Combust (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 6)

by Holly S. Roberts

  We leave the hotel at midnight and I have Andreas drop me off a mile from Moon’s property. I leave my weapons with him, which he doesn’t like. I don’t think Melina would appreciate it if I kill one of her new friends. With a gun, that’s possible. My head isn’t working right or I wouldn’t be attempting this foolhardy mission. Andreas is staying back, but it took a few threats to gain his cooperation. He likes his cojones right where they are. That threat finally sank in.

  I jog through the brush and approach the iron fence. Even after midnight the desert is fucking hot. I thought southern Cal. was bad. I wipe my hands on my pants legs before I begin to climb the fence. I make it over and leap to the ground. I know Moon has dogs, but I don’t see them. So far so good. I don’t want to kill one of his animals, but I’ll do it if forced. Andreas gave me his small pocketknife, which the guard returned before we left.

  My fight with Gomez was eye-opening. If Moon hadn’t stopped it, one of us would be in the hospital or dead. It felt good. I rub my sore jaw. I’ve wanted to tangle with Gomez for years. Hopefully we’ll have another chance. Right now I expect a bullet in my back from one of the guards. It’s actually disappointing that Moon’s security doesn’t see me. I approach the house and stop cold when a voice comes from the shadows.

  “Second floor, third window,” Moon says quietly.

  “Fuck, you had to do it this way?”

  “Your woman, your problem. You just need to figure out how to make it right.”

  “Don’t suppose I can enter through the front?”

  “Don’t suppose.”

  Fucking Moon. He has an uncanny knack for knowing what the hell I’m thinking. I can’t be that obvious.

  There are few handholds, but I manage to gain the second floor after a lot of effort. I check the window and find that it’s unlocked. I slide it up and hoist my legs through followed by the rest of me. There’s enough moonlight to see Melina in the bed. She’s kicked off the covers, and the nightshirt she has on rides up her thigh and stops at her ass, which is what’s facing me. She doesn’t stir when I crawl into bed beside her.

  I just look for several minutes and admire the shadows of ink on her exposed shoulder. I’ll never apologize for tattooing her because she’s mine and it’s time she knows it. I lean over and gently kiss her shoulder. She stirs but doesn’t come fully awake. I raise the nightshirt a bit more, running my fingers over silky skin, and gently bite her shoulder. I cover her mouth before she screams.

  “Making noise is not advised right now. Shake your head if you’ll be quiet. I only want to talk.” That’s a fucking lie but I need an in. Moon isn’t likely to let me take her and I won’t place her in danger. She needs to come willingly. Her head moves slightly up and down and I release her mouth. My fingers move farther up her thigh.

  “I want you,” I tell her.

  “No,” she whispers back. “You want to beat me or piss on me. That’s not about want, it’s about control.”

  “You want me too,” I breathe and move my hand to her inner thigh and trail upward until my fingers slide across the crotch of her panties.

  “I don’t want you to beat me or piss on me. That’s the difference.”

  “What do you want?” I run my bearded stubble across her cheek and push her panties aside and find my target. Her skin shivers beneath my other hand and I know she’s turned on.

  “Honestly?”

  “Always,” I say without really hearing her. I have one goal and it intensifies when my fingers discover how wet she is.

  “I want time. I want a man who won’t use me for revenge. I want a man who doesn’t need to claim me to know I’m his.”

  I slide one finger through her wet heat. “You want me to fuck you. You want me to beat you. Pissing on you will only happen if you want it.”

  “I’ll never want that,” she moans as another finger strokes inside. “I don’t want you to beat me with a belt either.”

  She’s such a delightful little liar. “I don’t need to use a belt and I won’t beat you tonight.” This time her moan is so loud I cover her mouth again. I move back suddenly, flip her completely to her stomach, and push the pillow closer to her head. “Bite the pillow if you need to scream.”

  “Moon will kill you for coming here,” she groans and buries her face in the pillow when I add a third finger. I release her and quickly pull her panties off and relieve myself of my pants, taking my boxers down with them. I push her legs apart and enter her in one clean stroke. Her tight, wet pussy welcomes me. She’s so fucking hot. I’ve never needed a woman like I need her. Beating her is not on my mind now. Fucking her to death is a worry.

  She cries out when I pull back and slam inside her again. My hand wraps around her throat as I increase my pace and the force of my thrusts. She makes a strangled sound when I apply the pressure, but she keeps her ass up so I have better leverage. I pound her tight hole as the ache builds in my balls. She’s the only woman to get me off without pain. She’s the only woman I even want to try with.

  My thoughts turn to pure animal need. I drive in and out, releasing the pressure on her throat and then tightening it again. I could easily lose myself and forget she needs to breathe, so I work hard at making sure she has enough oxygen.

  I finally rise to my knees and lift her ass higher as I pound harder and faster. My fingers will leave bruises and I don’t fucking care. She might think she doesn’t want a man to claim her but that’s too damn bad. She’s part of me and I’m part of her.

  Her pussy clenches around me and she cries out. She pulls the pillow tighter to her face and screams into it. I’m no longer holding her throat and can’t control her shout. Good girl, I think to myself and then completely stop thinking as the tide of my orgasm takes me.

  We lay entwined while catching our breath. I run my hand over her back along the ink I can barely see.

  “Am I yours?” she asks a few minutes later.

  “Yes,” I breathe into her hair.

  She wiggles a bit and looks at me in the dark. “What does that mean?”

  I run my palm over her cheek until I’m cupping the side of her head. “It means I’ll come get you after I kill your brother. We’ll be married in Vegas the next day. It means you’ll be safe and by my side forever.” I lean in and kiss her. We make out like teenagers for the next hour and then make love again. Now that I know what that is, I can’t get enough.

  She falls asleep in my arms and though I don’t want to leave her, I climb out the window.

  Gomez waits for me this time. “You plan on returning anytime soon?”

  “After Fernandez is dead. Take care of her for me.”

  “If you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass again.”

  “You’ll try and one of us will end up dead.”

  “I have a good woman to live for, so it won’t be me.”

  “I feel you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Melina

  Mak looks at me in frustration. “How the hell did he get into your room?”

  I’ve just told her most of the story about last night. “He said Moon knew.”

  Mak swears. “That man needs to stop with the matchmaking or at least let me in on it. I’m pissed off and he’ll get an earful at breakfast.”

  It’s Monday and my day off. I’m looking forward to some quality time in the gym sparring with Celina. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Don’t thank me. I’m not happy to lose a good employee.”

  “I’m not that good.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’ve only screwed up one appointment and I still think you did it to Lina on purpose.”

  I smile and look away, giving my silent answer. “I’ll miss you.”

  She pulls me in for a hug and I squeeze back. “I’ll miss you more, believe me. You’ll need to visit more often than Cindy and you’re always welcome here permanently if things don’t work out with asshole.” Mak and Celina both refer to Austi
n as asshole now.

  “He’s my asshole.”

  “That he is, girlfriend. Let’s eat so I can bitch at my husband and then I think I’ll join you and Celina in the gym.”

  ∞∞∞

  Breakfast was wonderful and Mak bitched exactly as she said she would until Moon grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room. I heard her laugh, so I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t join us for a workout.

  Celina was in rare form and I found my ass on the mat more often than it had been the last few days. “I don’t like your man leaving bruises on my man,” she says after I take a hard fall.

  I couldn’t clearly see Austin’s face in the dark but his swollen lip was obvious when he kissed me. “He needs to move faster or my man will kick his ass again,” I say with an evil smile.

  “I’m going to kick yours and leave a few bruises so asshole understands the consequences.” She does exactly that for another thirty minutes. I finally groan and refuse to get up.

  “White flag, tap out, or whatever the fuck will make you stop,” I pant.

  “Let’s stretch for ten and hit the pool. You need to soak or you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

  “Who the hell do you work out with when I’m not around to trounce?” I still can’t catch my breath, and sweat drips into my eyes making them burn.

  “Whoever has a death wish with Alex. He doesn’t like when the men hurt me, but I doubt I’ll ever fight a woman besides you or Mak, so I need to practice with men.”

  “I think I’ve had enough for a lifetime if I can ever walk again.”

  She laughs and places her hand out, which I gladly take. Getting off the mat isn’t easy. Resting in the pool for the rest of the day is. Gabriella brings us lemonade and admonishes us for being in the sun too long. We’re actually in the shade, but I know she cares and it warms my heart. I need a Gabriella in my new life.

  I’ll admit to being worried about the changes coming, though. I never thought anyone could take down my brother, but now I have hope. My life has seldom been filled with hope and the feeling is terrifying. If something happens to Austin, I don’t know what I’d do.

  ∞∞∞

  Three days later, I ride home with Mak and Caleb after a long day behind the front desk. It’s not that the work is hard or unenjoyable, but Lina gave me shit and I finally decked her. This puts her out of business until the black eye heals and she’s even more furious with me now.

  “She’ll live and most likely won’t mess with you again. It was great to see and the other ladies will applaud you until the end of time.”

  We both laugh and make a mad dash for the front door to avoid being roasted by one hundred and twenty degree heat. We enter and I immediately notice a large bouquet of roses. Mak walks straight to them and looks at the card.

  She turns to me and smiles. “I think the asshole might be in love.”

  I walk to the flowers and breathe in deeply. I take the card and open it.

  You have the right to know it all. My history is in the box.

  A

  A metal box rests next to the flowers. It’s about eight by twelve inches and maybe five inches tall. I show the card to Mak.

  “Asshole’s scoring points. Take it to your room so you have some privacy. I’ll tackle the wrath of Gabriella so you have time. Dinner in an hour?”

  “That works, thank you.” I have no idea why the thought of opening the box scares me. Austin needs to be here to explain anything I might find inside.

  I sit on the bed and fluff a pillow behind my back. “Here goes nothing,” I whisper and open the lid. There’s a note at the top.

  I’ve put the articles in chronological order.

  When I pull the note off the top there are news articles beneath it. I lift the first one, cringing at the headline.

  Fire kills two

  Investigation underway

  I read the entire article and about the young boy found alive outside the house. Could this be Austin? The mother’s name is Watts not Miller, but that means nothing. The next clipping stops me cold. The boy killed his mom and her boyfriend. I can’t believe it. He was twelve. The article says initial police reports claim he planned it. I go to the next clipping now sure this is Austin. It’s the why I don’t understand. The police uncovered possible abuse but the boy refused to talk. The last article is his sentencing. Juvenile until he’s eighteen and then prison until twenty-five. It also talks about his psychological profile and calls him a sociopath. My hands are shaking by the time I finish reading.

  Why is Austin showing me this? Again, he needs to be here to explain. I start at the beginning and reread everything. There are other small items in the box—a gold pocket watch, a broach, two ticket stubs to a movie. I can’t make out the movie title or the date but they’re old. These items mean something to Austin and he’s shared it all with me. I can’t begin to understand the horrors a child would live through to come to the point of killing his mother.

  A sociopath has no empathy or at least that’s what I remember hearing. Austin loved Victor and Cindy, so that doesn’t hold true. I also believe he loves me. It may not be the hearts and flowers…okay maybe it is, I smile at the thought of the roses downstairs. He sent me flowers and somehow, even with all his shit, he’s captured my heart. I return everything to the box and close the lid. Austin needs to hurry with the killing of my brother and come for me. When it comes to Diego, I’m a sociopath too.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Austin

  It’s been two weeks and whatever hole Fernandez is living in is keeping him alive. Moon has the same opinion. He’s underground and we need to bide our time. Usually I’m patient when it comes to killing. That’s not holding true right now.

  The only positive is my team. Andreas is my official enforcer and I’ve moved others around and increased security at the house. Melina will be living here and what happened to Cindy will not happen to her. The house needs to be a fortress and that’s exactly what I’m going for. The repairs are finished from where Fernandez’s men blasted through the wall, and I’ve added a little extra to the mix in case anyone tries again. I’ve been in contact with a dog handler and he’s purchasing top K9s for me. I’ve also talked to Moon in depth about his security measures for Mak. Andreas is in charge of finding Melina a team of bodyguards. If she wants to leave the house, they’ll accompany her everywhere. If she doesn’t agree, there’s always the basement. I would laugh, but I’m too apprehensive after sending her the box.

  What does she think of me now? I wanted to give her time to absorb who I really am. She knows I’m a killer, but she needs to understand what’s behind it. I have no doubt if Victor hadn’t rescued me from juvenile, I would be dead. Melina needs to understand the life I live in order to be part of it.

  Not calling her has been hard. Hell, not sneaking into her window again, harder. I lift my cell and hit Andreas’ number. “Spar with me. You need work.”

  “Sure, boss, kicking my ass yesterday wasn’t enough for you?”

  I manage a grunt and he hangs up laughing. Andreas can fight and with a knife, he’s deadly. With a little work, the outcome of our sparring will be a toss-up. Victor hired good men, it just took me a while to see it. Andreas has a read on them and he’ll be hiring more. Andreas is also moving into the house. He stayed in the guesthouse where I lived up until now, but we’re turning that into the security center. I want to keep additional men out of my home so Melina feels comfortable. I’m putting a lot of faith in Andreas and I would hate to kill him, so I hope he doesn’t disappoint me.

  With Fernandez on the run it also leaves a huge hole in the northern California territory. I need someone there I can work with or I need to take it over myself. Victor talked about sending me up there often. He never liked Fernandez and I still have no idea why Fernandez came after Victor.

  “You ready for an ass whoopin’, boss?”

  There’s a three-inch mat under us, but it doesn’t feel soft when your ass land
s on it and I plan to make Andreas’ very sore. “Call me boss again and yesterday’s ass whoopin’ will feel like child’s play.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  It shouldn’t feel this way to work out with someone. It never has before and for that reason, I kept my distance from all Victor’s men. Andreas could be my first “friend” and that’s a dangerous way to think. Problem is…Melina is so much more and I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her.

  I take a hard kick to the side of my head because I’m not paying attention. “Told you it was my day, boss.”

  A minute later my foot connects with his inner thigh and he goes straight to his ass. I give him the “come and get me sign” and things get really interesting. Andreas is young—twenty-six, his file says. I’m thirty-one, but I’ve lived dangerously since the day I was born to a drugged out mother and her abusive child molesting lovers. Andreas came from a good family and would most likely be sitting behind a desk somewhere if his baby sister hadn’t been kidnapped by the cartel. Victor helped get his sister back and Andreas came to the dark side against his parents’ wishes.

  He throws a roundhouse out of frustration and I move away and follow it with one of my own. His grunt of pain lets me know I caused some damage. We go at it for another hour before we move to Victor’s underground firing range. Here Andreas shines. He’s better than me even.

  Yeah, he’ll do.

  ∞∞∞

  The next morning I receive word from Moon that his men spotted Fernandez in Phoenix. I’m on a plane with my sidekick within the hour. Fernandez will regret coming out of his hole. We land in one-hundred-and-eighteen-degree heat, which is two degrees cooler than my last visit. Like two degrees makes a difference when it’s too hot to even touch the car door handle.

  I’m meeting Moon at his warehouse and we’re going over the plan. If Fernandez is still here, I’ll find him. The warehouse district is similar to ours. I think Victor’s tutelage of Moon gave him the idea. It’s easy to get away with a hell of a lot of shit in an area like this and after hours, it’s not a place to hang around if you want to stay alive.