Light My Fire (8 page)

Pulling out her seat, she plopped down and stared at the unappetizing meal resting in front of her. “The things I do in the name of survival.”

Jace strode into the kitchen and flashed a grin. “Where should I sit?”

She pointed to the chair across from her. He scooted it away from the table, making room for his long legs. Enfolding his large frame into the seat, he lowered his focus to the plate. His smile slipped. She had to hand it to him, he made a valiant attempt at hiding his revulsion.

“Everything looks…ah…tasty.”

“Dig in.”

He actually looked slightly terrified. Displaying the speed of a tortoise, he reached for his fork. It wobbled in his grip. Bypassing the steak, he speared a couple of celery pieces instead and soon the sounds of monotonous crunching filled the kitchen. Her steak sat on her plate, mocking her. Dragging in a deep breath, she reached for her knife and sawed through the block of charcoal trying to pass itself off as meat. She looked up, found Jace watching her, and cocked an eyebrow in challenge. Squaring his jaw, he snatched his knife and chiseled a chunk of steak free. He popped it into his mouth just as Aiden walked into the kitchen.

Jace ground through two difficult chews before his face suddenly blazed fire-engine red. A weird rasp chuffed from his throat and he scrunched his nose.

“
Shit
.” The expletive shot from Aiden. “Did he just eat cayenne pepper?”

She frowned. “It’s in the steak seasoning. Why?”

“He’s allergic.”

Another of those ominous rumbles shook through Jace, and Aiden dove for Dana. He hauled her to the floor as a plume of fire erupted from Jace’s mouth, licking the air with blue-tipped flames. A nasty stench similar to burning plastic filled the room. Lifting her head, she stared at the melted remains of the silk flower arrangement sitting in the center of the table. She started to stand but Aiden pinned her leg.

“Coast might not be clear.”

As if to verify Aiden’s assessment, Jace’s nose twitched again. Aiden leapt to his feet and charged toward the living room. “Outside.
Now
.”

Clamping a hand over his mouth, Jace hurtled from the room.

“Try not to torch her yard
or
our tent,” Aiden yelled from the doorway.

Dana sat up and buried her head in her hands. This went miles beyond the disastrous meal she’d envisioned.

“Sweetheart, are you hurt?” Aiden stooped beside her. His trembling fingers stroked over her hair. “A stray spark didn’t land on you, did it?”

She’d triggered Jace’s allergies and almost gotten her house burned down in the process. It’d serve her right if she’d gotten caught in the crossfire. “No, I’m fine,” she croaked miserably.

“What’s this?” His voice ripe with concern, Aiden lifted her hand and inspected the black smudge running from her wrist to her thumb.

“I’m pretty sure it’s from my mascara.”

“Let’s clean it up and make sure it’s nothing more serious—like a singe mark.” Before she could balk, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the sink. Settling her on the counter, he turned on the faucet and checked the water temperature. Apparently satisfied he wasn’t about to scald her, he guided her hand beneath the spray. The black mark began to dissolve.

“Told you it was nothing.” She reached out and shut off the faucet.

“Shhh, let me see.” His fingers glided over her slippery skin and she shuddered at the gentle intimacy of his touch. He raised his head and their gazes collided.

Oh boy. The intensity in his eyes was hotter than Jace’s fiery sneeze. He dipped close enough his breath fanned her mouth. Then his lips were there. Pressing. Enticing. With minimal resistance she caved to the persuasive invasion of his tongue. Desire combusted within her, blanking out everything but the delicious sensations racing through her body and liquefying her bones. A kiss shouldn’t be this devastating—charged and all-consuming. Capable of incinerating your entire being into a smoking pile of ash.

“Dana…” A fine tremor of need shook Aiden’s voice. He circled her waist, his hands coasting over her hips. With an insistent tug, he pulled her from the counter. She bumped into him and her palms automatically splayed on his chest. The soft knit of his Henley didn’t disguise the solid wall of muscle beneath her fingertips. His mouth reclaimed hers briefly before sliding down the slope of her neck. Every centimeter of her skin tingled in response.

The front door squeaked open and she stiffened. Aiden’s hands roved along her back, soothing and seductive. He was shockingly good at the art of distraction. She almost managed to ignore Jace’s appearance in the kitchen entry.

Almost.

Jace’s handsome features no longer held the vivid crimson hue from earlier. In its place was raw, elemental lust. His hooded gaze pinning her in place, he sauntered forward. A small, sexy grin playing at his lips, he watched Aiden nuzzling her neck. As if suddenly aware they had company, Aiden lifted his head and glanced at his brother.

“Don’t stop on my account.” Sidling closer, Jace stroked a finger along Dana’s cheek, the grazing caress lighter than the brush from a butterfly’s wing.

Aiden’s chest tensed and she waited, breathless, to see what he would do. A silent battle seemed to wage inside him. Finally, he loosened his unyielding grip on her waist and lowered his mouth to the sensitive crook where her neck and shoulder met. He growled into her skin before suctioning onto the tender spot. She gasped and Jace was there to soak up the sound. Shock ricocheted through her—both at the unexpectedness of Jace’s tongue in her mouth and having two pairs of lips on her at the same time.

Jace’s hand molded to the back of her head, holding her hostage to the dizzying voraciousness of his kiss. She whimpered for mercy and his smile slid across her lips. The arrogance of the gesture wasn’t lost on her, but she was too wrung out from their sensual onslaught to care. Abandoning her mouth, Jace flicked his tongue over the soft spot below her ear. Goose bumps ambushed every square inch of her.

“Mmm, do you taste this good everywhere?”

Assuming Jace’s question was merely rhetorical, she didn’t answer.

“Does she, bro? Taste this good all over?”

Okay, maybe it hadn’t been rhetorical.

Aiden’s teeth nipped her flesh and she had the fleeting impression he was marking her. He moved to her breasts, cupping them through the fuzzy sweater and her bra. Her nipples immediately puckered and he groaned. “Yes. Everywhere.”

Jace stepped behind her and reached for the hem of her sweater, inching it upward. Aiden helped tug the fabric over her head. Rather than letting her arms drop limp to her sides, Jace stooped and draped them around his neck. The angle forced her back to arch, thrusting her breasts fully into Aiden’s hungry grasp. He took full advantage of his good fortune, rasping his palms over her bra, his fingertips teasing the outer edges where lace gave way to skin. She wiggled and Jace’s husky chuckle floated to her ear.

“What’s the matter, sweetness? He find a ticklish spot?”

Coherent speech was impossible. Biting her lip, she nodded instead.

“You want me to get him to stop tormenting you?”

She gave another fierce nod, the crown of her head butting the underside of Jace’s whisker-roughened jaw.

“Then you’re gonna have to do exactly what I say. Think you can handle that?”

Probably not. She hummed in agreement anyway. Her eyes locked on Aiden. Cheekbones flushed dark with desire, he stared at her like he’d just crawled out of the desert and she was a refreshing glass of spring water.

Jace’s hands slid along her rib cage, reminding her of his presence. As if the persistent erection riding above her tailbone wasn’t enough. “Here’s what’s going to happen then. I’m going to unfasten this little pink bra so my brother can feast on those pretty breasts of yours.”

Okay, that didn’t sound too bad. In fact, it sounded damn terrific.

“But you’re not allowed to move. At all. Or make noises.”

What did he think she was? Freakin’ mute? “Uh, there’s going to be noises. Trust me.”

Warm lips brushed just to the side of her temple. “Then there’ll be consequences.”

Moisture flooded her pussy at the sexy menace in Jace’s tone. Oh Lord, who knew she was such a masochist? “What sort of consequences?”

“If I tell you, it’ll spoil your pleasure.”

She snorted. “Don’t you mean
your
pleasure?”

“Oh no, darlin’. My pleasure is guaranteed just by watching you come undone.” His hands massaged along her spine, heading determinedly toward her bra’s closure. “You ready?”

Oh for God’s sake… “
Yes.
”

Giving a low, wicked laugh, Jace unhooked the clasps and eased the bra straps from her shoulders. “You can drop your arms, but only for a second.”

She did and Aiden took care of removing the lacy undergarment. His fingertips trailed whisper-soft along the insides of her forearms and she struggled to contain her shivery response. He was killing her and he hadn’t even kissed her breasts yet.

“You’re doing real good, sweetness.” Jace rubbed his lips over her ear, his teeth nibbling at the lobe. “But let’s see if you can keep from squirming once we turn up the heat.”

Once
they turned up the heat? Good Lord, she was already way past the simmer stage. Helplessly, she peered at Aiden. Fire blazed in his eyes, extinguishing her tiny spark of hope that he might take pity on her. Oh, he was clearly all for raising the thermostat—and he was going to enjoy every damn minute.

Aiden leaned into Dana, her heady fragrance making his head spin. The beast inside him snarled in demand, desperate to taste and possess. As if intuiting Aiden’s raging need, Jace cupped Dana’s breasts in offering. Any other time, seeing his brother’s hands on her would have driven Aiden insane with rage. Apparently being knocked on his ass by lust made him a bit more the sharing type.

As much as that was possible. Especially when it came to Dana.

Lowering his head, Aiden flattened his tongue over a stiffened nipple. Dana trembled, trying valiantly not to move or make a sound. That wouldn’t last long. Not with what he had in store for her. He tugged her nipple into his mouth and rolled it gently between his teeth. A strangled groan hitched in her throat.

“Ah, sweetness.” Jace made a tsking sound. “And here you were doing so good.” He started to step back, bringing Dana with him.

Aiden clamped onto her hips and growled at his brother. “You looking to get your ass beat?”

“I was going to have you take her jeans off, but if you don’t—” Jace chuckled as Aiden fumbled with the buttons on Dana’s pants.

Hooking his thumbs into the waistband, Aiden tugged the jeans over Dana’s hips and kneeled to pull the denim the rest of the way down her legs. He brushed his palms over her calf, reveling in how silky soft her skin was, particularly in the crook behind her knee. Unable to resist, he braced her leg on his shoulder and kissed the tempting spot. She writhed against him, leading him to believe she really was ultra ticklish. Good to know. He nuzzled her thigh, licking a path north.

“
Oh God
,” Dana said, so faint he had to strain to hear it. His cock throbbed painfully at her breathless little moans and the way she squirmed beneath his touch.

Jesus, he wanted to peel her panties off and bury his tongue deep inside her. Reining in his impatient inner beast, he continued to lave his way upward until he reached the scrap of pink satin covering her pussy. Delirious from her intoxicating female musk, he closed his eyes and inhaled. Her arousal called to him like a siren’s song. Tormenting himself as much as he was Dana, he rubbed his lips over the satin, his teeth and tongue creating additional friction with the fabric.

She whimpered, the sound shooting straight to Aiden’s cock. He glanced toward her face just as Jace tipped her head back and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Again, the sight of them kissing whipped together an opposing maelstrom of emotions. Even while he quaked with an instinctual desire to pound Jace into oblivion, the primal mating of mouths going on above Aiden stoked his arousal to a fever pitch. He wanted to see Dana unravel—to completely lose herself to the sexual energy swirling in the air. And if that meant allowing Jace to participate in the moment, so be it. Right now, the only thing that mattered was Dana’s pleasure.

Sliding beneath the elastic of her bikini, he dragged the garment off her and tossed it toward her jeans. Jace was playing with her breasts, rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. With his tongue, Aiden mimicked the same lazy motion on Dana’s clit. She quivered, her strangled groans escalating. He licked her slowly, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the night—the rest of his life—gorging on her sweet essence. So it was frustrating as hell when Jace backed up another step. Aiden moved to follow.

“Bring one of the chairs over here.” Jace’s voice had lost its teasing lilt and now rasped with a dark, ravenous edge.

It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what Jace wanted with the chair. His heart pounding in anticipation, Aiden bounded to his feet and grabbed the seat, plunking it in place.

Jace’s hands bunched in Dana’s golden tresses. Sifting the strands aside, he kissed her neck. “Mmm, sweetness, I can’t wait to taste your pussy.”