LOGINShare
60
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
UP IN FLAMES 61
“You got blood on your pj’s,” Alaric pointed out. “You have to change.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s late, but if there’s any plywood around, I can get it nailed up over that window"Though privately she knew there was no way she could make herself go back into that room tonight, she nodded. Alaric seemed to read her mind because he said, “I can get them for you. Just tell me what you want and where to find them.”His compassion ignited a spark to warm her inner chill. “The third drawer down in my main dresser has my pajama bottoms. Any pair will do.”He nodded. “Wait right here.”As if she intended on going anywhere. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she watched as he disappeared into her room. Though the idea of his hands on her personal things made her feel slightly unsettled, she appreciated his offer of help.“Here you go.” Returning, he handed her a pair of black-and-red-plaid flannel bottoms. Since she didn’t have the heart to tell him those were for winter, she thanked hi
UP IN FLAMES 62
Smiling, she refused to allow herself to think about her problems or the future, choosing instead to revel in this moment, in the pleasant way her body ached yet her inner turmoil felt calm and at peace. Her thoughts brought too much pain, and she wanted to allow herself to bask in her happiness, however temporary.Her phone buzzed, the insistent sound reminding her she’d left the ringer on vibrate like she always did when she went to bed. “Who could that be?” she asked, loathe to leave his arms.“It’s three in the morning,” Alaric commented. “Only bad news comes at this hour of the night. You’d better answer it.”Though she’d much rather just let the call go to voicemail, she reluctantly pushed up from the bed and crossed to the dresser. Alaric's room somehow felt cozier and more welcoming. Of course, a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that he occupied it.When she snatched up her phone, the Unknown Caller on the display made her groan. “If this is a wrong number…” she mu
UP IN FLAMES 63
The fact that she’d allowed herself to do it before should have galled her to no end. Despite that, she wanted to march herself right back over there and crawl back into his arms.“I’ll pass.” She smiled to show him she meant no harm.Something in his gaze told her he knew her thoughts. “It’s three in the morning,” he pointed out. “We’ve already discussed this, so where will you go?”Relief flooded her, though she refused to acknowledge it. She hated that she felt she needed some sort of justification for wanting to be with him.“You’re right,” she said, shutting her mind down to all rational thoughts as she crossed the room and slid under the covers and next to the warmth of his very sexy, muscular body.He wrapped his arms around her, and she was still there the next morning when she woke. Savoring the moment, she allowed herself the luxury of studying his sleeping face. His rugged and chiseled features were softer in slumber. Moving slowly, she eased out from under his arm and slip
UP IN FLAMES 64
As Alaric walked out of the office, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he nearly groaned out loud. It was his boss, and Alaric had a pretty good idea why he was calling."I knew you'd call soon. I rushed up here to see you." “I saw your pretty mug on TV this afternoon,” Bobby Brown drawled. “What the hell were you thinking?”“I had no idea those reporters would be there,” Alaric protested. “And I still have no idea why.”Bobby snorted. “Christopher Wesley again. Man, that guy had more secrets than even we knew about.”“What now?”“Someone leaked to the media a story that Wesley had a secret lover. A male lover. " Bobby paused, apparently to let that sink in.“It had to be Chris,” Alaric mused out loud. “That was Christopher's boyfriend, and we’re ninety-nine percent sure he’s the one who’s been threatening Vanessa. You heard about the exploding drone?”“I did.” Bobby went silent for a moment. “You mean you knew about Christopher being gay?”Alaric explained about the photo al
UP IN FLAMES 65
“That was the FBI,” she replied. “They’ve located Chris—Christopher's Chris—and brought him in for questioning. It's quite funny how they even have the same name. They said he won’t answer anything. Now he has an attorney and is trying to make some sort of deal.” She took a deep breath. “He also is demanding to meet with me face-to-face.”Instantly alert, Alaric resisted the urge to swear. “Damn Paul. He told me he'd handle it. Are they going to allow you to do that? The guy has been trying to kill you, after all. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that idea.”"You knew," "Yes, Paul called me on my way back. I just wanted to check up on you first. I'm just not okay with you talking to someone who has been threatening you," “They assured me I’ll be safe.” She looked down at her phone as if she expected it to have the answer. When she lifted her chin again, he saw determination in her gaze. “I want to talk to him. He must be pretty desperate to have been threatening me lik
UP IN FLAMES 66
“We’re only holding him for the Feds,” he said, his expression pained. “He’s facing a multitude of charges, from racketeering and money laundering to attempted murder.”Alaric spoke up for the first time. “If that’s the case, then why is Vanessa here?”“Good question.” The sheriff nodded his approval. “I asked Mrs. Spencer here for two reasons. One, because Mr. Wuncler here assured me that he wanted to apologize.” He shot Chris a hard look of reproach. “And second, I’m guessing the FBI will need to ask you a few questions.”“Not without her attorney present,” Alaric quickly responded."He's right," Vanessa added, “While Christopher never involved me in his business dealings, now that I’ve been made aware he committed several crimes, it’s probably best that I obtain legal counsel.”Chris burst into laughter, surprising them. He began an insulting slow clap, eyeing her with what appeared to be begrudging approval. “Look at you,” he chortled. “Pretending to be a saint. Why did you get m
UP IN FLAMES 67
“True.” She made a face. “After his numerous attempts to kill me, he’s now trying the equivalent of saying just kidding.”“Maybe we need to take another look in Christopher's office. Though she’s probably scrubbed it clean of anything that would even remotely implicate her, there’s always the possibility that she might have missed something.”Vanessa brightened. “Good idea. Though I’m thinking the Sheriff or the FBI would have gotten a search warrant by now.”“I’ll double-check.” Privately, he thought if they hadn’t, then no one was doing their job. He noticed the worry written on her face and tried to cheer her up, "It's going to be over soon," he assured her, "Things are like this now because we're closing up on them and we're coming to the end of all this. You've been strong and brave the entire time. You can't stop now," —------------Alaric returned from the station and Vanessa could tell from the look on his face that something was up. Alaric looked as if he had been run over b
UP IN FLAMES 68
Chloe snorted. “I looked, believe me. Despite that, I still haven’t a clue what Christopher did with it, but I’m guessing it’s sitting in some private offshore account right now. I would venture a wild guess that Chris knows exactly where it is, but I haven’t had any luck in locating him.” With her gun still trained on Vanessa, Chloe squinted her eyes. “I don’t suppose you know where he is, do you?”For a second, Vanessa considered shaking her head. Instead, she decided to go with the truth. “He’s in police custody in downtown Anniversary.”“What? Why?”“He’s been threatening me. He’s the one who shot out my back window and sent a package bomb.”“No.” Though the hand holding the pistol never wavered, Chloe appeared on the verge of hysterical laughter. “Are you serious?”“I am.” Eyeing the gun, Vanessa decided she might as well ask point-blank. “What are you doing? Why are you holding a gun on me?”“Tying up loose ends. You truly didn’t have any idea about anything, did you?”“You mea
Latest chapter
UP IN FLAMES 80
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
UP IN FLAMES 79
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
UP IN FLAMES 78
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
UP IN FLAMES 77
“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
UP IN FLAMES 76
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
UP IN FLAMES 75
“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
UP IN FLAMES 74
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
UP IN FLAMES 73
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
UP IN FLAMES 72
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
