Playing with Fire

by Abby Gordon

  Bessie nodded, her eyes on his face.

  “Adam?”

  His eyes met hers and she could see the lingering anger that she hadn’t gone to him three weeks ago. Not just as the police chief, but simply as her brother.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I know I should have, but…I was so confused and scared and…”

  His sigh did as much for her equilibrium as Chance’s strong arm around her. Adam came to her, gently took her hands, and pulled her to her feet. Holding her for a second, he rested his cheek on her head.

  “Know that I’m always here for you, Bessie. No matter what happens. I’m on your side.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and looked at Chance. Bessie didn’t glance around to see their expressions. She didn’t need to. She knew her brother was warning Chance to be careful with her and Chance was assuring him he would. She was safe with the people in the room. Between Chance and Adam, Darcy, Alice, and Tre, even Tom—no one was going to hurt her.

  There was a quick knock on the door before it opened. Hank was there.

  “Darcy, we need to get back. I only called a ten-minute recess.”

  She nodded, squeezed her cousins’ hands, and left with him.

  “You Anderssons do keep things hopping around here, don’t you?” Tony observed, pulling out his notebook. “Now…”

  Chapter Six

  The sun was dipping toward the western horizon when they finally left the police station. All Chance wanted was to get her home and tucked into bed. He could see how exhausted she was. And not just the attack today. The past three weeks, the realization she was pregnant, and struggling to come to grips with the fact that two realities had collided that night. His head was spinning and he didn’t have to deal with the hormones she was.

  He held her close as they walked to the hotel, keeping a glowering expression on his face whenever anyone approached them. She was not dealing with any more questions. The local news station had sent a reporter and camera crew to the police station. The woman had been polite and Chance had been able to see the concern she had for Bessie, but really, enough was enough. Adam had stepped forward and taken over, blocking the camera and politely but firmly putting his hand on the microphone and pushing it down.

  “Chance.”

  He bent his head down at her whisper.

  “What is it, baby?”

  “Let’s go to my place. Please. I…I need to be home.”

  “Of course,” he agreed quickly. “Is it okay if I get some things from my suite? I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  She smiled up at him. “I’m not letting you out of mine either.”

  Holding her tight, he dropped a kiss on her head as they walked by the glass front of the fitness center. He caught a glimpse of someone inside and frowned, then shook his head, focusing on Bessie. In his suite, he had her sit down while he quickly packed his smaller suitcase and his laptop.

  “Do you need to go to your office or anything?”

  With obvious reluctance, she nodded.

  “I’ll need to shut my computer down, lock it up and stuff.”

  There was so little evidence of her usual energy that Chance nearly suggested they just stay in his suite and hide from the rest of the world. It had been hard enough for her to deal with her mother’s call while Tom had been taking their statements. But there was a determination in her eyes that held him back and kept him quiet. Slinging the laptop case strap over his shoulder, he wrapped one arm around her and hefted his suitcase.

  “We’re taking my car,” he told her as they left the hotel.

  “What’s wrong with mine?” She wanted to know as they returned to the street to go to her office.

  “Baby, that thing shouldn’t be on the road,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I sure as hell don’t want my woman in something that sounds that dangerous.”

  “Excuse me? What did you just call me?”

  He stopped and caught her chin. She blinked at the expression in his eyes.

  “My woman,” he said firmly, lowering his lips to hers. “Mine.”

  The arm went back around her waist as they continued.

  “My mother might like you after all,” she muttered.

  “Ouch,” he winced. “What does that mean?”

  Bessie sighed. “How do I explain my mother?”

  “For starters, tell me why she’s so determined to match you with my punching bag.”

  She giggled. “Because he’s the mayor, like his father was before him. Family continuity is very important to Mother.”

  “Okay, why is that?”

  “Her family was in a cult that was stuck in the fifties as far as gender roles are concerned. She was fifteen when the feds busted it for child abuse among other things. It happened a few days before she was supposed to be the bride of the cult leader. He was sixty something.”

  He choked as they reached her building.

  “You’re kidding?” She shook her head and started up the steps, pulling out her keys. “You’re not kidding. Yeah, I guess that kind of indoctrination would be hard to shake, but still…”

  “One of the agents was Leif Andersson. My father. They got married the day after she turned eighteen. Adam was born ten months later,” Bessie shrugged and opened her office door. Staring at the papers and files strewn about, she shook her head. “Tomorrow,” she murmured. “I’ll clean this up tomorrow.”

  “We both will,” he told her. “Shut your computer down, get whatever you need, and let’s go.”

  Nodding, she went to her desk and put her hand over the mouse. Her cell phone rang. With a sigh, she pulled it from her purse, glancing quickly at the caller ID.

  “It’s not your mother, is it?”

  “No, a roommate from college,” she replied with a smile. She tapped the phone. “Zoey, how are you?”

  “Fabulous,” came a brisk voice. “I passed the exam.”

  “Fantastic. Congratulations.”

  “I missed only one question.”

  “Damn,” Bessie shook her head, sitting down. “You always were much smarter than I was.”

  Zoey snorted.

  “No, I just studied more.”

  Bessie’s gaze went around the room and landed on Chance’s concerned expression.

  “What are your plans now?”

  “See if any agencies want another agent or put up my own shingle, I guess.”

  “Move here.” Bessie grinned at Chance.

  “What?”

  “Be my business partner. I can’t keep up with everything. I need a partner and I’d love to have you nearby.”

  There was a silence at the other end, but Chance was smiling, liking her idea.

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “Come up here. Getting away from Roswell would be good for you.” She stifled a giggle at the way Chance’s eyes popped wide. “You need it, Zoey. You know that.”

  “My family would have a conniption.”

  “Since when has that stopped you?”

  Zoey’s full-throated laughter made Bessie smile.

  “Good point. All right. Give me a few weeks and I’ll be there.”

  “Sweet. See you soon.”

  Hanging up, Bessie turned as Chance came to her.

  “A friend who just got her real estate license?” he guessed.

  She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “We were roommates in college for a couple years.”

  “She really lives in Roswell?”

  Bessie giggled. “Yeah, kind of fits with the past few weeks, doesn’t it?”

  He nodded and bent his head to kiss her. Just as their lips met, the lights flashed and the room swirled. Bessie gave a little shriek and clung to Chance as his arms wrapped tightly around her.

  For a minute, Bessie couldn’t see or feel anything. Then staggered against Chance as her feet hit the floor again. Trembling, she buried her face against his
chest.

  “I can’t take any more of this.”

  “Easy, baby.” His hand stroked her hair. “Where are we?”

  She turned her head slightly and sighed in relief.

  “My bedroom.”

  “That’s handy,” Chance murmured, letting his suitcase and laptop slide to the floor. “Allura?”

  The pale yellow light appeared a few feet away.

  You are well?

  “No more flashing lights, okay? Bessie’s been through enough.”

  It’s much faster than your boxes on wheels.

  “True, and about that. I don’t suppose…”

  Your silver box is outside Bessie’s home.

  “Thank you,” Bessie whispered, her fingers still clutching Chance’s jacket. “Are you done with us now?”

  Oh, I am done with you two.

  “Us two? You mean you’ll be doing this to others? Like you did to Tre and Alice?”

  Yes. Until I’m done.

  “Can you tell us who’s next?” Chance wondered.

  Oh, no. That wouldn’t be fair.

  They could hear the humor in her thought. She blinked out before they could ask any more questions.

  Bessie sighed and looked up at Chance.

  “I’d guess Darcy and Tina, but I don’t think she’ll have any luck with Darcy. Darcy’s sworn off love, men, marriage, and everything else like that. Even though Aunt Lucille pushes her onto every man making six figures in the state.”

  Chance nodded.

  “We’ll keep an eye out for things. Now,” his hands slid down her sides and caught her hips. She smiled as he held her to his semi-erect cock. “I think it’s time you got some rest.”

  “Rest?” she echoed. “I was hoping we could do something else without any ET interference.”

  The gleam appeared in his eyes before it was clouded with concern.

  “Are you sure?” His hands framed her face. “You’ve been through a lot, baby.”

  Going up on her toes, Bessie pressed her lips to his.

  “I’m sure. And, after everything we’ve been through, I need this. I need you.”

  She felt the tremor that went through his body.

  “Baby, you better be sure,” he whispered huskily. “Because I need you like crazy.”

  “I’m sure,” she replied, smoothing her hands over his shoulders. “Just us.”

  “Just us,” he repeated before scooping her in his arms. “Let me show you I have finesse as well as…”

  “Wild fire?” she teased as he put her on the bed.

  Groaning, he shook his head. “God, I was so hard on you. Fucking you like that. Against a wine fridge.” With full memory, he winced. “And your second time. You had to be sore and think I was a caveman or something.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I loved it. I couldn’t believe a man like you wanted me like that. To be that crazy and…hungry.”

  “Oh, I’m still crazy and hungry for you,” he assured, hands starting to roam her body. “I just want to sample a bit more of you.”

  She frowned. He started unbuttoning her blouse.

  “You know,” he observed quietly, parting the material and gazing at her white lace push-up bra. “I’m going to make one of the rules right now. If you break it, you get a spanking.”

  “Rules?”

  “Mmm,” he nodded, undoing the front clasp and freeing her breasts. “If I ever hear you talking like that again, that you can’t believe a man like me would want you, when God knows I don’t come close to deserving you, then you get a spanking.”

  At the low firm tone of his voice a shiver swept through her. He meant it, even if she knew he was wrong. And had to tell him that.

  “Chance, I mean it. I’m not one of those blonde starlets that…”

  She squealed at how fast he moved. One minute she was laying on her back, head against the pillows, and in the next heartbeat, she was face-down over his lap and he was pulling up her skirt.

  “I’m going to make sure you understand that one thing if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “But, Chance, I…”

  His right hand was at the small of her back and his left came down with a smack on her right ass cheek. She gasped. In quick succession, his hand spanked her four times on each cheek. She was crying when he was done, his hand now gently resting on her heated bottom. And his erection pressed against her belly. Her breathing slowed back to normal after a couple hiccups. Her mind whirled a little.

  He’d spanked her but, at the same time, she felt protected, cared for, wanted. His hand stroked her back, soothing her. Turning her head, she rested her cheek on the edge of the mattress. With a sigh, she relaxed against him.

  “Do you understand that rule?” he asked.

  “Yes, Chance,” she whispered.

  “I hope so, because I mean it. I will discipline you, but I will always make sure I’m rational when I do it. And I will never hurt you.”

  Surprised by the unexpected seriousness in his tone, she craned her head around to see his face.

  “Chance, I understand,” she said softly. “Now I understand some of Alice’s rather mysterious statements and the looks she and Tre share. I’ve never seen her so happy. And it’s not just the spankings, is it?” A smile curved her lips. “Is it?”

  He smiled back, heat flaring in his eyes. His hand went between her legs, stroking up her thighs.

  “Are you wet, Bessie? Are you wet for me?”

  She closed her eyes as his fingers found her dripping pussy. He groaned and stroked two into her. The soft relaxation in her body melted before the fire as he played with her.

  “Chance, please,” she whispered, turning her head to crane up at him.

  His thumb pressed on her clit and she moaned, wriggling on his lap.

  “I wanted to be gentle with you,” he said quietly. “To explore you and…”

  Her right hand went under her belly between his legs, and found his cock. Her fingers stroked it as best she could, given her position, and rubbed the head. He couldn’t hold the shudder back and she felt him harden more at her touch.

  “Please,” she breathed, then remembered something from her reading. “Master?”

  It was as if that was the trigger. His hand left her pussy. He stood, pulling her up with him. Turning, he dropped her on the bed so her legs dangled off. Pushing the last inches of her skirt up around her waist, he caught the edge of her lace panties and pulled them down her legs. Panting, she stared up at him as he worked the buckle of his belt, then the button and zipper to his slacks.

  “You want it wild, baby?”

  She smiled up at him and spread her legs.

  “Wild like there’s a crowd on the other side of that door and we’ve got to hurry before they catch us,” she teased him.

  With a groan, he positioned himself, rubbing the tip of his cock against her folds. Moaning, she wriggled, lifting her hips to catch up with his movement. His hands slid under her hips, along her thighs to her knees. Pressing them to her shoulders, he loomed over her.

  Her breath caught in her throat as their gazes met. The fire in his eyes had her trembling. Her position left her completely vulnerable, open to whatever he wanted to do to her. She felt the probing motions of his cock along her pussy before it slid back and forth along her folds, then it found her opening.

  In one thrust, he was fully inside her. Gasping she tried to speak but couldn’t. Chance went from teasing her to… His hips pistoned his cock in and out of her at an increasing pace as his upper body pinned her to the bed. Helpless, open, and full. Each time, he filled her, stretching her walls.

  His hips rubbed her clit even as his dick hit that spot inside her. She trembled as sweat covered her body. Her mind spun and went dizzy. Her body burned, desperate for the release. She moaned, her head falling back, her eyes closed.

  “Chaaance.”

  “Is this what you wanted, baby?” he whispered. “Me fucking your brains out until you couldn�
�t think of anything else?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered. “Oh, God, Chance, please. Please.”

  “Come for me, baby. Come for me, Bessie.”

  Eyes closed, she savored the build-up, the fire that churned in her belly, tighter and tighter until she cried out in desperation. Her body clenched, ready for release. But it wouldn’t come. She trembled, sweat covering her. One of his hands moved between them, caught at a breast.

  “Please, please, please,” she begged. “So close. So clooooo…”

  His thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple and tugged. The sweet pain of pleasure tugged at the fire. The tightly coiled spring released. Shouting his name, she jerked off the bed as the heat raced through her body. Her body stiffened, even as her limbs trembled as if electricity coursed through her. Collapsing, panting for air, she smiled as his release rushed into her and he lowered his body onto hers.

  “Better?” he murmured, kissing her sweaty face.

  “Oh, good heavens,” she sighed. “Any better and…” She smiled, sighing again. “I don’t have a comparison.”

  He chuckled, gathering her in his arms as he rolled to his side, easing her legs down.

  “I like that,” he commented.

  She cuddled against him, her fingers stroking his chest.

  “Chance?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  She sensed his hesitation before he sighed.

  “Bessie, you’re pregnant with my child. You can ask me anything you want. I’ll tell you the truth.”

  “Why don’t you like Adam? Or police? I saw the way you were in the police station. My brother’s the chief. It’s about the safest place for me in the entire town, but you wouldn’t let go of me. As if you thought…”

  “As if I thought they might take you from me?”

  Nodding, she came up on an elbow to see his face. “Exactly. I know Adam hugged me before we went to the station, but…”

  “My sisters were taken from me.”

  “What?” she gasped, worried eyes searching his pain-filled expression. Of all the things he might have said, she hadn’t considered that. “What? When?”