Brie’s Mile High Club (Submissive in Love, #7) by Red Phoenix Read Free Book Online

said with quiet conviction.
    He looked at her sadly. “I think for the first time I understand the dynamic you share with the Boy. I care for Chikako, and I thoroughly enjoy her company, but…
    “What?”
    “I will never love her.”
    “Your parting could not have been easy for either of you.”
    The pain in his voice tugged at her heart. “No, it wasn’t. For the first time I know what it is to break a heart.”
    “Still, you were kind.”
    Tono frowned, shaking his head. “There is no kind way to break a person’s heart.”
    She reached out, touching his shoulder in sympathy. “Does that mean you left on bad terms?”
    “Chikako saw me off at the airport and assured me she was okay…but I know better.”
    Brie gazed deep into his eyes. There was so much left unsaid, things that could never be spoken between them.
    “As to your last question, I will be staying. I’m unsure where I will settle down after the surgery, but Japan is not in my future.”
    “I’m glad, Tono.”
    He stared at her, those gentle eyes expressing a torrent of emotion. Finally, he spoke. “So now we must go and see if the Boy will accept my offer.”
    “Wait! Faelan doesn’t know you’re the donor?”
    “Sir Davis and I agreed it was best, considering our past history. The simple fact is that Wallace has no more options. We’ve placed him against the wall, knowing he will resist.” Tono smiled at her tenderly. “Which is where you come in.”
    “I don’t have that kind of power over him, Tono. Not anymore.”
    “You have more than you think. Used in the right way, it may prove lifesaving.”
    “But if I fail…”
    “There’s no fear of that. You and I will convince the Boy that his life is more important than his willful self-pity.”
    Brie started up the car again, but said one more thing before she started off. “I’m worried for you, Tono. This isn’t an easy operation and there are risks.” She turned to face him. “Even if it goes well, you won’t be able to perform your art for months after recovery. And worse, what if years down the road your remaining kidney fails?”
    “I understand what lies ahead for me, and I accept the risks.”
    Tears came to Brie’s eyes, but she held them at bay. “Your mother is blind, Tono. You are an exceptional human being.” She backed up and threw the car into drive, speeding towards the hospital—and what would become Tono’s destiny.

    Faelan’s parents met them in the downstairs lobby.
    “Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, this is Ren Nosaka,” Brie said, introducing him to the anxious couple.
    Mr. Wallace shook Tono’s hand vigorously. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are. What you are doing for us is… Well, words can’t express the depth of our gratitude.”
    Before Tono could respond, Mrs. Wallace held out a jar of preserves. “I can’t…” She broke into tears and thrust the jar at him.
    Tono took it and gently placed his arm around her shoulders. Brie saw the woman begin to relax, responding to the peace he exuded. “It is my pleasure to help a friend.”
    Faelan’s mother looked at him, shocked. “You know my son?”
    “I do. He’s a good man.”
    “I’m sorry to say he’s never mentioned you to us.”
    Tono’s smile was charming when he replied, “I’m not surprised. Although your son is a good man, he is also exceedingly arrogant.”
    Faelan’s parents broke out in laughter and Brie joined in. It felt good to laugh under such difficult circumstances.
    “How did Todd seem to you today?” Brie asked his mother after the laughter had died down.
    “He wouldn’t speak to us, but he seemed calmer. More at peace than he’s been in a long time.”
    Tono nodded. “Good. If you don’t mind, I would like Miss Bennett and I to speak to him alone. If all goes well, we will invite you to join us later.”
    “By all means,” Mr. Wallace answered.
    Tono went to the nurse’s desk first, and was handed a huge stack of papers to fill out. He spoke to the