Her Kind of Man

Book 3: Edge of Scandal

by Elle Wright

Genres: African American Women's Fiction; African American Romance; Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

When Mr. Right is oh so wrong

I'll never let you go . . . Allina had always dreamed of hearing those words. But when her fiance, Isaac, utters them, it isn't a promise-it's a threat. Scared and confused, with only moments before the wedding, Allina knows what she must do. Forget walking down the aisle; it's time to run. Back to Michigan. Back to Kent.

Kent has loved Allina for longer than he can remember. Out of respect for their friendship, he's never crossed the line, but when she turns up on his doorstep wearing her torn, tearstained wedding gown, the fire inside him ignites. He'll do whatever it takes to make Allina feel safe-like the beautiful, desirable woman she is. But as Kent and Allina grow closer, and their passion pushes deeper, it's clear that something bigger than a botched wedding still lingers between them . . .

Release date: April 26, 2016

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Print pages: 352

Sample

Chapter One

I’m leaving,” Allina Parker announced, standing up.

Allina had spent the day with her friend Kent. Dinner and a movie. It had been hours since they’d returned to his place. They’d chatted about nothing in particular, but it was good. Easy. She’d missed hanging out with him. Things had been strained between them since she’d moved away months earlier. But now…now they seemed to be back to normal. It wouldn’t last, though.

Kent looked up from his phone and smiled. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“No, I’m leaving town,” Allina explained. “I’ve decided to go back to Ohio. Isaac and I are going to be married as soon as possible,”

Allina’s gaze dropped to a piece of lint on the plush taupe carpet. Gripping the bottom of her sweater, she steeled herself for his response.

Kent didn’t care for Isaac. That much was obvious. In fact, her friend had made it known on numerous occasions, announced it every single time he got the chance, no matter who was around, oftentimes without regard for her feelings. She expected a similar reaction to this news. But they needed to talk about it; she couldn’t leave without telling him.

Seconds passed with no response. Allina finally met Kent’s pensive gaze. His dark eyes traveled over her face. It was no different from any other time he’d looked at her like that. It felt like a tender caress, the way his gaze seemed to take every part of her in and hold her. Her stomach tightened and she couldn’t help but wonder if that feeling would ever go away. Lord knows, she wanted it to. She’d spent the better part of her adult years loving Kent, only to have him reject her time and time again. Unrequited love was not the life she’d envisioned for herself. She had no choice but to move on.

“Say something,” she croaked.

“Why?” he asked.

Allina wondered if it was a trick question, if Kent was playing some sort of game with her. Only he didn’t play those types of games.

“You know we’re engaged, Kent.” That had been another day, another argument. It felt like a lifetime ago. “I believe this is the best decision for me. He loves me and wants to spend his life with me,” she answered, holding her chin up high.

“Do you love him?” Kent asked.

Allina’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t expected him to ask her that. Even so, it was a valid question—something she would have asked her friend in the same situation.

“Yes,” she said simply.

It wasn’t a lie. Once she’d decided that waiting on Kent was a lost cause, she met Isaac. The future minister had courted her like her father told her a man should—with candlelit dinners, walks in the park, trips to the theater… Isaac Hunter was exactly what she’d prayed for in a husband—kind, intelligent, caring, handsome. He was a man of God, the one who’d been groomed to take over the church his father pastored. One thing she was sure of was Isaac’s love for her. He told her every day how much she meant to him.

Kent arched a brow. It was a trademark, yet something only she seemed to notice. It made her pulse race. His smooth, dark skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. “How could you?” He inched closer to her and she slowly backed away. The faint waft of his cologne surrounded her. “You don’t even know him. How can you love someone you don’t know?”

“I do,” she insisted.

“Right.” The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable.

He reached down and grabbed her left hand, surveying the ring that she had pulled out of her purse only that morning. Allina couldn’t deny the warmth that spread over her like a wildfire in a dry forest as his fingers brushed over hers and twisted the ring around.

Unable to concentrate with him standing so close to her, she gently took her hand from his. “I don’t understand why you’re being so rude about it. I know sarcasm when I hear it.”

He took a deep breath. “You’re making a huge mistake.”

“Tell me why,” she pressed. Time and again Kent had told her she was making a mistake with Isaac, but he never elaborated, never gave her a reason. Allina didn’t know what she expected from Kent in that moment. Did she want him to beg her not to marry Isaac? Would she marry Isaac if he told her not to?

Kent took a step back and ran a hand over his bald head. “He’s not for you.”

Frowning, Allina stepped toward him. “Why do you keep doing this to me?” she asked. “Every single time, you give me some half answer. But you never tell me why.”

He shrugged. “For starters, I know you. I know how much you want the dream—the wedding, the kids.”

Allina folded her arms across her chest. What he said was the truth. Becoming a wife and mother had been her dream since she’d watched Cinderella as a child. Even though her life seemed bleak at times, she still wanted the fairy tale.

“Why shouldn’t I?” she asked, throwing her arms in the air. “Why is it so wrong to want a family of my own? I found someone who adores me, who treats me well—”

He grunted.

She blinked and a lone tear fell down her cheek. “Stop,” she hissed. “You don’t know him.”

“I know you’re struggling with this,” he argued. “You’ve been here for months.”

“My friends needed me.” Allina had arrived after Christmas for her best friend Sydney’s baby shower and ended up staying through the birth and afterward to help out.

“Allina, it’s April,” he pointed out. “If this guy is the one for you, why are you still here?”

Allina swallowed.

“No need to answer. I already know. There is something about him, about marrying him, that is wrong. And you know it.”

“Don’t tell me what I know,” she grumbled. “Isaac is good to me.”

Kent frowned. “How? If he treats you so well, why are you broke? Hm?”

She didn’t have an answer for that. Not one that she could tell him. It would make his case even stronger. Isaac had offered to foot the bill for her trip to Michigan, but Allina had turned him down.

“You don’t know him,” she whispered.

“I don’t need to know him,” he said, unfazed by her weak response. “When is the wedding?”

Originally, they’d decided to wait until next year to marry, but the church had voted to install Isaac as an associate pastor. He’d told her that being married before he was promoted would be best. Agreeing to marry so quickly would put her own career ambitions on hold. After all, she’d still been struggling to find gainful employment since her abrupt move. But it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Kent wouldn’t understand, so she wasn’t going to mention it to him.

Allina dug her fingernails into her palms. “In a few weeks. There’s a convocation at the beginning of the month, and he wants the ceremony to take place before that. My mother is planning everything.”

“Why are you doing this again?”

Allina couldn’t tell him that she’d given up on him ever loving her, even though she suspected he already knew. There was only one reason she wouldn’t marry Isaac, one person who could really stop her. If he told her not to marry Isaac, to stay with him, she would. It always had been Kent—in her heart, in her thoughts. She knew she’d never love anyone the way she’d loved him.

Sucking in a deep breath, she approached Kent tentatively. “Tell me why I shouldn’t,” she pleaded. “I’m asking you, please.”

*  *  *

The room descended into silence. Kent surveyed Allina, standing before him begging for an answer. Her big, normally expressive eyes asked him for a reason. He wasn’t sure he could give her the one that would satisfy her, though. All he knew was that marrying the preacher man, Isaac, would be the worst thing she could ever do.

Since the minister had bulldozed his way into her life, he’d influenced Allina to change everything about herself—everything that made her the unique, ambitious, self-sufficient person he knew. The woman in front of him was not the woman who’d moved to Ohio less than a year ago. She was a shell of herself, and Kent could only assume the minister was to blame.

Kent had never met Isaac, had only seen a profile picture on Facebook. But he didn’t like him, and he certainly didn’t care for the hold he had on Allina. And he’d let her know that every chance he got.

How could she love someone she didn’t know? More importantly, how could she marry someone she wasn’t in love with?

Because Allina couldn’t love the minister. She loved him. Kent had known it for years. But he wouldn’t say that to her. He’d made a decision a long time ago to keep things strictly platonic. The friend she was to him, the confidante she’d always been, wasn’t something he wanted to risk for a relationship that might or might not work. The last time he’d taken one of his friends to bed, the resulting drama had almost destroyed him after his childhood friend tried to kill herself right in front of him.

Raking his eyes over her thin frame, over her hair styled in a way he knew she hated, he shook his head. “Allina, you can’t tell me that you’re so in love with this man that you would leave your entire life behind—your career, your friends—to become the dutiful wife. You’re so busy trying to turn yourself into the perfect preacher’s wife that you can’t see that he’s systematically and deliberately turning you into a different woman altogether. Pretty soon, you’ll be wearing church hats and directing the church youth choir.”

Her beautiful, light brown eyes widened, and she took an uneven step back. He’d hurt her. “Okay,” she murmured. “That’s it?”

“What? Do you need another reason?” he blared, unable to help himself. Sometimes the truth hurt; better now than later—after she was married to the jerk. “He’s controlling you right now, demanding that you come home and marry him before the damn convocation. And you can’t tell me you don’t feel that this is wrong on so many levels. Look at you: you’re wasting away. You’ve lost so much weight. You barely eat. What the hell is wrong with you?” he roared. “You’re a goddamn fool if you marry him.”

She blanched; a shaky hand covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry.” He cringed at the dejected look on her face, not that he regretted what he’d said. It was the shitty delivery that had taken it to another level. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he apologized again. “I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just trying to help you. You’re my friend, one of the best people I know.”

“Friend,” she mumbled with a snicker. “I’m done with this conversation, Kent. I’m going to marry Isaac. You don’t know him like I do. He loves me, I love him.”

“That’s bullshit,” Kent grumbled.

“Stop, Kent!” she shouted, slicing her small hand through the air. “It’s almost like you don’t think I’m worthy to be loved or something. You’ve been against him from the beginning. And you’ve never even met him.”

Her words pricked his heart. Allina thought he didn’t think she was worthy of love. That couldn’t be further from the truth. “Why would you say that?” he asked incredulously. “Of course I think you deserve love. But I don’t need to meet him to know that he isn’t the right man for you. I only have to look at how you act.”

“How do I act?” she asked, fire in her eyes.

“Not like a woman in love.” He pointed at her ring. “This is the first time I’ve seen you wear that thing since you came here—over three months ago.”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“You don’t even talk about him,” he added. “It’s like he’s a ghost.”

“Why can’t you just support me the same way I’ve always supported you? If I’m your friend, why can’t you accept my choice?”

Her emphasis on the word “friend” wasn’t lost on him. Peering up at the ceiling, he muttered, “I can’t.”

“So you’re telling me you won’t come to my wedding?” Her voice quaked as she sniffled. “You’re so angry with my decision, you won’t even be there?”

When he met her gaze again, he noted the tears standing in her eyes. But he couldn’t stop himself. “I won’t watch you marry him.”

Chapter Two

3 Weeks Later

Do you love him?”

The large door slammed behind Allina as she entered Christian Dreams Church, startling her. The simple question had haunted her the entire way to the church. This was her wedding day. It should be the happiest day of her life. But melancholy had set in the night before, and stuck with her throughout breakfast, her hair appointment, and the slow drive to the sprawling church.

The weather wasn’t cooperating either. It had rained for three days in Cleveland, Ohio. The temperature had fallen to record lows. Her friends couldn’t come, and her dress wasn’t as perfect as she’d wanted, but she was getting married to the man of her dreams. Right?

Frozen in place, she flashed back to the conversation she’d had with Kent before she left Michigan. The answer should have been obvious. Right? She’d uprooted her life for her fiancé, turned down a business opportunity to move back to Ohio and marry him.

But that conversation—well, argument—with the man that she’d once thought she’d love until the end of time had etched itself into her mind. Kent had challenged her to look at her motives, and to really think about taking the big step of marriage with a man she’d met only months before. She had to admit Kent was on to something. As wonderful as Isaac was, as perfect as he presented himself, there was a nagging feeling that something was off with him. But nobody was perfect. Right? In the end she’d decided that Isaac was the man for her, and she would become Mrs. Hunter before the day was out.

One of the church mothers stopped in front of her. “Are you okay?” the elderly woman asked, a concerned look on her face.

Allina swallowed and nodded quickly. “I’m good, thanks, Mother Bell.”

The older woman patted her arm gently and tucked a roll of tulle under her arms. “Great,” she said in a caring tone. “Do you need help with your things?” Mother Bell eyed Allina’s dress bag and the small suitcase that sat next to her.

Shaking her head, Allina told her no. “Have you seen my mother?”

The woman craned her head around and turned back to her. “I saw her earlier,” she explained, “but she disappeared. I can go find her for you and send her into the changing room, if you’d like?”

Allina thanked the woman and watched as she hurried into the ceremony space. There was a flurry of activity around her as people scrambled to prepare for the ceremony. Shaking off her umbrella, Allina started toward the hallway leading to the changing room. “Bride’s nerves” was what her mother had called it a few hours ago when she’d called to make sure she was on schedule. It was normal to feel this way.

She turned toward the foyer again. Since the wedding was kind of last minute, her mother hadn’t had much time to prepare. But Sharon Parker had worked a miracle and managed to transform the church into an elegant yet whimsical space. There was an art to planning and Sharon had it down pat. It didn’t matter if she had two years or two hours. Anything she put her name on would be lovely and evoke emotion. It had been that way since she was a child.

Allina would have preferred an outdoor wedding, though. There was something about the natural beauty of a garden that appealed to her—the sound of the wind, the feel of the sun on her skin. The sanctuary wasn’t a bed of grass with beautiful wildflowers, but it was a close second. Looking around at the mint green and coral decorations with shades of peach accents, she felt a calm wash over her, a peace. What did the venue matter? The wedding was only a day; she and Isaac would have the rest of their lives together.

As she approached the large Sunday School classroom that would become her changing room, she heard voices coming from the church secretary’s office—a woman…and Isaac. The boom of his voice sounded like an echo and she stopped in her tracks. In all the time she’d known Isaac, she’d never heard him yell at anyone. He was mild mannered and rarely lost his temper. Curiosity got the best of her and she glanced behind her before she tiptoed toward the room.

“You need to leave this alone,” she heard Isaac say. The harsh edge of his voice stopped her mid-step. It was a threat. He wasn’t yelling anymore. His voice was calm, a whisper; but the intent was clear.

“You don’t know him.”

Kent’s words flooded back into her thoughts. She hadn’t given him the satisfaction when he’d accused her of marrying Isaac for the wrong reasons, telling her that she couldn’t love someone she didn’t know. But listening to the quiet yet menacing tone of the man on the other side of the door—her man—she thought maybe Kent was dead on in his assessment.

There had to be an explanation. Church business? Maybe a bill collector? Determined to find out, she set her dress bag on top of her suitcase and raised her hand to knock on the door.

“I’ll never leave it alone,” the mysterious woman snapped. “You don’t deserve to live, let alone inherit this great church. You destroyed lives, and you won’t get away with it. You’re an evil man. I’ve kept quiet long enough.”

A heavy feeling settled in her stomach and she let go of the doorknob as if it were a hot coal. Evil man? Surely the woman didn’t know Isaac. This was a man who was respected in the community by men, women, and children. He volunteered at the hospital’s pediatric wing three days a week, had pioneered the church food drive and clothes exchange to help out the homeless. How could this woman call him evil?

Leaning her nose against the door, she waited for Isaac to respond, hoped he would say something that would alleviate the dread that had crept in. This wasn’t the first time she’d felt this way, either. There was something that felt off with him.

Allina had noticed subtle changes once she’d accepted his proposal. Isaac had started to become possessive, controlling. He didn’t want her to go anywhere, hang out with anyone but him. She’d exerted her independence by spending a couple of months in Michigan with her friends. Her best friend, Sydney, had just had a baby and she’d used that event as an opportunity to get some time away, think about if this was what she really wanted. In the end, she’d decided that there was more right than wrong with their relationship. And things between them had seemed fine since she’d returned home.

“How much?” she heard him say.

A slight shiver crept up her spine.

“I don’t want your money,” the woman said. “Your father tried to pay me off, and I can’t be bought.”

The sound of glass breaking startled Allina and she stumbled away from the door. The door swung open and the woman rushed out. Allina scrambled backward, pressing herself against the wall. Oh God. As the woman stomped to the front of the church, Allina exhaled. She tried to get a good look at her, but the young woman was sporting huge shades. Odd, since the sun hadn’t shined in days. Frowning, Allina noted her thin frame, light skin, and long weave. The woman didn’t seem familiar, but she had to know who she was and how she knew Isaac. The urge to catch up to her shot through her and she started after her.

“Excuse me?” Allina called as she rushed forward. “Wait.”

Allina caught up with the woman and grabbed hold of her arm. The woman turned to look at her. “What?” the woman spat, crossing her arms in front of herself.

“I’m sorry,” Allina said, trying to get a good look at the woman’s face. Unfortunately, the thin woman seemed to purposefully avoid a direct gaze. “I’m Isaac Hunter’s fiancée, and I—”

The woman froze, lowered her head, and gripped the belt of her huge purse. “I know who you are.”

“Okay.” Swallowing, Allina thought about how to proceed. “You were just talking…I overheard you in the room talking to Isaac.”

“Wow,” the woman said, lifting her head up finally, but turning away just as quickly. Allina was able to see her face long enough to note the streaks of mascara running down her cheeks, signaling the woman had been crying. But what stood out to Allina was the angry, red scratch peeking out from under her shades. “This is just great. Get out of my way.”

“Wait,” Allina blurted out. “I just want to talk to you, ask you some questions. Who are you?”

“I have to go.” The woman pushed past her. Allina, not wanting to cause a scene, backed away. Just as the woman reached the door, before she pulled it open, she sighed. “Don’t do it,” she warned, without turning around. “If you know what’s best for you, get far away from that man. He’s not who he seems. And neither is his family.”

Allina let out a haggard breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “But—”

Her words were cut off by the slam of the door. Allina quickly tugged it open, but the woman had already jumped into her car. The woman sped off, her tires screeching as she rounded the corner.

Running a shaky hand through her hair, Allina went to search for her mother. She needed to talk to her, tell her what had happened. Sharon Parker would know what to do.

Something was definitely not right. She opened the door to the sanctuary. A handful of workers were decorating pews and setting up floral arrangements on pillars. But her mother wasn’t there. Maybe she’d left the church?

Patting her pockets for her cell phone, she realized she’d left everything in the hallway. She raced to get her stuff. Her purse, suitcase, and dress were right where she’d left them. She picked up her small clutch and pulled out her phone.

“Allina?”

She gasped and the phone slipped from her sweaty palms and crashed to the floor. When she picked it up she noted the cracked screen. Shoot.

Slow, hesitant footsteps neared her and she fought back the surprising urge to flee. She’d never had a reason to be scared of Isaac before, despite his controlling ways. He’d never shown her anything other than kindness. He had his faults, but he’d never been cruel. But she couldn’t deny that overhearing that conversation earlier had changed her perception of him. He’d threatened that woman and offered to pay her off. That alone was enough to make Allina question everything she thought she knew about him.

Then there was the warning from the mystery woman before she’d bolted out of the church. Too much to sweep under the rug.

The feel of his breath on her neck made her hair rise. He touched her shoulders and she held her breath. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice low.

Her heart pounded in her chest. “Nothing,” she croaked. “I dropped my phone.” She made a show of rubbing the face of her phone and tapping the screen.

“We can get you a new phone,” he offered in the same loving and concerned tone he’d used with her so many times before. It was hard to reconcile that with what she’d heard from him earlier.

Unable to turn around and face him yet, she shrugged. “I know. I just…I’m not due for an upgrade and I…” Allina struggled to finish her sentence, to say something. No luck.

“Are you okay?” His voice seemed far away, but she heard everything else, from the clang of a hammer to the sound of furniture being moved.

Allina’s first thought was to pretend she hadn’t heard anything, which would give her time to talk to her mother and maybe her father.

On second thought…

“Who was that woman?” she asked finally.

He turned her around to face him. He looked normal enough. His short hair was freshly cut. He smelled like Isaac. Gucci Guilty, his signature cologne. But the man in front of her wasn’t the man that she’d gotten to know. This man was a stranger.

“Shouldn’t you be getting dressed, sweetie?” He grazed a hand down her cheek. Instead of the warmth that normally accompanied a touch from Isaac, she felt a chill. “We don’t want to be late for the ceremony. I can’t wait to make you my bride.”

Frowning, she asked, “Are you going to answer my question?”

He paused as if he was thinking it over. Finally, he said, “No. It doesn’t matter. She’s nobody.”

The man in front of her lied to her face without even a hint of remorse in his brown eyes. Assessing him, she thought about what the other woman had told her…that scratch. Did he do that to her? Allina didn’t have to see the woman’s face to know. I. . .