Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Ava, please tell me…”

  “Shhh.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs to the master bedroom. He switched the lights on, and she began to undress, removing her top, bra, and skirt. He was mesmerized and frozen to the spot that he stood. The backdrop of the sky through the windows, in gentle shades of pink and orange, were fading as the sun sank below the horizon.

  She stood half naked before him then a smile bloomed across his face as he divested himself of his clothing. He dropped everything on a chair, not caring if his suit got wrinkled, then proceeded to flick off the light so they wouldn’t be putting on a show for whoever might be able to see in the windows. He backed her to the window, kneeling down in front of her.

  “I love these,” he said as he flicked the garters against her thigh.

  “I know I bought them for you.”

  Xander ran his hands up and down her legs then pushed his fingers into the fragile lace of her panties and tore them, causing her to gasp as his tongue sank into her. He picked up her leg and put it over his shoulder, giving him better access to her opening. Ava cried out as he fucked her with his tongue and worked her clit with his fingers.

  She moaned with each thrust of his tongue and tugged at the hair on the sides of his head. She began to whisper his name over and over until he felt her dig her nails into his scalp and he knew she was coming. When her release was complete, Xander removed her leg and stood up, pinning her to the glass. Her eyes were closed.

  “Ava, open your eyes.”

  She opened them, and he searched for signs of hesitation. He saw none and lifted her, sliding her back up against the cool glass. He slowly positioned her above him. He was rock hard, and he was aching to enter her, but he needed her to say it.

  “Sweetheart, are you alright? Do you want this?”

  “Please, I need you.”

  He didn’t wait for any further prodding as he lowered her down onto him. He heard her hiss as she wrapped her legs around his back. He felt her heels digging into his hips and the shredded fabric of her panties rubbing against his cock. She secured her arms around his neck as he began to thrust upward.

  Ava mewled as he moved and stilled. He kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear.

  “If it’s too much, I’ll stop. Don’t do this for me.”

  “Xander, I need you.”

  He moved at a slower pace trying to control his desire. She squeezed against him as he pistoned in and out, gritting her teeth with each stroke. She was sore but wanting. As she buried her head in his shoulder, she licked at his sweat-slicked skin. He murmured her name, and she lifted her head to kiss him.

  He speared his tongue between her lips, and as hers joined his in a passionate dance, he sucked.

  “I’m close, but I want you to come first,” he whispered.

  “Just come for me. Fill me.”

  He needed no coaxing as he thrust hard one last time and she felt his liquid heat spilling into her. He pumped several more times, grunting as he finished off his release. He carried her over to the bed and sat with her still straddling him. She winced as he sat down.

  “I hurt you. Why did you let me continue?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He lifted her off his still hard cock and sat her on his lap. He unsnapped the garters and reached over to remove her shoes. Then he rolled her stockings down and slipped them off her feet.

  “Let me clean you.”

  He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, setting her down on the floor so he could remove her torn panties. He threw them in the garbage can near the sink and placed her on the vanity. Then he turned the water on to warm and wet a washcloth, adding a small dollop of body wash to it.

  He pushed her legs up against her ass and gently cleansed her sex and thighs. Then washed the cloth under the faucet and wiped her clean. He used the same cloth to clean himself than threw it in the sink. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her on the sheets.

  “I’m angry at you.”

  “Please don’t be.”

  “This wasn’t necessary. I love you, but you are going to have to learn that you don’t always need to try to please me.”

  Xander got up from the bed and plucked his boxers from the pile of clothing on the chair. Then he headed for the hallway.

  “Don’t leave me.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m not leaving you. I’ll be back in a minute. Rest.”

  Several minutes ticked by before he came back to the bedroom. In his hand, he had two aspirin and a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water.

  “Take these.”

  “Xander, you’re overreacting.”

  “You made me do something to you when you should have said no. Humor me and take these.”

  He held out the tablets to her, and she popped them in her mouth. Then took the bottle of water and washed them down. It was the last thing she remembered doing. She woke up to the sound of thunder and zigzags of lightning cutting through the dark sky.

  Xander was not in bed, but she saw him as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. He was pressed against the window watching the storm.

  “Come to bed. I’m chilly.”

  He padded over to the bed and slipped in behind her, taking her in his arms.

  “Are you feeling okay?” He put a hand to her forehead.

  “Yes, it’s cold in here. How low is the air conditioner setting?”

  “It’s still the same as it’s been since we got here. I hope you aren’t getting sick.”

  “I’m not, stop worrying so much.”

  “I’m still angry at you.”

  She felt dismayed that he hadn’t gotten over his anger. But he was right; she needed to speak up especially since now they were married.

  “I was thinking; I’ll have to change all my identification now.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “We should also discuss joint bank accounts and other things. We can probably leave the health insurance at work alone until we have the reception in May. I also have a life insurance policy and brokerage accounts where Brooke is the beneficiary; I need to change that to you.”

  “We don’t have to have joint bank accounts, and you can leave the beneficiaries alone. I’m fine with it being Brooke.”

  She wiggled out of his arms and sat up as another clap of thunder rumbled in the sky.

  “I don’t understand your attitude. You’re my husband, and you don’t want to share money or be a beneficiary on my accounts? Why?”

  He sighed, “I don’t want you to think that I want your money.”

  “Fuck, Xander. Why would I think that? Up until a few weeks ago, you had no idea how much I was worth. Now it’s a problem?”

  “Stop raising your voice. We’re having a discussion.”

  “Yes, we are, about our lives going forward.”

  “Is it important that we share bank accounts?”

  “For me it is. I always dreamed of being a couple with my husband. Now you want to keep everything separate? I think when we get home we need to sit down and discuss finances and all the accounts we have. We were stupid not to do it before we got married. We can’t unring the bell; it’s done.”

  He acquiesced, “Very well. We can talk about it when we get home.”

  “And that’s another thing, are we going to go back and forth between each other’s apartments?”

  “What do you want to do? We have nine months before we can play house for real. Your father would have a fit if he found out you were living with me without being married. You said so yourself.”

  “Do you think we made a mistake?”

  “We should have thought this out better.”

  “So obviously you think this was a mistake to get married.” She turned away from him because she felt tears start to prick her eyes. Seconds later she was sobbing, and he felt like an asshole.

  “Sweetheart, don’t cry. This wasn’t a mistake. This is our honeymoon of sorts,
and I don’t want you to be upset. I promise we will sit down and discuss everything when we get home. We will work everything out.”

  She began hiccupping, but her tears had stopped flowing. He got out of bed and got a handkerchief then sat on the bed to wipe her face. He pulled her into his chest and hugged her.

  “I just want to be married to you. I don’t know why it’s so complicated.”

  “It’s not. We’re over-thinking everything. Can we please just enjoy the rest of our vacation and not worry about this stuff? It will be better to discuss it when we are home and can share all our paperwork. I have things I need to show you, too.”

  Ava wondered if he had any other secrets he had been hiding from her. She thought they had been making progress in therapy, but now she felt like they had taken steps backward. She decided to put this discussion on the back burner until they got home. It was no use trying to argue about it now. She wanted to enjoy the next few days she had alone with Xander.

  Chapter 20

  On the plane home three days later, she dozed against Xander’s side. They had raised the divider between seats so she could snuggle her body against his, knowing she was exhausted since they had little sleep the entire week. Being a newlywed was hard work she had told him with a crooked grin.

  They had soaked up the sun by day at the beach, and at night they spent most of it in bed, enjoying their hours of freedom. Xander had made gentle love to her the rest of their vacation, though the night before they left, she begged him to fuck her harder and he obliged, careful not to hurt her.

  Now they were on their way back to New York to start their lives as a married couple without anyone knowing. It would be hard for them to keep this type of news under wraps but they had to so they could spare hurt feelings. In nine short months, they would have their ceremony, and their marriage would be out in the open.

  Ava still planned to wear her engagement ring on her hand and her wedding ring on her necklace. Xander would wear his wedding ring on his hand as he had years before. He didn’t care if it brought questions, he was ready to explain it was a sign of his commitment to her.

  The flight went smoothly, and they were able to leave the airport within an hour of landing. Ava was groggy and yawned as the cab they were in pulled out into traffic and headed towards the city.

  “Tired?”

  She yawned again, “Yes, I didn’t sleep well last night or much at all, as it were.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have left you alone this morning.”

  “It was more than enjoyable, and I give you permission to wake me that way anytime you want.”

  She was referring to his tongue on her. He had gently spread her legs and softly licked her awake. She squirmed, and he held her to the bed while he pleasured her to orgasm.

  “Ditto.”

  She couldn’t wait to see her cats. It had been a full week away from them, and she missed them. The only comfort she had being away from them was that she knew they were well taken care of by Gage.

  Upon entering, they scrambled to the door when they heard her voice, and she sat on the floor to pet them. Xander almost tripped over her as she sat down and he cursed.

  “Sweetheart, you could have waited until I got in the door.”

  She sheepishly grinned at him, “I’m sorry.”

  After she had petted the boys, she went to her room to unpack. Xander sat on the edge of the bed pondering how to bring up the question about discussing finances. She had gotten very upset at him back in Florida, and he did not want a repeat.

  Most of their clothing was clean since the house in Key West had been equipped with a washing machine and dryer. They had spent some of the prior day washing their clothing so they wouldn’t have to do it when they got home.

  She selected a few items and put them in a duffel bag since they would be staying at his apartment overnight. Next, she packed her laptop. They had promised to go over their holdings, and she wanted to compare hers side by side with his electronically.

  In the early afternoon heat, as they walked to his apartment, they started to sweat. It was less humid than Florida but bad enough. She wished that they had taken a cab even if it was only a few blocks. Ava was thankful when they reached his building, and they entered the cool lobby.

  “Uh, Ava?” He called from the closet as he unpacked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to go over our portfolios and things today?”

  He hoped she would say tomorrow because he was feeling irritable and tired.

  “Yeah, we should do it today and get it out of the way.”

  He groaned inwardly, but he knew they should just get it done. He rose to get his laptop and placed it on the coffee table as it booted. She joined him and turned on her laptop, too. From a drawer in the table, she pulled out a notebook and pen.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Don’t you want to record things?”

  “I guess so.” He tried not to sound unenthusiastic.

  “I’ll log into my brokerage account,” she offered as she typed on her laptop.

  She brought up her portfolio and put the laptop on her knees so they could both look at her holdings. He whistled through his teeth. She had gained over three hundred thousand dollars since he had accidentally seen her statement several weeks ago. How was Jack investing that allowed her to gain so much?

  “Why do you have so much in your cash account?”

  He saw she had over two million dollars in the account.

  “I’ve always kept large amounts in my cash account. You never know when you might need cash. It’s how I will pay for your car. I uh, recently got a brokerage credit card attached to that account with no limit. Well, no limit based on what is in the account, anyway.”

  “So you have almost eighteen million dollars in your account. Is that the only brokerage account you have?”

  “No, I have another cash account with two hundred thousand and a few blue chip stocks that were purchased for me by my grandfather when I was born. I guess they are worth around another four hundred thousand.”

  “Shit, Ava, you’re worth a lot of money. I didn’t realize how rich your family was.”

  “I also have a life insurance policy for two million. I guess you could say I am worth more if I was dead.”

  Xander frowned, “Please don’t say that. The money would mean nothing to me if you weren’t in my life.”

  “I want to protect you just in case something does happen to me. You will be safe financially. Please let me change the beneficiaries on my brokerage and insurance to you.”

  “Won’t the brokerage and insurance company contact Brooke if there is a change?”

  “No, why would they? We can tell her of the change ourselves. After all, you are going to be my husband as far as they know even though you already are.”

  “Ava, has your father been asking you to sign a prenup?”

  “He has once or twice, but I told him no. I know you don’t want my money.”

  “That reminds me; let me show you my brokerage accounts.”

  She was surprised to see that Xander had amassed almost a million dollars on his own.

  “I invested an inheritance as well as a lot of the money I received for occasions when I was a kid. I don’t plan on living my retirement on a small budget. I hope to save a lot more before I retire.”

  “Do you have anything else?”

  “I have my regular bank account with about twenty-six thousand in it. Of course, I only use that for bills. My savings account has eight thousand. That will change. Now that I am getting paid a lot more than the lumberyard paid me, I can add to it.”

  “You don’t have to worry. Anything you need, we have money. Do you want to get a joint account? I think we should, especially with items we will need to pay for the wedding.”

  Ava waited for him to say something.

  “Xander? Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “Nothing, we can get an account together.
But I don’t want you putting more into it than I do. If I put five thousand, that is all you put in.”

  “Why? That makes no sense. Our wedding is going to be expensive, and I would rather pay with a check than a credit card. And with your attitude about this, you sound like we aren’t married. What’s mine is yours, and I hope you consider what’s yours is mine.”

  “I do, but we should share equally in the expenses.”

  “We will because what is mine is yours. There is no Ava and Xander; we are Mr. and Mrs. Wilder now, even if the world doesn’t know it yet.”

  He nodded, but the look on his face told her otherwise. It worried her that this was going to be a battle with him to accept her wealth.

  That night as she slept, he stared out the bedroom window that had been left undraped. This marriage thing was turning out to be more than he expected. So many decisions to make and now it was up to him to make sure she was safe. He could no longer turn his back on her when things got tough. Eventually, there would be no separate apartments for breathing space.

  Xander kicked the sheet off him and went to the kitchen; he needed a drink even though it was well past midnight. A bottle of scotch sat on the counter, and he picked it up and went to sit on the terrace. He looked across the water at New Jersey while he took swigs directly out of the bottle. This was where Ava found him in the early hours of the morning.

  She had woken to an empty bed, and when she called his name, she got no answer. Searching the rooms of the apartment, she felt a slight breeze coming from the terrace. Xander slumped in the lounge chair with the open bottle of scotch next to him on the small side table. It was warm even in the early morning, and she touched his forehead with her lips tasting the salt from his sweat. How long had he been out here?

  His eyes fluttered open when she removed her lips, and he pulled her into his lap.

  “Are you checking up on me?”

  “No, I woke, and you weren’t in bed,” she said defensively.