Ignite: Book 2 (The Heat Series 1)

by MJ Masucci

  “I seem to remember a few years back, that someone just had to have me against the closet door before we went to the Kids Afloat Gala.”

  She thought back to how passionate they were that night only to have their bubble of bliss destroyed by Liam.

  He licked his lips, “I could do that again. It would only take a few minutes.”

  “As tempting as that sounds, I will have to pass.”

  She turned to walk into the bedroom, and he quickly grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. The cats scattered as he cradled her in his arms.

  Ava squealed, “Stop it. If I am late, Sam is going to kill me. She was already pissed that I barely made it on time to the salon.”

  He ignored her and pressed his lips to hers. She tried to resist but his tongue pushed into her mouth, and she melted. His hand moved to her breasts and began to massage them. She started to feel flushed, and she stilled his hand. If she didn’t stop Xander from going further, they would be having sex within the next few minutes.

  “Please, wait!”

  He released her, “I expect that you will make it up to me tonight?”

  “You have my word. And just so you know; it isn’t easy to say no to you.”

  He smiled at her as she went to the bedroom to retrieve her dress, the bag with her shoes and other accessories. She gave Xander a peck on the cheek just as the phone from the front desk rang, the limo had arrived.

  “How do I look?” She was wearing a soft peach colored ankle length strapless dress. Her ample cleavage was held up by built-in cups. She moved closer to Dani (who was wearing an identical dress), and Rachel snapped a picture.

  Ava stood marveling at the ceiling of The Pierre. No matter how many times she had been here, she still couldn’t get over the opulence of the interior. The chandeliers alone could hold her attention. Xander escorted her into the ballroom, and she almost tripped because she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going.

  “If you love this place so much, maybe we should look into having our wedding here,” Xander whispered.

  “I think it would be very expensive. Mr. Poulos is paying for Sam and Robert’s wedding, so they can afford it. Not that they couldn’t afford it themselves, but he offered.”

  “So where would you like to get married? And when?”

  “Can we just get through this wedding first?” She was annoyed because she felt that Xander was pushing her to make decisions she wasn’t ready to make. She knew he just wanted to get their lives started as a married couple.

  She was thrilled that they had a short ceremony. It was a warm day, and the church where the ceremony was held had poor air circulation. Xander beamed at her as the priest married Sam and Robert. She knew he must be thinking of what their wedding would be like. She was regretting that she pushed him towards a large gathering. Now that she had time to think she would prefer something small and more intimate but it was too late.

  She had looked around the church and spotted David; his face a permanent scowl. He was angry at her for something she couldn’t change. If it had been another place and time, maybe even two years ago, her feelings might be different. But Xander had ruined her for other men. She would always compare them to him, and they would never win. She loved him, heart and soul.

  Xander escorted her to one of the two tables designated for the bridal party. He sat down next to her and kissed her hand.

  “You look so beautiful in that dress. I wish we were alone.”

  “If we were alone, I wouldn’t be in this dress.”

  He smiled wickedly at her.

  She turned to talk to Rachel and Rodrigo, who were sitting in the two chairs next to her. Xander rose to get a drink at the bar. As he was standing there, he was approached by David.

  “Can I talk to you?”

  “David, seriously I’m not sure what you can say to me. You’ve created drama where there shouldn’t be any. You made Ava upset, and that upsets me. I’m also aware that you have been bad mouthing me.”

  “Can you just talk to me in the hall? I prefer not to have this discussion around other ears.”

  “I’m going to humor you because you’re Ava’s family.”

  He followed David out of the room and down the hall to an upholstered bench. He sat down and waited to hear what he had to say.

  “Ava loves me; I know she does. Just because she accepted your proposal doesn’t mean, she lacks feelings for me.”

  “You’re delusional. What would give you the notion that she loves you?”

  He leaned in close to Xander.

  “Because she kissed me yesterday. Did she tell you that? I told her to kiss me, and she did. When you walked in and I said everything was fine, we had just finished.”

  Xander turned crimson. He kept his composure, but he started to feel his anger rising. He had once told her she was morally bankrupt and maybe she still was.

  “I don’t think so, and what’s more I don’t want to continue this conversation. This is Sam and Robert’s day.”

  He stood up and walked down the hall back to the reception. He tried to process the information he was just given. Though he knew he should wait, he needed to question her. He frowned at Ava as he took his seat.

  “Where were you?”

  “Do you care?”

  “Xander, what’s wrong?”

  His answer was cut short as they announced the entrance of the bride and groom. As the music played and they had their first dance, Ava felt a lump in her throat. Everything was going great, and now Xander was angry with her for what, she had no idea. She suspected it had everything to do with David since she saw him walk out the door with Xander following.

  As the music continued and other couples joined on the dance floor, they were left alone at the table.

  “I want to know why you’re angry at me? I don’t want to spend the whole reception wondering.”

  “Why did you kiss David and not tell me.”

  Ava’s face became ashen, and she looked down at her hands as she knotted her fingers together.

  “I didn’t kiss him; he kissed me.”

  “I am having a hard time believing you.”

  She looked at him incredulously. “If I always need to explain myself then maybe we shouldn’t be engaged. You still don’t trust me, do you?” She didn’t wait for an answer and continued, “Remember what happened with Ashley years ago? How upset were you when I accused you of kissing her?”

  He thought back to his old assistant. In the very beginnings of their relationship, his assistant had kissed him. Ava had seen it happen and instead of allowing him to explain, she jumped to a conclusion. He was doing the same thing. He looked up at her, and she was chewing on her cheek. She only did that when she was nervous.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He reached for her right hand and kissed the finger that held her engagement ring.

  “I’m so stupid. I should have known he lied.”

  “Xander, are you ever going to trust me again?”

  “I trust you. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  He looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. If she wanted to cry, she was doing a poor job hiding it. He needed to put the hurts that they had inflicted on each other aside if they wanted their relationship to work.

  The rest of the night went without incident. Ava became cheery again as they danced, ate and circulated the room. She avoided looking at or talking to David. She was going to have a hard time when it came to family events when he was invited. She had made a mistake by sleeping with him, and she couldn’t undo that.

  Later in Xander’s bed, the intensity with which he made love to her made any residual anger fade away. After they were done, he curled his body around her, holding her tight against him. In the morning they were in the same position, having barely moved during the night.

  “Xander, can you let me go? I have to pee.”

  He grumbled and held her tighter.

  “Hey, let me go, or I’m going to pee right h
ere.”

  When he didn’t let go, she started to pull at the hairs on his arm with her lips. He eased his hold as she slipped out of his grasp and headed for the bathroom. He was watching her as she walked naked back to his bed, the sun from the window making a halo around her body.

  “You’re so sexy. Marry me.”

  She snuggled back under the sheet against him.

  “I am going to marry you. Remember, I’m wearing your ring.” She held up her hand, and he took it to suck on her fingers.

  “Mr. Wilder, are you starting something?”

  “Mrs. Wilder-to-be, I sure am.”

  She quickly glanced at the clock.

  “We need to get moving, or we are going to be late for brunch.”

  Xander groaned, “We are not having any post-wedding brunch. Once you’re married to me, I want to spend the next week or two having you to myself. So if we have to hole up in a hotel before we leave for our honeymoon, then so be it.”

  “I have no qualms about that, but right now we promised we would be there and we should since we were part of the bridal party.”

  He hugged her tighter and sucked on her earlobe. Ava felt her body start to heat as he worked his mouth on her neck and shoulder.

  “Xander…”

  He continued kissing her, and his hands cupped her breasts, thumbing her nipples. She was rapidly reaching the point of no return. She could feel his erection pressing against her backside.

  “Please, sweetheart. Quick,” he begged in a breathy whisper.

  She turned her head to kiss his mouth full on and in one move he turned on his back pulling her on top of him. Her breathing was already heavier, and she moved her slickness over him. He gasped as she pressed him against her opening, then he slipped into her.

  “Fuck,” he panted, as she moved her hips and they both gasped for breath. He held her hips and worked her hard over him. Xander climaxed first, and Ava quickly followed, collapsing on his chest.

  She kissed his chin and looked up at him.

  “Now we are definitely going to be late.”

  He was still hard when she rose off him, but he became turgid as they headed to the bathroom to shower. Even after making love to him, she wanted more. She kept her distance while they washed because any contact would make them later than they already were going to be.

  “Where the hell were you? We were getting worried,” Sam said as she and Xander entered the private room at her uncle’s restaurant. They were almost a half hour late. Ava shot Sam a look and raised her eyebrow. Sam nodded, she knew what that look meant and why they were late.

  Brunch was laid out buffet style and Ava piled her plate high. She was starving since they hadn’t eaten last night. She could relax without the steady glare from David. This meal was only being served as a thank you for the wedding party. She didn’t want to be scrutinized by him while she ate.

  Ava chatted with Sam about her planned honeymoon. She and Robert would be flying to Greece for a celebration with her Greek relatives. From there, they were spending ten days on a private yacht sailing around the Mediterranean courtesy of her father. Ava would miss her best friend, but now she was officially one of the family. She couldn’t wait for her to get home so she could start planning her wedding - whenever that would be. She and Xander had a lot to discuss.

  Chapter 35

  Two weeks later, Ava sat on her couch feverishly trying to finish the New York Times crossword puzzle. The new one came tomorrow, and she wanted to check her answers against the key. Xander was away in North Carolina celebrating his friend’s upcoming nuptials. She warned him not to bring any diseases back to her. But she knew it was something she didn’t have to worry about. Xander only had eyes for her and had no interest in other women.

  Before she left, she heard him arguing with Bobby about going to a strip club. He said he wouldn’t disrespect her by engaging in that behavior. She trusted him, and they had grown closer since Sam and Robert’s wedding. She felt their relationship was like it was before all the secrets came out almost five years ago.

  They were working towards strengthening their emotional bond. The physical bond was always there, and they often made love twice a night or more. She missed him since he had been away for three days and she knew he missed her. He had sent her lavender roses the day he had left. The next day red roses and today she had received burgundy. She had to look the meaning of burgundy, and as it turned out, it was undying love. She felt the same way.

  Ava ended up falling asleep on the couch and when she woke, hues of burnished orange danced against the wall with sinking sun. She picked up the remote and turned on the evening news. A breaking news banner scrolled along the screen, and the beeping caused her to fix her eyes on the television. Her stomach started to churn as she watched the news report.

  He had escaped after only five of his twelve-year sentence. Her mind flashed back to the day of his sentencing as he screamed and struggled against the bailiffs. Her father put his arm around her that day, but she couldn’t push back the fear. He was out, and he was coming for her.

  Stay tuned for my next release, the third book of The Heat Series, Burn. See below for a taste of what’s to come.

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  But we’re not done yet…

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  Get Ready for the Release of Burn in February 2017

  Coming Soon

  Burn – Book 3

  First Chapter Burn Book 3

  Ava stared at the television as the report about the escape continued. He and two other prisoners were being transported to another prison. A car had pulled in front of the van causing a rear-end collision. There was a shootout and two corrections officers as well as their police escort were killed. The damaged car was left at the scene, and the prisoners escaped. He could be anywhere at this time since this occurred hours before.

  She hugged her knees to her chest as the anxiety began to creep inside her. Xander was away at a college friend’s bachelor party. He would be back in New York this evening. She didn’t want to worry him during his travels, so she chose not to contact him.

  She got up and checked the locks on her door, sliding the almost unused security chair into the slider. She knew that he would have to get passed the front desk but at this point; he was out for revenge. He had sworn and pointed at her in court as he intensely stared at her, that her days were numbered. This was before the bailiffs dragged him off to serve his sentence at an upstate New York prison. He struggled with them trying to gain access to her. Her father held her close trying to offer comfort as they hauled him through the doors of the courtroom.

  Ava paced the hallway while continuously counting off the minutes until Xander would be home. Just when things were finally going right in her life, Liam had escaped. He had over seven more years to serve, even more, once he was caught if he was caught.

  Liam was cunning and smart. Xander had been able to find out that his time in prison was being spent teaching other inmates. But Xander’s contact felt that Liam’s altruism had ulterior motives. He was spending time with kidnappers, murderers, and rapists. During a cell search, the guards had located a pad with notes, a disturbing primer on kidnapping, rape, and murder. When they questioned him, he said that he was taking notes for a thriller he was planning to write while incarcerated. Even so, they confiscated the notes and gave him back the rest of the pad.

  Ava grew tired of walking and sat down on the couch. She felt nauseous and curled her body into the fetal position. The clock read 5:26 PM. Xander was due back at the airport in six minutes, and it would take him another hour to get to her apartment from the airport. She rocked hers
elf until she fell asleep.

  “Ava? Sweetheart? Why is the chain on the door?”

  He continued to knock until she woke up. Her heart pounded in her chest as she became aware that Xander was at the door. She quickly rose, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she removed the security chain.

  Xander came in with a bouquet of coral colored tea roses and his suitcase. He handed them to her, and she crushed her body against him and started to sob. He dropped his suitcase and held her tight to him realizing that the tears were not because she was happy to see him, but that she was in distress. She clung to him, sandwiching the roses between them.

  He grasped her arms and pushed her back from him so he could look at her face. He saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Sweetheart, what is wrong?” He said with alarm.

  He waited for her to answer and when she did not he pulled her to the couch.

  “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

  “He’s out.”

  Xander felt a chill go up his spine and he asked who she meant.

  “Liam.”

  “Fuck! When?”

  “He escaped this morning.” She murmured.

  “He fucking escaped?” He ran his fingers through his hair several times then removed the roses from her hand and put them on the coffee table.

  “Come here.” He said as he held his arms out for her.

  She crawled on his lap and clung to his neck while he wrapped his arms around her. Xander rocked her as her crying became a whimper than stopped. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped at her tears and nose.

  “They will be searching for him. He isn’t going to be free for long.”

  “I’m not sure that they are going to catch him so easily. He revealed to me when he attacked us that he had plenty of money stashed away. If that is true, then he will be able to hide. He is smart, Xander. I don’t want to underestimate his intelligence.”