Page 15 of Forbidden Touch
If I ever become like that, somebody please kill me now because I never want to become that person.
I massage my temples while my restless legs take me across the living room, where I pace back and forth. After a while, the weight of the afternoon settles on me like a lead blanket, and I sink into the couch—the one where Jonathan and I discovered each other for the first time.
I still want him, but is it worth it? This is so ridiculous. She has no idea what she’s up against.
My phone buzzes, and the noise makes me jump. Stephanie’s image shows up on the display. After relaxing my shoulders, my lungs grab air. She has a keen sense when things might be awry, and today, she just might be my saving grace.
Bringing a shaky hand to my head, I slump against a kitchen wall. “Please tell me something good.”
Silence ensues. “Fi, you should sit down because I have some news. This isn’t a good call.”
Her voice is unusually serious.
Backed against the wall, a knot of dread forms in my stomach. “What is it?”
“I just got off the phone with our legal team,” she begins, her voice hesitant. “There’s a new lawsuit.”
“Oh well, let me guess who that’s from,” I respond dryly. “Her name begins with an ‘L’ and ends with a capital ‘B’ for bitch.”
“Okay, so they’ve already contacted you?”
My mind flashes images of Lorelle stomping into my home and me throwing her out. It’s hardly something I’m proud of, but what choice did I have? I crack my neck and give Steph the short version. “Lorelle Lane just showed up on my doorstep, threatening me.”
Silence follows.
“Why? I’m confused,” she finally says. “What happened exactly?”
“Hell if I know, Stephanie. This is so messed up, but it started a few nights ago. With Jonathan.”
“Jonathan Lane?”
“What other Jonathan do you know of, Stephanie?”
“Okay,” she says. “Did you just have a drink together or more?”
Sighing, I tell her everything—about how he drove me home and we couldn’t stay away from each other. “He’s one of a kind. I just wish he weren’t a Lane. There’s too much bad blood, and it ruins everything.”
“I’ll say,” she says dryly.
“Yes, and Lorelle must have had someone following him around because she shoved some photos in my face and dished out a few threats. She thinks I’m trying to acquire Lane Entertainment by marrying her son.”
“Fi.” Her voice takes on a newer, more urgent tone. “I think we have a problem.”
“Yeah, I just told you the problem. Me and Jonathan couldn’t control ourselves over the weekend, and now—”
“No, Fiona,” she interjects. “It’s not that.”
My mind scrambles. “What are you talking about?”
“They just sent me a copy of the court documents.”
“Okay. And?”
“Jonathan’s name is on the paperwork,” she says, her voice quiet and conflicted. “He’s the one who filed the lawsuit.”
Chapter 6
Jonathan