Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Do you know how much you turn me on?” He whispered in her ear.

  “No, tell me,” she replied huskily.

  “I’m not going to tell you; I’m going to show you.”

  He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, putting her down in front of the bed. In a few quick movements, he pulled her shirt over her head and removed her bra. She stood half naked before him, and he kissed her softly and cupped her breasts.

  She tugged at the button on his jeans, feeling the bulge in his pants grow bigger. Finally, she got the button undone as his hand slipped into the waistband of her pants and moved to her clit. Her core was already flooding with heat, and he smiled when he felt how wet she was.

  “It doesn’t take much.”

  She began to turn crimson as her face flushed, “Not where you’re concerned.”

  “I want to taste you tonight. It’s been a few days.”

  Her core clenched again at the thought of his mouth on her.

  “Let’s get naked.”

  When they were both divested of clothing, he pushed her back to the bed and knelt on the floor in front of her. Placing her legs on his shoulders, he began to kiss her inner thighs. She moaned with anticipation. Xander pulled her to the edge of the bed until her round ass hung partially off it. She could feel his hot breath on her sex.

  He teased, and she whimpered. His tongue caressed her outer lips and gently touched her clit. She bucked her hips for deeper contact, but he pulled away. Again, he used the tip of his tongue to titillate her, and she moaned, begging him for more.

  “You’re greedy tonight.”

  “Please, don’t make me wait.”

  Thrusting his tongue into her, he took long licks, from her opening to her clit. Ava felt his fingers spread her wide and she gasped as he slipped a finger into her. His tongue worked her clit, pressing hard and working in circles. Her breathing became ragged, and he pulled her closer to his face so that her ass was almost entirely off the bed.

  “You’re better than any dessert.”

  He continued his gentle assault on her sex. Taking her up and letting her down. She was gripping the sheets so hard that she had pulled the fitted one loose, exposing the mattress. She wanted to scream, and the very last time he pulled away then came back, she did as her orgasm took hold, causing her body to shake.

  “Ava? Ava?”

  Her eyes fluttered open. He was right over her looking into her eyes.

  “What, what happened?”

  “I think you passed out… from your orgasm.” A huge grin sprouted on his face, and she looked away. “I’ve never had a woman pass out from sex. I must really be good.”

  “You’re a cocky son of a bitch.”

  “But really, are you okay?” His look of concern almost amused her.

  “I’m fine. I just never…That was…Do you want to?”

  “I think you need to rest for a little while. I wore you out.”

  She felt exhausted. The orgasm had taken a lot out of her. He lay beside her and pulled her against him. He didn’t care if they made love, as long as she was satisfied. Ava fell asleep a few minutes later, and he nuzzled her shoulder with his chin. That night she had no nightmares, at least none that he could tell.

  Chapter 25

  Xander awoke to find Ava wasn’t in bed. It was only 4:43. He got up and went to look for her, tripping over the duffel bag that he was going to take back to his apartment. He softly cursed, rubbed his stubbed toe and left the bedroom. He found her asleep on the couch with the New York Times magazine on her lap, Riley and Boomer snuggled beside her. When had she come out here?

  He stroked her neck with his fingers until she opened her eyes. The boys woke up with a yawn and jumped off the couch.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “I woke up at two, and you were snoring in my ear. I tried to wake you, but you kept grumbling, so I came out here to sleep. I couldn’t, so I started working on the puzzle. I guess I fell asleep.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was snoring.”

  “We did go to bed at nine, so I got some decent sleep. You knocked me out last night.”

  “I know. I’m getting better in my old age.”

  She threw the magazine at him, and he caught it in his arms.

  “Do you want to sleep a little longer? We can get up at six.”

  “I’m up. I might as well go workout downstairs. I don’t feel like running to Sunset.”

  Xander followed her into the bedroom as she changed for her workout. He was in no mood to spend time on the treadmill as he preferred to run in the cool, crisp air. Unzipping his duffel bag, he fished out a pair of sweats, t-shirt, and a sweatshirt.

  “Are you coming with me?”

  “No, I want to run outside. I love this weather.”

  She frowned, feeling rejected even though he meant no harm. Xander had told her that his preference was to run outside even in the cold of winter. It gave him time to think. They kissed in the lobby, and she watched him jog out the front door while she headed for the gym room.

  An hour and a half later, he hadn’t returned yet. It was nearing 6:30 and she began to worry until she heard the key in the lock. He entered looking disheveled with a bit of blood on his upper lip.

  “Oh my God, what happened?” She rushed to his side.

  “Stupid me, I tripped on the sidewalk and used my face to stop my fall.”

  She examined him. His sleeve and shirt were stained with blood from what she assumed was a nose bleed, but the rest of him seemed fine. The look on her face showed pain, and he used his blood stained fingers to caress her cheek.

  “I’m okay. I wasn’t paying attention, and it was still dark.”

  His hand had abrasions on them much the way hers had when she had tripped in the park years before. Ava pulled him to the bathroom to bathe his wounds.

  “Why did it take you so long to get back?”

  “I walked. I couldn’t stop a nosebleed while running and I didn’t want to start it up after I stopped it. I was about twenty blocks away, so it took me some time. I feel like an idiot. I’ve run that route so many times.”

  “It happens. I’m just glad that you’re okay. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

  He turned on the shower and undressed, then stood in front of the mirror looking at his face. The lie he told her had worked.

  Telling her the truth would just make her worry. The truth was that he had started his run just fine. Several blocks into it, and he heard footsteps behind him, which was unusual at that hour, but he wasn’t the only runner to hit the streets.

  He had stopped at an intersection to let a cab go by when he was pushed forward into the street. He put his hands out to break his fall, causing the abrasions. Turning quickly, Xander saw two men, one with a knife approaching him and he scrambled to his feet to protect himself. Fortunately, these men were smaller than him, but one of their fists connected with his face, and he tasted blood as his nose bled.

  The man with the knife slashed at him and caught his sweatshirt in the blade, slicing it as he arched away. One second slower and it would have cut into his flesh. He kicked at the man and connected with the hand that held the knife. It clattered to the ground and the other man, who was much smaller, began to back away. His companion, seeing the retreat, followed, but not before he mumbled something about him and his bitch being under surveillance. What the fuck did that mean?

  As he watched them run away, he searched for the knife, but in the darkened street he was unable to locate the weapon. The fear ate into him as he walked home, holding his sweatshirt sleeve to his nose. Who had them under surveillance and why? The men had accents, possibly Spanish, but he wasn’t sure.

  If he took on criminal cases, he could have a reason to believe it was a former client who thought they got a raw deal. But he hadn’t done that type of work for several years now since he left the Public Defender’s office. Perhaps it was someone f
rom back then who had just gotten out of prison. He had no idea, but he needed to protect Ava. As he walked home, he thanked God that she hadn’t been with him.

  He bundled the sweatshirt in a ball with the intention of throwing it away. Ava hadn’t seen the slash in the shirt because it was baggy or she was just intent on his wounds. They had promised not to keep secrets from each other, but this was one he felt he needed to hide. She was already having nightmares about who knows what and this would just add to her stress.

  Stepping under the hot water, he leaned against the wall contemplating what his next move would be. His apartment was safer as far as security, but she would question why he insisted the stay there, and it would cause arguments. Plus he couldn’t protect her all the time. She needed to work, and eventually, she would be out of his sight as she started her career as an attorney.

  Xander smacked the tile with his hand wondering why this was happening to them. Then it started to dawn on him: Liam. He was the only guy that had it out for them. Why those two men? Why didn’t he do his own dirty work? The police had told him that they located Liam in some fleabag hotel, but he was long gone when they got there. He had been MIA since that time as the manhunt continued. That had been in July; it was now September.

  Later, deep in thought as he drank the coffee Ava had prepared for him, he absentmindedly scratching the stubble on his face.

  “Are you going to get dressed? It’s nearing 7:15, and we need to leave soon.”

  “Huh?”

  “Dressed. Work. Remember?”

  “Oh. Yeah. Okay.”

  “Xander, are you alright?”

  “Yes, just thinking about a case.”

  Ava knitted her eyebrows together as she frowned. The case he was working on was almost finished. He had nothing new on his plate other than ongoing work that he filed weeks ago. She felt he was hiding something from her, but she didn’t want to ask.

  At the office that day she spent most of her time working for Jacob. He had a brand new case that needed research. When lunchtime rolled around, she went to meet Xander in his office. His door was cracked open, and she was able to hear him on the phone. She was going to knock until she heard her name mentioned. He was talking about her, to the police or rather a former policeman, Mike Halloran.

  It was wrong, but she stood at the door listening to him. Apparently, he had lied to her about his accident this morning. Someone had attacked him, and she gasped as he related the details. What he said to end his conversation sent a chill down her spine. They were under surveillance.

  After he had hung up the phone, she pushed the door open and stood scowling at him with her arms crossed.

  “You heard?”

  She nodded still in her defensive pose.

  “Close the door and come sit with me,” as he gestured to the couch. He explained the entire incident that morning and his reasons for not telling her about it.

  “You had no right hiding this from me.”

  “I’m protecting you. We have no idea who these guys are or who are their associates. It might be Liam or someone I defended in court years ago.”

  “How am I supposed to protect myself when you don't tell me everything?”

  He ran his hands through his hair and looked at the ceiling. “I don’t want you to worry. I hate living this way, and I want you to feel safe. The last thing I want to deal with is losing you.”

  “And the last thing I want is to lose you. Suppose those guys stabbed you? I would get a phone call that my husband was dead on the street? I couldn’t handle that.”

  “I hired Mike. He’s in private security now and will be looking into what happened this morning.”

  “Why not the police?”

  “Because I think they are overwhelmed and Mike already knows us. He has his suspicions that it has to do with Liam. He is going to do some digging. Find out who his cell mates were during his time in jail, who he got close to and if those guys are out of jail now. I want you to be extra careful when we aren’t together, and I want you to stay at my apartment until we find out more information. I know that you love your place, but mine is more secure.”

  “I agree. I’m not going to argue with you.”

  He pulled her to him and felt her shiver. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Won’t it be nice to be only at one place instead of going back and forth?”

  “Yes, but I do love my apartment.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but this needs to be done.”

  He pressed his lips to her forehead then nuzzled her hair. She didn’t realize she was doing it, but her fingers were clenching his shirt tightly. Xander knew she was scared even if she didn’t verbalize it.

  The next two weeks went by without incident. However, the knowledge that someone was out there that wanted to hurt them had put a damper on their sexual activities. Ava couldn’t relax and often turned to alcohol to calm her nerves. A troubling factor for Xander was that she wasn’t eating again and when she did, it was in very unsustainable amounts as far as he was concerned.

  He avoided arguing with her so as not to upset her further. And he hid his fear because if she saw it, she would realize that he couldn’t always protect her. Her agitation increased when she got her period, and the date got closer to September twenty-sixth when she was to have her gynecological test.

  On that morning, she got up at four and paced the apartment wanting to get the test done. She had taken a shower before Xander woke and when she got out, she found a message on her cell phone from the doctor’s office. Dr. Emory had an emergency with not one but two of her patients who were labor and would not be able to perform the HSG test. They gave her a date for October to have the procedure. Silent tears slipped down her face, and she sank to the bench at the end of the bed until she became hysterical and woke Xander.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He said with alarm.

  When she didn’t answer, he slid down the bed to take her in his arms.

  “What happened? Why are you crying?”

  “Dr. Emory’s office called. She had an emergency and can’t perform the test today. I want to know,” she choked out.

  “But this isn’t like you to get upset over something like this.”

  “It’s everything. I feel like a prisoner here. We go to work and come home; that’s it. We haven’t been out for weeks. You must hate me because this is my fault.”

  She was referring to the information that Mike Halloran had recently provided. He had tracked down two former cellmates who had been released from prison earlier that year. They were able to provide him with a plethora of information concerning Liam. Liam’s closest ally in prison had been a Brazilian nicknamed Little Papi. He had protected him even after he was released and deported. It was a standing order that no one was to touch him.

  They had heard through the grapevine that Papi helped orchestrate the escape through a series of contacts from his drug dealing days. Liam ran his mouth a lot when he was incarcerated and bragged that he had ripped off hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients when he worked in the financial world. So he had means as well as help for a successful escape.

  Mike had told Xander that he was almost positive that Liam was behind the attack three weeks before; if not him, then it was guys that were connected to Papi. There was a good possibility that Liam was hiding in Brazil and it was a lead that was being explored. When the information was revealed to Ava, her guilt was overwhelming, which made her sob more.

  “I don’t hate you. I love you, and I want to protect you. You’re not the only one involved in this. You’re my wife, and I would die protecting you.”

  “Don’t say that. I wouldn’t be able to accept your death. You asked what I dream about, right? You know, when I talk in my sleep?”

  “Are you ready to tell me?”

  “It’s you, in a coffin. I can’t wipe the image away. Now with this, it’s almost as if I believe that it’s going to come true.”

  “It’s not. They
aren’t going to get us.”

  “But they almost did. Suppose next time they send two guys bigger than you? You got the best of them because you were stronger, but suppose next time you aren’t?”

  “There isn’t going to be a next time. I think we need to get out today. We have the day off so let’s go somewhere. Maybe we can go up to Westchester or Dutchess County and pick some pumpkins. It’s going to be warm today. Would you like to do that?”

  She looked up at him with her tear stained face and nodded.

  “That’s my girl. Now go wash your face and let’s have some breakfast.”

  “Thank you for cheering me up.”

  He kissed her and went to the kitchen while she washed her face. When she came out, he was preparing scrambled eggs. She didn’t feel like eating, but this morning she had weighed herself and was hovering around one hundred four pounds. Xander scooped a small amount of the fluffy eggs in a dish and pushed it towards her. Dutifully, she ate forkful after forkful under his watchful eye until the plate was clean.

  He smiled at her as he took the plate to wash it. Ava felt nauseous but forced it away hoping that the tea he had made her would settle her stomach. As he was dressing, the urge to vomit became overwhelming, and she rushed to the hall bathroom to expel her breakfast. She hoped that he hadn’t heard her retching.

  After he had dressed, he waited at the breakfast bar. He typed into his phone looking for a place where they could go pumpkin picking and maybe get some apples even though it was late in the season.

  “Ready to go? Are you alright? You look a little pale.”

  “I feel okay,” but the fact remained that she still felt nauseous.

  “I found a place in North Salem in Westchester County that has a small farm. They have all types of baked goods, vegetables, apples and we can pick our own pumpkins. I think you need a break from all this crap.”