A PASSION REKINDLED
By
Rontora Nolan
Rontora Nolan
http://www.rontoranolan.com
[email protected] © 2013 by Rontora Nolan.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or newspaper.
First Printing August 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1491203774 ISBN-10: 1491203773
All characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is unintentional and not intended by the author.
Acknowledgments
First and Foremost I want to thank God for creating in me this passion. With him, all things are possible, and I am truly blessed. This book is dedicated to my husband Donald and beautiful boys, who make my life entertaining and joyful. To my incredible parents Rufus and Cookie who are celebrating 30 years of marriage this year. To Dawn for being an inspiration! To my sister Blondie who has been my supporter all my life. To my family who has supported me in every way. I am so lucky to have you. To those gone from this world but not forgotten, you are still loved and missed!
To my fans. I may write for me, but I publish for you. Everyone should dream, everyone should get their happily ever after. Follow your dreams, they can come true! Stay blessed and Happy Reading.
Prelude
A Love Lost
A day of regret
Scarlett Bryant wanted to cry; her emotions piled on her at one time. Hatred, betrayal, rage, sadness, the list went on and on because she was starting to lose control. As she pondered the truth that was revealed to her, she felt like she was going to be sick. She looked around her apartment trying to focus on anything to control her tears. She glanced at the black leather sofa across from her, then to the fifty-inch flat screen on the wall. She glanced over to her left hand and glanced at the engagement ring and wedding band that occupied her ring finger.
The tears fell, silently splashing on her legging covered legs, and she gazed at the picture frames on the wall. She took a deep breath and looked at Shane Bryant forcing the tears to stop. After two years of Marriage, she knew she was still in love with him but didn’t know if she might forgive him for the bomb he just dropped on her. She glanced at him wondering where her love went, any other day his sight aroused her, especially in his workout clothes which consisted of black sweat shorts and a black Nike beater; she shook her head.
“Why?” she whispered trying to control her emotions.
“I don’t know…I messed up, and I know that I'm sorry.”
She looked into his pleading eyes and didn't know who he was. She knew he loved her at one point, but when did he stop? Was it the way she spent more time with her mother than him? Could it be at night when he’s in bed, and she’s traveling to be the daughter that her mother needed? Did he go to his ex because she wasn’t woman enough to take care of home? Shane moved closer to her, but she pushed him away. She didn’t want him to touch her she didn’t want him to look at her at all. She just wanted to leave. She grabbed her multi colored blue coach purse and threw it over her blue bubble print Ruched V-neck top.
“You make me sick I can’t even look at you.” She spat.
Shane went to her, towering over her 5’5 height with his strong tall body.
“Baby let me explain what happened. Please.” He begged, praying she would hear him out.
She pulled away and gathered some distance from him. She couldn’t understand what was going on, and all she wanted to do was leave and figure things out on her own. She needed to make sense of this away from him away from the sight of the man who betrayed her in such a un original way. The knight in shining armor who used to fill her heart with hope for the future took off his mask to reveal he was no different from dogs in the pound. He would hump anything he could get his hands on.
“EXPLAIN!” she screamed at him. “What is there to explain you cheated on me? Our Marriage Vows mean nothing.”
“It wasn’t like that. I went to her house to talk that is it. She came on to me.”
“You went to talk?” she folded her hands across her chest.
“About what?” she spoke calmly which put Shane on edge; even though he felt this conversation was a trick, he had to take a chance.
“I just wanted to make sense of all this. Of us and what is going on.”
“And of all people you turn to your ex?” she laughed. “For a very intelligent man you are just a dummy.”
“I wasn’t thinking!” he volleyed back to her.
She shook her head begging the tears to stop falling.
“I told you she was trouble. She’s your ex! The dumb slut was just waiting for another chance to get with you and you just gave in didn’t you?”
“Baby if you would just listen to me.”
She closed the space she just made between them and shoved him.
“Didn’t you!”
She shoved him again as he grabbed her hands between him pulling her close to him.
“Yes ok and I'm sorry. She said she needed to check her messages when she came back she had nothing on. I wanted to stop I just couldn’t.”
Scarlett struggled to get free. “You could you just didn’t want to.” She pushed Shane off of her and wiped her eyes looking at him.
“I thought you were the one.”
“I am the one.”
“No, you’re not. The guy I met was so sweet and caring, and I just wanted to be happy with you. But I was so wrong.”
“Scarlett baby please.”
She turned away from him looking at the ground. “I am going to go. I got to pick Angel up from my moms.”
“Are you coming back?” he asked moving closer to her.
“No, I’m not.”
“I love you. I honestly do and being with her just confirmed that.”
She turned towards him and couldn’t stop the laugh that left her lips.
“Let me get this straight sleeping with her confirmed that you loved me? How in the hell can you ask someone to marry you and you don’t know if you love them or not? Two years of marriage didn’t do that?”
“Please just give me a chance. Let me make it up to you…I want you and only you.”
“You had me.” She spat as she Shane moved angrily closer to her.
“No, I had part of you. You never gave yourself to me like she did. I wanted to show you a better way to love, but you refused me.”
“I told you in the beginning that I have been through a lot. It was hard for me to tell you everything I went through.”
“Yeah and I respected that. I never pressured you to do anything. But you could be mean and moody. I couldn’t do anything right. Between you being here and then leaving to taking care of your mom, you never took care of me. Hell you wouldn’t even let me get that close to Angel.”
She turned towards him holding herself. “I gave you my heart. I gave you my soul I loved you, you did this just because I wouldn’t be here for you. My mom has Breast Cancer do you understand that my mother needed me. And for the record Angel is my daughter not ours.”
Shane threw his hands in the air exhaling angrily.
“Exactly! She is your daughter, but I loved her like my own why was that was never good enough. You know that I wanted to adopt her. Hell she spends more time with your mom than here.”
“She is in school, she helps Maggie and Devon and more importantly she makes my mom happy. It was what was best for her.”
He grabbed her arm forcefully. “No! It was what was best for you so you would have an ex
cuse to drive home a get away from me.”
Scarlett pulled her arm away from him. “I am not doing this I got to go.”
“Talk to me Scarlett.”
“No.”
Scarlett wiped her eyes and took her keys out of her purse as she walked to the door Shane grabbed her.
“Scarlett please don’t do this.”
She whipped her hand across his face pushing him from her.
“You did it. Not me! You had sex with Miranda or are you saying you made love?”
“I don’t love her I love you. Please give me a chance to prove that to you. ”
“No Shane.”
Shane pulled her into a kiss. She pulled away and slapped him hard dead in his face again. She pointed her index finger at him.
“You don’t have the right to kiss me. Not anymore.”
“I love you Scarlett. I do. I know I messed up. But at least I told you. Not like some of those other guys who would have just let you believe they were faithful.”
“Yeah and I love you too…But I told you from the start I am serious about my life and who I am with and the first time your unfaithful I am leaving. I have to go.”
Scarlett took the rings off her finger and held them out for Shane. He turned his head so she placed them on the coffee table. Then she walked closer to the door with tears streaming down her face. Shane blocked her exit.
“Why are you doing this? Just let me prove to you that this can work.”
“I can’t trust you Shane.”
She pushed him away from her.
“How could you do this to me? To us?”
“Why are you running from me? Every time we get close to a breakthrough in our marriage you back away.”
“Oh so cheating on me was a breakthrough in our marriage?”
“In a weird way yes, I may have done wrong, but I have never been so sure of my feeling for us.”
“I can’t hear this.”
“Scar I love you I really do.”
She looked at him fighting the tears burning her eyes.
“Shane we are not going to do this. I am done with this ok I am done with you.”
“Well I am not done with you. I need this to work. So talk to me please I know we can work this out.”
“Move!”
“No.”
Shane stood his ground and he and Scarlett were in a stand still.
He had loved Scarlett from the moment he first met her. Shane always knew there was something unique about Scarlett. From the moment, he saw her there was something about her that spoke to his soul, and he always got what he wanted. He knew that sleeping with Miranda was wrong; he was just too stupid and weak to stop her. Just looking into Scarlett’s tear soaked eyes was punishment enough. Scarlett wiped her eyes.
“Don’t make me do this, please. Just move.”
“No! If you want me to move then you are going to have to make me.”
Scarlett stared at him. Why did he have to hurt her? Why did all men have to hurt her? Tears filled her eyes and gladly slid down her face. Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other both wondering what the other was thinking. Shane praying she would just stay and Scarlett thinking of all the men who hurt her. All the men who used her and realizing that Shane was now one of those men.
“Shane right now I think it's best if you just move to the side.”
“Scarlett I love you. I need you. You and I belong together can’t you see that?”
“Move.” She said in a low growl.
“You are going to have to make me.” Shane said putting his foot down.
Scarlett didn't want to hurt him. Even though he broke her heart, she still loved him. But she knew he wouldn’t move. He would continue to stand there until she changed her mind. He was just as stubborn as she was. Shane folded his hands across his chest, and Scarlett wiped her tears knowing what she had to do. She stomped on his left foot and kicked him in his right knee. He hobbled out the way. She walked to her car barley aware of her surroundings. She sat in her car turned started it.
She didn’t want to cry but she couldn’t hold it in. She put her favorite CD in and pressed 7. Shane always thought she was crazy for her method of healing. But it's the only way
Scarlett knew. She turned the volume up and locked her doors. As “I won’t Cry” by Profyle came on she felt the heaviness of her heart become too much and she began to cry. She loved Shane. They had been together for fifteen months and she thought they were moving in the right direction. When he asked her to marry him, she thought things were finally going to be normal for the first time in her life.
Scarlett grew up the second oldest in her family. Her mom kicked her dad out when she was a teen. He was an addict with no morals and a low down dirty man. Her mom Genie raised four children with no help from him after that. Scarlett never had extra money to spend on things she wanted but didn’t need but she was happy. When she was accepted to a University outside of her hometown she didn’t want to go, but her mother thought it was a great chance for a new start. When her mom became sick, Scarlett had to take care of the family. Derek was already gone and into his own mess following the footsteps of their father, and Scarlett didn’t want him taking care of them, so she felt she should sacrifice for her family.
Her mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Scarlett knew she needed to do everything she could to make everything better for her mother. Once she went into remission, Genie urged Scarlett to go to school. And even though she had no money and had to take out loans, she was excited that she could go.
That is when she met Shane Bryant. She couldn’t believe someone as handsome and smart as he could want to be with her. He was in his last year of law school with his life going the way he always planned. He had no interest in being with just one woman. He prided himself on being with as many women as he could get. When he met Scarlett, she took him for a loop. She was stubborn and hardheaded, but she was beautiful to him and the moment she opened her mouth he wanted to get to know her. He had no idea that meeting her would change him forever.
He stood at 6’2 light skinned but darker than her golden yellow complexion. He had light green eyes that melted Scarlett’s soul when he looked into hers. After a month of him, casually showing up to her job as an assistant for Dr. Miles the legal department head, she finally agreed to go out with him.
As Scarlett brought her thoughts back to reality, she was overtaken by sadness again. She thought back to that man she fell in live with. To the man who astounded her. His mind was sharp, and his body was that of an Adonis, the few times a month they made love she was never disappointed. His smile would make her day even if she was in a funk. He was a sweet man who made her feel like she was the most important woman in the world. Now three and a half years later she was sitting in her car crying over him. He broke her heart and she could never get over that.
Chapter 1
Starting Over
Two years later...
Scarlett stood outside the 25-story building and felt a knot in her stomach as her nervousness grew. She glanced back down to the paper and saw her meeting was on the 24th floor. Her interview was in the psychology department for the position of secretary, a job she knew she was good at. Scarlett walked into the building. She noticed the information booth and a woman filing her nails flirting with a deliveryman.
Scarlett exhaled deeply as she walked over to the elevator. She glanced around as she smoothed down her skirt then dug in her purse for a lifesaver mint. She sucked on it and glanced at the people who were walking in and out of the building at fast paces, trying to calm her nerves. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped in and wiped the sweat from her hands onto her skirt. She pushed the button for the 24th floor and heard a deep tenor male voice calling to her.
“Hold the elevator…please.”
She reached and held the doors open button and stepped back as he stepped in. Her eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head. There in front of her
was one of the sexiest men she had ever seen in her life. He was tall dark and handsome. As she looked him up and down she knew he had to be about 6’3. She loved how you could look at him and tell that he had a body and he was gorgeous. He was a mocha completion with dimples that shone while he smiled. His teeth were strait and white and his hair cut short and tapered. He had the eyes of a man who knew how to turn a woman on with one look; they were dark brown and hypnotic. With well-defined high cheek bones and a thin goatee that covered a strong jaw line and sexy chin that complete his look. As he stood next to her all she could think was this man smelled oh so good. He was wearing a pinstriped Black suit, with light purple shirt and dark purple tie. On some men that would look horrible but this man could pull it off very well. The man glanced down to her and she melted.
“Hi I’m Christian Waters.”
He extended his hand to hers. As she took his hand, she felt heat rise from her center. His hands were soft and smooth not rough with calluses as you would think a man’s would. She gave a little grin.
“Scarlett Hale.”
“Scarlett I like that.”
He continued to smile down at her, and she felt her heart flutter. She bit her bottom lip as she did when she tried to control her emotions. Christian cleared his throat.
“So you must be new here, I think I would remember seeing you before.”
“I have an interview with Dan Mario’s.”
“Dan, oh so you must be the new Psychologist nice.” He smiled at her and she frowned.
“Uh no…I'm working my way through school and well I need a job and he is hiring for a secretary.”
He lifted his right eyebrow to her. “So how old are you?”
She gave a small smile taking a stray hair and putting it behind her ear.
“27 I got a late start with school.”
“At least you’re in school trying to be better.”
They stood in comfortable silence as the elevator rose through the floors uninterrupted. Christian sighed.
A Passion Rekindled Page 1