Change Of Heart (3 page)

He shrugged. “I did, but now I’m back.”

“Why?”

This time his smile was sad, resigned. “Divorce.”

Ryssa waited for the spark of triumph to hit her; waited to feel like she’d won, waited to smile or laugh in Malcolm’s face, but amazingly, all she felt was an acute sense of sadness for him. “Sorry to hear that,” was all she said.

His gaze hit the floor as he stuffed his hands down into his pockets. “Yeah, she, uh...she left me for someone else.”

Ryssa blinked. “Oh.”

He looked at her then, his expression confused. “Oh? That’s it? That’s all you have to say to me?”

Shrugging, she asked, “What else would I say, Malcolm?”

“I dunno. I figured you’d gloat or taunt, maybe have a barb or two, but you’re standing there with...with this pitying expression. Why?” Lifting his hands, he spread his arms out wide. “On today of all days you run into the man who broke your heart, and you’re not cussing me out or calling me names? You’re not planning to go for one of those bottles and knock me in the head? Why, Ryssa? Why?” He stopped, his chest contracting with angry breaths, then glared at her. “Is it Kyran? He heal all the little wounds?”

She just stared long and hard. In that moment, Maryssa realized that what Becca had said was more than true. She’d given this man so much power that even now, four years later, he believed that without him she wouldn’t be okay. He thought that the only way she could possibly heal was because she had someone else, and in a way, he was right. If it hadn’t been for Kyran, she’d probably be way worse off than she was now; but then again, he was so very wrong.

She wasn’t so bitter that she’d throw this in his face. Ryssa wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. No, she had a lot to be thankful for, and she had a lot to stop running and hiding from. Kyran
wasn’t
Malcolm, and it was damn sure time that she stopped grouping them together just because they shared one trait—she loved them. No, that was wrong. She didn’t love Malcolm anymore, but Kyran, on the other hand...

Instead of doing as expected, she stepped a little closer, her previous anxiety gone, and gave him a gentle pat on his chest.

“Considering the fact that I know what it’s like to give your all to someone and have it taken for granted…” Through clear eyes, she watched him flinch at the words. “I can’t gloat, Mal. I can’t stand here, even if I reserve that right, in self-righteous indignation and preach about karma and how much you deserve it because I
know
what that pain does. I
stewed
in it for so long that I let you take something special away from me.” Ryssa shook her head. “I can’t let you do that anymore.” Ever so gently, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Then she walked away. She had something to do.

Chapter Three

Kyran knocked on the strong oak wood door and then he knocked again. He kept knocking until he heard a few footsteps and an, “I’m coming!” Then he waited.

The door swung open and Kyran pushed through without a moment’s hesitation, anger threatening to choke him. “Enough of this bullshit, Ryssa,” he growled. He’d planned the perfect night, and she hadn’t even shown up. After an hour he’d blown out the candles on his dining-room table and decided that if he had to be the one to make another move, then so be it. “You—” Kyran swung around, completely intent on telling her some stuff about herself, but the words lodged in the back of his throat.

She was standing there in a bikini made of candy hearts and a grin.

“What...” He waved a hand, tried to catch his breath. “I...” There were no words, so he just whimpered and decided to sit down before he fell down. His ass hit a chair, and he managed to unbutton his jacket because a wave of heat hit him hard enough that his mouth went dry.

“I was wondering when you’d
finally
show up.” Ryssa walked closer, and Kyran hissed out a breath when he grabbed the sleeves of his jacket and pulled, making him take it off so she could straddle him.

“Uh...Ryssa?”

“Yes?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

She smiled softly. “I think that’s obvious.” Her hips swiveled and she leaned in good and close to whisper, “I’m not running anymore.”

When she nipped his lobe, Kyran’s whole body jerked. Suddenly, he stood and sat her away from him. He had to think. His eyes raked over her and he turned his back because really, he couldn’t think with her standing in front of him like that. “Why?”

“You wanna do this
now
?”

“Yes.”

“Kyran—”

He held up a hand. “Today the first thing you did was run just like I knew you would—which is why I let you go. Then you didn’t show up for dinner—”

“Because I was waiting for you to come here.”

“But why?”

“Can you at least look at me when I lay it all on the line, please?”

Kyran turned around but kept his eyes focused on her face.

“I saw Malcolm today.” He started to reply, but she held up a hand. “And when I looked at him I realized I felt
nothing.
No anger, no sadness, no bitterness,
nothing.
Then I realized why that was.” She walked a little closer. “When I was with him there was always something missing. It wasn’t like when I’m with you, because he
isn’t
you. All these years, all this time, I never crossed the line because I was so afraid that what we have would just up and disappear someday. That you’d wake up and decide I’m not the one, just like he did, and I couldn’t...” Her hand trembled as she cupped his jaw. “I couldn’t risk losing you. Not with the way that I love you.”

Kyran stared down into her wide gray eyes as they sparkled with unshed tears and caressed her cheeks. “Say it again.”

Her brows furrowed. “You want me to say all of that again?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, you nutter butter. Just the last line.”

“Oh.” She grinned wide. “I love you.”

He kissed her forehead, then her nose. “Again.”

“I love you.”

His lips landed on hers; once, twice. “Again.”

“I.” She kissed him, nipped his bottom lip. “Love.”  Her tongue entered his mouth, curled around his and then disappeared. “You.”

Kyran scooped her up and headed for the stairs before running up them and to her bedroom. “I’m glad. That way when you’re sore and hoarse in the morning, it’ll make it a lot easier to forgive me.”

He tossed her on the bed, and she giggled as she bounced on the soft mattress. She watched through lowered lids as he started to undress, and when his pants and boxers dropped, a gasp left her mouth. “Good Lord in heaven that’s a huge—”

Kyran laughed outright, and she threw a pillow at his head. “Shut. Up.”

“The size of your eyes doubled, baby. I swear.”

“Shut. Up.”

With a boyish grin, he climbed onto the bed and crawled to her on his hands and knees. He kissed her ankles before he reached the inside of her thighs. “Aw, stop pouting. If I weren’t laughing at you already I’d be really flattered.”

She put a foot against one of his wide shoulders and pushed, but he didn’t budge. He chuckled and lifted a hand to tug at the candy thong. “You put a lot of thought into this, huh?” He snapped the string and ignored the way pieces flew everywhere.

Kyran’s breath hit her clit and it jumped but he didn’t oblige her, just backed off and sat up, a contemplative look on his face as he stared down at her. “This has to go.” He snapped the top and sighed with satisfaction. “That’s better. Now—” Kyran grabbed one of her hands and linked their fingers, trailing the joined digits down her tummy until they reached the apex of her thighs. “Touch yourself for me, baby.”

***

Ryssa froze, didn’t even blink for a minute. “Huh?”

One side of Kyran’s mouth kicked up. “I want you to touch yourself for me.” It wasn’t what he said but how he said it. The way his silky smooth baritone caressed her insides made her want to do whatever he requested. When he took her middle finger and slowly encircled her clit, her breath hitched and her back arched off the bed just from the look in his eyes.

He let go of her hand but nodded that he wanted her to keep going, so she did. Her fingertips lightly touched her folds, and she closed her eyes.

          “No, I want you to keep looking at me,” Kyran demanded.

          She found herself getting lost in his gaze, watching the way his jaw clenched and he bit his bottom lip when she gently flicked her clit with her thumb and turned her hand to slip two fingers inside her wet warmth. They groaned at the same time as she pulled them out just to thrust them back in again.

          “You have no idea how beautiful you look right now,” Kyran whispered.

          If it was anywhere near as sexy he looked watching her then, yes, she did. His eyes left a trail of heat everywhere they landed—which was beginning to set a fire in her womb as her hand worked faster, her thumb rolling across that small bundle of nerves over and over. When Kyran tongue kissed her belly button before finding a nipple and tugging it between his teeth, her eyes slammed shut again, fireworks dancing behind the closed lids.

          “Feel good, Ryssa?”

          Her answer was a moan.

          “I can’t hear you, baby. I need to hear you say it.” He sat up on his knees, and her mouth opened but wouldn’t close when he wrapped one hand around his cock, jerking it as furiously as her fingers were moving. “Does it feel good?”

          “Y-yes.”

          “You’re voice is breaking, baby. Are you about to come?” She nodded hard, her eyes still focused on his hand. When he ran his thumb around the head and smeared the pre-cum that’d been at the tip, that was all she needed to be pushed over the edge.

          Ryssa came with a hoarse cry, her body shattering into a million pieces. Kyran wasted no time, just spread her thighs wide and connected them with one smooth thrust.

          He rolled his hips one way and then the other, hitting her g-spot and causing her to explode all over again. This time, he joined her.

***

          Ryssa felt something soft against her cheek, and her eyes cracked open. She turned her head to find Kyran watching her, a smile playing around of his mouth. There was a rose in his hand.

          “Can I give you this and say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ without risking my special parts?”

          She giggled, took it and kissed him. “Yes, you can.”

          He pulled out something from under his pillow.

          Ryssa’s eyes widened at the sight of the small velvet box.

          “Can I also ask you to marry me so I can finally stop fantasizing about what’d it’d be like to have you as my wife?”

          She swallowed, swallowed again and even opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

          “You’re not saying anything, baby. I need you to say something.” He opened the box, revealing the three-carat princess-cut flawless diamond inside.