Firewhirl

by Annabel Allan

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Stephanie Fournier has accepted Robert Quinlan's proposal and in a short five months they are to be married in a wedding that is every girl's dream. Everything is happening so fast that Stephanie finds herself dazed but confident to make her day go forward as planned, no matter what Anita or anyone else has to say about it. She gets trapped in the whirlwind of wedding planning, only to be tested, both her nerves and resolve in the final installment of the Smoke Chaser series.

Release date: February 3, 2017

Publisher: Accent Press

Print pages: 181

Sample

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I scrunched my mouth to the side as I flipped the page in the magazine. My eyes were assaulted with tulle, lace, beads, sequins, Swarovski crystals; glimmering white gowns in silk and satin. All on display on beautiful models; one especially beautiful, with shimmery, ebony skin.

‘That doesn’t look like you getting ready.’

I looked up from the bridal magazine to my new fiancé, Robert Quinlan. I instantly took a deep breath, everything in me calling out for him to touch me. And all he did was stand there! He stood in front of the bathroom door, adjusting his sea foam green tie, one I had bought for him forever ago, it seemed.

His dark brown hair was freshly dried, in those tousled, sexy curls that I loved, his paradise green eyes on me as he tightened the tie. His hands moved to his black suit jacket to button it, bringing attention to his slim waist and impressive shoulders.

It took everything in me to look away. I glanced down to my sea foam green tea gown, which was similar to another I owned in pink; a sweetheart neckline and a cinched-in waist, tulle and silk filling out the bouncy skirt, which went to my knees.

‘I am ready,’ I said.

‘You’re wearing your hair down?’ he asked in his lusty baritone, making my toes curl in delight. ‘It’s a little hot today.’

I pouted a little, looking to my shoulder, which my blonde locks were strewn over. ‘It’s too much work to put it up.’

‘Just stick it in a ponytail,’ he said, adjusting his gold cufflinks. ‘We both know that you’ll end up getting hot and whining about wanting to put it up, so we might as well get it over with now.’

I frowned, but knew he was right. I guess he really does know me. He should, I’m going to marry him.

I sighed, getting up from the bed. I walked past him, getting a waft of his cologne that caused my knees to shake, and headed into the bathroom. I then grabbed a hair tie from the sink, quickly tying up my long hair in a ponytail.

Quinn walked in. Standing behind me, he towered over me even in my sea foam green platform heels, which added another four inches to my 5’6”. At 6’2”, he would always be taller, no matter which heels I chose from my collection.

His warm body was so close to mine, setting my back on fire. There was always a slight buzzing in the air when he was near; the sexual tension between us almost unbearable... almost.

He looked to my reflection as he adjusted his sleeves. ‘You seem to like that color.’

‘Green?’ I asked, smoothing out the hairs I had just pulled back, my heart speeding up with every glance.

‘Yeah,’ he said, putting his hands around me, and pulling my back into him. ‘Suits you.’

I smiled, putting my hands over his as he leaned down and kissed my neck, making my spine ache and my skin break out into tingles. ‘Ah, I see,’ I managed in a breathy response.

‘You see?’ he asked, nuzzling his nose into my nape.

‘Yeah, you wanted my hair up so you had easy access to my neck,’ I said, closing my eyes and savoring the feel of his touch.

‘You caught me,’ he said huskily, kissing at my neck once again, his lips so soft I just sunk into him.

I looked to our reflection, my eyes going to the impressive diamond on my ring finger; a two-carat princess cut. The largest stone in the middle winked in the light, the other two, smaller diamonds sparkling with the rest of the small stones on the white gold band.

It still almost didn’t feel real; it had only been two days since I had become engaged to the man of my dreams. It was understandable to be shocked still. I couldn’t help looking to the ring as often as possible, especially while leafing through my new bridal magazines, which we had picked up the day before, while getting the tea gown.

Everything came rushing to me all at once: being in the car, the diamonds, the ring, Quinn asking me to marry him. Then the ball, having sex in the bathroom of his aunt and uncle’s house, and then, of course, Anita’s shrill voice and her disapproval of the happy news.

‘You’re thinking again,’ he said, kissing my bare shoulder. ‘Thinking about how Anita reacted.’

‘You caught me,’ I said despairingly.

He turned me to him, gazing into my eyes. ‘I told you to never mind about what Anita thinks. We are happy, and that is what matters.’

I smiled at him again, nodding. ‘I know. It’s just my anxiety. I’ll get over it.’

‘Hmm,’ he said, looking my face over before he leaned into me, kissing me softly.

I put my arms around his neck, pushing my fingers up into his hair, and feeling how absolutely divine his silky curls were to the touch. It drove me crazy. I pulled him closer to me as we kissed, his body pressing against my own as his tongue ran over mine sensuously.

I could never fight the rush of heat that came over me, the intense pulse in my sex at the thought of him being inside me, of our bodies being in sync and exploding with pleasure. It made me hold onto him tighter, and our kiss get deeper, hotter. It set me on fire, feeling myself get wet just from his touch.

Of course, me being stupid, I thought of Anita again. I broke away from him, shaking my head.

‘We can’t,’ I said breathlessly.

‘Places to go,’ he said, nodding. He leaned into me, kissing me once again, lightly this time, then pulling away from me before I had a chance to get caught up in it. ‘We should get going. The driver is waiting.’

I pouted again. ‘Fine.’

‘We can always revisit the club’s bathroom,’ he said, a little, mischievous glint in his eyes.

‘Oh no,’ I said, laughing, ‘I don’t think we can pull that off again.’

He nodded. ‘We’ll be the center of attention.’

‘Great,’ I said sarcastically, grimacing.

He glanced down to my left hand, picking it up and regarding the ring. He then looked into my eyes, smiling a little. ‘All right, let’s go.’

Honestly, I was surprised we made it out of the bathroom without having sex. The heat between us was often too intense to ignore. But, instead of ravaging me like some beast, he simply took my hand, leading me out to the bedroom.

We made it down to the black town car, the heat from the day already slamming into me, making it hard to breathe for a moment. I was pleased to get into the backseat of the car, the air conditioning engulfing me, making my arms break out into goosebumps.

Quinn slid in beside me, securing his seatbelt before his hand went to my leg, resting on it. He kept it there the whole ride to Scarborough – to the club. I dreaded going, since it seemed that all that ever happened was drama when we were there. Anita, Quinn’s aunt, would say she didn’t want a scene, but end up making one anyway. I was pretty sure she craved the drama.

We arrived, stepping out into the heat again, before slipping inside the large, white building into the sprawling, sparkling lobby. Quinn took my hand again, so warm in my own. Comforting. It was as if he was assuring me that everything was going to be OK, just from that one touch.

He led me through to the staircase that brought us down into the dining area, all the round tables covered in white tablecloths, with a large bouquet of colorful flowers in blue vases on each one.

Anita was easy to spot; she often wore bright colors, today being no exception. She stood out in a vibrant pink. The skirt was long to her knees, and she had teamed it with a simple pink blouse beneath a blazer. She wasn’t very tall, shorter than myself, and her brown hair was touched up with streaks of grey throughout it, pulled back into a low bun.

She gave a fake smile as we approached, pretending that her little freak-out at the family ball on Friday never happened.

‘Robert,’ she said, making Quinn cringe. He hated being called Robert.

Quinn nodded to her. ‘Anita.’

She looked to me, her smile fading a little. ‘Hello,’ she said reluctantly.

‘Hi,’ I said, trying to smile.

Quinn pulled out my chair for me as I sat down. He sat down to my left, Anita sitting across from me.

‘Where is Jack?’ Quinn asked.

‘He had some business to attend to today, so he will not be joining us,’ Anita replied.

‘I thought this was a celebration?’ Quinn asked. ‘One would think he would be present for it.’

Especially since he was the most accepting of our engagement between the two of you.

‘He felt that this business could not be ignored,’ Anita said.

A woman walked over to us, statuesque, with long, sunny-blonde hair. She wore a white sun dress.

‘Quinlan,’ she said.

‘Patricia,’ he replied, obviously startled to see her.

She looked to me. ‘Patricia Clarke.’

‘Stephanie Fournier,’ I said.

She looked to Quinn. ‘I hear that congratulations are in order.’

Quinn nodded, his eyes a little wide, obviously uneasy. ‘Yes, I asked Stephanie to marry me, she accepted.’

Patricia seemed... hurt? Clearly, she was one of Quinn’s ex-lovers. She smiled a little, looking to Anita. ‘You must be thrilled.’

Anita gave a fake smile. ‘Of course. We have been waiting for Robert to settle down for some time.’

Patricia looked to Quinn again. ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you,’ he replied stiffly.

Patricia nodded, before turning and walking away. I sighed, as it was incredibly awkward for me. I didn’t like running into women that Quinn had been with. I knew there was a fair number of them. It bothered me only when they approached us. I could always sense their disappointment and even anger at the fact that they were unable to do what I did... make Quinn fall in love.

I also noticed Quinn’s uneasiness, though. Why was he so tense around Patricia? What had gone on in their relationship?

Anita looked to me. ‘As she said, there are congratulations in order. Have we decided on a date?’

‘This fall,’ Quinn said, leaning back in his seat comfortably, obviously relieved that Patricia was gone. ‘I believe November second was Stephanie’s ideal date.’

Anita blinked several times. ‘This fall? You mean, five months from now? You want to plan an entire wedding in only five months?’

‘It isn’t impossible,’ Quinn said. ‘People have done it in less time.’

‘Would you not be more comfortable with a longer engagement?’ Anita asked, still stunned.

‘I like the pace we’re going at now,’ Quinn said. ‘Why slow things down? No matter what, we’re getting married. Might as well be this year rather than waiting until next.’

‘Where were you planning on having this wedding?’ she asked.

Quinn and I looked to each other. I smiled a little, shrugging. ‘We haven’t really decided yet. I mean, I think I would like to get married at Casa Loma.’

‘Casa Loma it is,’ Quinn said with a nod.

‘But, there are waiting lists, Robert. Especially for that specific venue,’ Anita said. ‘You would be better off having it at a church and then the reception at Quinlan Estates.’

‘Stephanie wants it at Casa Loma,’ Quinn replied simply. ‘So, that is where we are having it.’

‘You are being ridiculous,’ Anita said, lowering her voice as she leaned in a little. ‘It is absolutely ridiculous to rush these things.’

I looked to Quinn. ‘Maybe she’s right. We could always take our time and have it next year.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s not what you really want.’

‘Robert, really,’ Anita said angrily.

‘No.’ Quinn sighed. ‘Stephanie wants to get married this year and at Casa Loma. I’m going to do everything within my power to make that happen.’

I smiled, staring at him. Boy, did I have it bad for this man. But I was flexible – I could wait. Though I really didn’t want to. I wanted to be Mrs. Quinlan and I was always terribly impatient. It was definitely not one of my virtues.

Anita looked frantic. She was obviously trying to find a way to argue about it. ‘Robert –’

‘No,’ he said, cutting her off. ‘We are getting married November second at Casa Loma.’

I looked down to my lap, to my ring. I was suddenly worried that it would rip Quinn’s family apart, what little family he had left. I mean, my mother was absolutely ecstatic when I told her that Quinn proposed. I just wished that everyone could be as happy.

‘All right,’ Anita said, sitting up straight, nodding. ‘Fine. I assume that you will be at least open to letting us give you a list of those we wish to attend?’

‘That’s fine, as long as you realize that not everyone will be accommodated and receive an invite. I will only invite those that I feel are important to the occasion,’ Quinn said.

Again, Anita seemed frantic, but for some reason she kept composed. I was slightly worried; why was she trying to not make a scene when that was her thing? What was she doing?

‘Fine. I will send you a list tomorrow,’ she said. ‘You will have to send out the ‘save the date’ cards as soon as possible.’

I remembered reading about them in one of my bridal magazines, pleased that I knew what she was talking about.

I looked to Quinn. ‘I guess we’ll need to pick those out.’

‘I suggest having one of your engagement photos on it,’ Anita said.

‘Engagement photos?’ I repeated.

Anita seemed frustrated. ‘Yes. Engagement photos so we can make the announcement. I know a photographer that can fit you in this week.’

I felt like I had whiplash. I knew things were going to move fast, but I realized that I knew nothing about planning a wedding. I suddenly felt sick. How was I supposed to do all this?

‘Are you OK?’ Quinn asked, leaning forward to gaze into my eyes.

I looked to him, smiling, nodding. ‘I guess I just never realized that we have a lot to do.’

‘We can wait,’ he assured me.

‘I advise you to,’ Anita said.

I thought about it, biting at my inner lip. It would please Anita too much. And I was completely capable. I pushed my shoulders back, lifted my head high, and looked her in the eye.

‘No. I want to be married this year.’

Quinn nodded. ‘Then it’s settled.’

Anita saw my confidence, pursing her lips, and going silent. She knew she had been licked. Quinn had said the final word on the matter. There was no changing our minds.

She picked up her mimosa, sipping at it delicately before putting the glass down. ‘I am sure you have chosen your bridesmaids.’

I nodded. ‘Yeah, my best friend will be my maid of honor and my two friends, Dani and Andrea, will be bridesmaids. I have to ask them, but I’m sure they’ll say yes.’

‘Only two bridesmaids?’ she asked. ‘What of Ellie?’

‘What of her?’ I asked, confused.

‘She is family, she should be a part of the wedding party,’ she said.

I was stunned. I shook my head. ‘I only want two bridesmaids.’

‘Then discard one of your friends. Ellie is excellent at party planning. She will be an asset.’

My brow furrowed. ‘No. Just, no. Ellie is not going to be anything other than a guest at our wedding.’

‘Why?’ Anita asked, sounding confused and disgusted.

‘Because a) I barely know her, and b) she threw wine on me,’ I said.

‘I think it inappropriate as well,’ Quinn added.

‘What of your groomsmen?’ she asked. ‘Lord knows you do not mingle with any men in society.’

Quinn frowned. ‘I already asked Daniel Brody Jr. to be one of my groomsmen, and I plan to ask Linus to be my best man.’

‘What of your second groomsman?’ she asked.

I felt like she was deliberately trying to start something. I was supposed to be happy and eager to plan my wedding and share the details. Sadly, Anita always could find a way to quash that.

‘Probably Allan, from college,’ he said. ‘We were close before my unfortunate stint with alcohol.’

‘Well then,’ Anita said angrily. ‘Is it too much to ask if Ellie could be a part of the planning?’

‘Yes,’ I said, nodding. ‘I have my maid of honor to help me, as well as my bridesmaids, and my mother. I don’t need any other help.’

Anita was about to explode when someone came over, congratulating Quinn and myself on our engagement. She went silent and kept that way.

I was surprised that we made it through the lunch, especially with so many people approaching us who knew Quinn and Anita, saying their congratulations, as word had spread fast. Just like at the ball, I had women gathered around me, pawin. . .