Ignite You

by Diana A. Hicks

  “Let me in, Emilia.” His warm breath fanned the heat building between my legs.

  Up until now, all my relationships had been void of emotion because it was safe to keep it that way. I’d held onto the idea of Dom because no one ever compared to him. With him as the measuring stick, it was easy to never fall for anyone else. Never in a million years did I consider that Dom might want me. How could I let him in without falling myself? If there was something I knew for certain when it came to Dom it was that if I ever let him in, I’d fall. Hard. I also knew that, one way or another, he’d break my heart.

  My trembling thighs fell to the sides. He hooked his arms under my knees, gripped my hips, and plunged his tongue into me. I moved my fingers through his hair, soft and wet in my hand. I arched my back, and time slowed way down. Like in those moments before a car crash when the body braces for the inevitable. Dom had crashed into my life in a similar way. Up until now, I had managed to avoid this collision but lying here on a breakfast table of a hotel room, I couldn’t stop it anymore. Worst part was, I didn’t want to.

  Dom pressed his large hand on my stomach and fastened my leg over his shoulder. He tasted every part of me with a reverence that made my cheeks blush. I had not expected this from the guy who said he didn’t do nice.

  He cradled the nape of my neck and brought me in for a kiss, his mouth warm and wet. “I want to see you come.”

  He buried his fingers inside me, and as if my body obeyed only him, I orgasmed on his palm. It sprung from my core and unfurled with a burst into my chest. My heart thrashed in my ears and made everything go quiet and dark.

  “Christ,” Dom whispered on my cheek as he set my legs down.

  With two long strides, he picked his pants off the floor and fished his wallet from the front pocket. His gaze met mine across the room as he ripped open a black packet and unrolled a condom over his erection. Those blue eyes made all kinds of promises as he stroked himself. My hands itched to touch him, to feel his warmth on my skin again.

  I squeezed my legs together before I let my feet drop to the floor. The A/C came back on again and blasted cold air around us. His chest hitched as I strolled over to him and snaked my hands around his waist, kneading every plane and hard angle up his torso.

  “I don’t need nice tonight. I need you,” I said against his lips, my breath ragged. I hated that my words sounded like a plea.

  “Good. Because I can’t hold back anymore.” He wrapped my legs around him.

  His fingers dug into my butt cheeks as he carried me past the bed and slammed my body against the wall. He adjusted his hips, rubbing his cock against me right before he entered me.

  “Ohmigod.” My head hit the wall while a string of incoherent words spilled from my lips along with gasps of air. An electric hum tottered deep inside me with every one of his thrusts. I clenched around him and the feeling intensified. “I’m so close.”

  “I know. I can feel every inch of you.” He seized both my wrists with his hand and raised them over my head while he clasped my ass to keep the pace he’d set for us. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been dreaming about doing you against the wall? On the bed, the couch, and every other fucking place in between?”

  I gasped when he plunged again, and the hum swirling at my core ripped through me. I buckled against him, meeting his hips until every last sensation was spent.

  “Emilia.” He buried his face in my neck, his mouth sucking on my skin as he found his own release.

  We stood there, arms and legs tangled with each other, his heart drumming on my breasts, pumping as hard as mine. Sweat dripped from his face and down my arm as he held me pinned against the cool, silky wallpaper. Did I know how long he’d thought about this? If he dreamed of this the same way I had, then like me, he’d been waiting for this moment since the first day we met more than five years ago.

  The A/C kicked in again, blowing frigid air in our faces and effectively defusing some of the heat still pulsing between us. I sighed, and he released my hands. My knees wobbled when my feet slipped to the floor. With a deep laugh, Dom caught me by the waist and walked me backward toward the bed. He regarded me as I pulled the covers back and climbed in.

  “Don’t go.” I glanced up at him, drawing my knees in, suddenly feeling naked.

  “I wasn’t planning on it.” He sauntered toward the bathroom. On the way back, he stopped by the mini bar and grabbed a couple of waters. “You need to stay hydrated.” He shoved a bottle into my hand and climbed in next to me. His body heat touched my hip and spread through the rest of me like a tidal wave. He scooted down on the bed and pulled me toward him to snuggle in the nook of his arm. “And to think we could’ve been doing this while we were in law school.”

  I swigged my water. “Yeah. Although, if we had, I think I’d still be in school.”

  “You’re probably right.” He chuckled and let out a long breath. “I don’t think I would’ve minded. Life made more sense when I was in school. I had a path to follow.”

  I traced a finger along the wings tattooed on his abs. “And now we have to make our own.”

  “Where do you go from here?” he asked.

  “You say that like I’m done and I need to move on.”

  I’d been on the run for so long, I never considered that one day it would all stop. Though my anger and insatiable need for revenge were still there, the monsters under the bed had retreated for good. So why didn’t I have an answer to his question? Deep down, I’d come to terms with the idea that I might not come out on top when it came to Levi, so I never allowed myself to make plans for the future.

  “For starters, are you staying in Phoenix? He asks, heart in hand.” He cocked his head to look me in the eye.

  I smiled. “That’s easy. This is my home. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

  “I like it here too. I was thinking about maybe buying a house.”

  I sat up to face him. He picked up his knee, and I laid back on it. “What’s wrong with this hotel? I like it here.”

  “I’ve never had a place of my own. The idea appeals to me. The suite life is getting old.”

  “I never pictured you with a wife and kids.”

  His eyebrows dipped into a tight V. “And why not? I could have me a wife.” He sounded offended.

  “Bikes and leather jackets don’t exactly scream family man.”

  It screamed hot sex and wild, emotional rollercoaster ride. Somehow, I had landed on that side of Dom’s life. I craved his body so much, I’d convinced myself I could handle getting this close, but that part of my life hadn’t changed. Love made people weak. I couldn’t afford to be weak. Not now, not ever.

  “Hey.” He pulled on a lock of my hair to bring me back. “This isn’t a proposal. It was just a thing to say.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you sure? You went all pale.”

  “Family isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” I shrugged, hoping the cryptic response would send the conversation in a different direction.

  “I know.” He lowered his gaze.

  My heart squeezed tight. I knew where he’d been before he went to Columbia. I knew he’d left the crew he’d run around with in New Jersey, but I never considered what his life was like before Mickey.

  I cupped his face to make him look at me. The usual intensity in his eyes dissolved as if a light had flickered off inside him. “How did your parents…?”

  “Did my parents give me permission to join Mickey’s crew?” He raised a brow and adjusted his weight to rest his shoulders on the upholstered headboard. “I never asked.”

  “You just left to go with Mickey.”

  He inhaled and pursed his lips. “No. They left.”

  “What?”

  “I never knew my mother. She died when I was little. Dad passed when I was eleven. Mickey was Dad’s friend. When they placed me in a foster home, I just moved in with him.”

  “And your foster parents didn’t care?”

  He gave me
a bitter smirk. “Mickey took care of them.”

  I swallowed and covered my mouth.

  “Oh, no. Not like that. He paid them off to let me stay with him. He knew social services would never approve him as a legal guardian, and he didn’t want to bother with it, but he cared enough to make it so I could stay with him. He sent me to school and later even paid for me to go to college.”

  “He was like a dad to you.”

  “He was.” Dom nodded. “He saved me.”

  What little I knew about Dom’s life suddenly made sense. Why he had been allowed to leave. Why even at the age of twenty-two in law school, he’d had deep knowledge of all things illegal. Like me, he’d been practically born into the mob. Mickey’s group was the only family he knew. One day, he was expected to take over. Was Mickey biding his time until the prodigal son decided to come home?

  “He was crushed when I told him I was done.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  His gaze drifted to the corner of the room. Under my hand on his chest, his heart beat fast. “He thought of me as his son but that didn’t exempt me from his mind games and need to control everything. My senior year in college, he decided to put me through the wringer.” Dom was family, and Mickey still felt the need to test his loyalty by forcing Dom to kill for him. He nodded as if reading my thoughts. “He was my friend.”

  The lump in my throat twisted until tears stung my eyes. “Dom, I’m so sorry.”

  “I knew what Mickey was from the beginning.” He shook his head, rubbing his cheek. “The older I got, the more he realized he couldn’t control me anymore. He hated it.”

  “But he let you go.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t give him a choice. He knew the only way to stop me was to kill me. He was particularly pissed when Vic told him he was leaving with me.”

  “Vic? Pizza guy Vic?”

  “Yeah. He was there when Mickey took me in. He didn’t agree with Mickey’s methods and decided to leave too. For months, I waited for Mickey’s men to come for me. I became reckless and stupid because I honestly thought my days were numbered.”

  “But he didn’t come for you.”

  “No. And I’m sure Vic had something to do with it. When I realized I was truly out, I decided to clean up my act and enrolled at Columbia. I figured if I helped people, I’d somehow atone for some of the damage I’d done when I was with Mickey.” His eyes drifted from my face, down to my chest. That intense and focused look of his returned. He licked his lips and thumbed my nipple.

  My eyes fluttered closed at his touch. I was familiar with the feeling of losing loved ones, be it to a gunshot wound or greed but no matter what, family was family. The hole they’d left behind was too deep to be filled with new people—strangers. Dom knew that. It was why he never had any real relationships in college. Whatever made him think I’d be different?

  He cupped my face and brought me in for a kiss. His tongue desperately searched for mine, and I caved. I ran my hand up his muscled torso, over his puckered scars. His kiss deepened. A salty taste touched the tip of my tongue—my tears, or maybe they were his. I squeezed my eyes shut and swung my leg over him, feeling the length, the strength of his body under me.

  He was wrong in thinking I could make his pain go away. No one could, but for now, even for a little while, it was nice to pretend we were whole.

  18

  Let Me Decide What’s Fair

  Dom

  My alarm went off at six in the morning. I reached over to the nightstand and tapped my phone. Of all days, today I didn’t want to wake up from this erotic dream.

  “You’re a snoozer? I would’ve never guessed that about you.” Her raspy morning voice startled me. Emilia slept curled up next to me. It hadn’t been a dream.

  We’d spent all afternoon and most of the night talking and having sex. After a while, I lost track of time and lost touch with reality. No way Emilia could be this much like me, so perfect for me. She knew my darkest secret and not only did she understand, but she also didn’t judge me for it. She stirred next to me. The fullness of her breast pressed against my side, and just like that, I was ready for the next round.

  “I’m not a snoozer, but today, I can’t remember why I needed to get up this early.” I kissed her lips, sliding my hand down to her hip and ass.

  “Me neither.” She trailed her fingers down my abs and my thigh. Her touch felt cool against my burning skin. “At some point, I need to get back to the office.”

  I let out a breath. Of course, she wanted to get back to work. Was it safe? Levi had said he’d let her be, and I believed he meant it. Would he be able to keep his word if Mickey decided Emilia was more trouble than she was worth?

  Until Vic found out if Mickey had been to Arizona, or if any of his men had been sniffing around, I couldn’t let Emilia out of my sight. I would love nothing more than to spend the next six months with her in this room, naked, and catching up on all the things I’d dreamed about one day doing to her. I grabbed a handful of her perfect breast and bent down to suck her nipple.

  “You probably shouldn’t keep your clients waiting either.” She sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillow to give me better access.

  I hummed an affirmation before I switched to her other side. My phone beeped and the screen displayed my first appointment for the day.

  “Are you up for a quick road trip?” I asked.

  “I can’t. I have to get to the office.” She gripped my biceps. “I don’t know how I’ll get any work done, but I have to try.”

  I kissed her slender neck, running my teeth along her soft spot. “I have one appointment that can’t wait. After that, I promise we can come back here and you can have your way with me again.”

  She slapped my shoulder and laughed. In the past few days, I’d become addicted to that sound. “You’re not as good as you think you are.”

  “Then tell me.” I applied pressure to her bud for a couple beats before I buried two fingers inside her.

  Her moan sent a current of desire through me. “Where exactly are you going?”

  “Paradise Creek.” I shifted my weight to get a better angle. Her slick valleys sucked me farther in, and all I could process was that I didn’t want to leave her. Like last night, she called my name when I reached the spot that made her tighten around me. “I don’t want to spend the day without you. Come with me.”

  “Okay. Just don’t stop doing what you’re doing.” She cupped my cheek and kissed me hard. I removed my fingers and toyed with her clit. I wanted to savor this moment, make it last somehow. She bit my bottom lip in frustration and pushed her pretty pussy into my hand. “Don’t be cruel.”

  “I like having you like this.” I did but denying Emilia what she wanted wasn’t something I knew how to do. I slid my fingers from the top of her wet clit down to her entrance. A couple thrusts and her hips buckled as she found her release.

  She rested her head on my shoulder, her breathing uneven. I knew sex with Emilia would be different, but I never imagined it would be this. That my need for her wouldn’t subside after one night. Wasn’t that how it usually went with all the women I slept with? A slow burn swirled in my chest. I couldn’t stay here and forget about the world outside, forget about work and my past.

  When I felt her relax against me, I nudged her a little. “Get in the shower. I’ll bring your things from the suite upstairs.”

  “Okay.” She kissed my shoulder in a way that was so Emilia, so intimate. With a loud sigh, she kicked the covers and got out of bed, treating me to a great view of her heart-shaped ass.

  “You did that on purpose.”

  “Yes, I did.” The running water muffled her words.

  I jerked out of bed before my cock convinced me to send all to hell and join Emilia in the shower. Nikki’s case couldn’t wait.

  While upstairs, I sent Vic a text to let him know we were going to Paradise Creek. To which he responded that he’d have the car ready for us. I started to type that I didn�
��t need him to come with us, but I knew that would be useless. And for Emilia’s sake, I could use the extra security.

  After a quick shower, I went in the bedroom next to mine to get Emilia’s clothes and toiletry bag. Did I feel like a peeping Tom going through her things? A little, but I still went through a few items until I ran across a shirt dress I liked.

  When I finally made it back to the room, Emilia had already finished blow drying her hair and sat waiting for me on the bed. She jumped to her feet as soon as I opened the door. My heart sank. For a moment, fear registered on her face. She recovered quickly and greeted me with a smile.

  “I just grabbed the first thing. I hope it’s okay.” I handed her the clothes.

  “It’s fine.” She dropped the towel wrapped around her and gracefully put on her bra and panties before slipping into the dress. “If you keep looking at me like that, we may not make it out of here at all.”

  “Sorry.” I turned my back to her.

  “It’s a little late for that, I’m already dressed.” She strutted to the bathroom, grabbing her toiletry bag from me on her way there. “Let me do my makeup and then we can go.”

  “What’s in Paradise Creek?” she asked as Vic merged onto the 101.

  “Remember the cold case you helped me with the other day?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a frown. “The murder case?”

  “That’s the one. I got the results back. You were right. The wound in the picture is post-mortem. I wanted to tell Nikki in person.”

  “Why her and not your client?”

  “Because her sister doesn’t want to see me. She doesn’t want to get out of jail on a technicality. She wants to prove she’s innocent.”

  Emilia glanced at her hands. “An innocent spends half her life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit while Levi roams free.”

  “Life isn’t fair. I thought you knew that.”

  “I do. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “Come here.” I pulled her toward me. For one, the pain in her eyes said she needed comforting, but also I couldn’t stand not having her in my arms. She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted over to the middle, while her gaze darted to Vic’s scolding eyes in the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry about Vic. He hears and sees nothing.”