Burned Hearts (2 page)

“You figure
way
wrong, my friend. You deserve hazard pay. And you know Dane's going to end up compensating you, regardless of your stance on the subject. He's indebted to you. We all are.”

“See?” Kyle gave his enthusiastic, engaging grin—the one I'd witnessed turn many feminine cheeks flush since we'd met. “The King of Everything is indebted to
me
. Really, that just makes my day. And I get to hang out with you.”

“I am a lucky girl for that.” I gave him a quick hug.

“Feeling any better?” he asked.

“A little calmer, thank you.”

“Great. Why don't you take a bath, have some hot tea, and relax? We'll move in the morning.”

I didn't love the plan. But the upheaval could wait until tomorrow, I surmised. Amano was doing Amano things, anyway. No need to disrupt his business, especially since he was helping Dane and the rest of us. I didn't want to hinder their progress. The quicker my bodyguard got to the bottom of the snake visit, in addition to the indictments being wrapped up, the sooner Dane could come home. For good.

I took Kyle's advice and felt a little less tense as, later on, I curled on the couch and flipped through magazines. I retired early and crawled under the covers—after I had Kyle double-check all the locks on the windows and patio doors in my room. Take a peek beneath the bed and inside the closet for critters of the reptilian variety.

My nerves were still jangled, but I was exhausted, so it wasn't too difficult to drift off.

I woke some time later, a warm body spooning me from behind, muscles surrounding me. Or maybe I was dreaming of the intimate cocoon, because Dane couldn't possibly have returned so soon. He'd just been here with the FBI when they were in hot pursuit of Vale.

“Am I imagining this hard, hunky body pressed against me?” I whispered.

“Nope.” His soft lips grazed my neck. I'd pulled my long, dark-brown hair up in a messy ponytail before falling asleep.

“Who called you?”

“Kyle.”

“You're kidding?”

“He was worried about you. Said you had a meltdown earlier.” Dane's voice was a low rumble against my skin. Sensuous, though also tinged with concern. “That's not like you, baby. At all. And it's not like Kyle to think he can't handle on his own anything that spins you up.”

My eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “I suppose he mentioned the rattlesnakes?”

“That's why I'm here.”

“Dane.” I sighed. Wiggling in his loose embrace, I rolled onto my other side to face him. A devilishly handsome man with strong, sculpted features and a commanding, reassuring presence.

I whisked my fingertips over his cheek, then tried to smooth away the furrow between his brows. Not much luck there.

I told him, “You can't keep running back every time something happens to me. That's why Kyle and Amano stick around. To talk me off the ledges and protect me.”

“That should be my job, right?” I heard the anguish in his voice and it broke my heart.

“You have another job to do. A very important one. And they know it—they understand how risky this is for you, too. How painful, really.” I thought of Kyle's words when I'd had my panic attack. He wasn't hip on admitting Dane was living the proverbial rock and a hard place existence for a valiant cause but clearly couldn't dismiss it.

“Nothing's more important than you,” Dane said, his emerald eyes glowing with an intense longing that mirrored my own, deep in my soul. The slivers of moonlight filtering in through the shutters made his dark-green irises shimmer, captivating me.

“And our baby,” he added as he rubbed my stomach in the slow, circular motion that always made me want to purr. No matter how wound up I was. He had a very soothing effect on me.

“I'm not arguing the fact that you're here, or complaining about it,” I told him. His priorities had shifted from 10,000 Lux to me when we married. Now to include our child. Dane wasn't the type to shy away from his responsibilities, but his focus really needed to be on his work with the FBI. “I don't want to distract you.”

“Too late,” he murmured against my lips, sending a shiver of delight down my spine. “It's impossible to stay away from you. Impossible to get you out of my mind.”

His hand slid under the oatmeal-colored Henley I wore—his shirt. Unfortunately, it smelled of fabric softener, not Dane. Though it would after tonight, and tomorrow I'd be thrilled about that when I put it on again.

He palmed my breast and gently massaged.

“You don't have to be so careful with me,” I reminded him. Ever since he'd found out I was pregnant, he'd considered me fragile. I wasn't.

He caressed a little rougher and excitement shot through me.

“Better,” I said on a heavy sigh.

His thumb swept over the puckered bud. Then he pinched and rolled lightly. I instantly ached for him.

“I love your body,” he said as he nibbled the corner of my mouth. “I love you.”

“So make me come.”

A throaty sound escaped him. “You know I will. Repeatedly.”

He shifted away from me just long enough to drag the Henley up and over my head, tossing it aside. My panties followed. Dane was already naked and I feasted on all those chiseled-to-perfection muscles. I traced my nails over the hard ledge of his pecs, tenderly scraping a small nipple. Making him jolt from the wicked touch.

It never ceased to amaze me that I could incite such strong physical reactions from this man. He was powerful and mysterious. A bit intimidating. Incredibly brilliant.

Perhaps what really astonished me was that he was all mine.

My fingers skimmed lower, along the ridges of his abs. Lower still, until they wrapped around his thick shaft. I held him at the root and pumped slowly.

His head dipped and his tongue fluttered over my nipple, teasing it tighter. Then he suckled. A soft cry of pleasure fell from my lips.

He eased my hand away from his cock as he whispered, “You're too good at making
me
come.” His head lifted and he kissed me. Slowly and seductively at first. Then it became a hot, sizzling lip-lock. I gripped his strong biceps with a hand and plowed the other through his lush, onyx hair.

I'd married a man who innately knew how to draw me in, how to mesmerize me so that all I could focus on, all I could think of, all I could feel, was
him
. His muscles and heat surrounding me, his lips and tongue engaging me further, his hands caressing my body. One of which skated downward, over my slightly rounded stomach, to the apex of my legs. The tips of his fingers glided along my slick folds.

Breaking the kiss, I stared into his eyes and said, “I'm already wet for you.”

“And you make me so damn hard. So fast.” His erection pressed to my hip. Tempting me once more.

While his fingertip flittered over my clit, his mouth wreaked beautiful havoc on my neck, his teeth nipping in all the sensitive spots that lit me up. Desire rushed through my veins.

“I'm feeling less and less guilty about you returning this evening,” I told him.

“Baby, I want to come back to you every night.” He slipped two fingers inside me and leisurely stroked. “Mm, this is nice, but I want you wetter.”

My inner walls contracted around his fingers as my hips undulated. The slow burn was sinfully delicious. A private decadence I loved sharing with him.

“You taste so fucking good,” he said, his teeth tenderly biting just below my ear. “Once you have our baby—”

“I know exactly what you're going to do to me.” And that thought hitched my pulse.

“Night after night.”

He liked to make me come with his mouth, his lips and tongue teasing my clit, driving me half out of my mind. My OB-GYN didn't currently recommend it, so Dane refrained. But I craved the intimate act as much as he wanted to pleasure me that way.

“I can hardly wait for you to get me off like that again,” I told him. “It's always so, so good.” As was his current technique. I writhed beneath him, his chest pressed to my breasts. The heel of his hand rubbed the swollen knot of nerves between my legs as his fingers continued to stroke steadily, the tempo gradually increasing.

My breathing escalated with the quickening of the sensual rhythm. His pumping became more assertive, determined.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Oh, God. Dane.” My lids drifted closed. Erotic sensations sparked within me, searing and scintillating. Taunting me to give in to them. But I wasn't willing to just yet.

“Kiss me,” I softly demanded.

His lips skimmed over my jaw and then his tongue toyed with mine before he claimed my mouth with his. He kissed me passionately, no holding back—leaving me with absolutely no doubt that this was where he wanted to be every night. With me, pushing me higher until the pleasure erupted deep in my pussy.

I tore my mouth from his and cried out, “Dane!” The orgasm blazed through me. Radiantly. Fantastically.

I clenched his fingers, prolonging my climax as long as possible.

“Now that
really
gets me going, baby.” His warm breath on my temple made my skin tingle as much as the intense release. “There's nothing quite like you falling apart for me.”

I reached for his hand and pulled it away, feeling every ripple along my sensitive flesh as he withdrew. I said, “I want you inside me.”

He shifted ever so slightly. His tip nudged my opening. Anticipation mounted.

“Don't play,” I insisted. “You know what I want.”

He gave me a sweet kiss, our lips tangling. Ironic, because I knew what he intended to do to me would be anything but sweet. Because I liked it downright dirty with this man.

He massaged my breast again, causing me to squirm beneath him. My hips rose and the head of his cock pressed farther in.

“Yes,” I breathed encouragingly. “Give me all of you.”

He slung my leg over his waist and palmed my ass cheek, angling my pelvis. Then thrust in.

“Oh, fuck!” I screamed as he filled and stretched me.

“Ah, Christ, Ari.” His voice was heavy with arousal. “You're so tight. So perfect.”

My fingers curled more fiercely around his biceps as he buried himself within me, thrusting fervently.

“Yes,” I told him. “Just like that.” His hips bucked and he drove heartily, setting me on fire.

“Feel me deep inside you.”

“Yes,” I repeated, the adrenaline raging. “Fuck me,” I begged, the frenzy already ignited, my need for him already clawing at me. “Dane, you feel so incredible.”

He made love to me with the kind of fervor that pushed the air from my lungs and caused my inner muscles to clutch him so firmly, sharp, primal sounds blew between his teeth. Turning me on even more. Because I knew how excited
I
made
him
.

My other hand unraveled from his hair and I gripped his ass, not quite fully cupping a cheek but holding on to the enticing flesh and muscle as his butt flexed and released with his solid pumps into my body.

We moved together with a feverish pace. I had the insane craving to feel him deeper, like I couldn't get enough of him. But he was plunging and pulsating and sending me reeling toward another powerful release.

Yet the gnawing sensation grew, as though I just wanted to crawl inside him and be a permanent part of him. I couldn't get close enough to him, even though we were melded together, our bodies moving in perfect sync with each other. I wanted to be wrapped around his heart, live within his soul, consume his mind.

That was the selfish part of an obsessive, unrelenting love. I wanted to be his every waking thought, every breath he took.

I also knew he would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him. Including making all the sacrifices that tore us apart even when all we truly desired was to constantly be drowning in private, intimate moments, as we currently were.

I sensed precisely when everything shifted within him, pulled taut, threatened to erupt. It happened inside me as well.

“Dane,” I said on a breathy sigh. “Come with me.”

“Yes,” he ground out. “Oh, fuck, yes. Ari!”

He thrust quicker. Raspy pants of air leapt from my throat.

“So amazing,” I whispered. And then I lost it completely, coming on a loud scream, followed by the only word that registered in my mind: “Dane!”

My climax was amplified by his release, the hot moisture suddenly filling me, the convulsing of his body, the throbbing of his cock.

“Oh, goddamn, Ari,” he said on a harsh breath. “You can make me forget everything but you.”

His face burrowed in the crook of my neck. I slipped my arms around him. Held him to me. Smiled triumphantly. I'd gotten exactly what I'd wished for.

“I could stay buried inside you forever,” he whispered, tugging on my heartstrings. “There's no place I'd rather be.”

Emotion welled within me, mixing with the sexy feelings he evoked. “I like your pillow talk.”

“That's not all you like,” he said in a devilish tone.

“So true.” I kissed the top of his head, his silky hair tickling my lips and skin. “I need you, Dane. Always.”

“This is all I want,” he told me. “You. Our baby. Our family.”

“I know.” But we were currently victims of circumstance. I tried not to think of that. Instead, simply basked in the way I'd connected with this man from that first electrifying moment when our gazes had met and I'd been instantly caught up in his raw intensity, the dark beauty of him.

He'd turned out to be so much more than I'd expected. A fiercely protective husband who would give us an heir to everything that Dane stood for—everything
we
now stood for.

Feeling somewhat swept away, I said, “It'd be okay if we never left the bedroom.”

He chuckled. “Careful there, sweetheart. After all this is over, I might not
let
you leave.”