Blaze lay wide-awake in his king-sized bed. A multitude of issues plagued him. Gosh, this practically felt like the good ole days before he’d been injured. He’d be on some kind of mission and his brain would never rest. It had been the adrenaline that kept him up during those intense nights. Maybe it was out of sheer flight-or-fight phenomena that his body was going through. Make it in and make it out. Out being the most important thing.
When he’d started teaching the training programs at the warehouse, he’d met a lot of men and women with varying backgrounds. Some were veterans who simply wanted to stay up-to-date on the latest training techniques. Others were law enforcement, teachers, victims of domestic violence; you name it and it had walked through Blaze’s door.
During his time teaching and being a private bodyguard, he’d met his boss and good friend, Resident Agent in Charge James Shell of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in New York City. He’d gotten to know Blaze well enough; he’d convinced him to apply to the ATF for a position as a Special Agent. He was convinced Blaze was the man for the job, pending he could pass the strict employment conditions set upon those deemed worthy enough to have security clearance, of course.
Blaze jumped at the chance. He’d come to a point in life where he’d begun to crave more challenges, something more than the mundane that had become his daily life. Shell’s offer couldn’t have come at a better time really. He’d taken the exam, the assessment and had sweated through the physical testing portion. After what felt like forever, he was hired by the bureau and his work had gotten challenging.
Life had been great, until Nadia had gotten killed.
He’d met her on one of his missions and had the luxury of being with her practically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He’d fallen for her bad. He swore he would protect her at all costs, not because that was his job but because he was in love with her. When the house they were in got invaded by ruthless criminals her father associated with, she’d taken a life-ending bullet that had been meant for him. They’d shot her upon arrival, not giving Blaze a chance to fight back, to throw himself in front of her. Nothing.
His knee had got hit too. A minimal injury that should be fine and dandy by now. He rubbed it absent-mindedly in the dark thinking maybe Colorado was doing his knee good by keeping him out of the gym constantly.
He kept up most of his routine here, but nothing like what he was used to back home. Shell would be shocked to learn how much time Blaze had spent with the kids and Little Red Riding Hood and not on his physique. Not on spying on Drake, either. From the device he’d planted inside Drake’s office, he’d learned Mr. Kingston was expecting an extra-large shipment on the same day as the unveiling of Global Electronics newest product. The shipment would be arriving at Global Electronics and Blaze was going to be there when it arrived.
Blaze’s problem was The Prince. He couldn’t figure out how the two phone calls Drake had received demanding money had anything to do with the shipment of illegal firearms. Brandi had thrown him for a loop when she told him that Diane was reading the book for her book club. He had yet to rule out if that was purely coincidental because Diane was, in fact, part of a classical literary book club which was held in Northern Colorado once a month.
The soft knock on his bedroom door interrupted his train of thought. He glanced at the clock, two oh eight. He rolled out of bed, not bothering to put on any clothes over his briefs. Red insists on waking him up at two in the morning, she can damn well accept his lack of attire too. Not completely sure he liked being called upon at two a.m. – nothing good came out of these meetings – he grabbed the door handle and hesitated.
He was probably over-reacting. He hit the switch up, took a deep breath and swung open the door. His breath caught in his throat. Brandi stood before him, not wearing much more than himself. Her bouncy red curls framed her face, her vivid white pajamas brightened his doorway. She made his cock stand at attention. Nothing new there, she was absolutely stunning at any time of day or night. He silently questioned the small book in her hands before she lunged into his room.
“I have to know what the hell is going on with this stupid book. I can’t think. I can’t sleep. I have to know what’s going on and you,” she pointed at his chest, “seem to know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. The book. It’s been everywhere. Why? Tell me why, Blaze.”
Her shoulders shook as she questioned him. Her tits bounced freely underneath her cotton pjs and he tried so hard to take the situation seriously. Smart on her part, confronting me at my weakest moment. He had to think fast. Her eyes bored into his, promising she could go for his throat at any second. Could he trust her? Did she trust him enough? More than she trusted her employer? That question cemented the words that came out of his mouth.
“I don’t know anything about the book, except that it’s a classic. You might enjoy it. I picked up a copy from the main house.”
“What?” she stepped back like he’d struck her. “But you had it on your nightstand and Mrs. Kingston claimed she was reading it for book club. Then,” she stammered, “then Drake had a copy earlier today.”
Blaze could practically see her brain going into overdrive, probably wondering who she saw with the book first. Then it dawned on him.
“Wait. Where did you see that I had the book in my possession, Brandi?” He purposefully never had it out in plain sight. He’d kept it hidden in his nightstand drawer in his room.
Guilty. He saw it the instant she flicked her eyes to his bed. Her cheeks flushed giving her away.
“Did you come in my room? Were you snooping, Red?” He grabbed the book she clenched in her hands. “Answer me, damn it!”
“I, no. No, it wasn’t like that. It was laying on your nightstand.” She pointed to his nightstand where the book was tucked away nicely inside the drawer. “It was out. I happened to be walking by one day and my eyes just, landed on it and so I took a step back and stepped inside, barely into the door here and thought to myself: that motherfucker.”
Blaze chuckled, “Motherfucker, huh? Tell me, what day was this exactly? Where was I?”
“I don’t know. Not that long ago-”
“You’re lying. Let’s start over. Were you going through my stuff?”
“I would never do that. Ever.”
“You don’t trust me, do you? You let me kiss you and touch you today in the bathroom and you don’t even trust me?”
He was toying with her. She was lying. He silently paced the small width of carpet between his bed and his closet as she stood stock-still watching him, her eyes darting back and forth. He wanted to laugh. He didn’t know how long he could keep this ruse going, especially after watching the hard points of her nipples magically appear beneath her white top.
“So, why don’t you tell me the truth, Brandi. Tell me exactly how you came about being inside my room. I think it’s time we’re honest with one another.”
“Fine,” she folded her arms across her chest. “You go first. Why did you have the book in your bedroom?”
He corners of his mouth turned upward at her stubbornness. “I had the book in here because Mrs. Kingston actually told me I should read it. She saw me in the library one day and recommended it. No juicy story to tell you. Honestly.”
“So if I asked her, she would back up your story?”
He cocked his head, “Of course, Brandi. Would I lie about something you could so easily check on and figure out if I was telling the truth or lying? No.”
“Okay, this is all purely coincidental then.”
“Now it’s your turn. Why were you in here? Am I going to have to go back a few weeks on the recording for the security camera I have installed in here?”
Her face flooded crimson, “What? You’re bluffing.”
“You’re ignoring my questions, Red.” He stepped toward her. He swore he could feel the tiny hairs on her arms swaying against his forearms where the electricity pulled them together.
“It was your cologne. It smells too good to resist. I came in here to find out what brand it was. When I turned around, I saw the book lying on your stand there.”
She stepped back toward his door and he stepped closer, “Is that the only thing you did in here? You didn’t touch anything? You can honestly say you didn’t touch anything else while you were in here?”
Panic crept up Brandi’s spine, sending chills through her entire body. The nerve-endings between her legs clenched together as she recalled that day. Did she touch anything? The memory of getting herself off on top of his bed was front and center in her mind. Did he know what she’d done? Was he really trying to dig this out of her, as if she would confess to this? Did he have a camera in here that had filmed her? Her inner wanton seductress rallied at the thought of him watching her on video, pleasing herself on his bed the way she did. He would love it.
She fisted her hands, enclosing the sweat inside, resisting the urge to wipe them on her shorts. His eyelids were at half-mast, partially covering the wicked gleam as he waited for her response. The cocky half-smile on his face sparked inspiration inside her and she finally thought of an answer.
“Oh yeah, you might be shocked to know what I was touching while I was in here.”
She admired the tattoo on his bicep, garnering enough strength to reach out with her fingertips and caress the perfectly etched black lines.
“Tell me. You’re trying to distract me,” his low voice warned her of what he might be thinking.
“Well,” she took a deep breath, “I came in here, in search of your cologne only to, somehow, find myself on top of your bed, using my fingers to make myself have an orgasm.”
She glanced up from his chest and into his eyes to see if he believed her. His blue eyes darkened, his pupils dilated and without warning he cupped her face with his large hands and kissed her. A wet, hot passionate kiss that left her burning where she stood. It was a fast kiss – he broke away and before she could speak, he hauled her up over one shoulder and headed for her room.
“What are you doing? Put me down, Blaze, your knee!”
She tried to sound convincing as she bounced on his shoulder down the hallway but the view from where she was, was heavenly. The contours of his back where his muscles flexed and dipped below the waistband of his briefs were more than she could handle. Her tongue came out to swipe his skin and oomph, she was flat on her back amidst her unmade bed.
“What are you-”
“Claiming what’s mine,” he grumbled as his lips met hers once again.
He took his time, his tongue seeking entrance into her mouth. His lips moved slow over hers, their tongues colliding in a hot tumble of who was going to be the boss. He nudged her legs apart with his knee and settled into her body, his erection pressed firmly into her thin shorts, spreading heat along the insides of her thighs.
She surrendered then. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. She mimicked his tongue in her mouth, swirling hers around his, giving him time to let him bite her bottom lip as her fingers memorized the defined plains of his shoulders. His mouth traveled down her neck, his tongue leaving a wet path across her collarbone, atop the swells of her breasts, where he finally sucked her throbbing bud into his mouth, cloth and all.
The heat of his mouth burned. The wet cloth rubbing against the tender spot had her aching and left her wanting for more.
“Take it off, Blaze,” she fumbled with the hem of her top.
He pulled the flimsy material up her flat stomach and over her head before balling it in his hands and throwing it across the room. Her mouth found his skin, tracing the tattoo along his chest with her tongue, tasting him and breathing him into her soul.
“I’ve thought about taking you in this bed the moment I laid eyes on it.” He continued kissing her, cupping her glistening breasts in his hands as he devoured her while rocking his hips gently between her thighs.
“You haven’t taken me yet.”
“I will. There’s no doubt about that.”
He slipped his rough hands into the waistband of her shorts, edging her shorts and panties down her lean legs, inch by inch. She was on the verge of coming undone. He trailed his mouth along the inside of her ankle and up her calf, pausing just enough to bite the inner part of her leg where her knee bent. His stubble tickled her inner thigh as he prolonged his kissing. He nipped at her legs, until she found her own hand gliding between her legs, sweeping over the soft curls to her folds that were drenched in slickness.
“Uh-uh, I get to do that.”
Blaze pushed her hand up and using his thumb, he glided along the soft tissue nestled between her thighs. He rubbed his thumb in circles along her slippery softness; her back arched in response. He continued the firm pressure against her clit, gaining speed and momentum. Her face flushed at the sight of his intent gaze focused between her legs. She panted and spread her legs farther apart, finally freeing herself to let go, climaxing the instant his finger entered her body.
“Do it again. Once more,” he begged.
He thrust his finger in and out of her womanhood as she clenched the bed sheets between her fists.
“I want you inside of me,” she panted.
“Let go, Ginger, just let go one more time.”
His thrusts, once again, gained speed as her juices coated his finger and palm and she tossed and turned in reckless abandon as she fought to come once more. He captured her clit with his mouth this time, sucking her as much as his mouth would allow before she bucked into him, her hand pushing the back of his head into her heat while she fell into blissful oblivion.
She lay unmoving on the bed, her hair a tangled mess spread out across her pillow, her heavy breaths the only sound that penetrated the air.
“Don’t go falling asleep on me. We’re not done.”
Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her hand caressed the five o’clock shadow along his jaw, “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m just getting started.” She pointed to her bathroom, “Last drawer on the right.”
Blaze maneuvered off her bed, trying not to put too much stock into the fact she had read his mind.
Condom in hand, he slid back into her bed, “I want you above me. I want to watch you.”
She managed to wrangle him free from his boxer-briefs and proceeded to straddle his hips. He rolled the rubber down his shaft, her eyes glued to each movement. He groaned as his head caressed her entrance and with one fluid movement she slid down on to him.
“So tight.”
“Feels so good.”
She rocked her hips back and forth, finding the perfect momentum. His hands consumed her– running through her hair, caressing her alongside her face, her breasts, her hips. In this moment, there was trust between them. She trusted him. She felt his goodness in his tender touch, saw the honesty in his face as he watched her on the brink of an orgasm and believed his sweet words of nothing as they consumed one another.
She rode him fast and she rode him hard and he didn’t last long. When she lurched toward his chest, her orgasm squeezed in tight pulses around his shaft, his own release took ahold of him, sending them both spiraling into ecstasy.