Kiss of Fire (St. James Family) (19 page)

“
Oh, piss on your concern!” Toni said, standing abruptly and wincing as her ankle protested.

“
Excuse me,” a voice called from the doorway. Jones, the custodian, stood beside the open door. “Is everything okay in here, Miss Toni?”

“
Everything is fine, Jones. Thanks so much for checking up on me.” She gave a big smile. Not looking entirely convinced, Jones turned after a moment and left.

“
Christ, do you know everyone in this fucking city?” O'Donovan said.

“
Unlike some people, I prefer to be nice, instead of communicating in a series of grunts and snorts.”

“
You are something else you know that?”

“
And you're a pig,” she said, turning away from him and throwing her things into her bag viciously.

“
A pig?” he asked, having the nerve to laugh.

“
Yes. You think all women are good for is a quick hump when you're horny and to cater to you. Well, I am not the one.”

“
Where the fuck is that coming from?”

“
You have no respect for my career, obviously. You want a woman that can cook and clean up after you and pump out your kids and that is obviously not me.”

“
Believe me, I know,” he said, and Toni threw him a murderous look over her shoulder. “You're completely wrong for me in every goddamn way imaginable.”

“
Then why are you here?” she asked.

“
Because I want to fuck you,” he said, blunt as always. She puffed out an indignant breath,  shaking her head.

“
Well I guess you'll have to find someone else tonight.” She zipped her bag and tossed the strap over her shoulder, too through with him.

“
I guess so,” he said, in such a flippant way that she suddenly saw red. Clawing his eyes out seemed like a great idea right about then, and she knew she had to get away from him before she did something she would regret. Turning, she stormed to the door and gestured him out of the room. He took his time sauntering over to the door and she turned off the lights and slammed the door shut. Without looking at him, she marched through the building to the doors in the front, wincing at each step on her bum ankle. She waved to Jones, who watched she and O'Donovan exit like a hawk.

He followed her out into the humid air, his silent presence heavy behind her. She whirled around to face him abruptly, jabbing a finger in his face. “I am going home, alone. So you can fuck off!” She said relishing the curse word. It was weighty, dirty, and held indisputable power. She liked it. She had a feeling she was going to start using it a lot more, especially when and where Sebastian O'Donovan was concerned.

Again, he smiled, annoying her to her very core.

“
Suit yourself, lovely.” He reached out, grabbing her hips and pulling her close to him, and her traitorous heart fluttered in her chest. He still held a strong hold over her, as much as she disliked him in that moment. And the bastard knew it. “But I was hoping I could rip those leggings open and lick your pussy until you lost that smug look off your face. Then maybe I would thrust my big dick in you until you forgot all about this stupid ass fight.” He cocked his head, his lips hovering near hers, just out of reach. “But whatever. I'm good either way.”

Toni narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring the way her girly parts clenched and wept at his words. No way was she giving him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Although her body was begging for him to make good on his words, her brain was telling her to run.

Run far, far away, girl!

She squared her shoulders, and took a step back out of his touch. He didn't fight to hold on to her, and that annoyed her even more. “You have a great ride back home, O'Donovan. Good luck finding someone who fits your criteria to take home tonight,” she said, her voice dripping like Tupelo honey. He snorted out a derisive laugh, and she could tell he was just as worked up as she was, but didn't want to show it. With a cutesy little wave, she turned and hurried away from him, forcing herself to not look back. He wasn't worth a look back. But her admirable resolve didn't stop his blunt words from replaying over and over in her mind until she thought she was going to go crazy from sexual frustration. She had no choice but to cross her legs on the train and curse him vehemently the entire way home.

Chapter 12

A week passed, uneventfully, with no word from the infuriating man. Nat and Christophe took off for Shanghai and Toni made herself right at home at the townhouse in their absence. It was late after she'd gotten home on Friday when she decided to watch a movie,
Dirty Dancing
, her favorite. She loved to watch it whenever she was down. And annoying as it was, she was down over O'Donovan. She'd spent the whole week waiting and wondering why he didn't call. But every time she almost texted him or called him, she forced herself not to. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of caving first.

She couldn't help but wonder if he had found someone else to take home that night. The thought was tearing her up inside, but still, she didn't contact him. Instead, she buried her worries in a bag of sinful, chemical-laden microwave popcorn and lost herself in the story of Baby and Johnny for the millionth time.

A loud knocking woke her from her doze on the couch and Toni rolled her head on the pillow, cracking open an eye. She sat up, checking the time on her phone. 1:00 a.m. The movie was over, the TV was black. Who the hell was at the door? She stood, and crept into the dining room to peak around to the front door. Somewhere, the old house creaked, settling, and she felt her heartbeat ramp up. She was all alone in the big house, what if an axe murderer was at the door? She nearly jumped a foot when her phone vibrated in her hand, signaling an incoming text message.

O'Donovan:
Open the door.

She rolled her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. The man was on her shit list, and now he showed up at Nat's house, just like that? Probably thinking he was going to get laid, too. Strolling to the door at a leisurely pace, Toni opened it, making sure that the chain was still latched.

“
Well. Look who it is, dirtying my doorstep,” she said. O'Donovan was leaning against the doorjamb in yet another ratty shirt and holy jeans. His face was freshly shaved and he smelled fresh, like soap. At least he showered before he came over. He smiled down at her, his eyes in shadow.

“
You're still mad?”

“
Not mad.” She jiggled the doorknob, annoyed. How could she not be mad, when he acted like such a pig? But as she stood there, breathing in his clean scent, the anger faded. She sighed. He had a hold on her, that was for sure. She wanted him, and that made her the weak one. But she would pretend to be strong, she decided, just for a little while longer. Until she had him as much as he had her. “What do you want, anyway?”

“
You know what I want,” he said. “Pussy and a smile.” She was, as always, impressed by his ability to cut the shit. She sighed, letting the desire for him sweep over her. She closed the door and unlatched the chain. Then she let the door swing open again, turning her back and walking to towards the kitchen. She heard him enter behind her.

“
There's no food, so if you want something you'll have to order it,” she tossed back over her shoulder.

“
Nothing to eat?” he moaned, slinging an arm around her waist and pulling her against his chest. He nipped at her neck, and she felt her nipples pebble instantly. He had her, alright. She felt herself melting into his warmth, any anger melting as well. She loved the way his body fit hers. She spun around, throwing her arms around his neck.

“
You're always hungry,” she mumbled into his neck. She took a deep breath of him, letting out a soft moan as his hands found her ass and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her, like she weighed nothing, into the kitchen. He set her down on the marble countertop of the center island and pressed his hands on either side of her hips.

“
If you know I'm always hungry, why don't you ever have food waiting for me?” He cocked his head, his green eyes sparkling.

“
Because I don't cater to you,” she said, running her hands down her shirt and wanting to rip it off of him. She probably could, too, seeing as how it was only only hanging on by a thread anyway. “I thought we went over this?”

“
I used to get baked goods.” He glanced around the clean kitchen, as if food was going to materialize on the stove. “Now that you've got me, I get nothing?”

“
But I don't really 'have you' do I?” she asked, slyly. “You just show up when you want to mess around.”  She twisted her fingers in his shirt. He didn't answer, just pushed her legs open wider. “Besides, I didn't know you were coming over.” He laughed, shaking his head.

“
What else would I do on my days off?” he asked. “Fight and mess around with Toni St. James, that's all I want to do.” He dipped his head to her ear, brushing his lips against her cheek. “Make me dinner, and I'll be yours forever,” he whispered.

“
Pig,” she answered, pulling his closer, until she could feel his hardness against her. He bit down on her earlobe, and she felt her whole body react, jerking and trembling. She licked his cheek, wishing that he hadn't shaved so she could feel his stubble against her tongue. She liked him rough and unkempt. Her finger found a hole in his T-shirt, and she tugged on it, making it bigger. He burrowed his face in her neck, taking a deep breath like he loved the way she smelled. She felt the lust welling up in her, liquid hot and almost painful. Grabbing a handful of his hair, she yanked his head back. “So are we gonna fuck or what?” she said, loving the sound and the feel of the curse word on her lips again. His dirty mouth was rubbing off on her and she loved it.

“
After,” he smiled.

“
After?”

“
I need food, woman.” He kissed her nose, then pushed away, going to the fridge. He rummaged through, finding one of Christophe's beers. He popped the top and dropped his head back, gulping it down. She ran her eyes up the length of his exposed throat, digging her fingernails into her thighs. She was impatient and uncomfortable, unrequited lust still vibrating through her. Leaning over and balancing herself on her hip, she opened a drawer on the side of the island.

“
Takeout menus.” She pointed downward. He set the empty bottle on the counter and swiped a hand across his mouth. Then his eyes caught hers, heavy-lidded and fringed with dark lashes. A thrill ran through her.

“
Never mind.”

“
Never mind?”

“
I want to eat your pussy first.” Her stomach dropped at his words and before she knew it he had hauled her up and was carrying her into the TV room. He dropped her softly onto the leather couch, following her down. She devoured his mouth, tasting the beer on his lips and tongue. His hands were yanking down her shorts, and she squirmed against him, wanting to help. He pulled his mouth from hers and pushed her against the pillows like she weighed nothing. He tossed her shorts and panties over his shoulder and pulled his shirt over his head. She laid back, forcing herself not to reach out and touch him, no matter how badly she wanted to. He unbuckled his belt and opened the button on his jeans, but made no move to take them off. His eyes were trained on the apex of her thighs, and she lifted a knee to to give him a better look. He cocked his head, sucking his teeth.

“
You got me by the balls, lovely.” He ran a calloused hand up her calf. “You know that, don't you?” Toni shook her head, although her body reacted to his words.
No
, she thought.
Show me
. His hands found her inner thighs, his thumbs spreading her folds open for him. She gasped as he strummed her clit. Leaning forward, he hooked one knee over his shoulder and lifted her other leg so that her heel caught on the back of the couch. She was completely open to him, and he took full advantage, licking her lazily, like he had all the time in the world.

Toni allowed her hands to roam over his freckled and scarred shoulders, over the prickly buzzed sides of his head, to the longer hair on top of his head. He moaned as she ran her fingers across his scalp and he circled her clit with this deft tongue. Her eyes clamped shut, not ready for the rush of pleasure that smacked into her like a Mack truck. He pulled away, wanting to extend his torture of her, and she bucked her hips, selfishly wanting to feel the sensation again.

“Do it again,” she breathed, tightening her hand in his hair. He shoved his tongue deep inside her, the movement urgent and wild. He was getting in his zone, and he was taking her with him. His hands grabbed at her hips, his fingers hooking on her hipbones, holding her in an iron grip. He nipped at her inner thigh, lightly, then repeated the movement on her clit, harder this time. A ragged cry escaped her lips. He was lapping up all of her juices now, sucking and tongue fucking her in dizzying succession.

“
It feels so fucking good,” Toni heard herself moaning, tossing her head back and forth. She jammed the heels of her palms into his shoulders, the feeling so intense that she almost wanted him to let up, to give her a reprieve. But this time, he didn't pull away. He kept going at her, sucking her clit between his lips and flicking at her with his tongue. “Oh God!” Then she was coming, her the legs in her muscles locking and her toes pointing. Her fingernails dug into his skin and she heard him fumbling with his belt, but the sound was far away. She heard herself cry out and his tongue ran the length of her, tasting her in the throes of orgasm. The comedown was slow, like floating from the ceiling light as a feather. When she opened her eyes, he was stroking himself, still working her pulsing, throbbing flesh with his mouth.