Taming Fire (Braving the Heat #2)

by Leora Gonzales

  “Me too,” he said softly, rubbing her back. “Why did the rest of your family not want to come over today to see Aaron?”

  “I heard some long story about how they didn’t want to overwhelm him on his first day out.” Letting out a tired sigh, Louise rubbed her forehead before continuing, “You know that’s a bunch of bullshit just as much as I do though. Can you believe my mom had the nerve to tell me to remind him that he owes her for the rent check she covered while he was in treatment? He hasn’t even been out twenty-four hours, and she wants me to start pestering him for money.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. You going to be okay with Junior going home?”

  Louise thought for a moment before answering, “Yeah, he needs to be with his dad, and my brother needs to have his little boy back. I’m just worried Aaron has so much to lose if he can’t stay sober. Junior can’t keep getting jerked around.”

  “If your brother is anything like you then he’ll beat it,” Nix reassured her. “Plus, Junior is a good reminder of what he could lose if he doesn’t keep his shit together.”

  Pulling away, Nix winked and popped her on the ass, the sound loud and abrupt in the quiet room.

  “Ow!” Louise laughed, covering her cheeks with both hands. “What was that for?”

  “That was a reminder that we don’t have to worry about little ears after tonight,” Nix said as he carried the large duffle for her and walked out of the room.

  Louise watched him as he moved down the hall. The view of his ass in his well-worn jeans was a sight to behold.

  “He’s here! He’s here!” Junior shouted from the living room. His voice was filled with the excitement of seeing his dad after such a long separation.

  “I know you’re excited, but that doesn’t mean you can jump on the couch, little man. We don’t want you to fall and bump your head, do we?” Nix scooped him off his feet and settled him on the floor.

  Feeling nervous for some reason, Louise wiped her sweaty palms on her capris. “I’ll get the door.”

  Opening it before her brother even had a chance to knock, she watched Aaron jog up the two steps to the entrance of the house, looking healthier than ever. Louise felt some of the tension from earlier ease at the sight.

  Her brother looked ready to conquer the world.

  He pulled her into a hug, and she squeezed him back quickly, not wanting to delay the reunion with his son. “Get in here. Junior is about ready to jump out of his skin. He’s so excited to see you.”

  “I know what he’s feeling.” Aaron kissed her cheek before moving past her. The moment he was free of her, Junior launched himself at his dad.

  Even though a small part of her was sad that Junior would be leaving, the tears that filled her eyes were happy ones. Louise had gotten used to having her little sidekick around and going back to the quiet house was a sad thought.

  Aaron hugged his son close in his arms. When Nix moved to hold Louise’s hand, Aaron noticed him for the first time.

  “Sorry I didn’t see you there, man,” Aaron said, his eyes casting a questioning glance toward his sister. “I’m Aaron, Junior’s dad.”

  “Nix,” he said, holding out his hand. “You’ve got a really good boy there.”

  “I know it,” Aaron patted Junior’s back. “Lou, I planned on taking Junior out to lunch before heading home. You guys wanna join us?”

  Louise took a moment to think about it before shaking her head. “You two need to catch up. How about this next weekend we barbecue?”

  Aaron nodded. His expression seemed happier and lighter than she remembered it being for a long while. “Sounds good.” Smiling down at Junior, his dad gave him a nudge toward the hallway. “Buddy, can you go and make sure you have everything while I talk to your aunt for a second?”

  “Sure.” Junior shrugged, but still looked back at his dad with worried eyes, as if he were going to disappear before he got back.

  “How about I go with you to make sure we didn’t miss anything?” Nix offered, holding out his hand while winking at Louise.

  After they had left earshot, Louise watched her brother curiously. “What’s going on?”

  Aaron smiled, his face relaxed and carefree as though he had just been released from prison, which wasn’t far from the truth. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

  “You don’t nee—”

  “Hell, yes I do,” Aaron said firmly with a shake of his head. “I owe you so much, Sis. When I needed help, you were there. I know it wasn’t ideal but I’m glad you were the one who took care of him when I couldn’t.”

  “Can you now?” Louise heard the words come out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry. I just want to make sure you have what you need to get it right this time.”

  Aaron nodded, his face showing that he understood she was coming from a place of concern. “I’ve been stone cold sober for fifty-six days. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but it is to me and every single day I look at the calendar and see how far I’ve come. I got this, Lou. I promise that I’ve got this, not only for me, but for him too.” Smiling when he heard Junior stomping down the hallway singing a song about dinosaurs he continued, “I’ve missed him so much.”

  “He’s missed you too.” Louise gave him another hug and managed to swallow back tears just as Nix and Junior cleared the door. “You guys have fun at lunch and call me later, okay?”

  As they said their good-byes, Louise felt her eyes sting when Nix bent down to hug the little boy who now owned more than a small piece of her heart. Twisting her hands in front of her, she watched the duo carefully as Aaron led Junior out of the house and buckled him into his car seat.

  “He’s going to be fine,” Nix said reassuringly and rubbed her shoulders as she stood in the doorway.

  “I know. My heart’s just a little sad.” Louise turned in his arms and kissed the underside of his strong jaw.

  “How about I make you feel better?” Walking backward, Nix tugged her along with him.

  “Oh,” she teased. “How do you plan to go about that?”

  “The way I see it, you have a pretty strong four-post bed that we have yet to christen.” Nix bent his knees, cupped her behind, and boosted her up into his arms. Louise had no choice but to wrap her legs around his hips. Still astounded at how strong her man was without even trying, Louise nibbled around his mouth, squealing when he nipped at her lips.

  Before she knew it, they had made it to her bedroom. Nix slowly lowered her to the mattress, following her down on the bed until he was braced over her. “Stay right there,” Nix ordered, a hot look in his eyes.

  “Where are you going?” Louise asked, reaching for him as he moved away.

  “You’ll see,” he said while pulling out his overnight bag from where he had tucked it in her closet. He unzipped it with a flourish.

  As Louise watched, Nix pulled out a large leather pouch. “What’s that?”

  “I figured you would need to be distracted from missing Junior, so I went shopping last night before coming home.” Nix grinned. The smile was more mischievous than anything.

  “You bought me a present?” Louise felt her stomach warm at him calling her house “home” as she propped herself up on her elbows trying to catch a glimpse of what he was holding.

  “Let’s just say I bought us a present,” Nix answered moving toward her. “Do you trust me?”

  Louise didn’t have to think for a second before automatically answering, “Yes.”

  Opening the bag, Nix pulled out four separate lengths of black rope. “I remember the first time I saw this bed,” he said. Pulling one of the strands through his hand, he held it out for her to touch. “You were in here searching for something underneath it and had your amazing ass pointing right at me, almost begging me to spank it.”

  “This is softer than I expected,” she whispered while letting the rope slip out of her grasp. Her heart beat hard within her chest in anticipation of what was about to happen.

  “I
’ll always take care of you, even when it comes to tying you up.” Nix linked their fingers, bringing her knuckles up to his mouth for a sweet kiss.

  “That sounded ominous…sweet, but still ominous.” Louise laughed softly before it was cut off by Nix’s kiss.

  “Scoot back for me,” Nix instructed and shot her a wink as he reached back and pulled his fire station shirt up and over his head causing his abs to ripple with the action.

  That was the sexiest way to take off a T-shirt. Ever.

  Louise’s mouth watered at the sight. She never tired of seeing Nix’s body. Almost forgetting what she was supposed to be doing, Louise stayed still until Nix looked back at her with a question in his eyes. “This ok?”

  Nodding quickly, Louise quickly stripped off her own shirt with a little wiggle. Raising up on her knees she watched Nix closely as he tossed the ropes onto the bed beside her. “On your back, sweetheart.”

  Following his instructions, Louise caught her breath when his large hands skimmed down her stomach to catch the waistband of her soft cotton pants. When his fingers tickled the skin on her stomach, she sucked in automatically and bit back a giggle that wanted to escape. Time seemed to slow when his fingers curled on the fabric and pulled them off her body. When he reached her hips, Louise lifted up and off of the bed to assist him in undressing her.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” Nix said and licked his lips as he stripped off her pants and underwear in one fell swoop.

  “So are you,” Louise muttered back. Her body almost shook. She was so excited at what was to come.

  Since she had never done anything like this before with her past relationships, Louise wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do. She did know that she wasn’t scared of what was about to happen. In fact, she couldn’t wait. Holding out her hands, she bit her lip when Nix cuffed them in his grip. Using his hold to pull her into a kiss, she opened her mouth to his demanding tongue.

  Only when she felt lightheaded did she pull back. She gasped for air as Nix’s lips traced down her neck to the edge of her bra. Tugging down one of the cups, Nix captured her nipple between his lips. Sucking the hard nubbin, he growled against her skin.

  “You make me crazy,” Nix whispered after he let the nipple go with a pop. His lips trailed to her other breast to give it the same treatment.

  “Ditto,” Louise rasped, her head moving back and forth on the pillow behind her.

  With her bra pushed down to bare both of her breasts and naked from the waist down, she felt more exposed than ever before. Especially since her bedroom was well lit by the afternoon sun. Turning her head, she caught sight of their bodies in the reflection of her bedroom mirror.

  “Sweet Jesus,” she whispered. Her voice sounded like she had run a mile. That damn mirror was going to be the death of her.

  Nix turned to look at what had her attention. With his body leaning over her own mostly naked one, his ripped physique towering above her soft curves, she moaned at the carnal look in his gaze. He caught her eyes in the mirror and smiled with wicked intent. As he trailed his hands from her breasts to her hips, she whimpered at the sight of his large tanned hands rubbing and caressing her form.

  Louise watched him closely as he expertly looped the rope around her wrist before tying it to the post on her left. As he moved to her right and then down to her legs, she tugged against the bonds, testing their tightness. Even though she was firmly secured, the bonds didn’t pinch or pull at her skin. The fact that Nix knew what he was doing both reassured her and made her slightly jealous of what may have happened before they met.

  “You still with me?” Nix’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

  Louise nodded, tossing that thought out of her head as quickly as it came. “I’m with you.”

  Nix watched her face closely as if searching for the truth before licking his lips. “Good.”

  Louise took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart as he climbed back onto the bed. “Please don’t make me wait.”

  At her begging, which part of her was appalled at, Nix shook his head. “Sweetheart, don’t you know that the wait is the best part?”

  It was in that moment that Louise realized he was going to drive her crazy…and luckily for her there was no way to stop it.

  “Bring it on,” Louise shot back cockily, knowing that at some point she would have him at her mercy.

  Chapter 18

  Nix tried to calm his breathing at the sight laid out before him. Not only did he have Lou naked and at his mercy, but the bonds didn’t let her hide from him as well. Over the past few weeks, their intimacy had grown to a level that he wasn’t familiar with. He was always turned on around her, yet her presence was also calming and comforting…two things he had never felt before with a lover. He had noticed, however, that she tended to shy away from being fully visible when she was naked. Lou was always the one to reach for the light or tug up covers when he was still trying to learn her body.

  None of that mattered in the long run since he could always feel his way along, which is something he was more than happy to do. He just wished she didn’t feel the need to hide away from him. He wanted her as comfortable with him as he was with her. There wasn’t a part of her body he didn’t love and want to touch. It wasn’t until he picked up the rope yesterday that he realized she would be in the perfect position for him to explore her nakedness more fully when he finally got her tied down.

  There was just something about Lou that was special. No, she was more than simply special. She was perfect…made for him. Now, he had to make her see that through his eyes.

  Nix watched her closely as she tugged at the ropes to test their strength. There was no way she would be able to wiggle away from him until he wanted her to…this wasn’t his first rodeo.

  There was no comparison between her and the others he’d had in his bed prior to her. They were pale comparisons to the woman before him now. Both inside and out. Seeing her sister the other day had only emphasized the differences between Lou and everyone else. As he watched Maggie strut into the station with her group of friends, he had felt nothing but disgust when reminded he had stooped low enough to consider dating her.

  Knowing he was with Lou for the long haul, he had tried to be nice to her sister. Keeping their interaction polite, but not necessarily friendly, Nix had barely paid her much notice. That was until she made a jab at her sister’s weight and called him a chubby chaser.

  His polite façade had quickly disappeared at her words and others had picked up on the apparent tension between the two. He just hoped that Maggie realized she didn’t hold a candle to Lou and what he felt for her.

  “Nix…” Louise trailed off breathlessly as her stomach to quivered with excitement. A sight that Nix decided was almost too much for him to handle.

  “Shhh,” Nix hushed softly, letting his fingers skim the undersides of her breasts. “Have I told you how much I love these?”

  Punctuating the question with his hands, Nix cupped the mounds that he had come to treasure. His girl had one hell of a figure. Yeah, she was a little more padded than his previous partners, but that wasn’t a negative in his opinion.

  He was a big guy…in more ways than one.

  These past few weeks had been refreshing knowing that she could take his brand of loving without worrying he was going to crack her in half. She was also flexible as hell, which was an obvious bonus from her job.

  Honestly, he had a hard time keeping up with her sometimes. Lou was a wildcat in the sack, and he was grateful he was in good shape to be able to give her what she needed.

  “I brought a blindfold, but I don’t think I want to cover those gorgeous eyes,” Nix explained when he tossed the black fabric to the floor beside the bed.

  “Ummm…okay.” Lou watched him closely while he moved over to the nightstand.

  Nix opened the drawer, already knowing what was inside since he had basically moved in slowly over the last month. He had clothes in the closet, a dr
awer for his underwear and socks, and space for his toiletries in the bathroom. Lou seemed oblivious to most of it though, which he didn’t mind since she hadn’t balked at him slowly taking over her space.

  Pulling out one of the vibrators, which Lou had nestled inside, Nix tested the speed of the one he had chosen. The last thing he wanted to do was get this party started and then have to change the batteries in the midst of the action.

  “Perfect,” he murmured to himself, trying not to chuckle when her eyes widened comically. “How is the temperature for you, sweetheart? Not too hot? Not too cold?”

  “No, it’s fine.” Louise wiggled at the end of her response, testing her bonds again.

  “Lou.” Waiting for her to meet his gaze, Nix made sure she was with him before continuing. “If you want me to stop at any time, if I do anything you don’t like, just say ‘red.’”

  “Red,” Louise repeated softly.

  “Perfect.” Running the now buzzing toy around one of her nipples, he watched the skin draw tight. The swirls of her nipple were almost mesmerizing as they became hard peaks under his gaze. Pulling out a silicone dildo that they had played with before, Nix set it next to her hip.

  He rubbed his hands to heat them up while feeling the dampness from his nerves on his palms. He laid one heavy palm on her stomach causing her muscles to jump. Lou gave him a little squeak at the contact.

  “I’m going to slide this inside your gorgeous little pussy, sweetheart,” Nix explained, his fingers trailing down through the patch of curls hovering above her mound. “But, first, I need to make sure you’re ready for me.”

  “I am,” Louise said.

  “I need to make sure for myself,” Nix explained and almost groaned out loud at the silky desire that met his fingertips when he slicked his fingers through her folds. “You’re nice and wet. I bet you can’t wait until I push this inside, huh?”

  “I would rather have you,” Louise answered. Her eyes were closed as he explored her with his hand.

  “Me too, sugar,” Nix replied and pushed two fingers deep.

  “Argh.” The sound coming from Louise wasn’t an actual word, yet he understood what she was feeling, her pussy gripping his fingers hard and tight.