Burned by Passion (18 page)

Oh Blake, her heart sang but he claimed her lips moistly before she could think of a response. In a way she was glad he didn’t need the words; he must know with every quiver of her body how she felt. Tumbling into their kiss, Kira clung to his shoulders. Deep inside her, he moved at a blurring pace. The horizontal slant of his shaft massaged her tingling vulva; the full vigor in his thrusts managed to increase the deep feeling of yearning even as she neared the point of completion. This time, she knew they’d make it together.

His tongue dove deep into the wet cavern of her mouth and he alternated between sucking on her tongue and nibbling on her lips and then soothing it again with lusty licks. Kira’s eyes squeezed tightly shut as the space in her mind went black. She began to experience an awaking of something that would take her beyond the boundaries of sanity for that brief moment. She welcomed it; tensed her spine in a perfect curve of expectation as Blake groaned harshly and rammed into her deeply and to the hilt, lodging himself there. Kira came apart around him, her cunt quivering and squeezing on him as she rode the waves of her release a millisecond before he found his. He roared out her name, filling her with cum. Kira gloried in the feat, the little energy she had left only enough to spread her lips in a wide, sated smile as Blake kissed her eyelids, lulling her into a pleasurably exhausted rest.

Chapter Seventeen

That was the first of many, many nights of passion shared in an atmosphere of bliss. Even when they returned home to New York weeks later the honeymoon spirit lingered still.

They’d moved into their beautiful new home and Kira was taking it one day at a time, settling into wedded bliss with Blake. As the baby grew inside her so did her confidence, her zest for life. While Blake worked on building his newly formed consulting firm, Kira started taking college courses online from home. Her hopes were to finish her degree and eventually go on to law school. Blake supported her in all her plans and showed his pride in her for being determined to make the best of her potential.

Kira took great pride in her goals as well, and her resolve to achieve them. But she was doubly glad for Blake’s utmost faith in her as he told her each day she was smart and focused enough to do anything she set her mind to. Kira rubbed lovingly at her now huge stomach and told herself she couldn’t wait for her baby to arrive so her perfect joy would be complete.

***

The front doorbell rang and Kira looked up in surprise from her study notes. She wondered who would be showing up at the house at this time of midday. She couldn’t remember ordering anything recently and wasn’t expecting any visitors.

Curious, she half-wobbled down the hallway to the front door. She was sure it had to be one of the very friendly neighbors. They’d accepted Blake and Kira easily into the classy, gated community rumored to have a few A-list celebs as inhabitants. Kira smiled, thinking how strange it had felt to discover she was one of only a few black people in the whole neighborhood. And yet everyone was nothing but nice and friendly, which meant they were always getting invited to this or that dinner, birthday party or other social gatherings.

“Who is it?” she called even before she reached out a hand to unlock the door.

“It’s me, Akira.”

Even through the closed door, the unexpected sound of that voice made Kira go cold as her hand froze over the doorknob. Only one person alive called her that. Kira’s heart pounded with dreadful dismay as her perfect world seemed ready to crash and tumble to pieces all around her.

***

Blake’s secretary showed Brittany in and Blake did his best not to show his impatience. He was getting sick of Brittany showing up uninvited and unwanted to his place of work. He thought that now that he had his own independent IT consulting firm and no longer worked with his father’s company, Brittany would’ve run out of excuses to keep them bumping into each other.

She smiled as she took the seat in front of his desk, looking as put-together as always. Like a supermodel with her glossy blonde hair and sexy power suit, the skirt so short he had more than a healthy glimpse up her toned, tanned thighs as she crossed her legs seductively. He looked up at her with a scowl.

“Is there something you wanted, Brittany?”

“Apart from wanting to see how you were doing? Well,” she murmured, shrugging as she looked to the ceiling thoughtfully before facing him again. “I was actually wondering if we could do some business. Seeing as you’ve finally settled in the country and have this firm all set up, I’d love to be able to push a few clients your way. My father has many contacts; a number of Fortune 500 companies and multinationals who’d be interested in bringing on your services. You’ll be in high demand in no time at all.”

Blake regarded her through narrowed lids. “And you’ll set me up with these dream contacts out of the goodness of your heart,” he said with a thin smile.

Brittany shrugged her slender shoulders, drawing attention to the dipping V of her suit and the equally deep gape of her neckline where more than a peek of cleavage showed. He watched suspiciously as she rose fluidly from her feet and then walked around his desk, each sway of her hips brimming with enticement.

When she reached him she bent over and he had an almost unimpeded view down to her navel. Blake’s scowl deepened.

“I’m a firm believer in ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine’,” she whispered, fake eyelashes fluttering low as she ran her eyes over him before closing her hand around his tie. “We go too far back for me to worry about compensation for doing you any favors I can. But I won’t say no to your suggestions if you have anything in mind as a ‘thank you’ for my efforts.”

Blake grabbed her wrists in a restraining grip as her hands began to trail lower, close to his groin. He jerked her forward so he could look straight into her dancing blue eyes. “I commend those efforts, Brittany. And I appreciate your interest in the growth of my firm. But whatever game this is, I’m not playing.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Blake,” she cooed with batting lashes, pink-coated lips pouting. She licked on them lusciously as her smile deepened.

Blake sighed in disgust. “I think you know exactly what I mean. I take my marriage vows very seriously. And I love my wife. I’m not going to do anything to hurt her.”

For the first time, Brittany’s sultry façade slipped. “Oh come on, Blake. Everyone knows she trapped you into making her your wife after she got pregnant. I saw the wedding photos, okay? She could barely fit into her dress. Don’t tell me this marriage of convenience will keep you and me from having some fun that’s long overdue.”

She smiled again, back into tigress mode and bit on her sensuous bottom lip. “I’ve always wanted to ride the boss in his big, strong chair. And you could say I came more than prepared. I slipped my panties off in my car and now all I need to do is-”

“Stop, Brittany. Just stop,” Blake said harshly, his expression furious as he sprang to his feet and put her firmly to the side. “Get this into your head once and for all. I love Kira. She’s my wife because I wished it, not out of some sense of duty. Yes, I got her pregnant before the wedding but that was nothing to do with her trying to tie me down. Kira would never be capable of anything so devious.”

Brittany’s blue eyes were snapping with anger at being thwarted. She clenched her fists at her sides as she glared at him spitefully, her calm veneer finally off. “And what would you know about what she’s capable of? What makes you think you know her at all? Trust me, Blake that whatever halo she convinced you she has is tainted and soon enough, it will taint you too.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” Blake snarled.

Brittany shook her head at him, her scornful smile turning her face into an ugly mask. “I mean your ghetto princess has got you fooled into thinking she deserves a place by your side. But I know better. When I realized she’d managed to net you in her trap, I did some digging to find out about your father’s angelic-looking secretary. Turns out the little goody two shoes wife of yours has a bit of dirty laundry. It’ll make you wish you never made the mistake of giving her respectability when you made her Mrs. Blake Carter.”

“If you’re talking about her past, I know all about it,” Blake replied. “I know how she lost her mother to an overdose and how her missing father was an abusive alcoholic.”

“Her missing father, you say?” Brittany said with dramatically widened eyes. “Well, it’s a good thing I helped her find him then. Thanks to the private investigators I hired I was able to discover her old man has been looking all over for his long-lost daughter after she all but abandoned him when he was near his deathbed. That little bitch left her dear father to die so she could move on with her life, managing to fool not just your dad but you into thinking she was something she’s isn’t. But she’s nothing but filth and I’m glad to be the one to open your eyes to that.”

She smiled brightly once again, sighing deeply as she had her arms outstretched. “You had a chance to get all this at your beck and call but you settled for that black trash. I’m sure you’ll want nothing to do with her after this and I’m ready to be that shoulder you can lean on, Blake. She can have her baby and then you can kick her back to the gangster’s paradise or wherever it is she sprung from. But if you stay with her, I can promise you that now that her father knows where to find her, you’ll soon be mired in a dirty scandal. In no time the whole world will know the truth about your wife’s less than pristine background.” Her voice was filled with triumph.

Blake was trying his best to process everything Brittany was saying; trying to figure out what was the truth and what was nothing more than malicious lies. But his head shot up as her words really sank in and he growled, “How would her father know where to find her? What did you do, Brittany?”

Her big blue eyes widened innocently. “Who, me? All I did was make sure father and daughter finally had their joyous reunion. In fact, I’m sure he’s on his way to see her right now. I kindly offered him the address so he could be with his dear “Akira” as he calls her. I assured him she’d be so glad to see him especially now that she’s carrying his first grandchild. Me and Lionel Taylor had a nice long talk and he told me how she’d always been his little pride and joy-”

Brittany’s voice cut off in a screech as Blake grabbed her by the throat. He looked ready to strangle her, his eyes black with rage though his grip wasn’t hard enough to choke. Still, fear flashed in Brittany’s eyes as she stared into Blake’s furious expression.

He spelled out each word through teeth so tightly clenched they hardly moved as he spoke. “If
anything
happens to my wife or child, you’d better find the fastest way to get out of this country Brittany. Because I will come back for you and bring you so much pain you’d wish you hadn’t been born.”

With that, he pushed her from him in disgust, not sparing the stricken Brittany one more word or look as he stalked out of his office as fast as he could.

Something told Blake that Kira was in danger and he couldn’t shake the thought as he drove as fast as he could straight for home. If what Brittany said was true about Kira’s father being on his way to see her right then…

Blake’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he barreled through a yellow traffic light. He didn’t want to think the worst but his gut instincts where Kira was concerned told him she needed him. Especially since he’d been calling her cellphone incessantly and she wasn’t picking up. He was going crazy thinking of the possible reasons why she wasn’t answering his calls.

He remembered the things she’d told him about her father mistreating her. She never said anything about physical abuse but Blake wasn’t going to let that keep him from worrying. Especially after what that bastard ex-fiancé of hers, Terrence had put her through.

Blake only hoped he was not too late. He’d never forgiven himself for not being there when Terrence had turned her into a punching bag. This time, he kept praying and hoping that he’d make it in time to make sure Kira knew that he’d never let anyone hurt her or their baby growing inside her. He felt ready to kill anyone who tried…

Chapter Eighteen

Blake burst into the house and it was just as he feared.

All his nightmares came true when he saw Kira lying on the ground on her side. Bent over her sprawled body was an unkempt looking man in a shapeless coat, his hair overgrown to match his equally bushy beard. Blake saw red and he let out a roar of rage as he yanked the man off Kira.

“What the hell did you do to her?” He feared the worst looking down at her even as he gripped the man by the scruff of his neck.

“I didn’t do nothing! One moment we were talking and then she fell over. I was trying to help her up when you came in!” the man said, grabbing at Blake’s wrists. Blake stared down at Kira and to his relief, her eyes opened.

“Blake?”

Blake relinquished his death grip on the man’s throat and hunched over Kira, cupping her face and placing it on his thighs as he kneeled beside her. “I’m here baby. What happened? Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I just felt dizzy for a second and the next moment…” She shuddered, her eyes rolling up at the ceiling. And then she winced. “My father…”

Blake glanced around quickly but he was already gone. The front door was ajar and Blake heard shuffling footsteps moving quickly down the porch stairs, the sound receding.

He turned to Kira, stroking her face tenderly. “Forget him, my love. He’s gone.”

“But he’ll be back,” Kira moaned. “He always comes back.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Blake said. His heart was still pounding fast. He’d been so scared of what might have happened to her. She looked so pale, but otherwise unhurt. He cupped a hand over her belly. “We need to get you to a hospital. You could have hurt yourself when you fell, or the baby.’’

She shook her head. “I feel fine except for being a little queasy. It’s just one of the dizzy spells I get a few times a day. Help me up on the couch where I can stretch out and then have a drink of water. I’ll be okay in a minute.”