Burn: Book 3 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “Promises, promises.” Just for good measure she pulled the tie on her robe and let it fall open so he could get an eyeful of her before she left the room.

  “Tease,” he called after her.

  While he was wrapping gifts, she took a shower and got dressed in jeans and a sweater. She had to wrap a few more gifts for him though not as many as it seemed he had. There was one gift for Xander that she knew the reaction might not be positive because he got upset when she spent too much money on him.

  When she finished, he still had not emerged from his office. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was sitting on her nightstand, and she decided to put the lights on the Christmas tree on and curl up on the couch. A half hour later, Xander finally emerged with bags and packages in hand. She watched as he made trip after trip back and forth to his office.

  “Uh, did you go a little crazy?”

  “This is our first Christmas together, and I want it memorable.”

  “Oh, it will be,” she said under her breath.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  He went to take a shower, and she began to load the gifts she had gotten him under the tree. The last gift she put in an envelope and balanced it on a branch of the tree. It was the one thing that could cause a rift between them and put a pall over the holiday. She hoped it wouldn’t.

  “You said I got you too many gifts? Look how many you got me!”

  “Like you said, it’s our first Christmas together. I wanted to make it memorable just like you intended.”

  “I hope you didn’t spend too much money on me.”

  “Stop that. I can spend whatever I want.”

  “I don’t need you to spend anything. You are my gift, always. Now can I take you up on the promise I made you earlier?”

  “I wish you would.”

  He scooped her up, and they spent the next few hours in bed. By mid-afternoon, Ava was like a bowl of jelly. He had satisfied her every sexual need. She stretched her body and put her head on his chest.

  “I hope it will always be like this.”

  Xander laughed, “Even when we’re eighty?”

  “Why not?”

  “I probably won’t have the stamina that I have now, but I will try.”

  “We will be retired. What else will we have to do?”

  “Take naps, knit, play checkers.”

  “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what we do.”

  Chapter 32

  After a relaxing weekend, Ava hoped the start of the work week wouldn’t be busy. The week prior she had spent long hours in her office trying to catch up with Victoria’s added workload. The office was quiet when she got off the elevator and waved goodbye to Xander. A large number of support staff had taken off early for the holiday including half of the attorneys on her floor.

  Philip was in already, and when he heard her unlock her door, he came to see her.

  “Ava, how was your weekend?”

  “It was very nice. Quiet and after last week, I needed it.”

  “Are you ready for Christmas?”

  “Yes, all set. What are you doing for it?”

  “Going to Jersey to visit my sister and her family.”

  “That’s nice.”

  There was an awkward silence with Philip gazing at her and then he bid her goodbye and went back to his office. She put how he looked at her as one of his quirks. He had always been kind and respectful when he was with her. She doubted his looks meant that he was attracted to her the way Xander told her he was.

  The day went quickly because she had so much to do. Xander came and had lunch with her in her office. She worked as she ate, at least she ate. Truthfully, if he hadn’t brought her lunch, she probably would have skipped it.

  In the evening, he waited for her while she finished. The office was deserted when she finally closed her laptop for the night. Xander was eyeing her as he sat on her couch.

  “What’s that look?”

  “No one is around. The floor is quiet, and we are in your office.”

  A smile bloomed on Ava’s face. She had been horny for him most of the day. “Close the door.”

  He did as she asked as she started to unbutton her blouse. In seconds Xander was taking her hands away so he could complete it for her than pushed it off her shoulders. Next, he unzipped her skirt and pulled it down, so it pooled around her ankles. She kept her eyes fixed on his as he undressed her.

  She stood before him in nothing but her bra, thong, and heels. He led her to the couch while he removed his jacket. Working on his tie and shirt, she then tugged on the belt at his waist. He sat her on his lap and began feathering kisses along her neck and shoulders. A low moan came from deep in her throat as he moved his mouth to her upper chest.

  Thrusting her breasts towards him, he cupped them and rubbed her nipples through the thin lace cloth. Then he reached back and released the clasp. She could feel how hard he was beneath her and pressed her sex against him, sliding up along and back again. Xander sucked his breath in as she continued to ride him.

  “We need to do this now,” she panted.

  She leaned back, and he fumbled for his zipper before she pushed his hands away and completed the release of his erection. Standing up, she pushed her panties off her hips and in two small motions, kicked off her shoes and then panties. He reached up to take off her bra, and she stood naked in front of him.

  “How do you want this? Should I take you over the desk or…”

  His question was answered as she scrambled onto his lap, straddled him and positioned his cock at her slick opening. He could feel her heat even before she began her downward slide onto him. When she was down to his base she gasped at the feeling of fullness, then she began to move, slowly at first. Ava picked up speed, riding him hard and fast.

  “Easy, baby,” he whispered than clamped his mouth on hers.

  Her eyes were half-lidded and glazed as they moved together, then they closed. He shifted, stood up and came down so she was on her back and he was in control, thrusting hard and grinding his pubic bone against hers. She cried out, soft mewls that filled the office. Then, a knock at the door caused them to still.

  “Ava? Are you alright?” They had thought that Philip had left for the evening, but he was, in fact, still next door. He probably heard her crying out.

  “Shh,” Xander whispered.

  Ava flexed her vaginal muscles causing him to shudder.

  “Stop, or I’m going to come,” he said softly and nipped at her neck.

  They stayed quiet for what seemed like several minutes until they heard Philip’s footfalls as he walked away. Then Xander began to move again.

  “You’re very naughty for doing that. Did you want me to spank you?”

  She smiled up at him until he caught her in just the right spot, then she bit her lip and taking more of it in her mouth, she began to orgasm. A moan escaped her mouth as she completed her climax and he stopped moving.

  “Why are you stopping?”

  “I don’t need to come.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because my purpose was to give you pleasure and I completed that task.”

  “Does this mean I will owe you later?” She said grinning up at him.

  “Possibly.”

  He gently pulled out, and she winced.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just a little sore.”

  He frowned at her as he stood up to dress. She picked her clothing up and began to do the same. She heard the jingle of keys as Philip walked by her door, on his way out of the office for the night.

  “So how do I explain this one?”

  “You don’t. You just say you left at five.”

  “I usually say goodnight. He’s going to think I’m rude.”

  “Tell him whatever you want then. Say you fell asleep at your desk.”

  She threw her panties at him, and he tucked them into his jacket pocket.

  “I’ll need those ba
ck. It’s cold outside.”

  “Sorry, you shouldn’t have thrown them at me. They’re mine now.”

  In the cab a few minutes later, he slid his hand up her thigh until it was just below her sex. He gave her a wicked grin as his fingers gently stroked her outer lips. She tried to push him away, but he held fast.

  “Open your legs wider,” he whispered.

  “No.”

  She tried to push her thighs together tightly, but his strong hand managed to work his fingers in until they were against her clit.

  “I love how wet you are.”

  She gave in and opened her thighs as he petted her. A moan escaped from her, and she loudly cleared her throat. Her face began to feel flushed as her embarrassment became apparent. All Xander did was smile at her, and his fingers continued their circular motion. He leaned in to kiss her and pushed two fingers into her while using his thumb to stimulate her clit.

  She tensed as another orgasm ripped through her. Her legs shook, and he pressed his mouth against hers to stifle any moans. After, he gave her a satisfied look and removed his fingers, sucking on them.

  With a hoarse tone, he breathed into her ear, “I love dessert before dinner.”

  “Jerk,” she mouthed as she fixed her skirt and coat, placing it over her legs.

  That night, she returned the favor as she begged him to spank her. It seemed each time they had sex in this position; she wanted it that way. It excited her, and he obliged by gently smacking her ass as he fucked her doggy style. Later, she woke him up with her lips wrapped around his length.

  The next two days were calm. Philip said nothing to her about Monday night, thankfully. She didn’t want to lie to him. On Wednesday at noon, she produced a small Christmas gift that she gave to him before she left. While shopping for Xander, she found cufflinks with the initial P. Philip seemed to wear cufflinks each day. He thanked her and took a small box out of his desk drawer for her.

  “Open it when you get home. Have a good holiday. I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “Thank you, Philip. You, too.”

  She hugged him on her way out, and he held onto her just a little longer than she felt comfortable. On the elevator, up to eighteen, she thought that maybe Xander might be right. Philip was an admirer, but maybe more than that.

  Xander gave her a big smile when she entered his office, “Time to go already? What’s that?” He said gesturing to the small wrapped box in her hand.

  “A gift from Philip.”

  “And did you get a gift for Philip?”

  “Yes, Mr. Jealous. I gave him a pair of cufflinks.”

  “I’m not jealous. I just don’t want to share what is mine.”

  “I have no plans for sharing myself with anyone but you. Let’s go before we end up angry at each other for our first Christmas.”

  At home later that night, she begged Xander to let her open some gifts, but he said no.

  “Why do we have to wait?”

  “Because it’s not Christmas. In our family, we always opened gifts together on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve.”

  Ava hung her head and began picking at her nails.

  “Sweetheart, what’s the matter?”

  “I wish we were in Georgia with my family. Everyone is down there this year, even Samantha and Robert.”

  “We decided to spend the holiday alone for a reason. We wanted this to be special, just the two of us. Okay, one present, maybe two.”

  “Can I choose it?”

  “If you must. Can I choose the ones I want to open?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m curious about what is in this,” He fingered the envelope on the branch of the tree.

  Her heart started to pound because that was the one gift that might cause him to get upset.

  “Why don’t you wait until tomorrow for that one?”

  “You said I could open any one.”

  “Fine, open it.”

  He brought the envelope to the couch and sat down next to her. She held her breath as he opened it and unfolded the document. His face clouded, and she waited.

  “I don’t believe this. Why did you do this?” He shook the paper in front of her.

  “Because I wanted to give you something for our future.”

  “But this? How much did you pay?”

  “I negotiated for quite a while until we settled on a price. I could have gotten it cheaper, but I insisted.”

  “This is too much. I told you that we needed to make this decision together.”

  “I thought we decided we were going to stay in the city.”

  “How much? I want to know?”

  “One point six, cash.”

  “Fuck, Ava, how did you negotiate it down? This apartment is worth over two.”

  “Your father was very generous to his daughter-in-law. He still made a profit, though not as big as he would have had he sold the place on the open market.”

  “I didn’t want you to do this.”

  “Oh, here we go again. It is not mine; it is ours. I might as well tell you. I changed everything. We now share all the accounts in my portfolio. I made you a beneficiary on my IRA and life insurance.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re so exasperating. Because you’re my husband. I have something else for you with that envelope,” she said as she went to her purse. “Here.”

  He took the second envelope with the logo of her brokerage house. Opening he saw that there was a black debit card with his name on it.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s directly linked to our cash account. After the purchase of our apartment, there is a little over four hundred thousand in it.”

  “I don’t want it.”

  “Do what you want. Cut it up or leave it in your dresser drawer. I will not take it back. We can use it to pay the rest of our wedding costs.”

  He left the card on the table and went to the kitchen. She heard the clink of ice in a glass, and he came back to the couch with it filled with scotch. After a long sip, he spoke.

  “I don’t want to argue, but I do have some questions. What are you going to do with your apartment?”

  “I have two choices. I can either sell it or rent it.”

  “Which do you want to do?”

  “I want to rent it. I love that place, and I’m not sure I want to let it go yet.”

  He went to the Christmas tree and picked up two boxes. A very small one and a medium sized one.

  “I want you to open the small one first,” as he handed both boxes to her.

  Upon opening it, she found square cut emerald stud earrings. She looked up at him, and his eyes were shining.

  “I saw them, and they reminded me of your beautiful eyes.”

  She removed the small gold hoops she was wearing and replaced them with the emeralds.

  “I love them. They’re gorgeous.”

  “Just like you. I’d want to make love to you wearing them and nothing else.”

  “It will have to wait. I got my period a couple of hours ago.”

  “I can be patient. Open the other present.”

  She tore at the paper and took the top off the box. In it was a short satin nightgown with a matching robe in the color of lavender. Her eyebrows raised as she held them up.

  “You bought lingerie?”

  “I had help in the form of Samantha.”

  “I love it.”

  “Will you wear it to bed tonight?”

  “I will for you.”

  The next morning they spent over two hours opening presents. Ava was amazed at how well Xander knew her. He was listening when she talked. The last box he gave her contained very high heels from Manolo Blahnik.

  “Samantha again?”

  “No, I picked these out myself. If you don’t like them you can bring them back.”

  “I like these very much. You have very good taste, Mr. Wilder.”

  “So do you, Mrs. Wilder,” with a gesture to the clothing, car accessories and jewelry with
which she had gifted him.

  They spent the Christmas holiday snacking, snuggling, making out and enjoying their gifts. When Monday rolled around, Ava didn’t feel like getting out of bed. She had enjoyed the cocoon that they created by spending the holiday alone. Now she would have to venture back out into the world again.

  Xander had gone downstairs to work out, and she got out of bed to prepare to take a shower. The gift that Philip had given her was sitting on the dresser unopened, and she carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a small gold heart shaped locket. She thought this gift a bit inappropriate for work mates, and she put it back in the box, shoving it in the back of her lingerie drawer. Xander would have a fit if he saw it.

  If she thought it inappropriate, he definitely would. Philip was a friend, but she had a feeling that he wanted more, and that was something she could not give him. Where he was concerned, she would need to tread lightly. Xander was already uneasy that she spent so much time with him at the office.

  At the office that day, Philip was late. He stopped by her office as he passed, letting her know he had arrived. She waved to him and continued to work on her case file. He joined her for lunch to talk about how his holidays went; that was when she noticed he was wearing the cufflinks she had gotten him.

  “Thank you. I like these.”

  “You’re welcome and thank you for the locket.”

  “You aren’t wearing it. Did you not like it?”

  “I like it, but would like to put some pictures in it before I wear it,” She lied not wanting to hurt his feelings.

  She changed the subject by mentioning what she and Xander were doing for New Year's Eve. Ava told him that Xander wanted to go to Central Park to see the fireworks. Philip told her that he had a date that night, a blind date. She was happy to hear that he was dating and maybe her husband had been wrong about his fixation with her.

  Their conversation ceased when Xander showed up at her door. He frowned when he saw Philip but was polite and shook his hand. Philip left the room and headed back to his office.

  “What did he want?” He growled softly.

  “Be nice. You will be happy to know he has a date on New Years.”

  “So. That doesn’t mean he isn’t sweet on you.”

  “Can we change the subject. I don’t want him to hear.”