Release (33 page)

Tiffany
sighed, and said quickly, “Jem is my brother’s best friend.  Luke is my
twin, and Jem, Luke and I all grew up together, went to the same schools. 
Jem is like another brother to me...That’s all, Ryann...I
swear
it.  Well,” she hesitated, and looked off to the side, “we had a brief
blip of a thing when we were 18, but both of us were drunk and neither of us
even remembers it.  It was one of those stupid impulsive kid things, but I
swear neither of us thinks of each other that way,” she said, nervously
babbling, and waving her hand, as if wiping the memory from history.

“We
had a 30 minute lunch together when he was in Boston a couple of weeks back,
because…well…I’m going through a divorce, because my asshole of a cheating
husband is fucking a younger and firmer version of me…pardon my French… and I
was really going through a hard time…and then Jem was telling me about
you.  And how wonderful you are…and I was so
happy
for him,
because, I’ve never seen him this happy over
any
woman. 
Ever.
 
And I just want you to know that I could
never
be the other woman. 
I know what that’s like to be on the receiving end of that kind of pain, and I
would never do that to a fellow sister...and I’m probably saying too much
already, but Jem
so
wants this to work between you two.  I’m sure
there hasn’t been enough time for him to tell you this, and Luke’s already
angry with me for finagling your address from him, but I think you should know,
that Jem has resigned as the VC at the Institute.  That’s why we were
outside the Dean’s office last night.  I saw him walk into the gala, and I
followed him, and he was sliding his resignation under the door.  So, Luke
is no longer an alternate, but is now on the board to take Jem’s spot…Jem just
doesn’t want there to be anything standing in the way of your happiness. 
He just thinks the world of you, Ryann...I swear it.”

Ryann
was feeling woozy.  First and foremost, it was due to everything coming
out of Tiffany’s mouth, and the implications that came with it.  But
secondly, it may have been because Tiffany was using up all of the oxygen in
the room during her explanation.

Just
then, she heard the rattle of keys in the door, and Jeremy stepped in, his arms
filled with paper bags from the Chinese place down the block.

He
stopped, and when he saw Tiffany, he growled, “Tiffany…
fuck
.  What
the hell are you
doing
here?”

Tiffany
quickly got up, and put up her hands to calm him.  “It’s ok, Jem!  I
just wanted to explain to her what she saw.  Don’t be mad!” she
pleaded.  “Luke got me her address, and he’s still not sure it was a good
idea, but I begged him to help.  Don’t be mad at us…I just wanted to
help,” she babbled.

“
Tiff,
”
he said exasperated.  He put the bags down on the dining table and turned
to them, running his fingers through his hair, then pinching the bridge of his
nose.  He sighed, and looked up warily at Ryann, and she could feel the
prick of joyful emotion in her eyes.

She
smiled hesitantly at him, and his stunned look was followed by one of relief
and hope... and holy cow, hunger.  The expression on his face made her
want to laugh out loud.

“I
think it’s time for you to leave, Tiff,” Jeremy said, not taking his eyes off
of Ryann.

Tiffany
clapped her hands in glee, and squealed, “Good.  This is good,
right?  Oooh, I’m so happy!  Ok.  I’m outta here.”  She
laughed lightly and skipped to the door.  “I love you, Jem.  Call
later.”  Then she stopped and looked at Jem, then Ryann with a worried
look on her face.  “When I said I loved him just now, I meant loved him as
a
friend.
  I swear,” she said crossing her heart, babbling again.

A
giggle escaped from Ryann’s throat.  “Thanks for the
clarification…and…thank you,” she said, looking at this charming and sweet
woman.

Tiffany’s
face nearly crumbled.  “You’re so welcome.  I’m so happy,” she
clapped her hands under her chin again.  She turned to Jeremy.  “I
did good, right Jem?  Please don’t be mad for me interfering.  I just
couldn’t leave it alone.”

Jeremy
looked at her affectionately.  “Yes, Tiff, you did good.  Now will
you get the hell out of here, please?”

Tiffany
squealed out a giggle, and sang out, “Have fun!” then skipped out the door.

A
moment passed when they both looked at each other in the silence of the
apartment.

Then
Ryann really looked at him, and Jeremy’s eyes were filled with a lust, and a
tenderness, the likes she had never seen before on his face.

She
let go of a sob-like laugh, and covered her mouth with her hand.  She
whispered, “Jeremy?”

He practically ran to her, colliding into her, kissing
her voraciously, his hands everywhere, pleading his case with his body
first...the words would come later. He was kissing her whole face, her
forehead, her eyelids, her nose, her mouth. 

God,
his mouth.  She had missed his mouth.

“Ryann,”
he murmured frantically in between kisses.  “I’m so sorry…did Tiffany
explain?  Did she tell you it wasn’t what you thought?”  He didn’t
allow her to answer because he wouldn’t stop kissing her. 

She
moaned, breathing heavily.  She ran her fingers through his hair, and
wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.  Their height difference made
her have to stand on her tippy toes to reach him, so he bent his knees to lift
her against him.  She threw her legs around his waist, holding him to her.

“God,
baby,” he breathed in between devouring her mouth, her neck.  “I need you,
Ryann.  I
need
you.”

“Then
take me,” she groaned, and moved her pelvis against his.

He
groaned in reply, and the next few moments became even more frenetic, him
dropping to his knees with her still wrapped around him, then leaning forward
to place her on the floor.  He tore at her shirt, peeling it quickly over
her head, then deftly unsnapping her bra, freeing her breasts.

He
captured a nipple in his mouth, and sucked...hard.

She
gasped at the mixture of pleasure and pain, and reveled in their desperation
for each other...their desperation to be close again.

His
fingers found her other nipple and rolled it.  His mouth let go of her
nipple with a popping sound, then found her neck.  “God,” he
exhaled.  “I missed you,” then he continued his onslaught of passion,
tearing at his own shirt and pants, while she tried to disentangle her limbs
from his to take off her yoga pants.

He
leaned up and helped her quickly peel off her pants and panties, and then
trapped her to the floor.

He
looked her in the eyes, and the intimate smile they shared in that short
passing moment, hitched her breath.  He dropped his forehead to hers, and
moved his hips forward, between her legs, to slowly fill her, all the way until
she moaned.  They took a moment to savor the feeling, then Jeremy lifted
his head, and captured her face between his hands.

“Don’t
you ever do that to me again, Ryann.  I swear to you, I’ll tie you to my
bed if I have to, but you will never leave me like that again.”  Then he
pulled out and thrust into her, once, twice, three times, circling his hips and
grinding into her.

She
pulled his head back down to her, and sucked on his lower lip with her mouth
and teeth, saying, “Harder.  I need to
feel
you, Jeremy. 
Harder
.”

He
groaned, delighted with her command.  He happily obliged her, slamming
into her, propelling her slightly forward on the floor.  He lifted her
upper body slightly and hooked his arms underneath her, anchoring his hands on
her shoulders.  “
Fuck
, Ryann.  You destroyed me when you
left,” he growled, slamming quickly into her, over and over again.

Her
keening gasps and whimpers, quickly turned to a building scream.  “I’m sorry….
I won’t leave again…” she moaned each time he thrust into her.

His
rhythm picked up, until his pistoning hips and his grip on her shoulders forced
her to take the maelstrom of his desire.

He
had never taken her like this, and she gloried in it.  She had thought
that perhaps she’d seen him lose control before, but it had never been like
this.

She
swore every rug burn she bore would be worn as a badge of honor for his
absolute craving for her.

With
his face close to hers, puffs of his accelerated breathing mingling with her
own, he growled as his need for her became even more intense.  “You’re
fucking
mine
, Ryann...say it...tell me you’re
mine.
  Please.  I
need to hear it.”

By
this time, she was practically screaming each time he pummeled into her, feeling
as if she was being split in two, but yet never feeling more connected to him
than that moment.  She couldn’t form words, the intensity of his love
making stealing her breath.

But
when the orgasm tore through her, she did form those words, screaming them
until he swallowed them with his mouth, and crashed into her, giving her every
ounce of himself in return.

…..

They
lay there, entwined in each other’s arms, without an inch separating
them.  They both gulped the air, and she pushed back the tears of joy,
happiness, and absolute relief that threatened to overwhelm her. 

She
held his face cupped in her hand, and rubbed her face on the side of his
cheek.  “I haven’t cried in years, and in the past two weeks, I’ve cried
enough for a lifetime.”

Still
inside her, he kissed her, fighting back his own emotion. 

He
took a few more moments to catch his breath, then nuzzled her neck.  “I
don’t ever want to cause you pain, and I know last night was just as hard for
you as it was for me.”  He looked at her.  “I don’t ever want either
of us to go through that again…Ryann, not knowing where you were…whether you
were ok…knowing that you were feeling pain...knowing I was the cause of it,” he
whispered, swallowing audibly.  “Don’t ever leave me like that again, Ryann. 
I mean it.”

She
touched his cheek softly with her finger, and looked in his eyes.  “I was
so hurt...and angry.  I know I misunderstood, but I kept replaying things
that Jennifer and Armand had said about you.  You were so distant last
week before you left.  My own insecurities got in the way, and when I saw
you with Tiffany, alone in the dark, and I heard that you saw her in
Boston.  I didn’t know what to think, but I thought….I thought you were
with her.”  She let go of a sob, but squelched it quickly.  “That you
were going to end it with me, and go to her…”

“Baby,”
he said in a forceful whisper, “there is only you.  Ever since the moment
I saw you standing in the rain…there has only been you.”

“I
believe you.  I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you.  I shouldn’t have
listened to them...you were just so distant...”

“Ry…I
know my past scares you, but you need to hear me when I say this.  I…” He
took a deep breath and looked away for a moment, then met her gaze again. 
“I have never in my life felt for a woman the way that I feel about you….ever.”

She
gave him a trembling smile.

“I
know we were distant last week, but...” he continued, “we have a lot of
catching up to do, so...” he took a cleansing breath, “pack a bag, because I’m
taking you to my place.  I think we’ve entertained your neighbors enough
for one day.”

She
sighed out a light laugh.  “I can just see Jonathan having to tell me that
at the next association meeting, all of the neighbors’ complaints about the
sounds coming from 5B,” she groaned, embarrassed.

He
chuckled.

“Am
I allowed to stay with you?  Do we need to call your cousin to tell him
where I am?  I don’t know how it all works...”

He
face split into a grin.  “He called when I was out getting the food. 
You’re mother and your stepfather verified your alibi.  You’re
clear.  He knew you had nothing to do with it...he just needed to make
sure.  You should probably call your mom, though.  You can do that in
the car.”

Relief
engulfed her.  “Thank God...I was surprised the FBI didn’t talk to me,”
she murmured, deep in thought.  Then she looked up, “And I want to know
what he meant when he said...”

“No
more questions...”  He leaned down and smacked his lips to hers, then
pulled out of her, and helped her up.  “We’ll have plenty of time at my
place to talk.”

She
was nearly dizzy with excitement, knowing she could spend the next day and a
half with Jeremy all to herself, with nothing hanging over them.

She
grabbed his face, and smiled fondly at him.  “Thank you for believing in
me…for not leaving me alone today.  Given my own lack of trust in you, I
didn’t deserve it.”

He
cupped her face, “I understand where your mistrust came from, baby.  We’re
going to talk it all out at my place.  I’m not letting you out of my
sight…for days…so be prepared, woman,” he said with one corner of his mouth
tipped up, and his eyes heavy lidded.

She
giggled.  “I’ll need to go to work on Monday.”

“No
you won’t.  The Institute is currently a crime scene.  Classes will
be canceled until they can get a handle on what happened…You’re all mine,
baby...to do with as I please,” he said, a promising gleam in his eye.

She
shivered, and smiled in anticipation.  Then, more seriously, “Won’t you
need to be available to them at the Institute?”

“Between
my mom, our attorneys, the security firm we hired, the NYPD, and the FBI’s Art
Crime Team, I think we’re covered.  They know how to find me if they need
me.  But knowing my mom, she’ll try to give us as much alone time as
possible.  She’s the first point of contact in the family.  So,” he
grinned, “go pack.”  He lightly slapped her bare ass, as she pranced to
her room in excitement.

…..

The
car ride to Jeremy’s brownstone started with a huge hug from Manny, who looked
at Jeremy with a relieved look, all while Jeremy watched with an expression of
reflection on his face.  When Manny released her, he cleared his throat,
then tipped his hat and went to the driver’s seat.

“Manny
was worried about you last night, too,” Jeremy had murmured.

Ryann
looked up guiltily.  “I’ll be sure to thank him, and apologize, when we
get to your place.”

The
rest of the car ride consisted of Jeremy holding her, while she snuggled into
him and made a phone call to her mom, a phone call to Ayanna, and a phone call
to Emily.  The last phone call was in thanks to Jeremy securing Emily’s
card before Emily left her that afternoon.

When
they arrived to Jeremy’s, they went right up to his room, and ate their Chinese
food naked in bed.  After a few moments of eating, Ryann was ready to have
some questions answered.

She
put her spring roll down and said, “I’m ready to ask some questions, if you
don’t mind.”

“I’m
surprised you waited this long,” he teased.

She
threw a pillow at him, which he dodged easily, but not without sputtering, “Hey! 
A container of Won-Ton soup here!”

Ryann
rolled her eyes, and began.

“Why
didn’t the FBI question me?  They’ve gotta be involved in this.  I
thought once they were involved, they trumped the NYPD.”

“You’re
assuming they were involved at that particular moment,” he hedged.

Ryann
raised her eyebrows.  “Explain.”

Jeremy
sighed and said, “Jennifer’s accusation went to the NYPD first.   The
guard inside the parlor was tased…that’s how the thief or thieves got in. 
Once he came to and was able to call to the other guard stationed in the lobby,
which apparently took a while for him to do, they called in the theft to the
police, and Armand was one of the first people notified by the precinct. 
Apparently,” he said with a dramatic pause, “Jennifer was with him.”

Ryann
shook her head.  “Boy, it just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t
it?”

“It
was my cousin who called him.  Because Mike was at the gala last night,
and because of his family connection to the Institute, he did the follow up on
the case.  While talking to Armand, Jenn mentioned your name, and her
suspicions, and when she mentioned you might know how to get in due to your
relationship with me, he called me right after.  Michael had come to the
gala shortly after you left, and my family was talking about what had happened
between us, and how you’d left, so he was aware we were seeing each other.”

He
continued.  “When he called me, he didn’t tell me who’d made the
accusations, but I told him there was no way you were involved.  I
reminded him of your reputation, how you taught Robbie, and he agreed that it
was improbable that you were involved, but that he needed to check it out just
the same.  So, he questioned you without getting the FBI involved at that
time.”

“Wow. 
Could…he get in trouble for that?”

“It’s
all moot, now that you’ve been cleared.”

“I
could’ve stolen the painting to get back at you, to humiliate you.  That
possibility hadn’t entered his mind?”

His
lips were in a grim line, and he nodded.  “He mentioned the possibility,
but I assured him you would never do that to anyone.  Even if you were
furious.  I know you.  You’d never do something like that to anyone.”

She
looked at him in silence, then whispered, “You are such a good man, Jeremy
McCallister.”

“Not
nearly as good as you,” he whispered back.

She
took a moment to get her emotions in check, then continued.  “Ok.  And…”
she took a deep breath, “why did he think we were engaged?” She was dying to
hear the answer to
this
one.

Jeremy
grinned sheepishly.  “How do you think I was allowed to stay for the
questioning?”

“You
told him you were my
fiancé
?”

“Yup,”
he said unapologetically.  “That, along with the fact that he was my
cousin helped a great deal, and the agreement that I stay quiet...which didn’t
work out as well as I thought it would,” he added in a wry tone.

She
rolled her eyes.  “And how are you going to explain our engagement to your
family when this gets around?  Because you know it will.”

He
gave her an enigmatic smile, and winked, “I’ll think of something.”  Then
he got serious.  “I have a request of you.”

“What’s
that?” she asked warily.

“If
Armand DiCarlo gets in touch with you at all, you’ll tell me immediately. 
He may not have made the accusations, but he certainly didn’t do you any favors
by agreeing with Jennifer on things.  In my mind, he’s proven he can’t be
trusted, and I don’t want him anywhere near you.”  He took a moment to
compose himself.  “Promise me...when I heard you’d left with him... I felt
jealousy, absolutely, but more than that...there’s just something about him
that has always rubbed me the wrong way.”