Ignite: Book 2 (The Heat Series 1)

by MJ Masucci

  Xander felt a deep pang of guilt. They should never have been apart.

  “I’m sorry. I should never have left. I should have waited for you.”

  They got under the covers on their respective sides meeting in the middle of the bed. He kissed her cheek, then her neck and sucked on her earlobes. He ended up on his back with her straddling him. In the soft light of the bedside lamp, he could see her breasts through the t-shirt. She might as well have been wearing nothing to cover them.

  Ava lay on his chest, and they continued to kiss. She sucked on his bottom lip and nibbled under his chin. He was bare-chested, and she moved down so she could kiss and suck his nipples. They were both become aroused, and her hips moved over his growing erection until their breathing became ragged.

  He reached up to still her, he wasn’t going to be able to take much more, and neither was she.

  “Please, Xander, can’t we just…”

  He placed his fingers over her mouth.

  “No, we can’t. We have to stop.”

  She reluctantly slid off him onto the bed but continued to stroke his length through the cloth of his boxers. He had his eyes closed and made no moves to stop her until she reached into the opening. She could feel the heat of him against her hand as she touched the smooth flesh.

  “No, Ava,” he barely whispered.

  “This isn’t sex the way you mean it. Why can’t we touch each other?”

  He was beyond controlling himself and let her do what she wanted. She took his cock out of the opening of his boxers and ran her finger over the bead of dew that had pooled on the head. Then she wrapped her hand around him and stroked gently, speeding up the motion. They hadn’t had any sexual contact for nearly seven months, and he wanted her to touch him.

  She teased him and slipped her other hand inside his boxers to play with his balls. He began to moan as she encircled the base of his cock and squeezed, hard. Her soft hands were driving him closer and closer to orgasm and then she just stopped and lay down on the bed.

  “Ava, what are you doing?”

  “You said no sex and isn’t this sex?”

  He gritted his teeth as a bad case of blue balls took over.

  “Fine, if you don’t want to finish me then I will.”

  He began to stroke his erection, and she watched as he worked his length.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” she said.

  “What?”

  “If we can touch each other and have oral sex after our STD tests then I will wait to have intercourse.”

  He thought about it for a split second and agreed. She pushed his hand away and squeezed him hard, then rolled his cock between her two hands like she was starting a fire with a stick. His explosion came hard, and white cum shot up to his chest and all over her hands in several large spurts. She longed to suck him but knew that they needed to be tested first.

  He rose from the bed to clean himself, and she went to wash in the small half bath in her bedroom. She removed her t-shirt and lay back on the bed in just her panties pulling the quilt over her. When Xander came back to the room, he was naked. He knelt down to get another pair of boxers out of his bag.

  “Xander you can come to bed naked, it’s okay.”

  “It might be okay, but I’m afraid of where it will lead.”

  He found a pair of shorts and slipped them on then came back to bed. He lay on his side and reached for her.

  “You’re naked?”

  “No, I have panties on.”

  “Then you’re practically naked.”

  He flipped the covers back to reveal her body. Her lush breasts looked inviting, and he couldn’t help himself. He rubbed her nipples with his fingers then sucked and kissed each one. Ava closed her eyes at the sensation of his mouth on her. He nibbled as his hand made a descent into her panties until he reached her clit. She was very wet, and he gently worked her with his fingers until her breathing got heavier.

  “Don’t stop,” she muttered.

  He continued to work slow circles until he felt her tense up, arch her back and release with a prolonged moan. When she finished, he removed his hand, kissed her lips, and she turned on her side against him. The sweet scent of her was on his hand and in his nose. She drifted to sleep within minutes of her orgasm. He listened to her even breathing as she slept.

  He chastised himself for ever leaving her after the accident. What a foolish thing he had done. They could have been married by now if he hadn’t made such a poor choice. But what other choice did he have? It seemed like there was always something pulling them apart. Maybe they weren’t destined to be together. It was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.

  Sunday morning, the snow had stopped. Ava looked out the bedroom window to the street below and saw that clean up had already begun. The wind was blowing again, and swaths of it blew by the window as it pushed snow off the sills above. She was glad they wouldn’t be going anywhere today. It was not a day to be outside.

  She disliked winter but had gotten used to it since she moved north. Georgia didn’t have snow like they had in New York. Most of the businesses closed when you had a few inches there. Here you needed to trudge through the black slush to get to work since rarely did anything close. Snow pack mounted at each corner and became blocks of ice that you had to navigate carefully.

  She went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and feed the boys. Xander was buried under the covers, and she didn’t want to wake him. The New York Times was in front of her door, and she slipped on her robe to retrieve it. She was about a half hour into the crossword puzzle when Xander emerged from the bedroom rubbing his eyes.

  “Good morning, sweetheart,” he said as he stifled a yawn.

  He went to her and planted a kiss on her head and removed the coffee from her hand so he could have a sip.

  “Hey, that’s mine. If you want a cup, I can make you one.”

  “Wow, is that what I have to look forward to when we are married?”

  “You already know what living with me is like, this isn’t new.”

  “But that was little cub, Ava. This is adult tiger, Ava.”

  “Do you want me to make you a cup or not?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She rose from the couch, dropped a pod in the Keurig and pressed the button after she slipped a mug under the reservoir. Then she handed him the mug.

  “Sugar is on the counter and milk is in the refrigerator. Make yourself at home.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, why would you think that?”

  “You seem a bit cranky this morning.”

  She was being a bitch to him and it was probably because she was worried about the bar exam. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about the exam.”

  He sat on the couch next to her and embraced her. She had been studying for months, and he told her there was no reason why she shouldn’t be confident about passing. She kissed him, handed over the crossword puzzle and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she got out Xander was still sitting on the couch in his boxers filling in clues while drinking his coffee.

  He looked up when she came down the hall in her robe with a towel wrapped around her head. She changed with the door open, and he took the opportunity to watch her from the corner of his eye. Her hair was still damp when she sat back down on the couch. He loved when she let it air dry, and her natural waviness came out.

  “You can go in the shower now.”

  Xander did as she asked dropping his shorts before he went down the hall bare-assed. She loved his back end, firm and sculpted like that on the statue of David by Michaelangelo. He emerged minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair slightly dripping in the back. She watched him much the way he had watched her dress. He pulled the towel from his waist to dry the back of his hair then slipped on a pair of sweats sans underwear and slipped on a shirt.

  He sat on the couch and picked up one of her study guides. For the next few hours, he drilled her
until she begged him to leave her alone. She was hungry and needed some rest. She got up to prepare sandwiches while Xander turned on the TV and watched the New York Rangers.

  “Sweetheart, sweetheart?” Xander said as he shook her awake.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “I guess a half hour. Do you want to work on some more questions?”

  “I can’t anymore. I’m so mentally fatigued.”

  “It’s okay. I will help you during the next couple of weeks. You will be more than ready by the time the test days are here. I’ll miss you at work those days.”

  “You might not want to be around me because I’ll be like a lunatic. I’m nervous about the test. Suppose I fail?”

  Xander knelt down in front of her.

  “You aren’t going to fail. You’ve been around the law your entire life. You have worked for a law firm for almost ten years, graduated near the top of your class. Why would you think you will fail?”

  “I don’t know. I just worry.”

  “Stop worrying; you’ll do fine. Have faith in yourself.”

  Later that night in bed, she tossed and turned. She shrank away from Xander’s side of the bed because she didn’t want to wake him. He had court proceedings that morning, and she didn’t want him to be tired. Suppose she just wasn’t good enough to be an attorney?

  Exhaustion overtook her at the office. She and Xander took separate transportation since they were worried about someone seeing them together. She hated that part of their situation. She didn’t want to hide, and she could only talk to David about Xander. She needed a woman’s perspective. The only one she felt comfortable talking to was Rachel, but she was almost ready to give birth; Rigo was at her side all the time. Samantha was practically attached at the hip to Robert, and she would surely reveal her relationship to him. She would just have to keep it a secret until it was time to reveal it to everyone.

  She sat in the alcove transcribing her notes, practically dozing off. Neither Xander or Jacob was in the office so she could work at her leisure. She would have loved to take a nap on Xander’s couch. Instead, she drank more cups of coffee than she should have, causing her to be jittery by mid-day.

  Shortly before 3:00 PM she heard the door to Xander’s office open and close. She stood by the door and heard him on his phone. She didn’t want to intrude, and went back to the alcove to type. Somewhere in the intervening few minutes after, she must have fallen asleep. She felt Xander’s smoothing the hair out of her face and caressing her cheek.

  She opened her eyes to see him kneeling in front of her.

  “You must be tired if you’re falling asleep at work.”

  She yawned, “I am. I couldn’t sleep last night.”

  “I know. I felt you tossing and turning.”

  “Why didn’t you let me know I was keeping you awake?”

  “You weren’t keeping me awake; I was awake. I was worried about the court proceeding since this is my first one since I’ve been back. It went well.”

  “Where is Jacob?”

  “He went home early. He was bleary-eyed from Nicole crying all night.”

  “I think I’ll ask Jacob and Sandra if they want a night out. I can babysit for Jake and Nicole.”

  “You might be better off asking if they want a night of sleep. I think they can use it. Jacob yawned so much in court I thought the judge was going to hold him in contempt.”

  Ava chuckled and couldn’t resist kissing Xander. He placed his hand on the back of her head to hold her to his lips. She broke the kiss with another yawn.

  “I need a serious nap.”

  “Do you want to come in my office and take one? I can close the door.”

  “I have been thinking about that couch all day.”

  Minutes later she was stretched out on the couch and fast asleep. Xander watched her slumber, and his chest swelled with love. Her soft auburn waves were curling around the ivory skin of her neck and face. He was exuberant over the fact that tomorrow they would be taking STD tests. He was having a hard time controlling himself around her especially now that they shared a bed.

  It had been seven months since they last made love and he was ready to throw his rules out the window. He would continue to take her on dates, and they would hide their relationship for as long as they could. At five, he woke her.

  She yawned and sleepily looked up at him. “It’s time to go home. To which home are we going?”

  “Can we sleep at my apartment again tonight? I need my bed. Tomorrow we can sleep at yours since the clinic is nearer to your place.”

  He agreed, and she left his office to drop off her laptop and collect her purse and coat. Most of the legal staff was either gone or waiting for the elevators. She waited for Xander and got on the elevator with him leaning against the back wall. She grazed his hand with hers as the car went down to the lobby. They went out the building doors separately, and she met him a block down so they could share a cab. The sidewalks were dangerously slick since an icy drizzle was coming down and traffic was slow going.

  Her need for him overtook her, and she took his hand, kissing and sucking on his fingers.

  “You know what that does to me,” he whispered.

  Frankly, he wished that they had gotten the STD tests earlier. He wanted her, but he knew they would have to wait.

  She sweetly smiled at him and let his hand go, turning to watch the droplets of ice slide down the window. She couldn’t wait for springtime to come. As they exited the cab in front of her building, she almost broke her neck on the icy pavement. Xander shot his hand out of the vehicle to steady her or she would have been on her backside. They made it into the building without further incident.

  As soon as they got in the apartment, Ava changed. The only thing she wanted was to crawl into bed and go to sleep. She told Xander she wasn’t hungry and sat down on the chaise.

  “Do you only do this with me or is it all the time?”

  “Do what?” She mumbled without opening her eyes.

  “Not eat.”

  “I’m just tired. I have been the same weight for years. Stop worrying about me losing weight. I won’t be ninety-three pounds again.”

  “I’m still going to keep an eye on you.”

  But it fell on deaf ears as she had fallen asleep. He ate the sandwich he had made while she slept on the couch. She was so exhausted that when he carried her into bed, she barely stirred in his arms. He covered her and went to change out of his suit. She started to talk in her sleep, and he suspected she was in the midst of a nightmare. He waited to see if she would quiet down.

  “No, please don’t leave me we only just found our way back. Don’t leave me; I love you,” she murmured. She kept repeating the sentences, and when she started to thrash, he woke her.

  “Sweetheart, wake up.” He said as he gently shook her.

  Ava awakened feeling disoriented. She had looked around the room and at Xander before she focused on reality. Her face was beaded with sweat, and he took the handkerchief from his pants pocket to wipe it away.

  “Do you need anything?”

  “This one was the worst yet.”

  “I thought you stopped having nightmares?”

  “I did until a few months ago. I started having them about losing you. All horrific and tearing my heart to shreds.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I know, but the subconscious is a different story. I can’t control what I dream.”

  Ava watched as he stripped down to his boxers and got into bed next to her. He pulled her to him, curling himself around her. She could feel the heat of his body making her sweat, but she made no move to push him away. She stared at the ceiling listening to his even breathing. As exhausted as she was it took her awhile to fall back to sleep.

  The vision in the nightmare was of Xander, once again in a coffin. He was burned beyond recognition, and maggots were eating his flesh. She felt these nightmares were a harbinger of something terrible.


  The next morning, he kissed her head as he got ready for work. She had wrapped the quilt around her face not wanting to get up.

  “Get up, Ava, or we’re going to be late.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost 6:40.”

  “Fuck. Can I call in sick today?”

  “Speaking as your boss, no. I need you to do some research for me. Why are you so tired today?”

  “I didn’t sleep well after my nightmare.”

  She folded the covers back, and he kissed her cheek as she brushed past him. He handed her a cup of coffee on her way back from her shower. She had dark circles under her eyes that shown like bruises against her ivory skin.

  “I’m going to need another nap in your office today.”

  “Fine, get dressed already. I fed the cats. Come on!”

  Ava was exhausted and dragged around most of the day. She sat on Xander’s couch doing transcription and at lunch took a nap. He loved to watch her sleep and let her well past their normal lunch hour. Jacob was off today, and there was no one to question her napping. He kept the door closed so that if anyone came by they would knock. At four, he woke her, and she looked up at him with sleep shrouded eyes.

  “Time to get up. We have to leave for the clinic in an hour.”

  She had completely forgotten that they were going to get tested this evening. She was looking forward to it since it would remove all excuses Xander had for not making love to her.

  She finished typing the last of her transcription and dumped it on the network in Xander’s electronic folder. Then she closed her laptop and placed it on her desk.

  Sam came up behind her and scared her. She wanted to tell her that they were planning a destination bachelor/bachelorette party sometime in April or May. It would either be on an island or in Vegas. Ava was not too sure on either since she didn’t like to fly. But Xander had worked his way back into the fold of friends, and that meant that he would be going. It would be nice to get away somewhere with him, but it would be hard to hide their love. She would worry about it later. She said her goodbye to Sam and went to the elevator.

  Xander was coming down the hall, and she took the elevator before he got there. She was getting sick of this game each morning and evening. She met him outside, one block over and they caught a cab to the clinic. As they sat there waiting to be called she played with his fingers. After several months away from the lumberyard, his hands had lost the callouses. They were once again soft and smooth.