Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

“Fuck, yes. Yes! Just like that.” Ava let out a loud moan as she felt her orgasm tear through her. She loved when Xander used his mouth on her. He could do the most wicked things with his tongue. He moved next to her and pressed his lips to hers.

  “I love you so much. Don’t push me away.”

  “I’m sorry, I won’t. I just don’t want you to be hurt again.”

  “It hurts me more to be away from you and if the price for that is the potential to be physically injured, then so be it. I want to protect you, and I can’t do that if you won’t let me.”

  She pushed him back and straddled him. She kissed him hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth.

  “You are insatiable tonight. Three times and you want more?”

  “I want you all the time. Just like you, I want you for always.”

  “I need to rest for a little while. Let’s go get something to eat; I’m starving.”

  He lifted her off him, and she slid onto the edge of the bed. He picked through the pile of discarded clothing on the floor and found his boxers which he slipped on. He threw her his white shirt, and she partially buttoned it up to the middle of her stomach, leaving a large amount of cleavage exposed. They went to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator.

  Xander had been subsisting on take-out food for the past few days, and there were several containers from which to choose.

  “No yogurt or fruit in here?”

  “You can eat some of this,” He said as he handed her a container of Kung Pao chicken. “I bought this yesterday thinking you were going to come and stay with me.”

  “I don’t want to have to keep apologizing.”

  “Then don’t. Just be with me. Give me Z.”

  He sat at the breakfast bar and dug into a container of Beef Lo Mein. She stood at the open refrigerator, and when she finally shut it, her nipples were straining against the white fabric of his shirt from the cold.

  “You’re making me hard again. Remember what we talked about months ago concerning this granite island.”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to fuck you on here.”

  Minutes later she was on her back on the dark granite, shirt fully unbuttoned and his boxers pooled around his ankles. He pulled her to the edge of the counter and wrapped her legs around his waist as he slipped inside her. He pulled her up against his chest, and he buried his face in her neck, sucking it where her pulse pounded. She dug her nails into his arms and her heels into his ass. She whimpered as he reached down to stroke her clit.

  She bit into his chest leaving teeth marks as he quickened his pace. He leaned her back against the cold granite and sucked at her nipples. She grabbed his hair and tugged at it, causing him to groan. Their lovemaking was primal, and she began to howl as her climax started to grip her. She screamed his name over and over until it was finished. She was so involved in her orgasm that she was not aware that Xander had his.

  He lay upon her, his chest heaving as he kissed her shoulders and neck.

  “Marry me,” he whispered.

  “Why do you always say that? We’re engaged, and I promise I will.”

  “I’m afraid you won’t. One day you will come to me and say it’s over.”

  “When will you stop thinking that way?”

  “When you’re Mrs. Wilder.”

  He picked her up in his arms, stepped out of his boxers and carried her to his bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and got in next to her, then pulled the sheet over them.

  “You know, you should realize you’re the only one for me, forever. I even got a tattoo that proves it.”

  He smiled in the dark, “Yes, you did.”

  Xander opened his eyes to the sound of singing. He heard the water running in the bathroom and shimmied over to look at the clock, 9:42 AM. It was still early, and he was wondering why Ava had gotten up since they had little sleep the night before.

  He rose from the bed, opened the bathroom door just as the shower turned off and she stepped out of the steam covered glass doors wrapped in a towel. She smiled at him as he stepped towards her and kissed her shoulder, then moved her dripping hair away from her neck to kiss it, too.

  “You smell delicious. Makes me want to take you to bed for the rest of the day.”

  “We can’t do that. We are having brunch with Sam and Robert.”

  “Fuck, is that today?”

  “Yes, did you forget?”

  “I did.”

  He tugged at the towel, but she held it tightly in clenched hands.

  “No! Get in the shower.”

  He smirked as she pushed him into the stall. He managed to yank the towel free and lift her in his arms.

  “Put me down!”

  Once again, they made it just in the nick of time to join Sam and Robert. Sam scowled at her as they sat down just before 11:30.

  “Why are you two always late?”

  Ava frowned at her.

  “Oh,” she whispered and discontinued her line of questioning.

  They chatted about their honeymoon trip and showed Xander and Ava pictures on their phones. When Sam asked Ava about their wedding, and if they had set a date yet, she shook her head shooting Xander a look. Sam excused herself to go to the bathroom and dragged Ava with her. When they got into the lounge area of the bathroom, Sam ordered her to sit.

  “What is going on? I saw the look Xander gave you when I asked about setting a date? You got engaged almost two months ago.”

  “We had some issues while you were away.”

  Sam pursed her lips and absentmindedly scratched her arm. “What issues? Are you still engaged?”

  “Of course, see.” Ava held up her ring. She explained about Liam escaping and her hesitancy to involve Xander in her problems. She said that Liam had gotten into her apartment; she told Sam how she tried distancing herself from Xander, but it had only hurt him.

  “You know for someone so damn smart; you are stupid. Xander loves you and would do anything for you. He is going to protect you from that sicko no matter what you do. What have the police said about catching Liam?”

  “They are no closer than they were when he first escaped. They know he is somewhere close to the city, but it’s like he disappeared into thin air. He got sloppy with the tool box, and his fingerprints were all over my apartment. I couldn’t sleep there until it was thoroughly cleaned.”

  They got back to the table and finished their food. When they left, Ava hugged Sam and told her she would see her at work. Robert pointed at her and told her he needed to see her pretty face at the gym soon. She realized he might not be fully aware of what had been happening, so she just nodded. Sam would tell him.

  Later in the day, Ava dozed on the couch while Xander prepared Chicken Marsala. She woke just in time for the news. Xander had left a glass of wine for her on the coffee table, and she reached for it just as a story about a horrible assault was being reported. She dropped the glass when the victim’s picture flashed on the screen.

  Xander ran into the living room to see what had happened. Ava had her arms around her knees, and she was rocking back and forth. Seeing that she was in distress, he tried to comfort her.

  “Sweetheart, did you cut yourself?”

  She couldn’t speak as the anxiety attack hit her full force. She couldn’t breathe, and her chest felt like it had a ton of bricks on it. It was the first time in years that she had one as bad as this. Xander tried to comfort her as he stroked her back.

  “Come back to me. Come on, breathe.”

  His voice was muffled and sounded like he was talking through water. She began to feel like she was blacking out and when she came too, he was gazing at her while he cradled her in his arms. Her breathing gradually started to improve as the bricks on her chest fell away.

  “Did you see?”

  “See what? The news report? Yes, some woman was assaulted in Westchester. She was barely alive when her husband found her, but it looks like she will survive her injuries.”

  “It was Jayne Danner.
”

  “They said her name was Jayne Welker.”

  “Xander, it’s Jayne Danner. She testified in court about Liam abusing her during his trial. Welker must be her married name. She was the woman that wrote me the letter after he attacked us. I talked to her about how sick he was.”

  As much as Xander tried to hide it, she could see the fear on his face.

  “This is why I don’t want you near me. If he is going to come after me, I don’t want you to get hurt. So much for the police hunting for him. They aren’t going to get to him so easily.”

  Xander swallowed hard, “I’m not going to leave you to twist in the wind while that sick fuck injures you, or worse, kills you.” He put his forehead against hers. “Do you know what it would do to me if you weren’t in my life. I don’t want to lose you. If he tries to come near you, I will tear him limb from limb. How do you know it was him anyway?”

  Ava snorted, before snapping, “Don’t you think it’s coincidental that she got attacked right after he escaped? Did you hear about what he did to Jayne? He tortured her. He sliced many parts of her body, burned her with cigarettes and when he was done having fun, he shot her in the chest. It’s a wonder she survived. He is out for blood, and he wants mine.”

  “Maybe you should take a leave of absence from work and visit your family in Georgia for awhile.”

  “I refuse to do that. We have an engagement party and wedding to plan plus a hundred other things to discuss. I’ll be damned if I’m going to do it long distance while I worry about him getting to you.”

  But the argument became moot as a call from her brother came in on Ava’s cell phone.

  “Oh my God, when? Not Daddy. Is he alive?”

  The tears started to roll down her cheeks as Xander stood helplessly by her side. She hung up the phone, and before he could ask her what had happened, she began furiously typing into it.

  “Ava, what happened? What happened to Jason?”

  “He had a heart attack. He’s in surgery having a triple bypass. It just happened an hour ago. I have to go to him. I guess you’re getting your wish and I will be away from here.”

  “You know I would never wish anything ill to happen to him. He might dislike me, but he is still your father. I can go with you if you like, but I have to be home tomorrow night because I have a case in court on Monday.”

  “That’s sweet, but I don’t want you to be exhausted. I’ll manage. I found a flight that leaves in a few hours from LaGuardia. I have to go home and pack.”

  “I’ll drive you.”

  “Ok. Come up to my apartment with me while I pack.”

  He nodded and went to the kitchen to shut the stove off and cover the chicken. Then he silently went to the bedroom to put on some jeans and socks. He wasn’t sure what he could say to comfort her because so many things had happened in such a short span of time. At this rate, they were never going to plan their wedding.

  Ava sat in the airport lounge waiting for her flight. She kept texting Michael, but he wrote that there was no update. Once she got on the plane, she would have to wait until she landed in Atlanta. She was exhausted when she boarded, and once she was buckled into her seat, she promptly fell asleep. The next thing she knew, a dark-eyed flight attendant was gently shaking her awake.

  “Miss, we are going to be landing in a few minutes.”

  Ava smiled at the woman, “Thank you.”

  She was glad that she had slept through the flight. Flying was not one of her favorite ways to travel especially during take-off. She clutched the armrest as the plane descended into Atlanta International Airport. After deplaning, she retrieved her bag and visited the rental counter for her car. She stepped out into the balmy Georgia night where the humidity hung like fog. While waiting for the bus to take her to the rental lot, she texted Michael but got no response. Her phone started to ring, and she absentmindedly answered it without looking at the incoming number.

  “Hello, Ava,” the gruff voice said.

  Her eyes grew wide as she realized who it was on the other end of the line. “Liam?”

  “Very good, you filthy whore. Did you happen to catch the news tonight?”

  She decided to play dumb. “No. Why?”

  “Don’t fuck with me. I’m sure you saw my handy work.”

  “I’m not even in town so why would I see it.” Even though she was fearful, she wanted to tell him to go fuck off. This was not the time for him to bother her.

  “Well, I’ll send you the newspaper clipping. You still live in the same place don’t you?”

  She almost gave it away by saying that he knew she did.

  “Yes, but why would I care about what you did?”

  “Because I’m going to do the same thing to you. You crossed me, you bitch. You should never have testified in court. But don’t worry, baby, if you aren’t in town, I’ll have to get to that asshole you’re dating. He testified against me, too. You both will get what’s coming to you.”

  Before she could speak, he hung the phone up. The bus arrived, and she was visibly shaking so much that the driver asked if she needed medical attention. She shook her head no and took a seat in the front of the empty bus. Xander, I need to tell him.

  It was 11:14 in the evening, but she knew he was still awake. He wouldn’t get much sleep tonight or any night while she was away. She called him as soon as she got into her rental car.

  “Sweetheart, are you alright? How was your flight?”

  Just the sound of his voice made her burst into tears.

  “Oh, baby, please don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. I wish I were there to hold you.”

  “Xander,” she sobbed.

  “Yes, sweetie.”

  “Liam called me a few minutes ago.”

  She held the phone back from her ear as he let out a string of curses.

  “I’ll fucking kill that bastard.”

  “He wants to kill us. He said so, and he is coming for both of us, not just me. He admitted what he did to Jayne. He said he was going to send me a newspaper clipping of it.”

  Xander let out another string of curses, “How did he get your cell number?”

  “He was in my apartment; he must have found a bill with my number.”

  “When you get home, you change it, and I’m calling the police.”

  “Maybe it’s better I don’t. If he called once, he would call again. I have to go. I need to get to the hospital to see Daddy. Xander, please be careful.”

  “I will. I love you, Mrs. Wilder-to-be. I’ll let you know what the police say.”

  “I love you, Mr. Wilder,” and she hung up.

  Xander paced the floors of his apartment after he had called the police. They had told him that they would investigate and need to speak with Ava when she got back. He wanted to go to her to protect her, but he couldn’t. Liam was a bonafide psycho, and he was coming for him, too.

  After Ava had left, he watched the news report again, paying closer attention to the wounds Jayne had sustained. She had been cut more than fifty times superficially on different parts of her body. He had scarred her breasts with cigarette burns. He sliced through her nostril and cut off part of her ear. Her husband had found her in a pool of blood coming from a wound just below her heart. Liam had missed her vital organs, and the exit wound was one centimeter from her spinal column.

  Jayne was very lucky to be alive, but what would the aftermath be? He must have tortured her for hours. The physical wounds would heal but what about the psychological ones? Xander knew that Ava still had occasional nightmares about the attack by Liam. She didn’t say as much, but he could hear her mumbling in her sleep. He would poise himself to wake her if she started to thrash or yell, but it never seemed to get that harsh. If he caught her and tortured her if she even survived, what would the scars be then?

  He tried not to think of what his life would be like without her. It was just too unbearable to consider, similar to how she said it would be for her if he were to die. He shook the thou
ghts away because they were too horrible.

  Ava quickly entered Emory University Hospital and went upstairs to the Cardiology unit to wait for her father to return from surgery. The waiting room was full of her relatives: Brooke, Walter, Michael, Alicia, Felice and David were all slumped in chairs. They stood when they saw her enter, each one hugging her except David. He gave her a weak smile, and a small wave then went back to playing with his phone.

  Michael took her aside and told her what had happened. They were having dinner on the patio when their father slumped over clutching his chest. Walter quickly called 911, and Jason was rushed to the hospital. He had been in surgery for almost four hours. They could do nothing but wait.

  Ava plopped down in a chair and yawned. She was exhausted, and there would be no sleeping until she was sure that her father was doing better. Xander had texted her saying that Peter had called to tell him Daniel was on his way with Mavis and Jacob. She was comforted to know that all her family was coming down to be with her father.

  She scanned the room, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that David was staring at her. When she turned in his direction, he looked away. He seemed to be subdued and no longer angry at her. He shouldn’t be since the only thing she had done is not love him the way he wanted. She couldn’t change what they had shared. She dozed in the chair for the next three hours until the Cardiothoracic surgeon stopped by to brief everyone. Her father was in recovery and would be moved to the ICU shortly. He had done well in surgery, and his prognosis was good.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and texted Xander. She got no answer then realized that it was well past 2:00 AM. She was sure that he must have passed out from lack of sleep the night before. Felice discussed a few things with the doctor, and when she came back, she told them all to go home and rest. Everyone protested, but she told them there was nothing further to do except wait while Jason was brought in to ICU and was able to receive visitors.

  Ava needed sleep; she blasted the air conditioner the entire trip back to Sandy River. She was the first to arrive, and she lugged her suitcase out of her trunk, then searched through her key ring for the one that opened the front door. By the time she was in her room, she heard voices in the foyer below. Felice and David had arrived. She wanted to provide some comfort to her stepmother, but she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.