when it isn’t.” I felt close to tears. “I’m in love with her fiancée; there is no way I can be part of his wedding… And you’re in love with your brother’s fiancée,” I whispered wiping my eyes.

He braked hard outside the club, which said it was called Kix. “How,” he cleared his throat, “do you know that?”

“I saw you with her today in the boutique.”

He sighed and rested his head against the back of the seat. “God, we’re a sorry pair.”

Opening the door, I climbed out with Liam following, because if I stayed talking to him in the car I would be in tears.

Until I’d met Jack I’d never been an emotional person, but I was now and it pissed me off. If Callie was here she’d rib me to no end about it, which would probably have cheered me up some. I missed my best friend and needed to talk to her later. One thing I did know and that was, there was no chance of me leaving for Texas just yet, because I wasn’t ready to let Jack go.

“You ready to go inside?”

“Yeah.” I pulled the door open to be met by a wall of bodies. The place was packed as Liam took my hand and pulled me towards the bar through the mass. The group that was playing tonight was obviously popular, because there was hardly breathing space.

“You want a beer?” Liam shouted.

“Yeah.”

While I was standing waiting for Liam to get us both a beer, I had a good look around the bar or rather I tried too. It was a bit difficult with the sweaty bodies all-clambering for prime position near the stage, a lot of which were women.

About to turn back towards Liam, I spotted Donovan at about the same time he spotted me. He paused, before starting to walk in our direction.

He came to a stop in front of me, and then got shoved from behind which brought him up close and personal, with me ending up wrapped in his arms.

He grinned down at me, which had me laughing. He was cute and I needed to get Callie with him.

“Hey, get your hands off her,” Liam shouted, looking pissed.

Donovan’s body went rigid against me before he relaxed and pulled me even tighter against him. “Make me.”

They sure as hell were not going to fight over me. In fact I wasn’t sure I had anything to do with what was going on.

Pushing out of Donovan’s arms, I faced Liam. “Leave it, he got shoved from behind.” I placed my hand on Liam’s chest, hoping he’d leave it alone, before I turned back to Donovan who looked angry, but more relaxed than Liam.

“Look after Thalia.” With that Donovan shoved his way through the crowd towards the stage where the band had already set up.

The lights dimmed slightly, someone jumped up on stage and the crowd started to shout.

“Shut the **** up,” came blaring out through the speaker system, which the majority found funny. “Okay, calm it down, I know why you’re all here, so with that in mind here’s ‘Phoenix and Deception’.”

Liam froze at the side of me with his beer half way to his mouth. I turned to look at him but he was fixed on the stage. Turning back I met the piercing blue eyes of Jack who stood in front of the microphone.

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My heart began to drum against my chest and I felt like it was going to burst as we held each other’s gaze, and then he started to sing; I melted. He had the most amazing voice as he sang about a hero who fell in love with a girl out of his reach, and the whole time his gaze stayed on me.

Liam moved closer and leaned into me using his thumbs to wipe my face, because unbeknown to me, there were tears flowing from my eyes.

When the song came to an end, without taking his eyes from me Jack said something to Donovan, and then passed him the microphone before jumping down from the stage with a look of determination as he headed in our direction.

Panicking, I shoved past Liam towards the back of the bar, which was easier said than done with all the people jammed into the place.

Coming to a stop in a hallway, I had no idea which door would lead me to the outside. About to try the one at the end, an arm snaked around my waist.

“It’s only me,” Jack whispered into my ear before he carried me through the door to our right. He closed it and I heard a lock slide into place as he turned on a low light. He wrapped his other arm around me and held me tight, snug in his arms. I wasn’t complaining because it felt amazing being held by him. My body pressed against the full length of him.

He started nuzzling my neck so I moved my head to the side to give him better access. When he started to use his teeth to nibble the lobe of my ear and down my neck to my shoulder, I shivered; my nipples hardened and my *** pulsed. I pressed my butt into his groin and felt his erection, which pressed between my buttocks; he groaned and pressed closer.

“Thalia,” he moaned into my neck, “we need to stop.”

I took hold of his hands on my belly and held on tight. “What’s happening Jack or can I call you Phoenix? Liam told me he used to call you that, and I love that name.”

He buried his face into my neck while he tried to control his breathing. “Other than Ryder when he announces us, no one calls me Phoenix anymore…so yeah; I’d love you to call me that. In private though.” He cursed at the same time that he pushed me away from him. “I can’t be in private with you again, because I want you too damn much.”

My tears were so close to the surface and as I turned to face Jack or Phoenix they leaked out of my eyes.

“Please talk to me,” I asked. “On the porch you said the wedding wasn’t going ahead and…now it is, and I’m a ****ing bridesmaid.” I was angry and smacked Phoenix on the chest as a sob broke free.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest holding me tight. “I can’t explain, but I have to marry her...”

He held on to me while I tried to struggle free.

“You’re the one I want. I shouldn’t tell you that, because I have no choice but to marry Mia, but it’s you I want and seeing you like this hurts like hell.”

I broke free of him. “You don’t have to marry her. It’s your choice…and you’ve made it clear whom you prefer,” I practically shouted at him. My heart was breaking. “Just stay away from me, because it hurts too much being this close to you and not being able to have you,” I whispered as I turned my back to him.

Chapter 37

Jack

Her words pierced my heart, making it feel like it was being squeezed in a clamp. This was all my fault, her pain was caused by me. Without a thought to anything or anyone, I took the four strides to Thalia, turned her around and placed my hands on either side of her face. Her eyes searched mine in question as she opened her mouth, but I sealed my lips to hers, trapping whatever protest she was going to say.

Her hands pressed against my chest trying to push me away before they went limp. After a brief pause, I felt her hands run up my chest and through my hair where she gripped it, and pulled me even closer. She pressed her body closer to mine while she chased my tongue in and out of my mouth.

She tasted of beer and my woman. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone and she was going up in flames in my arms.

Moving my hands from her face I smoothed them down her sides in a caress landing on her butt. Gripping it in my hands, I hauled her against me, which brought her ***** in line with my aching ****.

She pulled her mouth away from mine and let her head fall back on a moan. Not one for missing an opportunity, I placed tiny kisses along her jaw, nibbling on her lobe and licked down her neck to her shoulder.

“So responsive.”

“Love me Phoenix.”

When I heard Thalia say, ‘Phoenix’ in such a husky voice, I lost it completely and had her pressed against the wall, her legs wrapped around my waist and my hands on her panty-clad ass.

She had her hands on my head holding me to her chest while she ground herself against me. I was seconds away from ripping her panties off, and impaling her on my ****.

God. “Thalia, babe. You have to slow down.”

“I can’t. I need you.”

With a groan, I hitched her further up the wall, ground my hips into her, pinning her against the wall because I wanted my hands free.

I licked along her lips and teased her by dipping my tongue in and out of her mouth as I slipped my hands under her top and found her breasts. The top I shoved above her breasts, opened the front fastener on her bra and watched as her magnificent tits tumbled into my hands. Two more strawberries.

Speechless, I rubbed my finger over the tattoos then around her nipples, using my finger and thumb I twisted and rolled them. Thalia acted as though she’d been hit by a bolt of electricity and writhed against me.

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My breathing was ragged and I desperately needed to be inside her. I froze. I didn’t have a condom.

Resting my forehead against hers I tried to catch my breath. “No condom.”

“So close,” she mumbled.

One of us might as well get off, although I’d probably come with her.

“I need to taste you,” I told her, moving her slightly away from me and let her legs drop to the floor. Kneeling in front of her I pushed her skirt over her hips and stopped briefly when I caught sight of the tattoo on her hip. God, she loved tattoos. My hands held her tight as I moved in and pressed my lips against her mound.

Her legs quivered. “Phoenix.”

I lifted one of her legs over my shoulder, moved her panties to one side and got my first look at her swollen bud, which was peeping out between her folds. Then I did what I’d wanted to do for a while, and leaned in to taste her. “God, your ****’s so ****ing sweet.”

She shuddered as soon as my tongue touched her clit. I licked from her mound back and forth to her ***, while I added a finger inside her. She was so wet and tight, my balls were pulled up tight to my body and my **** was ready to burst.

“No, Phoenix…”

“What…”

Before I had chance to think properly, she moved her leg from my shoulder, dislodging my fingers and had me hitting the floor with my butt. She quickly removed her panties then followed me down to the floor, yanked my zipper down, pulled my **** and balls free, before leaning forward to place a kiss to the mushroom head of my ****.

She lifted her head. “You’re pierced?” Without waiting for an obvious answer she bent and licked me around the slit, with a quick flick of the silver with her tongue.

I gritted my teeth to stop my pending orgasm shooting forward. “No condom,” I choked out, again.

Thalia hitched her skirt, straddled my thighs and brought her ***** into contact with the root of me. We both sucked in our breath.

Moving my hands up to her naked breasts, I massaged them as she started to ride the ridge of my ****, spreading her wetness all over me.

“****, Thalia,” I groaned. “So good. God, I wish my dick was buried deep in your ****.”

At my words, Thalia started to come apart in my arms, I sucked her nipple into my mouth while she groaned and writhed around on my balls in the thralls of orgasm which set me off, ejaculating cum all over my t-shirt.

Thalia collapsed against me with her arms wrapped around my neck and within seconds she was shaking against me and my neck started to feel wet.

What the hell!

“Thalia, please tell me I didn’t hurt you?”

She just shook her head while I stroked up and down her back.

“Not physically,” she whispered.

I shouldn’t have touched her, practically made love to her, but damn-it-to-hell I loved her.

“We need to dress, and then talk.”

She pulled her face from my neck and met my eyes. “I don’t want you to think I regret what we just did, because I don’t. My only regret is that you didn’t come inside me.”

Thank God I was sitting down; otherwise I’d have ended up on my ass.

“I’ve said this before, but don’t ever think that I don’t want you, that I don’t crave you, because I do and I have a feeling I always will.”

Still sitting on the floor, I watched as she stood up pulling her panties back on and then smoothed her skirt over her hips, before fastening her bra and pulling her top down. She turned, caught my eye then offered me a hand to help me up from the floor.

As I stood, I whipped my t-shirt over my head and used it to wipe the semen from my belly and dick, which was on the rise again.

Sucking in a breath, I zipped and met Thalia’s gaze again. She looked uncertain which made me sick. Although I couldn’t say I regretted what we’d just done, I shouldn’t have even touched her being engaged to someone else.

What a ****ing mess. Mia and Liam in love with each other, me in love with Thalia, but having to marry Mia. I couldn’t even tell Thalia about it, because then she might hope for a solution when I wasn’t sure there was going to be one, unless I walked away from everything, but I’d have Thalia. ****in’ hell!

“I need a clean t-shirt from the car. Come outside with me?”

She walked towards me and slid her hand into mine, and then held on while we went outside to my car.

Once I’d pulled a clean t-shirt on, I wrapped Thalia up in my arms and kissed her on the top of her head. “I don’t want to let you go…but I don’t have any choice.”

She snuggled into my chest and held me so hard around my waist. “Don’t let me go, please Phoenix.”

Thalia made me smile when she used my nickname. I took hold of her face and brought us practically nose to nose, and had no clue about where to start.

We both moved to sit on the steps at the back of the bar, where I pulled her down beside me.

“Why didn’t Liam tell me about this…that you could sing and that you did in…Deception?”

She looked at me waiting for an answer so I tucked her head into the crook of my neck and told her, “I love music and always have, but my parents think it’s a waste of time and most of my life growing up was spent arguing with them about it and the fact that I wanted to be a rock star.”

She chuckled and kissed my chest.

“As soon as I realized they planned on grooming Liam for the law firm, which he so did not want to do, I changed and started to follow what they’d set out for my brother so they’d leave him alone…and they did. I rebelled in my own way, hence the tattoos and piercings’ that nobody knows about, that’s why I always wear long sleeves. My parents would flip if they knew what I was doing here with Donovan and Reece. I know I’m a grown man and shouldn’t worry about what they think, but having never had their approval for anything…I’m just used to staying silent.”

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****, I felt like a girl admitting most of that to her, but I needed her to know what my life was like.

Chapter 38

Thalia

As I listened to Jack, who’d become Phoenix to me, I wanted to cry for him…and myself for falling for him when he wasn’t free to be with me. Yeah, we’d just had the most amazing ‘almost’ ***…in a storeroom at the back of Kix, which shouldn’t have happened, but was inevitable.

A giggle burst forth, which I tried to contain by slamming my hand over my mouth, but no such luck, as the giggle became a full belly laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked with an unreadable expression.

I grinned. “Us, practically having *** in the back room, in there.”

“We did have *** in there.”

“You didn’t come inside me, so it doesn’t count…I still want you Phoenix, so much.”

He shuddered against me. “You’re driving me crazy. All I want is to take you home with me and keep you forever…but I can’t.”

Standing up he pulled me up with him and was moving in to kiss me when Liam appeared in the doorway looking pissed as hell.

“Where the **** have you two been?”

“What’s it got to do with you?” Phoenix replied.

“Well, Phoenix,” Liam emphasized, “Ryder wanted to know why you weren’t on stage.”

“He was talking to me,” I yelled, anger making my tone ice cold.

“Yeah, well, it looks like you were doing more than talking,” Liam replied.

His gaze moved to his brother. “And you’re engaged, damn-it. How could you do this to Mia?”

Phoenix looked at Liam with a frown and looked about to say something in reply to him, but then seemed to change his mind and looked between the both of us. “My heart wants Thalia, and I can’t stay away from her.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Can I rely on you both not saying anything about this to anyone?”

“We won’t. Right Liam?”

“Why keep it a secret? We’re not kids anymore.”

“Can you imagine the grief I’ll get from Dad, and Lewis for that matter? I’m supposed to be a respectable soon-to-be-lawyer, not someone who hangs around bars in a band full of body art.”

Liam cursed under his breath and replied, “They’d probably be worse than what I imagine.” He grinned. “I’ll keep it quiet. But if word gets out I didn’t know anything about it; otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Phoenix nodded his head then met my eyes before looking away again.

“This is just so ****ed up…I need to leave…I’m sorry Thalia.”

With those words my heart broke as I watched him walk off into the forest.

Liam walked over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’m sorry Thalia. I really am. Let me take you home.”

“Okay. I’m sorry as well. How long have you been in love with Mia?” I asked trying to hold my tears back.

Liam opened the car door for me and practically shoved me inside before climbing into the driver’s side. He just sat looking out through the window with his hands gripping the steering wheel.

“We’re the same age and our parents have been friends since before me and Jack were born, so it was natural for us all to grow up together, especially me and Mia.” He sighed and let his head fall back against the seat. “She’s the first girl I kissed and the only girl I’ve…well, you know.” He blushed and obviously hadn’t realized just what he was saying until the end.

To say I was stunned at his admission was an understatement. He’d only ever slept with Mia? With a shake of my head I studied him; I didn’t know what to say. Without knowing the whole situation it seemed stupid. “Liam, if you love Mia and she obviously has feelings for you, then why haven’t you both put a stop to the wedding…or why aren’t you the groom?”

Without answering he put the key in the ignition and turned the car in the direction of his home while I tried not to think about the last words Jack had spoken to me or how he’d looked.

My tears started running down my cheeks. Did he regret touching me? Just before he turned away from me I saw his face and he looked more in pain than sorry.

What the hell did Phoenix’s father have over him to make him go through with this ridiculous arranged marriage? Because that’s what it was.

I swiped at my tears as I climbed out of Liam’s car and made to walk up the porch steps only to be stopped by Liam.

“Will you be okay?” he asked wiping the tears that were still leaking out of my eyes away with his thumbs.

“I’ll have to be. I just want to go to bed okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

After saying goodnight to Liam, I quickly made my way upstairs and into my room, locking the door behind me. I threw my purse on top of the dresser then walked into the bathroom and locked the door leading to Phoenix’s room.

With a sigh of relief, I turned on the shower, threw my clothes in a heap on the bedroom floor then climbed under the hot spray, letting my tears run free with the water.

Yeah, I felt sorry for myself, and for Jack who was stuck in a no-win situation; he broke my heart.

He was an addiction. I craved him. No matter what I was doing or where I was, I needed to see him and found myself looking for him.

At Kix, just seeing him had made my panties wet, then when he’d kissed me I couldn’t have told you my name because my brain had shut down and my senses had taken over.

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My only regret was that I didn’t spend more time touching him and playing with his piercings. His nipple was pierced which I’d stroked a few times, but I’d been too surprised, and too aroused to play with the one at the tip of his ****. I wondered how long it would take him to get hard with my mouth sucking him on the tip while I played with the bar.

I wanted the chance to find out and, if I had my way, I’d find out, because I knew there was no love lost between Phoenix and Mia, but there was between Liam and Mia. I wasn’t going to just sit back and accept that Phoenix was going to be married.

He was mine.

My tears had started to flow again as I stepped out from the shower so I quickly wiped them away with the towel then dried myself before wrapping a dry one around my body.

Callie would know what to do – maybe. I smiled and wondered what she thought of the picture of Donovan I’d sent her earlier. He’d given her the look that he seemed to give all the cute ladies. Panty wetting.

Back in my room with my yoga pants and t-shirt on, I grabbed my cell from my purse and dialed Callie praying she wasn’t already tucked up in bed.

“This better be good.”

“Thank God you’re awake. I need help.” I lay back on my bed.

“What have you done now?” And please tell me it doesn’t have anything to do with…Jack.”

“It’s everything to do with him. I’m in love with him Callie. So much it hurts.” I took a breath and tried to carry-on. “We kind of made love earlier in the storeroom of a bar. Then afterwards when we were outside Liam interrupted and Phoenix apologized.”

“Back up a bit. Who’s Phoenix? And why was he apologizing to you?”

“Phoenix is Jack and he’s in a band with two of his friends. I love the name and told him from now on I’d call him that. I assumed he was apologizing for making love to me; although he didn’t…you know – inside me. He didn’t have a condom.”

“So he’s irresponsible!”

“No, no. My guess is, because he’s supposed to be marrying Mia that he never expected to need one. He hasn’t been with anyone in about twelve months.”

My last statement was met by silence and I checked the phone to make sure I hadn’t hung up on her.

“You believe him?” Her voice was quiet and serious.

“Yeah, I do… You know if you want to… I could always have a word with Liam and you could come visit.” I hoped she’d come, because I needed some support. Liam might have admitted to being in love with Mia, but it was his family and I didn’t want to put him on the spot. I certainly wasn’t leaving to go to Texas; that wouldn’t work at all. “Did you get the picture of the hottie waiting to meet you?”

“****, you’re not playing fair.”

“So you’ll come?” I crossed my fingers.

“Let me talk to my mom and I’ll let you know, okay? You feeling all right now?”

“Yeah, I am. Thanks to you.”

“I need to go, but I’ll be in touch soon. Love you, Thalia.”

“Love you too.”

Staring up at the ceiling I hoped Phoenix was okay. I didn’t believe for a minute that he was sorry for what we’d done. Maybe he was sorry for walking away and leaving me with Liam like he did, but he wasn’t sorry for loving me.

I turned into my quilt and fell asleep letting the tears fall down my cheeks.

Chapter 39

Jack

I was a bastard. A pretty strong word I’d used a few times to describe myself since I’d met Thalia.

I’d practically had my **** inside her at Kix, which I sure as hell didn’t regret, although that’s probably what Thalia was thinking after I’d told her I was sorry. I’d apologized for leaving her with Liam in the parking lot, knowing I had to get out of there before I took her with me.

I’d walked off into the forest to try and get myself together, because I’d felt as though I was about to break apart and didn’t want anyone to witness my downfall.

“Are you planning on sitting out here all night sulking like a girl?” Ryder asked leaning against one of the trees.

I sighed. “Maybe.”

“I don’t understand you. Usually by now I have people worked out, full psych, you know. But you, I have no idea why you’re doing what you do.”

“Family.”

“The girl you ran after. Does she mean something to you?”

I cast a look in his direction. “Yeah, she does.”

“So why are you marrying someone else?” Ryder sat opposite me on a fallen tree and rested his hands on his knees. “I know all about family responsibility, but at the end of the day it’s your life and you’re the only one who has to live it. If she’s what you want, don’t let her get away, because like I said before, if you do, you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it…and yes, it’s the voice of experience.”

I was shocked, because although I’d had conversations with Ryder before, I didn’t think he’d ever said so much.

“Wow.”

“Yeah I know. Shocked myself with that.” He laughed and looked embarrassed which had me trying to hide a grin, but by the scowl on his face, I didn’t think I’d succeeded.

“It’s complicated.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I better get back and rescue Donovan; he hates being put on the spot.”