Filed To Story: The Lingering Kiss of Farewell Novel
“It’s a really nice view.”
Rin smiled at her.
“that bad huh. He’s…”
“It doesn’t matter, Anabell, this is your and Wil’s night,”
she smiled at her.
“Have fun and don’t concern yourself with anything that is not you and Wil. That’s how an engagement party is supposed to be. Now did you open the gift I brought you?”
“Not yet,”
Anabell smiled.
“We could do gifts now,”
she stated, and tugged Rin back inside, and she felt it instantly, the moment they cleared the doors of the balcony, Calvin’s eyes on her. She ignored it as Anabell pushed her towards a chair and told everyone it was time to open the gifts. She perched herself on the arm of a chair and, to her annoyance, found Clavin standing right behind her a moment later. His mouth touched her ear softly.
“You shouldn’t be so obviously annoyed, it’s not becoming of you.”
he murmured. Her jaw tightened, and she wondered what on earth made him think it was fine to be that close to her. She turned her face to his, and it was a mere inch away, and she heard Anabell call out
“Kiss the girl, she’ll forgive you.”
A half-laugh escaped her, as she stared right at him, almost daringly so. That was the funniest thing she’d ever heard right this very minute, even though pain touched her heart at the same time. Because he would never, she turned her face away from his and shook her head at Anabell.
“Open your gifts already.”
She stated and ignored Calvin’s presence right there behind her. Rin wanted to tell him not to touch her. When his hand fell on her bare arm in a soft caress, he was going to play the loving doting husband all night long, it seemed, and if she got up right that minute and stalked away from him, or pushed his hand away, everyone in this room would know they were actually fighting. That was not something that was allowed in their marriage contract, which only actually ended when the divorce was finalized; it stated making a scene that would be considered unbecoming and was not to happen in public. Then again, they were divorced, the paperwork was done and all they were waiting for was the cooling-off period, so to speak. Her eyes moved to his hand on her arm as his fingers brushed over them softly like they always did. Did it really matter what anyone thought anymore? They’d all find out soon enough.
“Don’t do it.”
his mouth hit her ear in a soft murmur.
“Let’s not ruin the party now.”
She stood a few minutes later, there were lots of presents to be opened, and headed for the bathroom. She stood in there and stared at her reflection. There was no smile on her face, and she actually looked annoyed, she realised. ‘You can do this.’ She murmured to herself. ‘It’s no different to those very first awkward times when you stood next to him, uncertain about being on his arm. Pull yourself together.’ She squared her shoulders and headed back out there, sat herself down right in front of Calvin and smiled. She’d learned how to look happy, long ago when she wasn’t. Now was the time to pull on that once more. Anabell got to her present and read the card out loud to everyone, then kind of hesitated at the end and then stated ‘from Marrin and Calvin.’ Though Rin knew his name was not on that card. She also saw Wil look right at her, and she smiled right at him. He could see Calvin’s name was not there, he would even know why she’d not put it on there, though Anabell wouldn’t. Marrin had only written it today, lovely words about how happy they were going to be, and signed it Marrin, had left her last name off it as well as Calvin, when normally she would write Marrin & Calvin Reeves. She watched Anabell open the gift and saw her eyes light up.
“How did you get this? It’s sold out already. I couldn’t get a copy anywhere.”
It was the latest hard cover of her new book, Born Light & Dark, a fantasy fiction romance, the first in her three-book series to come out.
“Open it,”
Rin stated.
“No, you couldn’t have.”
Anabell opened the cover, and her hand covered her mouth and she looked up at Will. He smiled down at her and read the words Anabell couldn’t seem to get out. ‘Happy engagement Anabell and William. Let your love shine for each other always, delve into your passion and create for yourself a happy, loving life, with many sultry, steamy memories, Marilyn Riddley.’
“How?”
Anabell finally managed to get out.
“I have my ways… and no, it wasn’t Calvin,”
she stated, making sure those in the room didn’t think he had done this.
“I met her a few days ago, I knew her from college, put a call in and told her you were a huge fan, and she gave me that from her own personal stock.”
“It was, hers. This was Marilyn Riddley’s?”
Anabell turned her eyes to the book.
“I’ll never bend a page.”
“Books are meant to be read, not gather dust. I’m certain she would want you to read that.”
She reached out and tapped the bottom of the page, and right down there in tiny handwriting were the words ‘read me, M.R.’ Anabell hugged her tightly.
“I love it, and I can’t believe you know her.”
She shrugged.
“It’s a small world sometimes. Don’t ask. I won’t take you to meet her. She doesn’t do that, a bit of a recluse. Lives alone and away from the world.”
Rin said goodnight an hour later to both Anabell and Wil and stepped out of the apartment and into the hallway, and sighed a little to herself. Finally, she was away from Calvin’s line of sight. She walked over to the elevator and pressed the button, only to hear the door open and close and Calvin state,
“You shouldn’t leave without me, that’s a bit rude.”
“Why? We came separately, stay here. It’s not like they don’t all know you live here in the city and I live an hour away… It’s nothing unusual for me to leave before you do.”
And it wasn’t.
“No, but I always walk you out. You didn’t even tell me you were leaving,”
he muttered.
“Do I need to do that anymore?”
She looked right at him. She’d never heard him mutter at her like that before. That was new to her.
“I thought that we were…”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.