Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Answer me? Where is your engagement ring? Why aren’t you wearing it?”

  She tried to pull her arm from his grip, but he pulled her off the dance floor, into a corner away from the throngs of people. She tried to slip away, but he caged her between his arms.

  “You owe me an explanation. You ignore my texts and calls, then I find you here allowing another man to put his hands on you and God knows what else.”

  “You have some balls asking me for an explanation. You hide things from me, and then you demand I reveal everything to you? I don’t owe you anything. Now let me enjoy myself.”

  “No! We have things we need to discuss. What about the wedding?”

  She laughed hysterically, “Wedding? Are you kidding? Why don’t you discuss a wedding with Katerina?”

  He scratched at the stubble on his face and then picked her up in his arms, carrying her towards one of the exit doors. Several of the club’s patrons looked at them as they passed. She didn’t have the energy to fight with him and didn’t put up much of a struggle.

  When they got to the street, he put her down and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her down the street so he could hail a cab. He clung tightly to her as if he let go she would run back to the club. They were able to get the first cab that came by, and he gently pushed her inside it. They hadn’t slept together for almost a week, and the sexual tension between them was palpable. He put his hand on her knee and slid it up to her inner thigh, then higher until his fingers were pressed against her sex.

  She stared at him, and he pressed his lips against hers, using his tongue to force her mouth open. At the same time, he slipped a finger into her, then a second. She shifted her hips to meet his rhythm. He petted her until he knew she was close than he removed his fingers. She bit his lip in protest, and he pulled back slightly only because her teeth were still latched onto him.

  They arrived at her apartment building, and he waited for her to say something, but she pulled him out of the car to follow her. His cock was pressing hard against his jeans in a tight bulge. In the elevator she stroked him, and he groaned.

  “I’d love to fuck you in here,” he whispered.

  She raised an eyebrow at him and pulled him down to kiss her. He put his hand under her dress and squeezed her ass. She got out of the elevator with him close behind as he followed to her door. Ava fumbled in her tiny purse for her keys. She shoved them into the door lock, unlocked the door and he pushed her in, reaching around to remove the keys. The door slammed as he gently shoved her against it.

  “Where are they?”

  “Where are what?”

  “Your rings. I want them on your hands when I make love to you. I want to know you’re mine - body, and soul.”

  She looked down at her stiletto clad feet but said nothing.

  “Ava, what’s wrong?”

  “I saw you in Central Park yesterday with her.”

  “Oh. It wasn’t meant to hurt you. I just wanted to take Lex to the park. We were near there after the paternity test.”

  “But she had her hands on you.”

  “I’m sorry. That was a lapse in judgment. She doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “Katerina’s gorgeous. She gave you a son. Why wouldn’t she mean anything to you?”

  “Don’t you know? I love you, only you. You’re my pretty girl.”

  “Stop saying that.”

  “It’s true. Please put on your rings.”

  She went to her room and opened the jewelry box. He reached over her, took the engagement ring from the box and held it out for her. She slipped it on, and a wide smile bloomed on his face.

  “You’re mine. Please don’t forget that.”

  “Are you mine?”

  “Of course. Always.”

  Xander reached down and tipped up her chin to kiss her. He grasped the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head then threw it on the floor. She was wearing an ivory lace bra and thong. He hissed through his teeth. It was a set he had not seen. He buried his face in her cleavage, and she tugged at his jacket, which he promptly dropped on the floor.

  She undid his belt and stroked his hard length through his jeans. She was so turned on that she kept clenching her thighs to stem her anticipation. He kneeled in front of her to help her take off her shoes and then removed her panties without ripping them this time. She was about to sit, but he told her to continue standing.

  He spread her legs wide and kissed her belly. She wondered what he was up to until he touched her clit with his tongue. It sent ripples through her, and she had to put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. She felt his finger spreading her open, and his tongue moved between her folds as he sucked at her swollen nub, and she started to moan, loudly. Her legs were becoming like jelly, and she put her other hand on his opposite shoulder.

  As she was starting to shudder, she felt her insides tighten before her climax shattered her. Wrapping his hand around her ass to steady her, he continued to lick through her orgasm. He let go so she could sit on the bed. As he undressed, becoming gloriously naked, she placed her hand around his girth and moved to take him in her mouth.

  “No. This is about you and your pleasure.”

  He reached around and released her bra, pulling it off and dropping it on the floor so that she was now naked, too. Gently pushing her back onto the bed then leaning down, he kissed down her neck to her collarbone, which he nibbled. He ran his tongue in between her breasts, and she ran her fingers through his hair. Kissing her nipples and suckling them made her loudly moan his name. His erection was pressed against her leg; when she reached between them to touch it, but he pulled away.

  “Don’t make me wait.”

  “Shhh.”

  He continued his downward trek kissing her stomach and gliding his tongue from hip bone to hip bone. Then he moved up to her face, kissing her lips.

  “I want you on top,” he said.

  She was only too happy to grant his request, and he turned on his back, which allowed her to straddle him. She ran her wet folds over his length, and he shivered. Positioning herself over him, she slowly sank. He gritted his teeth as she enveloped him, but she didn’t move. Instead, she lay upon his chest. He kissed the top of her head and enjoyed feeling the pounding of her heart against him.

  They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity until she raised herself off him and began moving. He met her movements with his own, thrusting deep into her. She reached for his hands, and he entwined them with hers. He possessively hooked his nail in the band of her engagement ring. Her breath became ragged, and he knew she was close.

  “Come for me, sweetheart.”

  She closed her eyes and threw her head back howling as she climaxed, causing him to smile as she released. When she opened her eyes, he was still smiling.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  He shook his head and thrust into her, once, twice, three times, and he started to come. He held her hips down as he emptied into her, then pulled her onto his chest. She slid off him and lay on his side cuddled up against him.

  “Ava, do you want to discuss anything? I feel like we have so much to say and it never gets said.”

  “I think Liam was at the lake house,” she blurted out.

  He stared at her and blinked several times before he spoke. “What? Our lake house?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I had Roger trace the phone calls he made to me and from where. The traced on his phone went to a few locations, one of which was Lake George.”

  “We need to get up there.”

  “I already had the police go there. They went through the entire house. The front door was unlocked, but they didn’t find anything. I called Annie and asked her to lock up and keep an eye on the place. She said she would go with her son Oliver just in case someone was squatting.”

  “I wouldn’t want to mess with Oliver. He used to be an MMA fighter.”

  “Do you think Liam
was there?”

  “I don’t know, but it would be the perfect place for him to hide. It’s quiet and secluded.”

  “Roger checked to see if his phone could be traced anywhere else. It couldn’t. So either he shut it off, or he threw it away. He was definitely in the city a few days ago.”

  “Fuck. That means he has a good hiding spot. He made a mistake by calling you and hopefully he will do it again so we can locate him.”

  “I don’t want to talk to him anymore. The things he said to me make me sick.”

  Xander pulled her to his chest. He was glad she told him, but there were other things to discuss. “There are other things we need to talk about besides Liam. You know this.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Why weren’t you wearing your engagement ring when you went out tonight?”

  “I was hurt. After I saw you with her…”

  “Regardless of what you think, I don’t want her. Katerina is my past, and it was only casual. I once wanted more, but that was years ago. If we share parenting for Lex, it’s something we will have to do. If he is my son, I want him to be a part of my life, and you will be his stepmother.”

  She liked the sound of that, but she didn’t like the fact that Xander would have contact with Katerina. That woman and her high fashion self-confidence made her uncomfortable, and her body language made Ava realize she wanted more from Xander than to just co-parent.

  “When do you get the test results?”

  “Tuesday morning.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”

  “Because there might not be any truth to tell. If he isn’t mine, then you got upset for nothing.”

  She buried her face in his chest.

  “I love you, Ava, but you can be so stubborn sometimes. Why didn’t you answer my calls or texts? I was worried because you called out of work.”

  “I needed time. It’s very hard to work with you when we aren’t getting along.”

  “I don’t want you to take this ring off again. You’re my fiancée, and I want everyone to know it.”

  “Even Katerina?”

  “Especially Katerina. She had her chance, and I love you, only you.”

  She was about to speak, but Xander claimed her mouth. The next morning she woke up sore and exhausted. They had spent most of the night getting reacquainted after their almost week long hiatus. She stretched and looked over at Xander, with his hair was hanging over his forehead looking beautiful. She stroked his stubble, and he shifted but didn’t wake up.

  She ran her fingers over his eyelashes and lips. Then she lightly kissed his cheek. She played with his hair and touched his nose with her fingertip. He smirked.

  “If you keep doing that, I’m going to bite that offending finger.” He said with his eyes still closed.

  “Do you know how handsome you are when you sleep?”

  “Not as sexy as you are when you sleep. I could watch you for hours.”

  “Do you?”

  “Watch you? Yes, I do.”

  She turned over onto her stomach, and he opened his eyes, kissing the smooth skin of her back. He ran his fingers down the ridges of her spine, making her shiver.

  “Your back is so beautiful.”

  He pulled the sheet down to just above her behind. Then he leaned over her, kissed her shoulder blades, then her ribs and ran his tongue down the middle of her back. When he got to her ass, he pulled the sheet down to reveal two perfect orbs. He gently bit into one side, then the other. He was beginning to harden as he kissed her.

  “Sweetheart?”

  “Umm?”

  “Do you want to…?”

  She didn’t turn over, “Honestly, I’m sore. You were a little rough the last two times.”

  He kissed her, “I’m sorry. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because I liked it.”

  “Hmm, I’m going to have to file that one. Fiancée likes it rough.”

  “Not all the time but it was good, very good.”

  He moved up to lie next to her, kissing her cheek and stroking her hair.

  “Do you still want to go today?”

  “You mean to see wedding places?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of course, why would you think I wouldn’t?”

  “Because you were so upset last week. I thought you would want me to cancel.”

  “I love you, Xander, and I want to marry you. If we keep putting this off, we might as well elope. I don’t want to be engaged for five years before we marry. I also think we need to see a relationship therapist. Our communication is so poor about everything but sex. We can’t live like that anymore. What happens when we’re married? We can’t run to our separate apartments and ignore each other.”

  Xander rubbed the back of his neck then looked up at her.

  “I agree. I think there are issues that we don’t discuss from the past that we need to get out in the open. Our love can’t sustain us if we can’t get along. I want to marry once and only once.”

  Later that morning, they went to the first of three appointments to see wedding venues. The first place was Sixty, a beautiful setting with breathtaking water views. Though Ava liked the space, Xander wanted something a little more rustic. She felt like pouting because she felt this was perfect for their wedding. However, she changed her mind when they told her they had no availability until the fall time in two years. That was too long to wait, and she wanted a date no later than summer of the upcoming year.

  The next venue they saw was Soho Roof Gardens. It was another beautiful space on a rooftop with accommodations inside and out for over six hundred guests. They had a grassy space as well as water views on three sides of the building. Xander liked the place very much, but Ava was unsure since the manager, Cecelia, was rude to her while paying most of her attentions to him. When they got outside, he could sense her annoyance.

  “Sweetheart, what’s the matter? You said you wanted water views. That place was perfect, and it can accommodate six hundred guests regardless of using the indoor or outdoor area.”

  “I have an aversion to working with someone that feels it necessary to eye bang my fiancé.”

  “What?”

  “You really can be unaware of the effect you have on women. I see them swooning when you’re in their presence.”

  “No more than men do to you. I see the looks you get.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He opened the door to her side of the car for her. When he started the car, they continued the conversation.

  “You still don’t realize how gorgeous you are.”

  “Not more than Katerina,” she mumbled.

  “You are more beautiful than her. I don’t care about her the way I do you, I never have. You are beautiful, inside and out. Don’t let the possibility that she and I are having to co-parent upset you.”

  He reached out and stroked her neck with the back of his hand.

  “Do you want to see the last place? It’s out in Westchester.”

  She felt her stomach jump because she associated that as Liam’s hometown, but she wasn’t going to be deterred because of him (and was not about to remind Xander of that fact, either).

  “Yes, where is it? New Rochelle?”

  “Uh huh, New Rochelle. It’s the called the Surfside.”

  He drove along the Henry Hudson Parkway while she looked out the window at the river. They pulled into the Surfside a half hour later. It had a large sprawling green lawn that led up to a large building with terraces on the front, sides, and back. The manager was a short man with dark eyes and hair named Fallon. He greeted them and made no effort to hide that he was quite taken with Ava. He shook her hand and held it longer than appropriate.

  She glanced at Xander, who frowned at her. She smiled sweetly at him and followed Fallon to the largest space available. It could accommodate over five hundred people. The ceilings were arched and thirty feet high in this room.

  Fallon showed them the lig
ht kit that could be used to change the color and atmosphere of the room. He also pointed out several oversized mounted LCD screens that could be used to display photos. He hit a button, and a wall of beige drapes slowly opened to reveal a limestone paved patio and water views of the Long Island Sound.

  Ava felt giddy as she walked to the window. Fallon followed her and unlatched one of the doors, then slid it open. Xander possessively clasped her hand in his, and they walked out onto the patio. Fallon fixed his gaze on Ava as he explained the set-up for the wedding. They could choose to have their cocktail hour outdoors and their reception indoors or both indoors.

  He then brought them to an area with a raised platform where they could have their ceremony under the backdrop of the Long Island Sound. They had several fountains around the property with stone benches and lovely gardens. Ava was sold, but based on Xander’s face she wasn’t so sure he was. He seemed pissed. Fallon led them to his office to discuss available dates.

  “Depending on how early you want to be married, I just received a cancellation for September twentieth. If you want the date, I can pencil you in until you make a decision. I will need a deposit by next week if you want me to continue to hold it.”

  Before Ava could say anything, Xander told him that they would need to discuss it before they made a decision. Ava rose and offered her hand to Fallon to shake. He took it and stroked her palm with his thumb; then he released it to shake Xander's quickly. He walked them out to the building’s entrance, and Xander took Ava’s hand to lead her to the car. He waited until they were out of earshot to speak.

  “What the hell was that? You talk about that woman at Soho. He would have been all over you if I wasn’t here.”

  “That’s not true. He was just being nice.”

  “Yeah, talk about eye-banging. He would have had you bent over his desk if he could.”

  “Xander! That comment is beneath you. Why would you say that?”

  “Ava, you need to learn the difference between someone being nice and someone being a predator.”

  “I know the difference. Do you think if you weren’t here he would have charmed me out of my panties? Give me some credit,” she said angrily.