Embraced by Fire (32 page)

He didn’t mention his fear on seeing the bomb, or the way his heart sped as he flew away, buffeted by the heat wave from the explosion.

“Hmm.” Adrian moved the photos around staring at the man who looked so at home in the outdoors, but they all knew was equally comfortable in fashionable nightclubs or wining and dining corporate suits.

“Spock, now we know for sure there’s a link between Razor and this case, run everything we’ve got on these men and find me the connection. If one of them is the buyer we’re going to need solid evidence. Ryu, Delilah, and—” Adrian was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“It’s only me…Kait.”

Ryu sat up straight at the sound of her sweet, familiar voice. He glanced at Adrian, then pushed himself upright and went to open the door.

“I ordered pizza,” she said as he opened the door and peered out at her. “I know I shouldn’t interrupt, but it’s getting late and I thought you’d all be hungry.”

Ryu couldn’t stop the smile spreading over his face. “You’re a wonder. Thanks.” He turned and looked at the others. The photos had vanished from the table. “Kait has dinner.” He stepped aside and let her enter.

Kait moved past him and set the boxes on the table. Ryu watched her ass as she bent over and opened the boxes. The wonderful smell of melted cheese drowned out Kait’s distinctive scent and set his stomach gurgling, reminding him how long it had been since he ate brunch with Kait.

As everyone grabbed a piece of pizza Ryu watched Kait. Despite everything that had happened to her in the last few hours: her house burning down, Johnny’s betrayal, losing her virginity, she seemed remarkably calm. How much of that was because her focus was on the here and now, he didn’t know. Once everything was over, the full impact of events would hit her. He vowed to himself he would be there to help her pick up the pieces.

Especially since there were things she still had to know. Tonight he would tell her the world was even more complex and crazy than she thought. He wondered if telling her he was a dragon would be the final piece that made her shatter.

****

Kait giggled and staggered as Ryu led her back to her room. Hass had brought out beer to go with the pizza and the night had gone downhill from there. Or uphill, depending on your point of view. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much. Derek in particular had a biting sense of humour she couldn’t resist.

Ryu opened the door and guided her in. She stumbled and grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. He flicked on the lights and illuminated the room. She walked unsteadily over to the bed and sat down. She looked at Ryu resentfully. He wasn’t in the least bit drunk.

Actually, none of the others were. They all had a reason to stay sober. By now everyone except her and Ryu were back working. Ryu had joined her because Adrian kicked him out to get some sleep. Neither of them had got much sleep last night, what with the fire, and…other things. Heat flared low in her belly at the memory of what those other delicious things entailed. Except…

“My house burned down.” Her voice sounded small. She turned to Ryu, wishing he’d tell her she’d dreamt it.

“I know.” He knelt down in front of her and pulled off her shoes.

“What are you doing?” She blinked a couple of times hard, wishing she were sober.

“Getting you ready for bed. If I don’t help, I’m worried you’ll fall asleep as you are.”

What had inspired her to drink so much? That’s right, she’d thought if she were tipsy Ryu wouldn’t be able to talk to her. After all, who wants to hold a serious conversation with a alcohol influenced woman, most likely she wouldn’t even remember it the next morning.

Kait looked at his copper eyes. He was going to tell her last night was a mistake, that there was no chance of a relationship between them, and she didn’t want to hear it. In the mean time, there was more than one advantage to being squiffy.

“Are you going to take off the rest of my clothes?” She wanted him so badly and this might be her last chance to have him.

He tossed her shoe to the side and looked up at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re drunk. We need to talk before we get into bed with each other again.”

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “We’ve done it once, what difference does doing it again make. Besides I’m only tipsy, not drunk.”

His fingers curled gently around her forearms and he removed them from around his neck. “There’s things I need to tell you, that we need to talk about. I don’t want you to feel like I’ve mislead you.”

“Don’t you want me?” She pouted as he released her arms. She didn’t think she’d pouted like that since she was two, but she couldn’t help herself. When his eyes dropped automatically to her lips she knew why women tried the trick.

He dragged his eyes away from her mouth and ran his fingers through his hair. “Of course I want you, how can you doubt it. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman. My control is on the edge as we speak.”

“What will it take to push you over?” Leaning forward, she whispered the words in his ear, followed by a quick lick at his ear lobe.

He sucked in a sharp breath. “For someone who was a virgin yesterday, you’re mighty feisty.”

Unable to help herself, she laughed at the frustrated expression on his face. It was clear he wanted her even though he was trying to hold himself in check. A sense of power flooded through her. She ran a finger down his chest and over his stomach until it rested on the waistband of his jeans. She saw his breathing hitch at her touch.

“You’re getting good at this seduction thing very fast.” He didn’t remove her finger.

She smiled. “I seduced you last night too.”

He paused and looked at her. “That’s right you did.”

She hooked her finger into the waistband and tugged, pulling him closer. “Are you going to let me do it again.”

“No.” He surged to his feet.

Her eyes widened. He was going to leave. Before she could issue a complaint, or find the words to stop him, he gently pushed her shoulders so she tumbled back onto the bed. He leaned over her, his hands pressing into the covers on either side of her face. His gaze was intense. Her stomach tensed as she realised how vulnerable she was. How much stronger he was.

“This time I’m going to seduce you.” He whispered the words against her lips, before stealing them in a soul deep kiss.

She tangled her fingers in his hair as her mouth mated with his. This was more like it. His chest brushed her breasts making her nipples peak. A soft moan stole from the back of her throat. She couldn’t get enough of him. Suddenly she didn’t want to wait. Releasing his hair, she wiggled a little so she could get her hands between their bodies and worked on releasing him from his jeans.

He groaned as her fingers brushed his belly, and used one hand to grab both of hers. “Stop, stop. Or this’ll be over before it starts.”

“I don’t care.” She didn’t, she just wanted him inside her.

He dropped down onto the bed next to her, further from her fingers. Lying on his side, he leaned over her. Their eyes locked. His were dark with need, she was sure hers were the same.

“I care. We might have started this your way, but we’re going to finish it my way.” His voice was so deep and rough with desire she felt it in the pit of her stomach and below.

She licked her lips. “But—”

“My way.” As he spoke he pulled off her t-shirt and closed his hand over her breast.

She felt her breathing speed up. The shallow gasps barely giving her the oxygen she needed to deal with him. His hand stroked and kneaded until she arched her back silently begging for more. Then, with the sweetest of precision, he pinched her nipple.

She couldn’t describe the sound that emerged from her throat, she only knew she wanted him to do it again.

“Your way.” Her words didn’t sound like the surrender she’d intended, they sounded like a challenge.

His dark laughter as he closed his hot mouth over her other nipple made her think surrender might be wiser. On the other hand, a challenge was much more fun.

Reluctantly, she pushed at his shoulders until he released her from the seductive power of his mouth. His copper eyes gleamed with desire as he looked down at her. Her cheeks flushed. Doing her best not to fall completely under his spell she pushed at his shoulders again until he rolled onto his back, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

“Last night you were the only one who really knew what you were doing. This time it’s my turn to make you crazy.” Last night sensations had been too new, too raw. Tonight, she would be in control, and he would be the one begging.

Rolling onto her knees beside him, she tugged at his t-shirt. He shifted her help her pull it off.

“Woman, you don’t have to
do
anything, seeing you makes me crazy.” He watched her gently swaying breasts as he spoke.

She leaned forward so her nipples brushed his bare chest. She meant to tease him, but she was the one who gasped as his chest hair lightly abraded the tips of her breasts. She kissed him lightly, then sat up and trailed her fingers down his chest and across the tight muscles of his abdomen, until they rested above the button on his jeans.

As her fingertips traced a delicate pattern on his skin, she looked at his face. His eyes were locked on her fingers. His expression pleading, as if he were desperately willing her hand lower. She smiled, glad he didn’t see it because she knew it held smug satisfaction at her power over him.

She yielded to his silent demand. Her fingers struggled with the button for a moment, then she undid his jeans, running the zip down with excruciating slowness. The bulge in his underwear left nothing to the imagination. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of both underwear and jeans and gave him a wicked smile.

He grinned back but caught her hands. “You first.” His voice was rough with desire but she nonetheless heard its implacable tone.

She shot a glance at her sweatpants. “Why?”

“I want to see you.”

He was trying to derail her plan. She took a deep breath. “You will, but I get to see you first.”

Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. Suddenly he laughed, the sound so full of genuine joy it made her heart beat a quick double bump. Lord, she loved him. She wanted to be able to hear that laugh for the rest of her life.

“Okay, you’re in charge.” He quickly pulled off the rest of his clothes.

“You’re right, I am.” Her words were slow as she was having trouble thinking.

Last night she hadn’t had a good chance to look at him but now her rapacious gaze was locked on all the interesting parts of his body suddenly revealed.

“Like what you see?”

She licked her lips. His abs tightened in response to the gesture. “Words….Words, can’t think of the words.”

He laughed at the rasp in her voice. “How about actions?”

In answer she shimmied off the bed and turned to face him, her thumbs hooked the waist of the sweatpants. Not the best clothes from a strip tease but she’d work with what she had. He shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his arms to watch her.

Slowly, she pulled the sweatpants down her legs. His eyes devoured every inch of skin as it was revealed. She kicked the sweatpants out of the way and stood in front of him in nothing but her panties. His eyes seemed to be having trouble deciding where they wanted to look. The juncture of her thighs, her breasts jiggling with every heated breath she took, or her face.

His gaze stopped when his eyes reached hers. Without breaking eye contact she unhurriedly pulled down her pale blue panties. He was watching her face so she knew he couldn’t see what was being uncovered, but the expression on his face told her he was thinking about it, thinking hard. She sniggered at her own lame joke.

“You’re a cruel woman, laughing at my torment.” The movement of his lips made her want to kiss him.

When her eyes returned to his, she realised his had got distracted. His gaze was taking in the whole of her displayed before him. He looked like a man in front of a decadent feast trying to decide where to start. The direction of his fascinated observation drew her own stare inevitably down his body, coming to rest at his jutting erection. She wanted to taste him.

Taking three steps forward, she dropped to her knees before him and, without stopping to think, licked him. His raw gasp prompted her to repeat the movement. Before she could try again, strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up.

“Wha—” Her breath was cut short as he lifted her onto the bed next to him.

“Next time, right now I want to be inside you too bad.”

“I want that too.” She felt heat suffuse her cheeks as she spoke, his words heightening her arousal.

Before she could say anything else his mouth came down on hers and his hands began working their brand of madness on her yearning body. She didn’t know how long he spent driving her to fever pitch but she knew when she broke.

She grabbed his biceps, her fingers digging deep, but not as deep as his moved in her.

“Now,” she didn’t recognise the desperation in her voice, “it has to be now.”

She expected him to move on top of her and push inside. Instead he rolled onto his back and pulled her to straddle him. As her shaking hands pressed his chest, she remembered she had wanted to control this. He’d remembered too, and was giving her the chance.

She gave him a smile so he’d know she understood and appreciated what he was letting her do, then she slowly impaled herself on his rigid flesh. They both gasped at the invasion.

She looked down at his beloved face as she began to move on him. With one hand on her hip to guide her, and the other teasing her breasts he looked like a man who had found nirvana. Surely he wouldn’t want to give this up. Surely he understood he was hers, now and forever.

He looked up. Copper eyes locked with green. He smiled. Her muscles clenched, and she couldn’t stop herself moving faster. Suddenly, the world went white behind her eyes.

Chapter 32