Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  Xander could feel her shudder around him and then he felt her explode. She gripped the pillow she was laying on as she spiraled deep into her climax, saying his name over and over. He sped up his movements until he too was splintering and falling. After he finished, he gently lay upon her back keeping most of his weight on his arms.

  He feathered kisses along her shoulders as their heavy breathing became one, his chest against her back. Her face was turned to the side, and he bent to kiss her cheek. He pulled out of her, and he saw her wince, and a look of worry crossed his face.

  “Sweetheart, did I hurt you?

  “Not at all. I like that position very much.”

  Xander lay on his back next to her. “It’s very intimate. I thought we would try something new.”

  “I’d like to try that again sometime.”

  “Don’t worry, we will,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose.

  She reached over and stroked his hair, then turned on her side to face him, nuzzling his chest as he pulled her against him.

  “Xander?”

  “Yes, baby.”

  “Do you know where you want to live in the city when we get married? What I mean is do you want to live in the neighborhood we are or move to midtown where the firm is?”

  “I like the neighborhood we live in. There are plenty of restaurants; we are near the water and the park. Why? Do you want to look for a different place?”

  “I like your place. It’s a nice building and very secure. Maybe we should look to buy a place there.”

  “It’s very expensive to buy a place there even with two attorney’s salaries.”

  “We could see if your father would be willing to sell your apartment to us.”

  He pushed her back so he could look at her face, “Ava, that place is worth about two and a half million dollars. Even if my father would sell it to us, we might not get a mortgage.”

  “We don’t need a mortgage. I have money, and we can buy it from your father.”

  Xander sat up and looked at her with a scowl. “No way. Do you think I want my wife paying for our home? What kind of asshole would I look like? I would feel emasculated.”

  She sat up and stared at him, “Emasculated? You think that it’s wrong for me to use my - OUR - money on a home?”

  “It’s not my money and never will be. It’s your money, and I don’t want you spending it on something that will be ours.”

  “If we’re married then it’s your money, too. You know how much I have and I can well afford to spend some of it.”

  “I’m not budging on this. Frankly, I’m surprised that your father and Michael didn’t discuss a prenup with you.”

  She looked down and her hands and started to pick at her nails.

  “They did, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, but I told them no. Regardless of what they think of you, I don’t care. It’s my money, and if you leave me, then you can have it. Without you, money isn’t going to make me happy.”

  “I feel the same way, and I don’t want your money even if we broke up.”

  “Then why can’t I spend some of it on a home for us?”

  “This is non-negotiable. I won’t allow you to do it.”

  “I’m going to end this argument now. I want to revisit this when we get home. I don’t want to spend what little time we have together here arguing about something that we don’t need until we are married, whenever that is.”

  He acquiesced because she was right. They weren’t going to be married for awhile, and it made no sense to argue about where they were going to live now. But what he didn’t know is that Ava had spoken with his father about purchasing the apartment where he now lived. She loved the place, and though she would miss it, knew it was better to live in Xander’s.

  Peter had told her he would figure out a price and they could discuss it at a later time. She planned on giving the apartment to Xander as a wedding gift. Based on how angry he got when she gave him the Patek Philippe watch, she expected him to be furious. But by then, the papers would be signed, and there would be nothing he could do. She just needed to figure out the best time to tell him.

  She snuggled into Xander’s arms and let him cuddle her as she drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, she would not stay asleep. She was awakened by the ringing of her phone at three in the morning.

  What the hell? She grabbed the phone and looked at the number hoping it wasn’t Felice or the hospital. It was Liam. She was in no mood to talk to him, especially with Xander here, so she silenced the phone before he woke. Ava put the cell back on the nightstand and felt nauseated. She had ignored him, and there was no telling what that would do to him.

  Chapter 9

  Fucking bitch. She let her phone go to voicemail rather than talk to him. Liam didn’t care if it was three in the morning. She was deliberately pressing his buttons, and he was going to make her pay for it. He had just gotten back into his room several minutes ago. He was drunk on cheap beer from Hatter’s, a seedy bar where he could remain anonymous. The place had stunk from piss and vomit.

  The few regulars there were as seedy as the bar itself. Hatter’s had nothing better than domestic garbage on tap when he would have preferred Guinness. When he asked for it, the almost toothless bartender laughed an acrid stench of nicotine in his face.

  He would have loved to order whiskey, but too many of them made his head hurt. After several glasses of the domestic swill, he stumbled out of the bar and was propositioned by two prostitutes that inhabited the corner. He waved them away, and the nauseating odor of their perfume made him vomit.

  He needed a pick-me-up, which is why he had decided to call Ava. He thought she would pick up the phone immediately. He could hear the fear in her voice each time he called even though she tried to pretend she wasn’t scared. It gave him a giddy feeling to know that he had her on edge. But tonight she had ignored his phone call. She was obviously not as smart as he gave her credit.

  After Liam called, Ava could not get back to sleep. She felt safe in Xander’s arms, but she knew that Liam was out there somewhere. She wondered what the ramifications of ignoring Liam’s call would be, And wished he would get it over with already and come for her. She had no intention of letting him take her so easily. Her plan was to go to the shooting range while she was here. She hadn’t held a gun in years, but it was time for her to familiarize herself with them again.

  At 5:30, she untangled herself from Xander’s arms. He was snoring in her ear anyway, and though she had gotten about four hours of sleep, she didn’t want to bother trying to sleep any longer. She opened the dresser drawer and then realized the only thing she had to wear down here was her bikini. She couldn’t wear that up to the house. It was soaking wet and sitting in a heap on the floor. Instead, she riffled through Xander’s suitcase and found a long t-shirt.

  She located some notepaper in the kitchen drawer and wrote him a note. She needed to go for a run. As she was leaving, he appeared at the bedroom door rubbing his eyes.

  “Sweetheart, where are you going?”

  “I can’t sleep any longer. I’m going for a run.”

  “Can I join you?”

  “Uh, sure. I have to go up to the house to get some clothes.”

  “You know I can see your nipples through that shirt. Why didn’t you take a darker one?”

  “Does it matter? No one is up anyway.”

  “I am,” he offered as he gave her a wicked smile.

  She glanced at his erection and mouthed later as she walked out the glass doors of the pool house.

  It was incredibly humid for so early in the morning. The grass was soaked with dew as she walked up to the main house and her feet were wet when she entered. She took the steps up to her room two at a time, unaware that eyes were on her.

  David had just made himself a cup of coffee and came out of the kitchen just as she started up the stairs, the t-shirt revealing her bare ass with each movement. He felt himself harden and had to turn away, but her perfe
ct posterior was burned in his brain. Where the hell was she all night?

  He was on his way out of the kitchen when she came back down the stairs wearing a tank top, running shorts and sneakers. Her auburn locks were pulled off her face in a tight ponytail. He stared into her green eyes, and she averted them from his blue ones.

  “Going for a run?”

  “Yes, I couldn’t sleep anymore.”

  “Where were you? You didn’t sleep in your room last night.”

  She sighed deeply, “I stayed with Xander in the pool house.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows, “When did he get here?” He didn’t hide his animosity.

  “Yesterday. Please don’t start with him as a favor to me.”

  David nodded as he watched her ponytail bob when she passed. She smelled of sex and her fiancé’s cologne mixed with her perfume. It pissed him off that he could never get a free moment with her without Xander being around or the thought of him in her mind.

  Ava entered the pool house and found Xander slipping on his running sneakers. They ran the path she always took, down the long driveway and onto the winding country road. It didn’t dawn on Xander where they were going until they got close. He started to feel queasy as they approached the guardrail and he fell behind. She turned to see him looking in distress. His run became a slow jog and then a walk. She went to him.

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I always take this way.”

  “How… How can you stand it?” He felt like a weight was pressing on his chest and he found it hard to take in any air.

  “The first time it was bad, but I got used to it. It’s part of our past, and we can’t ignore it.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the spot where the accident occurred.

  The guardrail still had the scar from where the SUV had scraped and gone over the edge. Xander vacantly looked down the hill. He was biting his tongue so hard that he tasted blood and his eyes grew blurry with tears. He swiped at them, and Ava hugged him. He turned away from the site and looked down the road.

  “I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop. It happened, it was a long time ago, and it’s over. I’ve made my peace and so should you. We are together despite what has happened to us. Let’s move on.”

  She held his hand tight and pulled him along the way they had come. She could hear him sniffling, and she declined to comment. He needed to reconcile his feelings, just as she had years earlier.

  When they got back to her father’s property, he pulled her along to the pool house with urgency. He pushed the door opened, pulling her through and against the wall. He pressed his lips hard against hers, and his tongue forced her lips apart. She let him because she knew it was his way of coping with what he had just encountered.

  Several minutes later they were both naked, and he had her wedged between himself and the wooden door of the bedroom, their breath heaving in unison while he slammed into her. She dug her nails into his shoulders a little too hard, clinging to him for dear life. Their bodies were soaked with sweat, and their orgasms were simultaneous. No words were spoken between them.

  After it was over, he gently placed her on the floor and went into the bathroom. He shut her out, closing the door behind him. She heard the shower turn on and she wiped at the sweat on her face. She wasn’t sure what she should do, but it was obvious that he wanted to work this out on his own. She grabbed at her clothes strewn on the floor and pulled them on again.

  In her bathroom, she leaned against the wall and cried, her salty tears mixing with the water from the shower. She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but when she came out wrapped in a towel, Xander was sitting on the edge of her bed. She fixed her eyes on him waiting for him to say something.

  He hung his head, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know why I did that.”

  “You were in shock. It’s something you never faced. I had no choice because I was here. It stared at me until I stared it down. In the end, it’s just a dented guardrail like any other.”

  “How can you say that? You don’t know what I went through in that field, watching you die.”

  “You don’t need to rehash it. I know what happened and I know the aftermath. I lived it; we lived it. You have to let it go, or it will eat you alive. Why haven’t you spoken to me about this before now?”

  “I didn’t think you would want me to bring it up. Sometimes I think that I fucked you up by us dating. You were innocent and sweet when we met. I destroyed you. You became jaded because of me.”

  “I thought you let this go a long time ago.”

  “I thought I did too but seeing where… you know, it brought it all back. I will always have some degree of guilt no matter how much I try to let it all go.”

  Ava went to him and cupped his chin, tipping it up, so he was looking in her eyes.

  “I’ve forgiven you. There is no need for guilt.”

  She wrapped her hand around his head and pulled him to her chest. He encircled her waist with his arms. After a few minutes, he let her go and looked up.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  As she turned to get some clothing out of her suitcase, he grasped her towel and pulled. It fell to the floor, and she was standing naked in front of him. He felt himself twitch at the sight of her. He reached for her, but she shuffled away from him.

  “Xander, no. Everyone is down the hall, and we aren’t having sex here.”

  “Then I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and take you to my room.”

  “You will do no such thing. I want to visit my father, and then you can have the whole day with me. Tomorrow he is coming home from the hospital, and you will behave.”

  He pouted and crossed his arms.

  “Don’t give me that little girl pout. I forgot to tell you, David knows you’re here.”

  “And?”

  “It’s apparent he won’t be back in the pool house until you leave.”

  “As long as you aren’t in the pool house after I leave.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “I’m sorry, forgive me.”

  They heard voices in the hall, and she told Xander to be quiet.

  “Why?” He whispered.

  “Because I don’t want them to know you are in here with me.”

  “Are you serious? You think they don’t know we have sex?”

  “I’m sure they do, but I don’t want to put that image in their minds by them hearing us together. Now shush.”

  A half hour later they were having coffee with the rest of the family at the kitchen table. Natalia had made biscuits and sausage gravy, grits, and omelets for breakfast. Ava could see that she was going to have to work out extra hard when she got home. She glanced at Xander’s smug face as he watched her down a small dish of biscuits and gravy. She was still two pounds away from her normal weight but eating all this southern fare was going to make her gain more. Shortly after finishing her breakfast, they went to the hospital together.

  “Daddy, you look much better.”

  “I feel much better. I can’t wait to get home.”

  Ava sat in the chair next to his hospital bed.

  “Felice tells me that Xander came down to visit. Where is he?”

  “He is waiting down the hall. I wasn’t entirely sure you would want to see him, and I didn’t want to upset you if you didn’t.”

  “He is going to be my son-in-law. I’ve forgiven him because you love him. If he wants to visit me, he is welcome.”

  Ava smiled at her father then rose from her chair to get Xander, where he had been sitting in the waiting room looking out the window. It was a sunny day, and he watched the sparse clouds float along the blue sky. His mind drifted to things that had happened over the past few hours. He had no idea that the accident site would affect him so deeply. He absentmindedly scratched the scar along his jawline. It was barely noticeable, but he could feel the smoothness where the hair didn’t grow.

  “Xander?”

  He l
ooked up hearing the melodic voice of his fiancée.

  “Daddy wants you to come see him.”

  He felt his stomach start to churn. Jason had kept him at arm’s length since they had announced their engagement. Even though they would be family, he wasn’t sure if he would ever be accepted as one of them.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, come.” She held out her small hand to him.

  He grasped her fingers and felt her engagement ring dig into his flesh. She was his no matter what her family thought of him.

  “Jason, how are you feeling.”

  “Much better. Ava, can you ask the nurse for another blanket, I’m a bit chilly.”

  After she had left Jason gestured for him to come closer,“I hope you’re taking care of my daughter. I expect you to cherish her the same way I do.”

  “I am, and I do. I love her very much.”

  Their conversation ceased when Ava came back with a heated blanket, and she spread it over Jason’s bed. Xander sat down in a chair by the window as Ava chatted with her father. He was glad that Jason didn’t bring up the subject of Liam. Either he didn’t know, or he didn’t want to mention it.

  A half hour later, Felice, Daniel, and Mavis entered to visit, so they went to leave to give them room. Ava kissed her father, and Xander patted his shoulder. They walked hand in hand to the parking garage where Xander took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. When he released her, she was breathless.

  “What was that for?”

  “I need to have a reason to kiss my fiancée?”

  “Well no, but it was unexpected.”

  “I just love you so much. I want to start making plans for our wedding starting today. Can you handle that?”

  “Yes, I agree.”

  “So you are done with the idea of eloping?”

  “I would like to, but I think our families would be upset. We can have a big wedding even though it’s going to be hard for me to be the center of attention.”