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UP IN FLAMES 38
His finger moved lower and she tensed. “When did you get it done?”She closed her eyes and clamped her lips together, wishing she could just grab his head and put his mouth to better use. “Alaric.”“Tell me when.” His finger traveled up the inside of her thigh, stopping just below her heat. “How old were you?”The bastard was relentless. Her skin burned and her body pulsed with yearning. “I was eighteen,” she bit out. “Happy?”“Yes.” He cupped her between the thighs, covering her throbbing center. “Happy?”Her back bowed as her hips immediately pushed against his hand. “Getting there…”“Hmm.” He pressed a kiss to the crease of her thigh as he rotated his palm, eliciting a throaty moan from her. “Drunk or sober?”“What?” she gasped.He pressed his palm against her. “Were you drunk or sober when you got the tattoo?”She wanted to refuse him, but then he lifted his hand. Cool air brushed her and she muttered a curse. Alaric laughed. “I was a little drunk,” she admitted, and was rewarded
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“You said earlier that you planned on putting my mouth to good use.”He had said that, and fuck if he didn’t want that more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, but he…Alaric shook his head. Her tongue moved against her lips and whatever tiny level of hesitation that had been brewing in his chest evaporated like smoke. Her eyes were wide and dark with passion, hair a tumbled mess over her shoulders and curling around her breasts. It was the first time he’d seen her look so…so free. And fuck, she was perfect.“Well then…” He rose, unbuttoning his pants. He had them off in less than a second.Her gaze dropped, and she made a sound that his cock really liked. He was hard, jutting up in the air, and so close to losing it that if she kept staring at him like that, he’d come right then. Gripping her shoulders, he positioned her on her knees before him and then bent down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that ended too soon. Then he straightened before her.With her wrists secure
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She was folding and refolding her newly acquired stash of clothing for the hundredth time when Alaric appeared in the doorway. The moment her gaze connected with his, heat zinged across her cheeks and she felt silly for blushing so easily.“Hungry?” he asked, expression impassive.Her stomach rumbled in response. All she had eaten earlier was a bagel with cream cheese. “What do you have in mind?”“Thought we could go out and grab something to eat.”For some reason, her heart flopped over in her chest. “Go out and eat?”Obviously mistaking her high-pitched response for fear, he softened his features. “I know this place. My partner and I go there all the time. It’ll be safe.”It was better if he thought she was afraid instead of knowing the truth. Which was what? The sudden increase in her heart rate was due to excitement? But that was silly. This wasn’t a date. Calmly, she placed the folded shirt on the dresser. “I don’t have anything nice to wear.”“What you’re wearing is fine,” he re
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Time for another subject change. “Did you always want to be a Detective?”Alaric gave a little half smile. “I used to work as a bodyguard for a while, but I don’t do a lot of personal protection anymore. I guess this is a special case.” He winked at her, and damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell.“That didn’t answer my question,” she said, feeling her lips curve into a grin.“I don’t know.” His hand slid an inch up her leg. “I always kind of did the whole…watching out for others thing—like with my brothers. Just something that came naturally to me. I was the only one who could really pick what I wanted to do. My brother always played ball, since he was old enough to pick one up. The other was primed to take on our father’s business, but me? Yeah, I could do whatever.”Interested, she looked at him. “Did you go to college?”“I did. Are you surprised?”“No.” She knew he wasn’t just all brawn, even though she liked to say that. “What did you study? Kicking ass?”He laughed deeply, causing her g
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Disappointed, she hung up the phone. “Was that long enough?” she asked.“No.” Alaric made a face. “I just needed a few more seconds. However, I’m going to let Paul know he called you again. See if he can do more digging from his end.”She nodded. “Can’t he get in touch with my carrier and find out the caller’s number?”“They could. But most likely he either used a burner phone—one that’s untraceable—or blocked his number. What showed up on your caller ID?”“Unknown Caller.” She tried not to be too glum. “Which means he blocked his number, right?”“Probably.” Alaric didn’t appear too concerned. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. He’s actually not the one I’m concerned with.”“What do you mean?”“He even admitted he’s not the one trying to hurt you, though he claims to know who is. I’m more worried about the guy who took out your window and tried messed up your things.”Put that way… “I agree.” She sounded worried now and all Alaric wanted to do was cheer her up. “You don’t have to wor
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Her lips tightened. “Since when do you give orders around here? I know it's your house, but I was Christopher's campaign manager and personal assistant and one of the few people he trusted implicitly.”“Good for you,” Alaric drawled. “I’m sure that’s why you won’t tell us about Chris.”Chloe met his stare with one of her own. “Tell me what you know. I can confirm or deny any misinformation.”Suppressing a flash of anger, Vanessa set her cup down with a loud thunk. “I’ve had enough,” she said, noting the surprise flash in Chloe's eyes. “What’s with the secrecy? Christopher is dead. Why protect his secrets now?”“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chloe drew herself up. “And I’m offended that you would treat me as if I am hiding something.”Both Alaric and Paul watched the two women with interest. Vanessa would have said more if Paul hadn’t been present. For now, she decided to let it go. “Thank you for all your help,” she told Chloe. “I really appreciate it. This has been a stres
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Vanessa looked down. When she raised her head, her expression was stubborn. “I’m not letting anyone keep chasing me out of my own home,” she said. “I'm tired of it. I’ve done nothing wrong or illegal, and if my husband stole money, I didn’t know anything about it.”Paul sighed. “I know. But even if you are totally innocent in all this, do you really think that makes a difference to the bad guys?”Vanessa's proud expression fell. For a moment, she appeared shattered, devastated by the horrible possibility Paul outlined. Alaric had to suppress a surge of anger at Paul. While he understood—and even respected—the man’s reasoning, he hated seeing Vanessa hurt. Even for her own good.“Nothing will happen to me,” she declared, her voice steady and strong. “Alaric will make sure of that.”Alaric felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Paul's gaze swung to him before landing back on Vanessa. “What if they kill Alaric?” Paul asked, the coldness in his voice giving the words extra impact. “Do yo
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“But these are for you.” He headed toward her, placing them on the desk. “Careful. They’re heavy.”Her eyes scanned the roses and tiny white flowers as she stood there in a stupor. She didn’t see a card, but she hadn’t realized that in time. The deliveryman was already gone.Sitting down slowly, she stared at the magnificent, beautiful display of roses. This…this had to cost a pretty penny and she couldn’t even fathom who’d sent them to her. Surely it could not be…She was still staring at the roses when she heard Anita's gasp from her open office door. “Holy crap, that’s a lot of roses,” she said, hurrying closer to the desk to inspect them."How are you always around when things like this happen?" Vanessa grumbled. Anita ignored her comment. She was still inspecting the flowers. Her wide eyes met Vanessa's. “Does this have anything to do with who’s on his way up the elevator?”Vanessa stiffened, half afraid. “Who’s coming up the elevator?”“One incredibly sexy Detective Alaric Harp
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He laughed, dropping his forehead to hers. “I was thinking you wanted to tell me something else.”She reached up, spreading her palm against his cheek. The words were surprisingly easier to say than she could’ve ever imagined. “I love you.”His eyes fell shut as he sucked in a deep breath. “I’m glad we don’t need to fight again for you to admit that.”“Me, too,” she whispered, stretching up and kissing him softly. “Don’t you have something you want to say?”“Remember my fantasy?” His lashes lifted. “The one I told you about?”Paul cleared his throat behind them, but it went largely ignored.That wasn’t what she was looking for, but she would go with this. “Yes. I remember.”“And look at you. Your hair pulled back, wearing one of those god-awful suits. I think you did that on purpose.”A smile teased her lips. “I might have.”“Hmm,” he murmured as he reached around, gently unwrapping the bun and letting her hair fall down her back. “And why did you do that?”“I thought it might help my
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Stunned by what he said, all she could do was sit there, and when she didn’t say anything, Alaric cursed under his breath again. “I’ve told you that I don’t mind the chase, and I have no fucking problem chasing after you, but I refuse to run after a ghost. And that’s what you are if you can’t let go of your past with your mom. I won’t chase a ghost.”Then he spun, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between her and the door. And then…then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.The moment Alaric left, she knew, without a doubt, that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. It was right there, smacking her face. Everything he had said was right.She was a coward. And the best damn thing to ever happen to her had just walked out the door.……… Her heart was like a hummingbird in her chest by the time she climbed out of her newly returned car and stared up at Alaric's house.A thousand things could go wrong with this. He might not be home. He could be and he could h
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Pressure clamped down on her chest and she quickly shook her head. She had been doing so well. Now wasn’t the time to break down. She placed her purse on the desk when someone knocked and the door to her office opened. It was her assistant, Ruby. "There's a Mr Harper here to see you, Mrs Spencer. Should I send him in?" Vanessa's heart skipped a beat, and she almost ran out the door to see him, but she stopped herself. What use would it be? She'd already left. There was no going back now, so she shook her head, "No," she replied, "Please tell him I'm not available," Ruby left, and Vanessa stood, staring at the door. She knew Alaric well enough to know that if he insisted on coming into her office, no one would be able to stop him. Fifteen minutes later, no one came in and she knew that he'd gone. She should be relieved, but she felt more miserable than ever. —-----Everything should be okay.Her apartment had been virtually restored. The rental insurance had kicked in and the new
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“Vanessa,” he breathed, voice ragged. "Vanessa, please…. Please don't…" He stopped talking and she dropped her head to his warm shoulder, squeezing her eyes against the rush of hot tears. Her arms trembled, but it seemed to have very little to do with what they’d just done, and more with the fact that after today, it would be the last time. It had to be before it was too late.But an evil little voice whispered that it was already too late. —------Vanessa was running.Alaric was a lot of things, but he wasn’t fucking stupid. And he’d meant what he’d said. Kind of. He’d let her have the facade of running, because she wasn’t going to get far. He knew that the woman felt the same way he did. She may not be able to say the words, but it was everything else she did. Right now, she was like a cornered animal. There were only two options for her: fight it out or run.She was going to run.He’d kept her busy the rest of the day Sunday, not giving her much time to put whatever cockamamie pla
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Looking over her shoulder at him, she drew in a shallow breath. “It is.”Alaric stared at her for what felt like forever and then he had his pants off in record time. His arousal jutted out proudly, hard and thick, and molten lava filled in her belly. He stepped into the shower, closing the door behind him. His hands landed on her hips and when he spoke, his voice whispered in her ear. “I know what you’re thinking.”Vanessa shuddered. “You do?”“Yes.” He kissed her shoulder, causing her heart to squeeze at the tender action. “You’re going to run.”She stiffened, her arms clamped close to her chest. “I don’t…don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You’re a shitty liar.” He turned her around and reached between them, wrapping his hands around her wrists. He backed her up until she was flush with the cold tile. “You have that look in your eyes. Never really seen it before—the whole deer-in-the-headlights look. But you have it. You’re going to run.”“You need to get your eyes checked, the
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“That's bullshit and you know it.” Paul said, "Fuck you," Alaric replied, but there was no real heat in his words. "Look, I had to take a break, okay? After everything that happened, I felt like I needed some time for myself. Besides Bobby was fine with it," Paul didn't look convinced, "Does this have anything to do with a certain Mrs Spencer?" When Alaric didn't reply, Paul added, "Damn man, Did you let her go?" Vanessa felt like an interloper. Well, duh, she was, and she really needed to get her ass out of there. Paul looked like he was about to say something else when what sounded like a chair in the dining room deciding to mate with the table drew their attention. They turned at the same time.Vanessa stood a few feet back from the table, her face as red as a fire truck and her eyes wide. Alaric's gaze dropped, and he swallowed a groan. Damn if he didn’t love seeing her in his clothes. However, he did not like the idea of Paul seeing her practically naked. And he really wasn’t
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Oh fuck, he needed to be in her again. “I like it, too.” Placing the tips of his fingers under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his. “And I love it when you lose control.”Her mouth opened, as if she was about to deny that, but he kissed her before she could deny what was so obvious. He wanted her upstairs and in his bed, but they got sidetracked on the stairs, and he ended up between her thighs, his arm along her back, taking the burn of the rocking motions. Later, much later, they made it to his bedroom. Both of them were exhausted, and he felt like he’d run a marathon. He lazily trailed a hand up and down her spine. Each time he reached the slight curve of her lower back, his fingers brushed the swell of her ass and she’d shiver. Of course, he kept doing it.She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, letting out a content sigh. “What you did downstairs, on the table people eat at, wasn’t very appropriate.”Alaric chuckled deeply. “What is it about you and appropriateness?”Her lips cu
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Cupping her breasts, he rolled her nipples between his fingers as he dipped his head, pressing a kiss to the small puckered skin on her shoulder. “You like that?”“Yes,” she said, voice husky. “It feels so good.”“Hmm…” He kissed her shoulder once more and then placed another kiss over her wildly beating pulse. “I like you like this.”“What?” She arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his hand.He plucked her nipples, grinning when she gasped. “Standing naked in front of my sink.”A soft laugh lit up the kitchen. “Are your blinds closed?”“Of course.” He moved his hips against her rear, groaning in her ear. “If I saw you like this every fucking day, my life would be perfect.”“Every day?” Muscles tensed against him, and he cursed under his breath.Not wanting to give her time to dwell and obsess over that comment, he curved his hand around her throat, guiding her head back, and kissed her. As he licked his way into her mouth, he pulled out the tie.“Close your eyes.”She pulled b
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He stared at her, and Vanessa averted her eyes. She couldn't look at him. He looked so hurt and she almost flung herself at him, but they didn't belong together and there was no point letting things go on longer than it should. They'd just be postponing the inevitable. "You don't have to stay in a hotel, Vanessa. You can stay with me…. And…. And then maybe we can get the chance to say goodbye to each other… Properly. Not standing here like strangers. We don't have to end it this way," That made sense, Vanessa told herself, or maybe it did because she wanted it to. She turned to look at his handsome face, "Alright," she said, "Let's go," —-----------It didn’t matter how many times Alaric tasted her or slid deep inside her, it was never enough. He was addicted to her—to the way she moved against him, how her mouth brought him pleasure and then riled him up seconds later when she mouthed off, or the way she cried out his name as she came. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, not whe
