What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7)

by Lexi Buchanan

  The wedding was just under three weeks away; surely they’d ordered flowers before today.

  “Isn’t it a bit late to order flowers?”

  “No, they’re already ordered. Today is to make a decision as to how I want them displayed, but Jack’s no help so I thought, as you’re my bridesmaid, you’d help instead,” Mia said, but wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Um, okay. Although, I’m not good with that kind of thing, but I’ll try and help.”

  Was I insane? I struggled to get the chunks of bagel down my throat and caught Stephanie giving me odd looks.

  Before I could finish, Stephanie whipped my plate from in front of me, tossing the remainder into the trash.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Wow, okay. I’ll just be a minute. I’ll catch up to you outside.”

  Having run back upstairs for my purse, I felt as though a whirlwind had blown through the house. It had to be the most I’d seen of Stephanie during my stay – apart from the night I’d arrived.

  Mia was quiet on the ride to her house. As we rode, I inspected her closer – she looked pale and withdrawn. If Mia didn’t love my Phoenix, but was attracted to Liam, which I suspected was true; perhaps I could plead with her to stop the whole thing. Ugh, but if I did that I could cause problems for Phoenix.

  Sitting back, I tried to enjoy the scenery while I rubbed my temple, which had started to throb.

  Mia pulled up outside a huge white house that looked like something from ‘North and South’. Oh yeah, my mom as punishment for catching me smoking pot, the first and only time I might add, had made me sit and watch every episode of the show with her when she bought them on DVDs. It had been either watch them, or no allowance for a month, so yeah, I’d watched them and unbeknownst to my mom, enjoyed them. Also it reminded me of home.

  My parents lived in a huge monster of a house, probably twice the size of Mia’s and I hated it. My parents and me could live in the house for a month and not see each other; that’s how large my home was.

  “Thalia, are you planning on getting out?”

  “Sorry. Day dreaming. It reminds me of home,” I added in explanation as I slid out of the car.

  “Home?”

  Mia had already started towards the front door when I glanced at Stephanie.

  “Yeah. My home is like this, but bigger.” Her eyes lit up either in disbelief or glee, I wasn’t sure which. “I hate my home, it’s just too damn big,” I stated following Mia inside her house wondering what the hell I was doing there.

  Not knowing anything whatsoever about flowers, plants, displays or weddings for that matter, I wasn’t sure I’d be much help. I’d been a bridesmaid on rather a few occasions, but all I had to do was show up and smile and as I got older, to hold the brides dress when in the bathroom to make sure she didn’t pee on it.

  Could I get out of this? I could walk to Kix and maybe see Phoenix and hoped he didn’t ignore me. If he did, I could always chat Donovan up for Callie. Phoenix wouldn’t have to know I was doing it for Callie, maybe he’d get jealous. I could always hope.

  “Mamma, I’d like you to meet Liam’s friend, Thalia. She’s replacing Rebecca in the wedding.”

  Mia always seemed so self-assured, but her mom looked…lost; out of her depth.

  “Thalia, this is my mamma, Sarah.”

  I held my hand out, which Sarah took and quickly shook before letting go. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.” Her hold on my hand had been light and quick, as though she hadn’t wanted to touch me at all.

  While I worked up the courage to escape, Stephanie engaged her in conversation, but Sarah didn’t look well at all.

  Being in Mia’s house I felt uneasy and needed to escape.

  “Um, I need to go. I’m sorry, but I promised I’d help someone with something. I’ve just remembered. I’m sorry.”

  Turning so I could make my escape, Mia ran up to me. She gave me an odd look then hugged me. “Please don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered.

  Not stopping to think about what had just happened, I pulled the door open and practically ran through it hurrying down the drive and through the large gates before I stopped to catch my breath.

  If I remembered correctly Kix wasn’t too far in the direction I’d started walking in. The weather had heated up some so I just prayed I hadn’t under estimated the distance.

  I’d been walking about five minutes when I heard a motorcycle roaring towards me. My heart sped up with nerves, because I was walking on a secluded bit of road. I was so stupid…or maybe not, as he pulled the bike to a stop not far in front of me, I recognized the tattoo on the biker’s bicep, which was poking out from under his t-shirt. Reece.

  He took his helmet off. “Now what’s a hot babe like you doing walking along here on her own?”

  “Getting hotter!”

  He sat staring at me then grinned. “I see why Phoenix is so screwed up over you. Come on, hop on.”

  “You giving me a ride?”

  Reece climbed off his bike and retrieved a spare helmet. “If you weren’t spoken for you’d be giving me a ride,” he said and winked.

  He was damn cute. “Hmm, I would, would I?”

  “Woman, get that sexy butt on the back of my bike so we can go. It’s too damn hot to stand around in the sun yakking.”

  I laughed. “Yakking?”

  “Yeah, yakking. I have five sisters and that’s all they do all day, apart from bugging me when I go to visit.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  He growled, but had a spark in his blue eyes. “I’m not sweet.”

  “Okay, cute.”

  Reece picked me up and put me down on his bike. “Do not say another word.”

  Behind the helmet I smiled and held on tight as he gave me a ride to Kix. I just prayed we didn’t meet anyone else on the road; otherwise they’d get an eye full of my legs.

  Luckily the ride was only five minutes, if that. We pulled into the parking lot and I waited for Reece to climb from the bike before he turned and lifted me off. But not before he had a gawk at my legs.

  He caught me watching him. “Nice.”

  Rolling my eyes at him, I walked into Kix and smack into Phoenix. He grabbed me, just stopping me from falling backwards onto my butt.

  “What are you doing here?” He was pissed.

  Well at least I had my answer. He regretted touching me.

  “I can’t deal with you right now,” he spat and I flinched at the anger in his words.

  He walked past me and I heard the door close behind me. I just stayed standing where he’d left me not knowing what to do. I felt numb; I couldn’t move.

  “Thalia, dance with me.”

  Donovan wrapped an arm around me and led me out to the dance floor, where he pulled me against him and held me tight while I cried into his t-shirt, again. We swayed around the room, to what I couldn’t tell you, while he stroked my back and kept me hidden from everyone else, without saying anything.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Jack

  What the hell was I doing? I’d just left the woman I loved in there after telling her I couldn’t deal with her. I couldn’t breathe. Sitting on the stoop, I put my head in my hands.

  “Please tell me you haven’t just fucked up?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What the…that girl loves you and you love her. Yeah, I know what’s going down in a few weeks, but you don’t love Mia, you love that girl you’ve just left on her own in there. If you weren’t my best friend I’d be in there trying to talk her away from you, because you’re an idiot. I want what you have staring you in the face.”

  Reece clenched his fist and I was sure he wanted to hit me, but he kept talking instead, “I want a girl to be in love with me, someone I love in return, but you have that. Don’t be a dick and throw it all away.”

  I just looked at Reece, astonished. He stormed back to his bike and leaned against it.

  “Look, you told us what’s going on, after you’d spoken
to Liam the other night, but you have to try and find a way out of it. I’ll help anyway I can, you know that… Right now you need to get your ass back in there and talk to her before someone else moves in.”

  Standing, I walked to Reece and came to a stop in front of him; I waved my hand in front of his face. “What have you done to my friend?”

  He shoved me away. “Ha ha – funny; not!”

  “I heard you and I think I better start by apologizing to her.”

  “That’s usually a good start.”

  Walking to the bar, I turned back to Reece. “Hey, what about Dahlia? You spend a lot of time with her.”

  If I didn’t know better I’d have said he looked uneasy. “She’s just a friend.”

  Shaking my head, I pushed my way back through the doors and froze when I spotted Thalia on the dance floor wrapped up in Donovan’s arms.

  Reece walked into me not realizing I’d stopped.

  “Fuck. Um, don’t go getting the wrong idea, okay? Chances are you upset her and he came to her rescue, I hope,” he muttered the last bit, but I caught it.

  Without another thought, I walked straight over to them on the dance floor and stood directly in front of Donovan so that he wouldn’t have any chance but to see me.

  He saw me all right and he looked angry.

  They stopped dancing with Donovan keeping an arm wrapped around Thalia’s shoulders. “I’m not going to let you hurt her anymore than you already have.”

  “Thalia, please come with me and let me talk. Explain. Apologize.”

  She ignored the hand I held out to her, staying with Donovan instead.

  “I don’t want to hear you apologize for touching me again. It hurt enough the first time.”

  God, if she didn’t get away from Donovan soon she’d have me on my knees begging.

  Not giving her a choice, I reached out and took hold of her hand. “I didn’t apologize for touching you. That’s what I wanted you to believe…I apologized for leaving you out back with Liam. Please Thalia, come and talk to me.”

  I nearly sagged in relief when she nodded her head and left her hand in mine. Not having any clue where I could take her for some privacy we ended up in the storeroom again.

  She blushed as I pulled her inside with me.

  Locking the door, I turned and looked at her. I couldn’t stand the distance I’d put between us.

  “Come here. Let me hold you.”

  She hesitated and stared at the door for a second. My heart sank in worry. Was she going to walk out that door and away from me? After an agonizing moment, she paused before she collapsed into my arms; her own arms wrapping around my neck as I squeezed my arms around her waist. I held on to her so tightly, never wanting to let her go.

  Her soft breasts crushed against my chest, my pelvis rubbed against hers. There was no way she’d miss my arousal.

  I buried my face into her neck. “I’m so sorry. My life is so fucking screwed up, but apart from my music, you’re the only good thing in it. I’m terrified of losing you, but I can’t have you.”

  “Phoenix, I’m yours… Don’t you know that?”

  She pulled her face from my chest and met my eyes. “Make love to me.”

  “Here?”

  She answered me by stepping back and lifting her dress over her head.

  I gulped.

  She was standing in front of me in a white lacy bra and matching panties.

  Fumbling in my wallet, I quickly withdrew the condom that I’d put in there last night before I threw my t-shirt off. Undoing the button and zipper on my jeans, I stalked towards Thalia who was standing in front of me licking her lips. I had to taste her. Needed to taste her.

  My hands went to her waist as I lifted her up to me, our mouths meeting, our tongues slipping and sliding against each other as she wrapped her legs around me; I pressed her into the wall.

  “God, I need you to breathe.” I bent my head and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth through her bra. She ground her pussy against me, arching in pleasure as I bit down on her pebbled nipple.

  She had me so worked up; I just hoped I had the strength to stay loaded before I got inside her.

  “Phoenix, I need you fast and hard.”

  Oh hell.

  With unsteady hands, I quickly placed her on her feet and turned her around, putting her hands on the wall. I pulled her ass out towards me, bending to take her panties down her legs and off.

  “Open your legs.”

  Shoving my jeans further down my hips with unsteady hands, I ripped into the condom and smoothed it down my shaft. I moved in close and rubbed my cock up and down between her butt cheeks while I reached around in front of her and undid the clasp on her bra. Her large breasts spilled into my waiting hands.

  She pushed back into me, driving me totally insane. I kept one hand on her breasts and moved my other south, between her legs.

  As I slid my fingers over her naked mound to her clit then her cunt, I put one finger inside her only to have her clamp down on me. She was so ready, which was as well because I was coming to the end of my control.

  “God babe,” I kissed her shoulder. “I need to be inside you,” I growled.

  “Oh God,” she moaned. “Then get inside me all ready.”

  Taking hold of my cock, I rubbed the tip around her clit and entered her slowly.

  We both sucked in our breath. It felt damn good, although for the first time with this amazing woman I’d have preferred a bed; it was too late for that. For the first time since my life got so screwed I was inside someone and I wasn’t sure how long I’d last.

  Taking hold of her hips, I put my open mouth to her neck as I went balls deep inside her.

  “Phoenix, move.”

  “You feel good. I want nothing more than to fuck your cunt, but if I move, I think I’ll come.”

  She pushed back against me. “I love you talking dirty. It really turns me on.”

  I groaned into her neck as she tightened her internal muscles, squeezing my cock.

  “Is the tip more sensitive because of the piercing?” she asked moaning.

  “Oh yeah.”

  She smirked, pulled forward before impaling herself back on my dick.

  I was lost.

  She turned her face to look at me as I captured her mouth with mine, holding her tight while I pumped into her. Within a couple of strokes she was coming, her cunt quivered around my cock holding me so damn tight as I shouted my release into her neck, which went on and on.

  Finally at an end, I collapsed over her back with my arms wrapped around her waist, panting hard into her neck.

  “Phoenix…”

  “I don’t want to move,” I told her on a gasp as she squeezed her cunt around my cock, again. I moved my hands down to her hips and slowly withdrew from her, dragging a gasp from the both of us.

  She turned around and met my eyes so I did the most natural thing in the world and pulled her into my arms before I remembered my cock was semi-erect with a condom half on and off. Laughing, I pulled away and tried to hide my embarrassment as I removed the condom. Tying the end, I wrapped it in a paper towel I’d retrieved from a shelf and shoved it into my pocket as I hitched my jeans up and shoved everything back inside.

  Thalia was still naked, although she’d fastened her bra, which I hadn’t even bothered to remove. “Here, let me.” I picked her dress up from the floor and helped her back into it then grabbed a couple more paper towels; dropped down to my knees in front of her.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Maybe not, but I can’t keep my hands off you. Let me do this.”

  She swallowed at the same time as she nodded her head.

  Smoothing my hands up her thighs, I pushed her dress up past her hips as I moved closer to her pussy and the dragon tattoo on her hip. Amazing.

  Taking a deep breath, I wiped her clean, and helped her back into her panties. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. With my cheek re
sting against her mound, I just breathed her in while she ran her hands through my hair, over and over again. I shuddered and clung to her wishing my life were simpler.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Thalia

  Sitting outside the house in the dark on the porch swing, I tried to bring some order to my thoughts, which were running rampant around my head.

  After Phoenix had given me the best orgasm in history and dressed me, he’d taken me out back into the forest and held me tight while he explained to me what was going on with him and Mia. I’d promised him I wouldn’t let on to anyone that I knew anything about it.

  It was like being in the 1800’s with how their parents were acting – blackmailing them to marry.

  My parents might have a habit of treating me like I was still a child, but at least they didn’t give me a hard time over boys. My dad had once told me, just before I left for college, that money wasn’t everything and to follow my heart. I’d been stunned at the time, because he only ever issued orders.

  Following my heart was what I planned on doing; I just needed Phoenix, who’d been absent for the rest of the day, to get with my plan. I also wanted him to talk to Mia to try and do something from her end.

  “Thalia?”

  I jumped. I was so engrossed in my own thoughts I hadn’t realized Liam had joined me.

  “You okay?”

  I let out a sigh. “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “Jack, no doubt.” He smirked sitting opposite me.

  “Maybe.”

  He started to laugh. “You are so predictable… Reece told me you’d gone off with him earlier.” He cocked an eyebrow in question.

  Ignoring his unspoken question, I asked one of my own, “When you invited me out here for the summer, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing me out here in the hope I’d interfere with Jack’s wedding?”

  He met my eyes in surprise.

  “You already know I like you. At first I thought perhaps we might get closer and then I could stop thinking about Mia. You’re different, and as soon as I saw you I knew Jack wouldn’t stand a chance.” He started running his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, but my heart belongs to her.”