Into the Flames (Out of the Ashes #2) (8 page)

I wa
ke with a start, feeling something very warm and hard pressed against my back.  The memories are all so clear now.  The only difference is they hold no power over me any longer.  They’re only memories, however horrible they may be and I won’t allow them to hurt me.  I turn to Ian behind me, wrap him in my arms and kiss him.  “Well good morning to you too, Ms. Carmichael.  To what do I owe this wonderful wake up call?”

I smile and continue to give him light kisses.  “I’
m just so happy you’re here. So many mornings I woke wishing you would be here just like this.  I love you, Ian.”

“Sweetheart, you have no idea how happy you make me especially when you say that.  Well now since we are up, how about you jump in the shower while I get us some breakfast?”  Suddenly remembering
how little separates us, I look down at his erection tenting his boxers.  “Oh no, Lauren.  Don’t even think about it this morning.  We won’t get out this bed for days if you start that so let’s eat and then we can talk some more.”

I pout at him
until I realize that there is no way he’s giving in.  So I slowly rise from the bed making sure he has an eyeful of what he’s missing.  Smack!!!  His hand comes down hard on my bare ass cheek.  “That’s for teasing me, sweetheart.  Now shower.  I’m getting breakfast.”

Ian
was working in the kitchen when I got out of the shower and dressed.  As I pulled my bra from the top drawer I caught sight of the small box I bought a few days before Dean showed up.  How different things were then.  Or maybe it’s me who is different now.  So much has happened and it’s not just about Ian finding out the truth.  There are changes in me that I never knew were possible.  For the first time since the death of my father I feel free.  Free of the fear, free of hate, free to be who I am and love who I want.  I open the black velvet box and run my fingers over the platinum watch band.  How much more time are we going to spend apart?  What else is out there that will keep us from being together?  After everything that has happened can we ever truly be together again?  I know I love him and he loves me but is that enough for us?  Like I told Gavin, I don’t think love should be this hard and just when I think we have found our happily ever after, something else comes along to rip us away from each other.  How will we ever survive us?

His arms come around my waist pulling me from my thoughts.  “What’s this?”  His voice is raspy and seductive.  “It was your birthday present.”  I say unable to keep the sadness from my voice.  I know I shouldn’t but I am so emotional lately and I can’t stop myself from asking.  “Did you spend it with her?  I know I have no right to be mad after what I put you through but I can’t help myself.  I’m so scare
d of what’s going to happen to us now.”

“Lauren, sweetheart, look at me.”  He turns me so I am staring straight into the depths of his beautiful blue eyes.  They are truly hypnotizing; I feel like I can see straight into his soul.  “You want to know what Elizabeth spent most of our time talking about?”  Did I? I wasn’t sure.  I shook my head.  “Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.  Other than catching up, she spent all of her time telling me about her fiancé and going over the new projects that I would be worki
ng on with her and her father.  I spent all my time telling her about you.  There was never a moment that I was away from you that you were not the first thing on my mind.  I can’t live without you.  I don’t know how to make you understand other than to never leave you again.  I need you to trust me; to know that I know this is as much my mistake as it is yours.  But to answer your question, no, I spent my birthday alone in my hotel room with a bottle of scotch.  Not my finest moment but damn it, I love you so much and needed to be with you but this has all been very confusing.”

The kiss that followed was one of love and passion.  If our time apart
taught me nothing else it was that I would never go another day without Ian, without everyone in my life, knowing how important they are to me.  “Well, belatedly, happy birthday.”  I hand him the open box.  “Sorry I never got the chance to wrap it and now I’ve spoiled the surprise anyway.”

“Sweetheart, I love it.”  He said taking the watch from the box.  As he turned it over to put it on, the back of the watch caught his eye.  “To Ian, my love, my life.  I give you all the time I have.”  He read the inscription aloud.  “Sweetheart, I love you so much.”  His kiss turned feverish and I knew if we didn’t stop soon there would be no stopping us. 

“Ian?”

“What is it
, Lauren?”

“I love you saying my name.  I love that we have this together and that you still love me.  But if we continue like this we are going to end up in that bed or maybe even right here on the floor.”  I try to smile and make my comment sound light hearted but in truth all want to do is strip us both and take him right now.  I have never known a need like this; never known that desire could course this deeply in me.  Being separated from him is making me ache and I wonder if he feels the same. 

As if reading my mind, he pulls me to him.  The hardness of his chest under my fingertips doing nothing to help the desire that’s building in me.  “Lauren, I have been without for too long and the wait is killing me but right now, I need to feed you and we need to talk.  There is so much we need to talk about and not all of it has to do with what you need to tell me.  Now come on, I made us some omelets and a fresh fruit salad.  Let’s sit and eat.”

Making our way to the kitchen counter we sit in the stools, Ian’s hand never leaving mine.  As we eat, Ian looks over at me.  “I think I need to go first.”  The words are ominous and I spin
them around and around in my head.  “I already talked to Gavin about it but if it’s alright with you, I’m going to move in here for a while.”

Surprise and happiness radiate from my smile.  God, after everything
, he’s going to move in with me.  My brow furrows in confusion, “Ian, why don’t we just go back to the house?  I loved it there and we barely got settled before Dean showed up.”

“Sweetheart, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk with you about.   I know I wasn’t there for you after the attack but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t still looking out for you.  I purchased this building and have been working on additional security since the day after Dean barged in.  I couldn’t leave you unprotected.  I had to know that you were safe.”  My mind spins; he could have kept me safe if
he just stayed.  But I understand his need to protect me.  That was always something I loved about him and I would never want to change.

“Well thank you.  But I still don’t understand why we can’t go to the house or stay at the penthouse?”  I allow his words to rattle around in my head and before he can respond
, my brain makes full sense of what he said.  “Holy shit!  You bought the building?”

“Lauren, calm down.  Yes, I bought the building.  I had to make sure you would be safe and the easiest way to bump up security was just to own the property. 
Fewer hoops to jump through.  Now as for the house, I’m having some renovations done right now; partly concerning security, the rest is a surprise and you’ll just have to wait until it’s finished to see.  So the house won’t be livable for another 6 months minimum.  And of course we can stay at the penthouse when we need to, security there is not an issue but we need a place to come away from work.  And though I hate to impose on Gavin, he seems more than happy to have me come stay.  Something about you finally stopping all the moping, I think is what he said.”  Ian’s panty-dropping smile is back in full force.

“No way do you get to tease me ab
out how miserable I was.  That’s just not fair.  And Gavin, well, I’ll deal with him later.”  I stand and move behind him, wrapping my arms around his midsection.  “As for you staying with me, I’m so happy I can’t even begin to describe.  First you come back to me and now you’re moving in.  Life is pretty close to perfect right now.”  I run kisses up the back of his neck and his hands press mine more firmly into his abdomen.  I can feel the ridges of his perfect stomach separated from me only by the flimsy material of his t-shirt.

I begin lightly stroking his stomach with the tips of my fingers.  “Sweetheart, our breakfast.”  My fingers stop but instead of going back to sit down I move around in front of him.  His lips glide softly over mine.  His tongue searching for entry, stroking my lips gently until I part them giving him what he is asking for.  “Lauren.”  His voice is heavy with desire and I know he can see his own desire reflected in my eyes. 

“Please.”  I plead with him.  That is all the encouragement he needs.  He stands, breakfast forgotten, cradling me in his arms and carries me to the bedroom.  Once he sets me down on the bed and closes the door, he moves over me and slowly peels my shirt from my body.  He hovers there a moment just taking in the sight of my lace clad breasts before his attention focuses on the button of my jeans.  Soon they join my shirt on the floor.  His eyes are once again attuned to my body.  His eyes roam my body, as do his hands, making it feel as if two people are touching me at once.  “Ian, please.”  I tug his shirt free from his jeans and struggle to get it over his head.  My movements are feverish and I suddenly feel like if I don’t have him inside me now I will explode from the want. 

“Shh, sweetheart.”  He says as I whimper at the sight of
his muscular chest and stomach.  His muscles are rippling with excitement as I run my fingers against the grooves between them.  He lets out a loud growl when I run my nails over his chest.  I pull at the button on his jeans.  Oh, I love it when he goes commando.  Soon I have pushed them down enough to free his large erection.  The sight of him takes my breath away.  He is truly beautiful in every way.   A bead of pre-cum sits on his tip and I long to lap it up.  Shifting suddenly, I throw him off balance and take him in my mouth.  Licking up and down his shaft until he is groaning in need.  “Lauren, stop.  Fuck, Lauren.”  I’m riding high on the fact that I make this man fall apart, just me.  “Sweetheart.”  He pleads as he pulls me on top of him, claiming my mouth with his. 

“I’m sorry,” I whisper seductively.  “I just couldn’t wait to taste you.”

“You are so fucking sexy.  Do you know that?”  He quickly flips us so that he is back on top.  “Now it’s my turn for a taste.”  He runs his tongue over each breast and then down my stomach until he reaches the apex of my thighs.  “Lauren, you smell so good.  Good enough to eat I would say.”  Then his tongue is running through my wet folds.  “Fucking honey.  I never thought I would want dessert before breakfast but with this,” his tongue runs over me again, “I think I may start living on dessert.”

“Ian.  Oh yes.”  My thighs are quivering mess as he raises his head and smiles
at me. 

“I love the sounds you make when I’m p
leasuring you.”  He sinks one finger and then another inside me.  “God, sweetheart you are always so fucking tight.  I love this sweet pussy.  I love being buried deep inside of it.”  His naughty words cause the pleasure coursing through me to build.  I’m on the brink just from his fingers and his words.

“Ian.  Please.  Fill me up.  Fuck me.”

“Shit!  Sweetheart, you will give me a heart attack saying things like that.”  He pulls his fingers from me and sheaths himself to the hilt inside me. 

“Ah god, yes.  Ian.  Yes, ah god.” 

His hips begin a rhythmic dance.  “Never get tired of hearing that.  Oh Lauren, I love you.”  His proclamation of love pushes me over the edge and my orgasm tightens every muscle gripping onto him for dear life.  “Holy shit, sweetheart.”  He spills inside me, my sex clenching around him milking every last drop of his seed from him.  His kisses rain down on me.  “Oh no, Lauren.  That was entirely too quick.  I don’t plan to let you get away that quickly.  Let’s get cleaned up so we can get dirty again.”  He carries me into the shower and lovingly washes my body.  Once I have returned the favor, he lifts me and presses my back to the wall.  “You are absolutely perfect sweetheart.   I will love you forever.”  Slowly he sinks into me.  I kiss him with everything I have, pouring my heart and soul into this kiss.   I feel the familiar pressure begin to build as he pushes into me. 

“Ian.”  I scream his name as he thrusts into me.  The wait of just a few weeks has been too much f
or me to bear.  I know he’s as close as I am, so I’m surprised when he reaches over and turns off the water.  His hands cup my ass and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me from the shower and lays me on the bed.  I couldn’t care less that I am soaking wet completely ruining my sheets.  I just want Ian to make me scream. 

“That’s right
, sweetheart.”  He says pounding into me.  “Let me know how good it feels.  Let me know how good I make you feel.”

“Ian, oh yes, Ian.  Ian!”  I’
m suddenly aware that I am screaming way too loudly but can’t seem to control myself.  “I love it when you scream for me.”  Simultaneously, our orgasms hit us, leaving us a crumpled mass on the bed.  Exhausted I feel the blankets being pulled over us as I drift off, our connection still intact.

We spend the rest of the day in bed only leaving to grab some take out since our breakfast was so quickly forgotten.
  Damn, this man has me in all kinds of knots.  We’ve come so far in such a short time; I only hope we can overcome the mountain in front of us.

The next morning I wake feeling much too warm.  I go to throw the blankets off and then realize that
it’s not blankets causing the warmness.  Memories of last night come rushing back, Ian.  I look over my shoulder at the most beautiful sight I have seen in awhile.  His hair hangs a little longer and is covering his forehead just brushing his eyes.  I reach my hand out and slowly push it back to get a better view of this god in my bed.  He is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.  I feel blessed to have this second, or third, chance with him.  I know the truth won’t come easily but I know he won’t run from it.  I’m definitely ready to tell him; I just hope I can keep them all safe once they know.  And yes, I have to tell them all, not just Ian.