SeducetheFlame (6 page)

Clarissa licked her lips and he froze. His cock hardened and
his balls ached as if life had decided to tease him to death. She winced. On
the edge of the bed, her bare feet crossed at the ankles, she sat on her hands.
She seemed young. A bit lost. “We got out here from my power pushing us along
the water. I couldn’t control it the way I should. It got out of hand. Before I
felt it fizzle out completely, I had a complete knowledge of exactly where we
are. Since then, we’ve drifted a bit, so I know the general area but not the
exact coordinates.”

“Then the Coast Guard will tell us how to get home. I’m sure
when we contact them they’ll know what to do.”

“That’s just it. We got here cause of me. Not the boat.
Jonah had to decommission this baby over the winter for repairs. The battery
hasn’t been reinstalled. No calling the Coast Guard. No GPS. No navigation.”

“We can’t start the boat.” Ray paused but the short moment
of frustration lifted. “I’ve circumvented the starter in plenty of cars. I’m
sure this engine can’t be much different.”

“Where exactly will you go if you could start it?” Clarissa
shook her head. “You have never spent time on a boat. You can’t drive this
thing especially if you have no idea which way to point us.”

“Just turn it around, face the way we came.” He sank onto
the bed next to her. His legs tired and his dread built. Somehow he knew she’d
bring more bad news even if her fresh-water scent was welcome in the middle of
all this salt-laden H
₂
O.

“We’ve tossed and turned on the waves. I don’t know which
way to head back to Savannah. If my water talent weren’t stifled right now, I
could get us home.” She shrugged and with her hands still tucked beneath her,
frowned at her knees. “If we wait a bit, maybe I’ll regain enough strength to
pinpoint where we are.”

“I should pull Vince back in, then. If we’re going to be
sitting out here for a few hours.” He didn’t move, though. He stayed next to
her. He’d give her his strength if he could. Just open up a vein and pour it
into her. But that was impossible.

“It could be longer than that. Much longer.”

“Let me be sure I got this straight. We’re stranded out here
on this boat you pushed along the water. We’re lost. Can’t call for help. We
have a passed-out, ultra-talented strategist tied to us in a life raft, who,
while his powers have been drained can’t do much, is also in danger along with
us because we can’t call for help. I might be able to spark the engine to life
with my fire, but I won’t know which way to head back toward the coast. I could
take us to Europe if we don’t starve first.”

“Right.” Clarissa nodded almost cheerfully.

“And your power is fritzed. You’re sure?” Ray’s heart
pounded in his chest and he didn’t dare admit the real reason he asked her this
question. He couldn’t face it. Not after so many years of denying his sexual
needs.

Celibate. How had he become this man? A man who hadn’t
touched a woman in fourteen bleak years devoid of the flame of passion? A man
whose fire had been banked for countless hours? A growl rose in his chest but
he gripped it before it escaped.

“I haven’t felt this out of touch with water since before
puberty.” She frowned at her knees again and the anguish in her words broke
something inside him. Barriers fell as if burned to ash and washed away by a
fresh spring rain.

“Clarissa,” he whispered.

Her face turned toward his. Water shimmered amid the blue.
His thumb reached to the corner of her eye to catch any tears, but she didn’t
let them fall. “You’re the strongest woman I know.”

“Not strong enough.” She swallowed hard. The movement was
both elegant as her smooth throat worked, and raw, as she battled the same
intense hunger that flared to life between them.

“For now. Right now. There is no danger in seeing.” Ray let
his palm caress her cheek and slowly fan down her throat and over her shoulder.
Her silky shirt teased him with a hint of the soft flesh beneath. “Seeing how
this thing between us might feel. If your powers are subdued, we won’t flash
out of control. We can’t connect on a partnership level.”

“Are you saying you want to fuck me, Ray Cinder?”

Clarissa nearly bit her tongue off when she clamped her
mouth shut. She couldn’t believe she’d said that. But it only sparked that fire
in his eyes, the flicker of molten yellow amid the red that she’d seen for the
first time on that plane. When he’d gone down on her. When Ray Cinder was
turned-on, his eyes shot through with streaks of hot yellow.

“Hell yes,” Ray breathed and before she could utter another
word, he had her flat on her back and her hip pressed against his erection. His
hand gripped her waist and his lips sought hers. “I need another taste. You’re
so damn good.”

His kiss devoured her and
his
taste, like spicy
pepper mixed with that indefinable maleness, created a heady need. She knew
what was happening, and she welcomed it. Even if he deluded himself that he
could stave off the future. That she was more than
friend
.

Devilment coiled inside her.

He kneaded her waist, and she guided that seeking, feverish
touch to her sensitive breast. She threaded a hand in the back of his hair to
keep his lips against hers. Her words breathed against his flesh. “That’s what
friends are for.”

His body jerked, but she pressed his palm into her aching,
erect nipple and he groaned. Kissing her deeply again he rotated the pressure
on her tightened peak. His hand burned and steam hissed to fill the small
cabin.

“You need to be naked.” Ray moaned and levered his body away
from hers. Only a few inches, but that space brought a chill. She shivered. He
chuckled darkly. “Here. Let me take care of you.”

He snapped and a small flame appeared on her chest. She
gasped, but the sensual movement of the fire filled her with need. It pulsed in
the rhythm of her rushing heartbeats and it slowly slid down the seam of her
shirt to burn a small trail until the buttons all popped off and her shirt
parted. She hadn’t worn a bra and when the ruined clothing fell to the sides,
her pert breasts rose and fell with her excited panting.

Ray’s hungry gaze devoured her, but he remained crouched to
the side of the bed. All except his other hand, which surrounded her wrist in a
fevered grip, as if he might keep her here, but she was safe with him. He’d
never do anything she couldn’t handle.

“Neat trick,” she managed, though her mind could barely
function beyond the anticipation.

“Wait. It’s not over,” he growled.

She hoped the hell not. The keen edge of lust nearly blinded
her but she blinked and watched that little flicker of flame dancing down her
body. Its movements were mesmerizing but it didn’t scorch her. The heat it gave
off was a mix of comfort and edgy, sensual heat. Her skirt singed in a straight
line from waist to thigh. It split open and with a brush of tingling need, Ray
yanked it aside. Then he stood, and ripped his shirt open. Buttons flew all
over the cabin and pinged off the small, round porthole.

“Neat trick,” she whispered again. At this point, she
couldn’t stop from talking even though her mind told her to stop. Don’t do
anything, say anything, or otherwise cause Ray Cinder to stop what was clearly
his intention. “What about those pants?”

His hands, those lovely long-fingered hands, worked his belt
open. She’d never seen anything so sexy as that chest heaving, the sprinkling
of brown hair dusting across it, that happy trail being exposed by the
intentional, strong movements of an incredibly fit man removing his belt. Fire
still danced in his eyes. The zipper slid down noiselessly, and a long, hard
cock jutted forward.

Her mouth watered and she nearly choked, but she had to
promise, “I can’t wait to get my mouth on that.”

But not now. Right now, she wanted it inside her. She spread
her legs and Ray’s intense regard fell there, to her swollen and eager pussy.
He’d gotten a good look at it earlier today and if she’d had any modesty then,
right now, she couldn’t find it over the full-blown need to end fourteen years
of celibacy.

Forget the lingerie in her luggage. She wanted nothing between
their naked bodies and she wanted skin on skin right now.

“Later,” he replied distractedly. He shoved his pants down
and knelt at the edge of the bed. His grip burned on her thighs as he parted
her farther, to fit his broad-shouldered frame between her legs.

The flame hadn’t left, and even now, the yellow flickered in
his gaze as he watched it painlessly dance on her mound. It trailed down, and
it heated slightly, like a barely there touch slid over her folds. It went down
and down. It teased over her entrance, pulsing slightly. She undulated. The use
of his powers on her made her teeter on the edge of oblivion. “Damn. Damn.
Damn.”

“I think I must be damned.” Ray kept that intenseness
focused on her and it melted her insides.

The flicker of fire slid farther. Heat vibrated down to the
bottom of her pussy and she cried out. His hands kept her jerking body on the
bed as warmth coalesced into a light touch circling the tight entrance to her
ass. She was so wet, she could feel herself become slippery. Her cunt was
throbbing and hurting with need. It’d never felt like this. So out of control
but focused on one man. On one man she’d loved over a dozen years. She’d
waited. And the wait was over.

“Damn,” she gasped. “I need you inside me.”

But he didn’t give in to the plea their bodies made
together.

His cock nudged against her leg. The hard shaft was hot and
insistent as he rocked against her skin at that first initial contact.

“You’ve tormented me for so long,” Ray spoke smoothly even
if she detected that hint of passion he couldn’t quite control, “that I want to
give a little of that insanity back.”

“Go right ahead,” she beckoned. If he’d been tormented, so
had she, but at least that’d been his decision. She hadn’t been the one to hold
back, and she sure wasn’t going to be the one to put a stop to what was
happening between them now.

He brushed his hands up her body, bypassing her pussy, which
was beyond ready to be filled. She wiggled beneath the caress that came to rest
on her breasts. His thumbs brushed over her nipples and she shuddered. Teasing
circles made her squirm. She wanted to beg. She wanted to plead. She wanted to
promise him anything. But she didn’t. She bit her lip and kept it in, because
if enduring a bit of torture now gave her this man, she’d take it.

His thumbs flicked over her nipples and she keened. The
sound wouldn’t stay inside and her hips bucked. They picked up an undulating
pace that sent her ass pressing into the bed, that little ball of flame still
circling there, and with the pressure, the ache, the stimulation, she erupted.
Bliss shot from her breasts down to her core and she shouted with an intense
release. Her hips shot up and she closed her eyes, the triumph in Ray’s eyes
too hungry, too raw to take as her climax turned sharp. It wasn’t a release as
much as a promise.

“More. I need more.”

“I’ll give you more.” He leaned over her and her legs spread
wider. His cock head slid in the folds of her pussy. Over and over, coating
himself as his mouth engulfed her nipple. His tongue teased where his thumb had
been. His teeth bit lightly on her nipple and her body shivered on the edge she
was already poised on, again. He licked across her chest to the other nipple.
His hand engulfed the wet heat he’d left behind and his fingers plucked at her.

His cock nudged at her slit and she opened as far as she
could. Wrapping her legs around his ass, she jerked his body hard against her.
He slid inside to the breathless moans of them both.

His long, hard cock eased inside.

“Oh yes. Finally. Damn,” she said. Her vocabulary really had
drowned at sea. No words would come out of her mouth to express the beauty of
his cock stretching her in a long overdue claiming.

“You feel amazing.” His face crushed between her breasts and
he licked her skin.

His hips drew back and her thighs instinctively tightened.
“Don’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not. No way in hell I’m doing anything but this.” He
slammed back into her and her body lurched beneath him. He came down on top of
her with his full weight, holding her in place between his large, hot body and
the bed.

His hips bucked. Hard.

His arms came up to the sides of her, bracketing her head,
and bracing against the wall of the boat where the bunk was attached. His knees
remained on the floor, and with his leverage assured, it was like he let it go.
His cock worked her. He slid in and out with a force that made her mound
vibrate. Every stroke hit her just so, giving her pussy what it needed and her
clit enough pressure that the potential force of her gathering orgasm nearly
scared her.

Nearly. But she wanted it more than she wanted to see the
next sunrise.

He kissed and suckled his way up her chest as his hips kept
moving and his cock hardened inside her. Her legs held on, her heels digging
into the small of his back. Her fingers sank into his shoulders and his mouth
settled on the curve of her neck at her shoulder. He bit and sucked, tonguing
the hurt and sucking again.

That bite of pain, and the heat still licking between her
legs where his balls slapped her, shoved her into intensity. She shouted again.
Something intangible, unintelligible, but heartfelt. In response, he roared and
shoved down hard, holding his cock deep inside her as his hips jerked. The warm
spread of his come sent her into bliss. Water flooded her eyes. Her vision
blurred as the roar of ocean filled her ears and her mind. Pleasure and bliss
floated over her body, awash in sensation.

Her body went slack. The release had sapped all her
remaining energy. Today had pushed her limits in power, strength, and her
ability to walk the emotional tightrope that was her relationship with Ray
Cinder.

Smoke stung her nose.

“Ray. I think something’s on fire,” she mumbled but her body
was too relaxed and pleasured to move. Ray mumbled something into her throat.
His weight didn’t budge. Or rather it did. He sank farther into her, his hips
still making small motions to stroke his cock lightly inside her.

She sighed and breathed in a large pull of air in
contentment.

And coughed. The sudden jerk of her body dislodged Ray and
he grumbled, but pushed up to look at her with sleepy brown eyes. His long
lashes blinked, heavy lidded, and a soft smile pulled at the corners of his
mouth. It’d have been the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen, if it hadn’t
been blurred with her watery eyes and the smoke-filled room.

“Fire,” she croaked.

Ray blinked and sat up, taking his feverish skin with him.
She shivered and covered her breasts as she sat up on the edge of the mattress.

“Oh hell.” Ray rose to his feet. His nude body was still
enough to make her want to lay back on the bed for some more action. He yanked
his pants on and climbed the stairs of the cabin. He snarled over his shoulder,
“My fire flared out of control. You need to get up on the deck.”

She whipped the sheet from the bed around her and followed
right on his heels. Above, the crackle of burning wood greeted her.

“I don’t know if it’ll do any good, but we’ve got to pull
Vince in. We may need that raft.” Ray peered darkly out at sea as he gripped
the line that had kept the lifeboat tethered to the yacht. Vince remained
motionless.

Ray pulled even while he brought his body around to face a
burning conflagration in the wheelhouse. The flames subdued a bit, but didn’t
disappear as she joined in pulling on the line. With the two of them working in
concert, it only took a few minutes to bring the raft in. Ray looped the rope
around a tie down and then gracefully leaped into the lifeboat. He lifted Vince
and brought him up the ladder off the back of the yacht.

The fire still crackled behind her.

“How is it you can’t put that out?” she asked as she guided
him up the ladder and helped him place Vince below. Ray didn’t put Vince on the
tousled bed, but on the floor next to the chest of drawers. She thought she
understood he’d done that in a strange way of protecting her privacy, but did
he know that?

“It’s my reaction to you. It won’t listen to me.” He climbed
back onto the deck and strode toward the fire.

“If you don’t douse that thing, we’re gonna get wet. And I
don’t mean in a fun way.”

Ray jerked a scowl at her and faced the flames again. The
light danced across his stubbled chin and his shoulders flexed. His powerful
build was lean but muscular. Moon-shaped red marks covered his shoulders where
she’d dug into him. She couldn’t help the smile even when faced with death.

Her powers were still muffled. If the ship went down, so
would Ray. So would she. She was a strong swimmer, but they were too far out
and she couldn’t control the water to make it easier on them to get to shore.
“If I had my powers back, I could put that out.”

“Why don’t you grab a bucket instead?” Sweat beaded his brow
and his body had gone tense and rigid as he stared at the flames flaring from
around the pilot’s house. She didn’t know if the engine had caught fire.

She coughed again. Smoke blew into her stinging eyes but she
couldn’t stop from staring at Ray. The muscles on his arms corded and his hands
flexed.

“Wake me up, Ray. Let it all free. If we just embrace it, we
can take care of this fire together. Get this boat to land before we starve to
death. I don’t think there’s even one candy bar on this yacht.”

“There’s not. Not even a box of saltines,” he replied calmly
even though his body was as tight as a live wire.

“Even if you put that fire out.” She paused. The fire didn’t
seem to be spreading, but it wasn’t going out either. And Ray had to hold it
with a visibly intense sapping of his strength. His chin worked as he ground
his teeth and his fists open and shut. “We still have to deal with getting
rescued. I don’t think you have enough control over your power to try starting
the engine.”