Heat (Deceit and Desire Book 4) Read online

  Heat

  Deceit and Desire Book 4

  Cassie Wild

  Belmonte Publishing, LLC

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Belmonte Publishing LLC

  Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC

  Contents

  Reading Order

  1. Ravenna

  2. Nicco

  3. Ravenna

  4. Ravenna

  5. Nicco

  6. Ravenna

  7. Nicco

  8. Ravenna

  9. Nicco

  10. Ravenna

  11. Nicco

  12. Ravenna

  13. Ravenna

  14. Nicco

  15. Ravenna

  16. Nicco

  17. Ravenna

  18. Ravenna

  19. Nicco

  About the Author

  Reading Order

  Thank you so much for reading Tricks, book 3 in my Deceit and Desire series. If you’d like to read the complete series, I recommend reading them in this order:

  1. Lies

  2. Fire

  3. Tricks

  4. Heat (This book)

  5. Sting (June 27)

  6. Blaze (July 6)

  One

  Ravenna

  Nicco hadn’t argued about my suggestion on where to meet and talk. Part of me had expected him to, but he’d just nodded and smiled.

  I had the feeling he knew why I’d wanted to meet at a restaurant instead of just having him come back to my place or meet in his office.

  Neutral ground was the best bet, but I didn’t want to come outright and tell him that.

  I also didn’t want him getting the wrong idea.

  He’d asked if I’d had sex with him so he’d be in the right frame of mind when I asked him about helping me bring in his father. I couldn’t blame him for asking – it was a fair question. But the blunt, honest truth was I’d had sex with him despite what I needed from him, not because of it.

  Now I was dealing with all the needs and urges inside of me, trying to fight them back while attempting to deal with things I needed to find out from him.

  It was like walking a damned tightrope.

  Sitting across from him at the table, I had to admit something else. I was woefully inexperienced at this. I didn’t know which way to go or what to ask or how I was supposed to catch a man for a crime that had been committed years ago.

  The statute of limitations had come and gone, and I didn’t know how I was supposed to begin to bring Gabriel Marks down. Unless we were to catch him involved in something else.

  But there had to be a way.

  As I sat across from Nicco, I kept that thought in the forefront of my mind. Or I tried.

  There has to be a way.

  “You and your mother left your father when you were seven,” I said, tracing a small pattern on the tablecloth with my finger. “But you said you’ve seen him once since then. When was that?”

  His eyes met mine briefly, then he looked away.

  “It’s a personal matter. I’d have to think about it before I discussed that with you,” he finally told me.

  “What kind of personal business can you have with a man you haven’t seen in over twenty years?” I asked, keeping my tone light.

  The server appeared with the ticket tucked inside a leather wallet. “Will you two be having any dessert?”

  I was tempted to say yes, and not just because I needed more time to plug away at Nicco over his father. I liked the guy. I liked him in a way I hadn’t liked another guy – ever.

  Nicco’s eyes rested on mine. “It’s up to you.”

  My belly was so full of the pasta and appetizers, I felt like I’d bust and reluctantly, I shook my head.

  She put the ticket down, and before I could reach for it, Nicco had it in his hand, tucking a credit card into it. “My treat.”

  “But I’m the one who asked you to come here,” I protested.

  “My treat,” he said again.

  “Okay.” I smiled at him.

  His gaze dropped to my mouth, and the heat I’d been trying to smother for most of the evening exploded into the forefront, obliterating just about everything.

  Unwittingly, I licked my lips, and Nicco’s lids drooped low over his eyes, partially shielding his gaze from mine. Partially. Not completely. The heat I saw in that shielded gaze was enough to hit me square in the chest, knocking the breath out of me.

  My breathing sped up.

  The server appeared quietly to take the ticket and credit card, and Nicco leaned forward. “I guess it’s a night, then.” He brushed his fingers over the back of my hand.

  I didn’t plan on doing it, but I turned my palm upward and laced my fingers with his, pressing our palms together. “Does it have to be?”

  He blinked, a ridiculously slow, lazy sweep of his lashes drooping over his eyes.

  In that brief span where I couldn’t see that beautiful blue, I struggled to calm my breathing, but it was a fruitless effort. When he finally looked back at me, it was like I’d taken a two-fisted punch straight to the solar plexus.

  “I guess it doesn’t have to end if you aren’t ready for it,” he said.

  Then he lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

  Such an innocent, innocuous gesture – romantic even.

  But I felt it as if he’d reached out and licked me, right through my panties.

  “Come back to my place with me,” I said, forcing the words out of a tight throat.

  His only response was a slow smile that was so sexy, my heart skipped another couple of beats in response.

  Two

  Nicco

  I’d been hoping for an invitation, but not expecting one.

  Now, standing in front of the small electric fireplace dominating one wall in Ravenna’s small living room, I listened as she opened the refrigerator. Once we’d gotten inside, she’d asked if I’d like a beer and the nervousness in her voice had compelled me to say yes.

  I didn’t particularly want anything other than her, but if it would relax her, we could have a drink or two.

  Then I’d have her.

  Again.

  My hands all but itched to touch her, to stroke that lithe, strong body and feel her arch under me, to feel her break and moan and sigh. I wanted that more than I wanted my next breath.

  My cock was already standing at attention as I heard her coming up behind me.

  “Here you go,” she said.

  Turning, I met her gaze and accepted the bottle of beer. I recognized the brewery. They were a small, local one – one of my favorites. “I approve,” I said, tipping the bottle in her direction.

  She gave me a half smile. “Support the local economy, right?”

  “Especially when it’s as good as this.” I tipped the bottle back and took a drink, lowering it in time to see her take her first swallow.

  The long, pale line of her throat made me want to sink my teeth into that elegant arch. I wanted to bite her, to taste her and feel her moan against me, feel her cunt tighten around my fingers…tongue…cock.

  Once she’d lowered the bottle, I asked softly, “Are you sore?”

  She jerked a little, her face flushing pink. “No,” she said, her voice stilted, almost tight. “I was earlier. A little. But I’m fine.”

  Still, I’d have to take it easy. In a few more days, I told myself. A few more days.

  She shifted from one foot
to the other, then gestured to the couch. “Want to have a seat?”

  “Sure.”

  I waited until she’d taken her seat, then followed suit, settling down just a foot away from hers. We sat in mostly companionable silence, drinking the dark brew in the dim quiet of her living room.

  When she was done, I reached over and took the bottle, then put both hers and mine on the table. She slid me a look from the corner of her eye. She hid it well, but I could all but feel the nerves dancing out of her.

  “You know, I’m going to have fun spreading you out and tasting you again,” I said softly.

  She whipped her head around and stared at me. After a few seconds, a faint smile curled her lips, and she arched a brow. “I think you say things like that to shock me.”

  “It works. And it’s true. So…why not?” I reached out and traced my finger over the back of her hand, watching as her skin broke out into goosebumps.

  “Anybody ever tell you that you’re incorrigible?” Her lips curved into a slow smile.

  I returned that smile as I edged a little closer. “A time or two. Is that a problem?”

  “Not for me.” She went still as I reached up and curved a hand over the back of her neck and drew her in closer. Her breathing hitched, and I’d swear, it drew me in another few inches.

  But everything she did drew me in closer. It was irresistible.

  She licked her lips, and with a groan, I closed the rest of the distance between us and did the same, closing my mouth over hers and tracing the path she’d taken with her tongue, using my own.

  She arched against me eagerly, and the heat of her drove me a little crazy. Her fingers went to tug at the knot of my tie while I reached for the hem of her shirt. She’d worn a pretty, flowing blouse with a pair of fitted slacks to dinner, the pants outlining her ass like a dream. She’d looked gorgeous, and now all I wanted to do was get her naked, so I could outline that ass of hers with my hands.

  Stripping the shirt away, I then went to work on her bra, letting it fall to the floor along with the tie she’d finally worked free from my neck. While she started on my shirt, I reached for the fastener on her slacks, and our hands ended up tangling together. A laugh bubbled out of her. I cut it off with a kiss.

  “You’re going to damage my ego here,” I told her.

  “Ha. I doubt anything can do that.” She cupped me through my trousers and squeezed, giving me a teasing stroke.

  “That wasn’t quite the ego I was talking about.” I caught her wrist and leaned into her hand. “But please…do that again.”

  She complied, then reached for my belt. “It’s more fun when you’re naked.”

  “Damn right.” We fought our way out of the rest of our clothes, although I had the presence of mind to hold onto my pants long enough to grab a condom. Once I had her naked, I caught her up in my arms and fell back onto the nearest surface. It happened to be the couch. Pulling her atop me, I tugged her mouth down to meet mine.

  She kicked my lower lip and rocked against me. The wet heat of her cunt had me hissing, arching up to meet the next hungry glide of her hips. “Witch,” I muttered. “You’re a damn witch, out to drive me out of my mind.”

  “Hmmm…sounds like a plan. How close am I?” She smiled against my mouth as she spoke.

  Cupping the back of her head, I bit her lower lip. “Too close. Give me that mouth, Ravenna.” I didn’t wait for her to open for me. I took her lips in a bruising kiss, starving for her, needing her in a way that was utterly foreign to me.

  She braced her hands against my shoulders and moved against me again. “Hurry up, Nicco. Please.”

  I was glad I wasn’t the only one going out of my mind.

  Taking the condom, I tore it open.

  Ravenna sat back, her weight balanced on my thighs.

  “Let me,” she said, taking the condom away.

  The feel of her fingers against my cock was a torment I didn’t want to end. She took her time unrolling the condom, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she dealt with the unfamiliar task. When she was finished, she shot me a quick look and asked, “Is that right?”

  I grabbed her head between my hands and yanked her close, covering her mouth with mine in a voracious kiss. Our mouths collided, my cock trapped between us. That wasn’t where it wanted to be. It wanted to be inside her. Letting go of her head, I reached between us and caught one hip in my hand, using my free one to guide my cock as I eased her up.

  “Take me in,” I urged, dying to feel that hot, snug grasp of her pussy around me.

  She gasped at the feeling of me pressing against her.

  I swore against her lips, letting my head fall back against the couch so I could watch her. I caught both of her hips in my hands. “Take me in,” I said again.

  She sucked in a breath and slowly sank down, taking in just a fraction of me before easing back up.

  It was excruciating, a tease, a pleasure, all at once.

  Gripping her hips tighter, I tugged on her before reminding myself she was new at this. She followed my urging though, sinking down a little more on the second stroke, and even more on the third.

  Her lips parted on a ragged breath, her head falling back to expose the line of her neck. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the pulse thudding there.

  She shivered, and I raked the spot with my teeth before drawing the small patch of flesh in. Ravenna whimpered and grabbed the back of my head, urging me on.

  I bit her, and she tensed, her body jerking against mine. That action drove her farther down on my cock, and she cried out. Bracing one hand against the base of her spine, I steadied her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m…” She swallowed. “I’m fine.” She wiggled her hips, rolling them this time. “Help me out here, Nicco.”

  “I think you’ve got the hang of it,” I told her, a pained laugh escaping me.

  “Help me!” she demanded again, wiggling again, almost frantic.

  Catching sight of the feverish look in her eyes, I nodded. Rearranging her knees, I gripped her hips, then dragged her up. She shuddered, arching her back.

  The motion lifted her breasts, driving them up in the air and closer to my mouth. Leaning forward, I caught one plump, tight nipple in my mouth and sucked, using my tongue to push it up against the roof of my mouth.

  Ravenna curled her arms around my neck and began to rock in tandem with my movements, whimpering low in her throat.

  Pressing my mouth to that fragile spot at the base of her neck, I nipped her skin and whispered, “Ride me now, Ravenna.”

  She was already doing it, her nails scoring my back, her knees digging into my hips.

  Her pussy clamped down around my cock, sending electric jolts of pleasure coursing through me, starting from my dick and spreading outward. My balls drew tight, and the slippery, wet feel of her as she moved and twisted against me was just another temptation in a sea of them.

  Her mouth sought out mine, and I swallowed down her moan as she pushed one hand through my hair.

  Short hair met my hand as I cupped the back of her head, holding her steady for my kiss as I thrust up into the tight, silken fist of her cunt, pushing us both closer to orgasm.

  She moaned, and it was my name, the sound of it tauntingly sweet on her lips. Gripping her ass now, I moved her quicker, faster, rising to meet her on each thrust, chasing that orgasm.

  She was close, so close…

  Then she was falling, clenching and spasming around me, and I couldn’t hold back much longer.

  She jolted in my arms, spasming around me one more time, and I lost it, coming hard and fast.

  Ravenna collapsed against my chest, breathing ripping in and out of her lungs.

  A few seconds later, while I was still trying to steady my breathing, she muttered, “Well, that answers that.”

  “What?” Nuzzling her neck, I tasted the salty sweat on her skin and felt my dick stir, already interested in another go. Down, boy.

  “I was wondering
if it was always like it was last night. I guess so.”

  I closed my eyes, not sure if I should disappoint her or not.

  Because she was wrong. It wasn’t always like this. At least, it never had been.

  Not for me.

  Three

  Ravenna

  Nerves chittered inside me as I checked my phone.

  It was edging up on my lunch break, and I was supposed to meet Nicco’s little sister, Joelle.

  Her number had popped up on his phone when he’d slipped out on me to use the bathroom last night. The phone had been on the floor, so it wasn’t like I’d been snooping – I’d just picked it up.

  I’d seen the number and…well, I remembered it.

  So far, Nicco hadn’t given much I could use to bring his father in, so I’d sent Joelle a text earlier this morning, asking her if she’d mind meeting me for a few minutes outside the police department. I’d given her my name and rank, told her she could call me at the precinct if that would help.

  I hadn’t expected much to come out of it, but she’d said yes.

  Now I just had to count down the next twenty-eight minutes until it was time to talk to her, figure out the right questions, ask those questions, and…oh, yeah…hope this didn’t come back to bite me on the ass.

  I had no idea if Joelle might have anything useful for me, but I needed to find something, and Nicco, while he was willing to answer questions, had yet to give me much of anything I could use.

  I was nervous, though.

  Way too nervous.

  Maybe that means you shouldn’t do this, a small voice said.