Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  Chapter 3

  Liam sat on the edge of the thin, dirty mattress in the same seedy hotel where he had been staying for the last week. It was perfect. No one bothered him especially since those around him had a lot to lose if the cops showed up. He had drawn a set of plans with a map of Jayne’s home and property. He ran his fingers through his dyed blond hair as he viewed his handy work while munching on pistachios.

  In the margins of the plans, he had written notes regarding the inventory he needed to remember to take: duct tape, zip ties, filet knife, pocket knife, ammonia and a gun. The last two were most important. The gun had been easy to get. In fact, the greasy haired, pimple-faced clerk at the front desk had directed him to a seller who was sitting in the lobby reading a paper. The guy looked like a mobster, and for all Liam knew, he was. He had plenty of cash to buy what he needed, and no questions were asked.

  After what Jayne had said about him in court, he had no intention of her last moments of life being easy. He was going to torture her until she welcomed the cold hand of death wielded by him. The ammonia would be used to rouse her because with what he had planned; he was sure she would pass out more than once. In his delusional head, he thought of himself as God. He would make the decisions who would live and who would die. Maybe he would check the baby’s diaper if he had time. He didn’t want the boy to sit in his mess while waiting for his father.

  Liam checked his watch and seeing that it was after seven, he decided to make his way downtown to scope out Ava’s place. He needed to see how he could get up to her apartment without being questioned. He remembered the front desk was right near the elevators and he would have to bypass it to gain access. He wasn’t sure how he would do it, but he would figure it out. He threw the shells from the pistachios in a bag and pulled on his steel toed boots, sure to break bone with a good hard kick.

  “What?”

  “Stop it.”

  Ava was snuggled underneath the sheets, her head practically buried. Xander had woken up with a raging hard on, and he needed some relief.

  “Come on, sweetheart. I’m ready to go.” He tugged at the sheets, trying to pull them back. She held tight, and he gave up, slipping under them instead. She could feel his hot breath on her as he planted kisses on her thighs. He nipped at her, and she moved her legs not realizing she gave him a better position. He hooked his fingers in her panties and began to pull.

  “Xander what are you doing? What time is it?”

  He let out an exasperated sigh, “It’s 3:20 in the morning.”

  She calculated in her head that she had been asleep for about two hours.

  “I’m sleeping now. Let’s do it later.”

  Xander used another tactic. He waggled his fingers into her panties and began to stroke her. Immediately she responded by shifting her hips, allowing him to slip his fingers inside her.

  “Always so ready for me,” he whispered as he continued to stroke. She had been ready for him since they went to bed and it didn’t take her long to be wide awake even though she was still tired.

  “Lift your hips.”

  When she hesitated, he wound the thin waistband around his hand and snapped it.

  “Hey! What is it with you destroying my panties?”

  He didn’t answer as she threw the sheet back. She lifted her hips, and he pulled the torn cloth off her, throwing it somewhere in the room. Then he crept up her body, kissing and nipping his way, “Turn on the light. I want to see your face when I fuck you.”

  Ava felt shivers as she reached for the bedside lamp. She looked into his hazel eyes and saw they were full of desire. He reached for the neckline of his tank top that she still wore and tore it open, stripping it away from her body. He clamped his mouth on her right breast and sucked hard, swirling his tongue around the nipple.

  “That feels so good,” she moaned.

  He continued to do it until he heard her breathing become heavy. Then he moved to the other breast. He reached below and gently rubbed her in soft circles. She moved her hips to his rhythm. She could feel his erection pressing against her leg as he made love to her. He moved on top of her, positioning himself at her entrance, then sank into her.

  She moaned louder as he teased her, varying his speed. She gyrated her hips to meet each stroke, pushing harder against his base. Ava’s breathing became ragged as she reached climax, squeezing, coaxing him to come. He followed seconds later and collapsed on top of her.

  “Thank you for waking me up,” she said as she stroked his face.

  “Well, it took some doing, but I told you it would be worth it.”

  He pulled out of her making her wince, and a look of concern came over Xander's face.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, I’m just a little sore from the past few nights.”

  “Ava, you need to tell me if you are hurting. We didn’t have to make love.”

  “I wanted to. Do you think this is the first time I’ve been sore? You’re big, you know.”

  “I know I am, but I would never want to hurt you.”

  “Xander, you worry too much. I’m fine.” She sat up to remove his torn shirt from under her.

  “At least it was some of your stuff that got ripped this time. I quite liked this shirt.”

  “I have plenty of those. It’s all I wore to the lumberyard in the summer.”

  She turned on her side, and he pulled her against him. They fell asleep with the bedside light still on. When they woke, it was morning, and there was rain pelting against the windows. Xander yawned and kissed Ava’s neck then nuzzled her ear.

  “It’s raining. I wanted to teach you to kayak.”

  “Can’t we go in the rain? I don’t mind getting wet.”

  “I don’t mind you getting wet, either,” he said seductively.

  “That’s not what I meant,” she chided.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s warm out, and if we have a thunderstorm, we’re sitting ducks on the lake. I think it might clear up later.”

  “So what do you want to do?”

  He gave her a lopsided grin, “Want to take a bath?”

  Ava remembered the last time they took a bath in that tub. It was warm and wonderful. She had put rose petals in the water, and the scent of them created a delicious fragrance throughout the bathroom (not to mention the sex they had enjoyed until the water cooled). She thought about adding petals from the roses for a minute then nixed the idea. She didn’t want to have a mess to clean up after they were done.

  “Let’s do plenty of bubbles, please.”

  She heard the water running as she padded around the bedroom looking for her purse for hair pins. Several minutes went by, the faucet turned off, and a splash as Xander slipped into the water.

  “Sweetheart?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” She finished pinning up her hair and entered the bath. Xander had put so much bubble bath into the water and the bubbles had grown high above the tub.

  “How much bubble bath did you use?”

  “A few capfuls. I love the smell; it reminds me of you.”

  She breathed in the smell of lavender. It did smell like her.

  “Is there a reason why you pinned your hair?”

  “I didn’t want it to get wet.”

  “I think you did it for another reason, to expose that delectable neck to me. Come in here.”

  She slipped into the tub next to him, and he immediately began nibbling on her neck. He sucked at the junction of her shoulder, gently biting the flesh and leaving teeth marks. She ran her wet hands through his thick hair, tugging at the nape of his neck. He groaned softly as he moved her onto his lap. She could feel him hardening beneath her.

  “Ava, I want you,” he whispered as he moved to her earlobes.

  Without a word, she positioned herself over him and guided herself onto his length. He let out a gasp, and she sank to his base before stilling her movement. She could feel him pulsing inside her and clung tightly to him. She squeeze
d him, causing him to murmur her name while sucking hard at the pulse of her neck. She began to move over him slowly, squeezing him every few seconds.

  He gripped her hips, digging his fingers into her. When she continued her slow rhythm, he moved his hands to her ass to speed it up.

  “Please…”

  She smiled wickedly at him but honored his request by placing her hands on his shoulders and moving quicker. His eyes were closed tight as he cupped her behind.

  “Xander, look at me.”

  He opened his eyes and looked at her with a glazed expression. She knew it well; he was close. He reached between them to massage her clit. His touch sent shockwaves through her, and she started to climax. Ava threw her head back as she finished her release, with Xander holding her tightly to him as he followed with his own.

  “I wish we could stay here forever,” she mumbled into his chest.

  “One day, when we are old and gray, we can retire here. Sit on the porch watching our grandchildren play on the beach.”

  He felt her shudder and hold him tighter. Her shuddering continued, and he realized that she was silently crying.

  “Please don’t. We have had this conversation. We will have children. They might not be biologically ours, but we will have them.”

  “I want my own. I want to feel a baby inside me, but I can never have that.”

  “Ava, maybe we should see a fertility specialist. Did they ever tell you why you couldn’t have children?”

  “They said something about my reproductive system being damaged.”

  “Maybe there is surgery for it. It’s been a few years. We should look into it if there is a chance you can get pregnant.”

  Her face brightened. She would make an appointment with Dr. Emory when she returned to the city. If there were a chance she could have her own baby, she would do anything she had to do to make it happen. Suddenly she felt ravenously hungry. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held her tight.

  The bubbles in the tub had receded, but she took some in her hand and wiped it on his face. He blew at them, and when he couldn’t remove them, he loosened his hold. She slipped out of his arms, and he caught her by the ankle as she tried to swim away. He began to tickle her foot, and she couldn’t contain her giggling.

  “Stop, stop! I… can’t… breathe.”

  He stopped tickling her and began massaging her foot. She leaned against the opposite side of the tub. He took both feet in his hands and massaged.

  “Mmm, that feels so good. You’ve never massaged my feet.”

  “I know. I give great massages, and it’s time you found out all the other things I can do besides giving you a good time in bed.”

  She frowned at him, “I know a lot of the other things you can do. You’re kind, caring, loving, protective to a fault. You must let go of the self-doubt you still feel. I don’t expect you to be perfect; I’m not.”

  He bent down to suck on her perfectly French pedicured toes causing her to start giggling again.

  “Okay, give me my feet back. Time to go get something to eat, I’m starving.” She rose from the tub and took one of the fluffy white towels off the rack, wrapping it around her before she stepped onto the bathmat. He followed, wiping at his chest before he wrapped the towel around his waist.

  She quickly pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a blue sleeveless shirt sans underwear, then went to the kitchen. She began hunting through the refrigerator. She removed a bowl of fruit salad, vanilla yogurt and found a box of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal in the cabinet. Xander must have told Annie what food to stock in the house because these were some of her favorites.

  Xander came into the kitchen dressed in a pair of sweats and a tank top; his wet sandy brown hair was tousled from the bath and her grabbing his hair. He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. She reached up to try and straighten his hair, but it was no use.

  “You need a haircut.”

  “I know. Or I could let it grow long again.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the thought. She much preferred him with his hair neatly combed and no longer than the collar of his shirt, where it now gently curled.

  “Please don’t. I love you with short hair.”

  He rubbed her back and reached down to cup her ass in his large hands.

  “I love your sexy posterior, Mrs. Wilder-to-be.”

  “Not as much as I love yours, Mr. Wilder.”

  He bent down to kiss her lips and then released her as the rain started to come down heavier. Sheets of water rolled down the windows.

  “It doesn’t look like it’s going to let up anytime soon. I think we are in for the day.”

  He reached into the refrigerator to grab things for a sandwich. After he was done, he sat down next to her to eat as she picked through the fruit salad.

  “Geez. Are you hungry?” She looked at his oversized sandwich on what seemed to be a half a loaf of Italian bread.

  “As a matter of fact, I am. I wish you would eat this way sometimes. You still need to gain weight, and you aren’t going to do it eating fruit salad and yogurt.”

  “I’ve already gained weight. I’m one hundred six pounds, so stop worrying about me. Don’t you want me thin for our wedding?”

  “Ava, I’m not one of those jerks that would be angry if his wife gained weight. Even if you were overweight, you would still be gorgeous.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh, “That isn’t what’s worrying me. I don’t want to be overweight. I worked hard to get thin, and I want to stay this way.”

  “Suppose you get pregnant? You’ll gain weight.”

  “That’s entirely different. I expect to gain weight if I was, and I know you would love me no matter what I weigh. Can we discuss this another time?” she asked as she speared a grape with her fork.

  “Yes. Please don’t be upset with me.”

  “I’m not. I love that you care enough to worry about me.”

  After lunch, she pulled on a sweatshirt and went to sit out on the porch with her copy of Crime and Punishment. She was always trying to get started reading the book but never seemed to get there. Xander joined her with a copy of Sports Illustrated. There was a slight chill in the air as the rain hammered upon the porch roof.

  She opened the book, and one of the roses she had pressed fell into her lap. Before she could shove it back in, Xander plucked it up.

  “What’s this?”

  Ava started to blush, “It’s from the roses you sent to me. Remember after the first week I worked for you?”

  “Yes, I do. I was in love with you and hoped you would figure out the meaning of lavender. As I remember, I had to finally profess my love for you before you understood.”

  “I was new to love. I’m sorry you needed to practically hit me on the head.”

  He took the book out of her hand, noticing a slight bulge in the pages. He opened it to another pressed lavender rose.

  “You saved two?”

  “It was from the bunch you sent me for graduation.” She looked pained. “I was so angry at you for leaving me, but I knew it was a token of your love and I needed to save a part of it.”

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I will regret what I did until the day I die.”

  “Please don’t say that. I can’t bear to think of losing you.” She thought back to the nightmares of Xander in the coffin. She shook the memory away as she shivered.

  “You’re chilled. Let’s go inside. I can light a fire, and we can cozy up on the couch. We can watch a movie if you like.”

  “Can you just hold me?”

  He held his hand out to her, and they went inside to start a fire in the large fieldstone fireplace in the great room.

  Chapter 4

  A bunch of idiots, Liam thought. It had been so easy to gain access to Ava’s apartment. He had gotten a pair of coveralls with a patch for a plumbing company from a thrift store near his hotel. He had purchased a red steel tool box and put on a cap. Liam had been observing the front
door of her apartment building for the better part of a week now. He noticed that during the weekends only one person was on duty and when they needed to use the facilities, they left the desk unattended.

  He saw his chance on Saturday afternoon and jammed his finger on the up button hoping that he wouldn’t get caught. He was lucky. The doors closed just as he heard footsteps walking towards the desk. Liam pressed the button for five and hummed as the elevator whirled to life. Within a minute he was stepping out into the hallway on the fifth floor. He looked around making sure none of her neighbors were there and then rushed to her door. He removed the small black zippered vinyl case from his coveralls pocket and opened it. Inside, were his lock picking tools. One of his former cellmates had been a burglar. He had explained to Liam how to pick a lock.

  When he had escaped, he spent several hours working the lock on his window at the hotel. He had never been in a hotel with key locks on a window, but it served him well. He was able to practice his craft without prying eyes watching over his shoulder. He eventually mastered the technique. He inserted the pick in the lock and started to work the cylinders with the other before he heard a click. She had two locks, but when he twisted the knob, the door popped open. He pushed into the apartment, slamming the door a little too hard behind him.

  Her apartment had not changed since he had last been here years before. She still had the same furniture, and with the exception of new drapes, everything was the same. He looked into her bedroom and saw two cats sleeping at the foot of her bed. The red one lazily yawned as he looked up, then went back to sleep. He remembered the gray one, what the hell was his name? Rainy? Robby? Riley, that was it.

  He started hunting through her place looking for her files. He wanted to see how much money she had because it would suit his purposes when the time came. He found a small file cabinet nestled in the back corner of her walk in closet. He was distracted by a black bustier clipped to a hanger. He took it off the bar and smelled it; it smelled of her.