Blaze (Deceit and Desire Book 6) Read online

  And Croft would find his sorry ass out the door, assuming I didn’t end up killing him before that time came.

  I searched my mind for something to talk about, but hardly anything came up. She shifted from one foot to the other, and I ended up blurting out, “I met your mother.”

  Trice went still.

  She didn’t even seem to breathe as she stared at me, her face smooth and blank as a doll’s.

  The reaction was almost eerie, and I couldn’t understand the reason behind it until I recalled my reaction to Trice’s mother.

  Instant dislike.

  “She…ah…she…well, she doesn’t seem to be the typical mom figure,” I finally said. Of course, who was I to know what the typical mom figure should be? My mom was shacking up with TU just so she didn’t lose whatever grasp on power she still had in the Devil’s Firstborn, never mind the fact that she was still married to my dad.

  I knew as much about ‘typical’ parenting figures as I knew about accounting – jack shit.

  Trice’s eyelids flickered, and after a few seconds, she looked away. “Being a mother was never high on her list of priorities,” she said softly.

  There was a world of unspoken pain in that simple sentence. I wanted to go to her and hold her, but the way she held herself kept me standing exactly where I was, unmoving.

  “Was she really okay with just…giving you away?”

  Trice’s lids flickered, and her mouth went tight. She turned away from me, folding her arms over her chest. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

  I went to her, half-expecting her to pull away. She held her ground though, and after a few seconds, she craned her head, lifting her eyes to meet mine.

  “You don’t have to worry about them, you know,” I told her.

  “Why is that?” Her lashes lay in a dark, heavy fringe over her eyes, shielding them from me.

  “Because I’m not going to let any of them get close to you again. You’re safe from them.”

  Her gaze fell away from mine, and I took a step toward her. “Trice. Do you believe me?”

  She drew in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “I believe you want to keep me safe from them.”

  “Believe it. I’ll never let them touch you.”

  There was still a guarded look in her eyes. Desperate to make it go away, I tried one more thing. “I’ve got a friend. He’s…ah…he’s former military. He’s keeping an eye on your cousin and sister. So, you’re not just leaving them out to dry. If Croft tries anything, my friend will deal with him.”

  “I…” Trice blinked, shaking her head as she stared at me. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because it mattered to you.” I reached out and touched her cheek, expecting her to pull away.

  She didn’t.

  To my surprise, she covered my hand with hers and stepped closer. She dropped her head against my chest and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Something cold and hard in my chest unclenched. I cradled the back of her neck. “You’re welcome.”

  For a long moment, we stood there like that. Another heavy sigh escaped her and I slid my free hand up her side. She shivered a little.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “I’m going to take care of you, Trice. I promise.” I eased back, willing her to look at me. When she finally did, I lay a hand on her cheek. “They’ll never hurt you.”

  “I don’t want to talk about them, Lane. I really don’t want to talk about anything right now.”

  My heart stuttered in my chest at her nearness.

  The look in her eyes made my dick stand up and take notice.

  “Trice?”

  She reached up and cupped my face. “Put your hands on me, Lane. Make me forget about everything for a little while.”

  Five

  Trice

  Make me forget…

  As I pulled Lane’s head down to mine, I rose up onto my toes, hungry to feel his mouth against mine, and just as hungry for the oblivion I knew his touch would bring.

  I didn’t have to think when he was touching me.

  For a second, his mouth was unresponsive under mine and panic leaped inside me. I didn’t know how to do this–

  But then his arms came around me, one hand coming up to grip the back of my head. His mouth opened but instead of waiting for him, I slid my tongue out and traced the line of his lips, the way he did when he kissed me.

  He made a strange sound low in his chest.

  I liked the sound of it, so I traced the line of his lip again, then eased back a little and sucked his lower lip into my mouth, biting down gently. Lane groaned, the hand on the back of my head tightening. I teased the entrance of his mouth again and nervously slid my tongue inside.

  His arms tightened around me, and he lifted me, my feet leaving the floor. He carried me to the bed and spun around, sitting down and guiding my legs until I sat straddling him.

  I pulled back away from the kiss, staring at him as I tried to catch my breath.

  He opened his mouth to say something, but I shook my head and leaned forward to kiss him again. I was done with talking, done with trying to think. All I wanted to do was feel for a little while.

  Lane didn’t seem to mind. He tugged the band from my hair and combed the thick, dense weight of it out, tangling his fingers in the heavy locks as I kissed him.

  When I stopped again, he tugged my head back and kissed a hungry line down my neck, stopping just above the pulse that beat like a hummingbird’s wings in my throat. He bit down, then sucked on the skin, drawing the sensitive spot into his mouth.

  I shivered and arched against him.

  My dress had ridden up, and the panties I wore were little barrier.

  I could feel the heavy ridge of his cock pressing against me.

  I wanted more – so much more.

  Lane’s hands gripped my hips, his fingers hot enough to brand me through the material of my skirt. He dragged me against him, and I gasped, the sensation exquisite.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that day,” he whispered against my neck, his lips damp, mouth hungry. “The way you felt, the way you tasted…how tight you were around my dick. I want to feel that again, Trice.”

  His hot, raw words made me whimper.

  He tugged on my hair, forcing me to look at him.

  “Tell me I can have you again.”

  I gulped in air as I met his pale, beautiful eyes. I couldn’t quite summon the words to my lips, so I nodded.

  He lifted me off his lap so that I stood between his thighs.

  I blushed hotly as he caught the hem of my dress and dragged the material upward. When he could reach now higher, he simply stopped and waited, staring at me in expectation. Licking my lips, I took the material and pulled it off, letting the dress fall to the floor.

  He caught my panties in his fingers and tugged them off before shifting his attention to my breasts, encased in a lacy, sheer bra that was unlike anything I would have bought for myself. He flicked the front clasp and brushed it off my shoulders.

  Just like that, I stood in front of him naked.

  He pulled me back onto his lap, and I shivered at the feel of denim scraping against my inner thighs, his belt buckle digging into my belly. My breasts pressed flat to his chest as he pulled me in for a deep, hungry kiss, and I whimpered as he thrust his tongue into my mouth.

  Big, calloused hands cupped and molded my breasts, his thumbs circling over my nipples.

  He pulled back just enough to say, “Undo my belt, Trice. Unzip me. It’s not going to be all me this time.”

  I hesitated, and he met my eyes, clearly waiting.

  Even more nervous now, I wiggled back until I could reach between us. His eyes rested on me as I wrestled with his belt, then fumbled with the button of his jeans. It was harder to unzip them. Under my fingers, I could feel the heavy length of his cock straining at the material, and the feel of it made my mouth dry while other parts of me went even
wetter.

  Finally, I had his jeans open, and I darted a look up at him. “Now what?”

  “Now…you do what you want,” he said, voice ragged.

  What I wanted…?

  Did I dare?

  Slowly, I reached out and touched him through the heather gray of his boxers.

  His cock jerked.

  From under my lashes, I watched his head fall back, the veins in his neck standing out in stark relief. With my lower lip caught between my teeth, I touched him again more firmly.

  Lane groaned.

  Encouraged, I closed my hand around him and stroked him through the material of his boxers, watching his face as I did so.

  His eyes opened to a slit, and he reached up, cupping me around the back of my neck and hauling me to him.

  “C’mere,” he muttered as he slammed his mouth down over mine.

  With his free hand, he reached between us and shoved his shorts down, freeing his cock before guiding my hand back to him.

  He folded my hand around the heavy flesh and squeezed. “Tight,” he instructed. “Like that. I won’t break.”

  My breathing hitched in my chest as he kissed me, still guiding my hand. Hard, fast, almost rough strokes. Soon, he was rocking into them as we kissed each, hungrily, like we couldn’t get enough.

  Maybe he felt like that. I know I did.

  Abruptly, he grabbed my wrist and jerked my hand away. “Enough,” he said, panting. “Stop.”

  My own breathing ragged, I stared at him. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. But if you keep it up, I’m gonna come all over you,” he told me. “Come here.”

  He urged me closer, and I followed his guidance, settling my knees on either side of his hips.

  “I want you to ride me,” he said. “Like this…”

  I felt the head of his cock brush against me, and I caught my breath.

  He met my eyes. “It won’t hurt.”

  I wasn’t worried about that. It was just…I couldn’t explain it. Embarrassed, feeling exposed, I buried my face against his neck. Or at least, I tried to. He tugged my head upward and forced my gaze to meet his. “Watch me,” he murmured as he used the free hand to guide me upward. “Let me watch you.”

  I felt the pressure as his head teased my entrance.

  “I don’t know how to do this,” I told him, feeling panicked.

  “Figure it out. We got time.” He fell back onto his elbows, his eyes on my face.

  Swaying forward, I braced my hands on his shoulders.

  That sent him a little deeper inside me.

  “Oh…”

  Sweet friction sparked a reaction through me, and wanting more of it, I instinctively swayed forward, taking more of him.

  Lane’s lids drooped until I could only make out a sliver of his eyes.

  He sank farther back onto the bed and reached for me, his fingers splayed wide, gripping my hips, curving into my butt. I shivered at the possessive grip, aching for more.

  Slamming my hands down on the mattress next to his head, I pushed back, taking more of him before sliding back up. He arched up to meet me, and I felt the throbbing pulsations of his cock, like a caress from the inside out.

  He squeezed my hips and dragged me back down.

  I whimpered.

  He let go.

  I slid back up.

  He tugged me back down.

  We kept up that rhythm until I’d taken all of him, his cock fully embedded in me. I felt achingly full, stretched tight. Shuddering, I squeezed his shoulders, my nail sinking into his skin.

  He arched under me. I moved with him until I found a rhythm, my eyes closing at the sweetness of it.

  It was bliss.

  He let go of my hips and reached for me, tangling his hands in my hair. He pulled me down to meet him, changing the angle of our bodies, and I whimpered as it had him sliding against me in an all-new way. As his mouth caught mine, heat spread through my lower body, tightening around him as he thrust up into me.

  I pushed against him, chasing more.

  Frustration built inside me though, because it wasn’t enough.

  As if I were some open book in a language written just for him, Lane picked up on the frustration and responded. He shifted on the bed, then rolled us over until he covered me, lying between my thighs. I gasped as he filled me, deeper, fuller. He caught one leg and dragged it up, his palm covering my ass.

  “Look at me,” he demanded, his voice husky.

  I couldn’t look anywhere else. Heart racing, body quaking, I stared at him as he began to thrust inside me. Slow and deep at first, then harder, faster. His pale eyes held mine.

  The intimacy of it cut into me, and I wanted to close my eyes against it, but I couldn’t.

  That aching, sweet tension in my lower body spread and spread, drawing me so tight, I felt like I might explode.

  He slammed into me one more time, his mouth coming down on mine – then I did explode. I felt like pieces of me shot straight up into the ether while other parts of me drifted up and around.

  Lane clung to me, and if he hadn’t, maybe I really would have just flown apart.

  The climax wracked my body from head to toe, and I held him tight, shaken by the intensity of it.

  His mouth sealed to mine, he swallowed down my cries and gasps.

  Then it was over, and I laid beneath him, panting.

  He pushed up.

  I tensed, half expecting him to pull away and disappear like last time.

  But all he did was pick me up and lay me down length-wise on the bed. He caught the blanket as he lay down next to me and pulled me up against him.

  His heat felt astonishingly good, and before I realized it, I was drifting off to sleep.

  I woke to a dim room, my body aching, an arm flung around my waist.

  I wracked my brain, trying to remember what happened. When I finally did, heat washed over me, and not all of it was from embarrassment.

  Lane lay behind me, his body flush to mine.

  My bladder panged insistently, and I sucked in my breath, then slowly slid from the bed. He flopped over onto his belly and shoved his head under a pillow.

  I hurried to the bathroom, excruciatingly aware of the dampness between my thighs.

  After I relieved myself, I got a rag wet and cleaned up a little. I needed a shower, but I was afraid I’d wake Lane. I’d wait until morning. Either the soap or the water itself left my hands feeling tight and dry, so I squeezed out the last of the complimentary lotion into my hands. It was just barely enough, and I could use some on my legs too. Hoping to find more, I poked around in the little cubbies of the bathroom. I found a box and pulled it out.

  Tampons.

  I went to put them up. But then something dawned on me, and the bottom of my stomach dropped out.

  “What day is it?” I whispered.

  But I already knew.

  And I didn’t even have to do the math.

  My period was late.

  Six

  Trice

  I slept restlessly.

  That I slept at all was amazing.

  At some point close to midnight, just as I was drifting off to sleep, Lane’s hands on my body had my libido recalibrating things, and after he’d pulled me under him and pushed me to a moaning, shuddering climax, we both slid into a deeper sleep.

  A few hours later, I woke, needing the bathroom and came back to bed to find Lane sitting up and looking sexy and sleepy.

  I stopped a few feet away from the bed, and he held out his hand.

  Wordless, I went to him, and he spilled me onto my back, kissing his way down my body, then back up before sliding into me again.

  After that, I finally slid into an exhausted sleep and didn’t wake again until sometime after dawn.

  My mind raced as I lay there.

  Was I pregnant?

  I had to know.

  I doubted I could talk Lane into taking me to a drugstore to find out, and I wasn’t certain how he
’d feel about it, either.

  I wasn’t certain how I felt.

  Why hadn’t it occurred to me that I could be pregnant?

  It wasn’t like I didn’t know what caused it.

  I could blame it on the fact that I had a lot of shit going on right now, but even then, I should be more aware of my own body.

  This had to be why I was so tired all the time, why I hardly ever wanted to eat. I wasn’t really getting sick, but a lot of the time, food just didn’t…sound good.

  Maybe I wasn’t eating enough.

  I didn’t think I’d lost any weight, but what did that mean?

  I needed to know for sure if I was pregnant and what I should do if I was.

  But I wasn’t ready to let Lane know.

  I had to figure out how I felt, what all of this mattered to me before I took that step.

  Which meant…I had to get away from him.

  The timing clicked as I lay there, and I realized that I had to get away for more than just that reason too.

  The clock was ticking, and soon, I’d have to testify against my uncle.

  Unless I wanted the DA to back out of the agreement to not charge my mother, I had to be at the courthouse today. We were supposed to go over my testimony.

  And there was no way in hell that Lane was going to just let me go.

  Mind racing, I laid there and began to plan.

  I showered before he did.

  I had to be ready to go the moment he climbed into the shower – it was my only chance.

  To test how quiet I’d need to be, I held my head under the running water and strained to hear any sounds from the other room. Although I’d left the TV on with the sound up fairly loud, I couldn’t hear anything.

  I didn’t want him to worry so I’d leave him a note. There was paper and a pen on the desk.

  I’d be careful.

  It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to do that.

  If I thought for a minute he’d agree, I’d just ask him to please let me go to the courthouse, then I’d ask for my phone, tell him that I needed Suria to bring me some clothes. I hated the idea of texting her to bring me a pregnancy test, but it would be the safer option.