Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Is that what you think I am? Your property?”

  “No, I would never think that. Wrong use of words. I mean my pretty girl, mine.”

  She couldn’t let it go, “Is that what you think of me?”

  “Ava, stop. I made a mistake.”

  “Maybe I made a mistake.” She twisted her engagement ring, and he worried that she would throw it at his head. But her point had been made as she walked towards the house.

  He followed her, and she stepped inside, pulling the slider half closed. She went to the refrigerator and took out a cup of yogurt. She opened several drawers before she located a spoon and then sat at the breakfast bar. He stood and watched her with a weary look on his face then went to kiss her back.

  “I’m not in the mood. First, you say no to marrying me; then you call me your property.”

  He bit his bottom lip and ran his hands through his hair, then sat down next to her.

  “I didn’t mean to say that. You know I get jealous. I saw the way that guy was looking at you. And what was he doing on our private beach anyway?”

  “He was just friendly. We were talking about how good the fishing is off the jetty. He said during the morning is best. He told me that he’s the nephew of the people that own the house next door. We share the jetty.”

  “You didn’t see the look he gave you when you turned toward me. He was looking at your ass.” He grasped the string tied at her neck, “This bikini is very small, it barely covers your breasts.”

  She knew he was correct because it did barely cover her breasts but that was the point. They had a private beach, and she planned to seduce him anyway she could.

  “I bought this for you. I wasn’t planning on wearing it to a public beach.”

  He smiled and kissed her bare shoulder. She continued to eat her yogurt, and he ran his hand down her back, fingering her spine. She closed her eyes at the sensation of his hand on her. Ava got up to throw the half finished cup in the garbage; she had lost her appetite for food.

  “What do you want to do today?” She said while licking her plump lips.

  He scratched at his arm, which she had come to know he always did when he was nervous.

  “Do you want to go to the beach or stay near the pool? It’s early so we can decide later. They have some nice places in town to go shopping, little antique shops and things like that. We could shop and have lunch.”

  She pulled at the top string on her bikini and then the bottom one, letting it flutter to the floor. Her nipples had hardened with just the thought of what he could do to her.

  “Oh, well, why didn’t you say so?”

  The counter was just the right height, much the way the one at his apartment was. He kneeled in front of her and tugged at her micro bikini bottom. She held onto his shoulder as she stepped out of it. He pulled her to him and began kissing her hips. She ran her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair as he moved his mouth lower. She felt her sex clench and knew by the time he touched her she would be soaked.

  He flicked his tongue between her thighs, and she shuddered. Then he gently spread her legs apart and pushed his tongue in deeper. She whimpered and continued to hold onto him for support. He slipped a finger into her and slowly moved it in a circular motion while his tongue did the same to her clit.

  “You feel so snug.”

  She closed his eyes while he attended to her, tightening her grip on his hair when she felt her insides yield then release as her climax turned her body into jelly.

  “I have to sit,” she panted, and he lowered her onto his lap, cradling her naked body in his arms. His face glistened with her juices, and she kissed his lips, transferring them to her own. He held her against his body, and she kissed his bare chest, gently biting his nipple.

  “I don’t want to take you here, let’s go upstairs where I can properly make love to you.”

  “What happened to ravaging me in the entire house?”

  “I can do that later; we have all week. Right now, I want to take my time with you and make you come.”

  She got off his lap, and he rose from the floor, picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the master bedroom. Two hours later it was still early, and they had made love three times. She was content just to stay in bed all day with his arms around her. But they were on vacation, and he insisted that they go out and enjoy their surroundings. He promised to have her in another room or two later that day or evening. They showered together, and though he had come several times, he hardened as he soaped her body.

  “You are insatiable this morning.”

  “Where you’re concerned, always, but I can wait until later. Patience is a virtue.”

  She laughed, “I’m not sure virtue should be used in this circumstance.”

  Chapter 18

  Where the fuck was she - and the asshole, for that matter? Liam had been scoping out her apartment for the last two days and nothing. No comings or goings. He wanted to call her, but Little Papi had warned him not to use his cell phone and finding a pay phone in the city was not easy. The Police had already found his bag of clothing at the hotel where he had stayed before residing at Ava’s house on the lake, and he couldn’t risk them tracking his phone again.

  Papi was getting pissed at him. He had been waiting for him to come and help set up the investment company. Papi had spent money on phone lines, a small office, and furniture. It was his money, and he needed Liam’s to sustain them until they got the scam moving along.

  He remembered the conversation from four days ago. What Papi had said made his blood run cold. He had told him not to cross him because he still had influence around the city. He could snuff out Liam with one phone call if he fucked him over, even in jail.

  Papi had told him that the only reason he survived in prison was because of him. Liam protested, saying he had been gone for two years and he did just fine. Papi told him to think about why. There had been an incident where a guy had tried to attack him with a homemade shank. He was taken down by another prisoner before he got close to Liam. This happened after Papi had been released.

  “I was protecting you because you have potential, but I can take you out if you don’t come through. You can’t hide from me, Liam. Don’t disappoint me. Now get your ass down here and forget the girl for awhile. Once you get the business running, you can do what you want.”

  He hesitated to answer, and Papi let out a string of curses in Portuguese.

  “I thought you were smarter than this. I expect you down here in a week.”

  The phone went dead, and though it was hot outside, Liam felt chilled to the bone. He knew that Papi would make good on his promise of taking him out. He would have to speed up his plan to get Ava, or he would have to leave for Brazil. But he couldn’t find her. She wasn’t at her apartment, and he didn’t locate her at her office building. He had less than four days to find her, and kill her.

  “If you like it, get it,” Xander said.

  Ava looked at the light green glass candy dish with a cover that was from the depression era. Her mother had a dish just like it until Michael broke it playing basketball in the house when they were little. She had ideas of where to put this in Xander’s apartment, which she hoped would eventually be her home.

  She brought the dish to the register and unzipped her purse to pay for it, but Xander handed the cashier his credit card.

  “I don’t want you to pay for it.”

  “Ava, you have no room for that in your apartment. I know you are buying things for when we live together. Can’t I at least pay for things for my home?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I just do.”

  He stroked the skin on her upper back. She had worn a tank top that exposed much of it. He couldn’t help noticing the men that were looking at her as they walked the streets. She had worn jean cut-off shorts with the bottoms of the pockets exposed along with a yellow tank top. He had to admit that she could make anything look sexy.

  When she had come o
ut of the bedroom and descended the stairs wearing the outfit he had to think twice about taking her out. He would have preferred to take her to bed even though they had spent most of the morning there.

  After they had paid for the dish, they walked the streets until they came to a small café. There were locals in the open bar area sipping beer. They were hungry and decided to stop in for a bite to eat. Ava became the center of attention, and it made Xander feel uncomfortable. A few of the men old enough to be her grandfather told him that he better treat her right or they would take her away from him. He laughed knowing full well that would never happen. Ava charmed them until their fried shrimp plates came out of the kitchen.

  When they were leaving, one of the old men held his hand out for hers and kissed the back of it. She giggled like a schoolgirl until she saw Xander frowning at her. As they walked to the Corvette, he chided her.

  “Why did you encourage them?”

  “Why are you so jealous lately?”

  “I’m sure any of those men would have liked to take you to bed.”

  “This again? I’m not a baby, and I’m not twenty-three anymore. I’ve had sex with other men besides you.”

  “Yes, I know,” he said sarcastically.

  He opened her door, and when she was in all the way, he slammed it hard. As he got into his seat, she yelled at him.

  “What was that for? You’re like a light switch. I never know if you’re on or off.”

  As they silently drove back to the house, she started to think. Tomorrow was his birthday. She understood.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what? You always claim you never do anything to upset me.”

  “Look, I know you are dreading tomorrow, but I want to make this a happy birthday for you.”

  He ignored her as he pulled up to the gate. He punched in the code and said nothing as the gate retracted. He parked in front of the house, and she pulled at his sleeve when he went to get out.

  “Touch me.”

  “Huh?”

  “Touch me.”

  When he still didn’t understand, she took his hand and put it on her face.

  “I’m here. I’m with you.”

  “I know, but what about what you said last night? I can’t lose you to that asshole. I don’t want to live without you. I’ve been thinking about our conversation. Maybe we should move somewhere else. We could move to Georgia. I bet your father would love to have you live closer to him.”

  “It’s not the answer, and I don’t want to live in Georgia. I love living in New York, and I know you do, too.”

  He got out of the car and went around to help her. They sat by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. She was wearing the silver bikini again, and it was driving him crazy. The cups of the top barely covered her large breasts, and the bottoms barely covered the cheeks of her ass. It made him want to throw her down on the lounge chair and tear it off with his teeth.

  “You’re starting to burn. I think we should go inside,” he said.

  “Oh, do you now? I think we should go down to the beach.”

  He scanned her body and wanted to say no. Even on a private beach, she still could get gawkers. The beach wasn’t separated and as private as he would have liked or else he would consider making love to her there.

  “Why don’t we go out tonight and sit on the sand? We could bring a bottle of wine and a blanket.”

  Though she knew why he didn’t want her out on the beach, she decided to let it go. Lately, they had been throwing everything that Dr. Hortung had told them out the window. It was time to compromise (for at least one of them). Plus it was his birthday tomorrow, and she wanted him to be happy.

  After separate showers (or else they would have never eaten), she met him out on the patio where he was barbecuing hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn. She went in to put together a tossed salad and open a bottle of wine.

  During dinner, they kept the conversation light, talking about the sights and shops they had visited during the day. He reached over and wiped a bit of ketchup off the corner of her mouth with his thumb, then sucked on it. Watching him, Ava felt her core clench, and her body started to flush.

  “Your face is turning red? Is there something wrong?”

  Nothing you making love to me won’t cure.

  She coughed, “No, I feel fine. I was wondering since tomorrow is your birthday is there anything you want to do?”

  “I just want the day to come and go.”

  His attitude hadn’t changed, but she was determined to help him forget the past. She had made several plans for the next day and was going to force him to celebrate his birthday in the proper way even if it killed her.

  After they had cleaned up from dinner, he forced a horrible Sci-Fi film on her. She was bored during it, but he seemed intrigued. Instead of watching she played with his fingers, sucking and biting the pads. When he gave no sign of her intentions, she fell asleep against him. She awoke to being carried up to bed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, inhaling his scent as she pressed her face against his chest.

  He was gentle. Rather than wake her, he slowly and patiently removed her clothing. Then he slipped her under the soft sheets, planting a kiss on her forehead. She was exhausted from two days of little sleep.

  At 1:22 AM she was startled awake. Xander was talking in his sleep, and she leaned in close to face to see if she could make out his mumbling.

  “No, no! Don’t take her away from me.”

  This was all she could make out, and he went silent. She felt a deep tug at her heart. He must be dreaming about the accident. It disturbed her that after so many years it still deeply affected him. She was about to go back to sleep when she realized it was now the third of August, Xander’s birthday. Gabby had told her that he was born at 4:01 AM, and she wanted to be the first to wish him a Happy Birthday in the manner as only a lover could.

  She got out of bed and located her phone on the dresser, setting the alarm on vibrate for 4:01 AM. She went back to bed and placed the phone under her pillow so when it went off it would vibrate her awake without disturbing Xander.

  Buzz, buzz…Ava opened her eyes and reached under her pillow to shut off her phone. Xander was snuggled against her, and she felt his erection pressing into her back. She had a wicked idea, and she pushed her ass against him. Rather than wake, he turned on his back. If he wouldn’t cooperate, she had another idea.

  She turned over and put her hand around him and began to stroke. He shifted his hips but didn’t wake up. She gently pulled the sheet back and licked his tip. Still, he made no indication he was awake until she took him deep into her mouth and bobbed up and down.

  “Christ, Ava. What a way to wake up,” he growled.

  She kept sucking, gently massaging his balls with her fingers. He started to move his hips, thrusting upwards into her mouth. She took him deeper, and he groaned loudly, entwining her hair around his hand. His groans were turning her on, and she felt her core clench.

  “I’m close; if you don’t want me to come, you need to stop.”

  She continued, and his breathing became a series of pants. He bucked his hips up, arching his back and letting out a loud grunt as he started to come. He released her hair and pushed off the bed with his hands, holding himself tightly to her lips as he completed his release. When he finished, he sank to the bed and threw his arm over his face.

  “Fuck, that had to be the best blowjob you have ever given me.”

  She smiled, “I would have preferred something else, but it is your birthday. Happy Birthday by the way. I set my phone to wake me at 4:01. Your mom told me that you were born at that time.

  He looked at the clock and saw it was 4:08. “You missed saying happy birthday at the time I was born, but I much preferred this.”

  “I have a few more surprises for you today if you will let me.”

  “Sorry I’ve been so grouchy, but this makes up for some of it.”

  She rose from the bed.

  “
Are you getting up?”

  “I have a few things to prepare. Do you want me to stay?”

  “I would like it if you did. It’s early yet, and we have all day.”

  “I’ll stay if you promise to stay up here when we do get up so I can take care of a few things.”

  He turned and pinned her to the bed, putting her hands above her head and holding her wrists together in one hand. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and began petting her with his other hand.

  “You’re ready for me so soon? I’ve barely touched you.”

  Ava felt her face heat as she started to blush.

  “Are you embarrassed?”

  She turned her face away, but he released her hands so he could turn it back to him. She kept her eyes closed.

  “Look at me,” He said softly.

  She opened her eyes, and he stared into them.

  “Do you know what a turn on it is to feel how wet you get for me?”

  “I want you inside me. I need you.”

  “You are very greedy today, but I won’t make you wait. I want you on all fours.”

  He leaned back on his heels and let her position herself in front of him. He couldn’t resist slapping both cheeks of her ass. Then he stroked her back before he ran his head up and down her slit. She pushed back against him, and he pulled away.

  “Be patient; it’s my birthday.”

  She whimpered as she waited for him and with one hard thrust, he was in her taking long strokes until he was almost out. His hands gripped her hips, and she buried her face in her pillow moaning.

  He took his time, slowly thrusting and circling, then pulling back and stilling his movement. In retaliation, she tightened her muscles creating exquisite friction between them. She spurred him on; her voice muffled against the pillow.

  “Harder, harder.”

  He was slamming himself into her, his hips slapping against her ass. Sweat was forming on his body, and he could feel it on her under his hands. He slowed his motion to lean over to kiss down her back while she protested.

  “Shhh, I want this to last.”