Slow Burn (15 page)

“Forged by fire.”

His skin was hot enough to have been created
by fire. And touching him was making her hot, too. Still, Ashley
hung in there, body heating and humming. She wanted to converse,
say something witty, but she knew her voice would fail her. When
her arms began to ache, she shifted her body and almost landed on
the floor.

“You okay, babe?” he asked in a hoarse
voice

At least she wasn’t the only finding their
proximity unbearable. “Yes. Just don’t fall asleep on me.”

He chuckled. “You’re mistaken if you think I
can fall asleep with your hands on me.”

She couldn’t think up a response to that
statement. Instead, she tried to imagine he was some ugly troll she
had to touch. Tough luck. Trolls didn’t smell or feel the way he
did.

“I’m done.” Ashley jumped up and took a step
back, almost tripping over the coffee table.

Ron turned around, and their gaze connected.
His face was taut. The hungry look in his eyes wasn’t supposed to
scare her, but it did, making her take another backward step. She
swallowed, gave his body a sweeping glance and froze at the
straining bulge in his pants.

“Keep looking at me like that and I won’t be
responsible for what happens next.” His voice was low, filled with
the promise of sinful pleasures.

Her eyes snapped to his, as she fought a
blush. “I, uh, I’ll get my camera.”

She hurried to the table and fiddled with the
camera, her back turned to him, but she could still smell him on
her hands. Offering to massage him had been downright idiotic. How
was she going to work when his body teased her senses?

She heard movements behind her and jerked
around. Ron was on his feet and closing in on her fast. The look in
his eyes had her taking a step back. “Ron?”

“I don’t think I can do this.”

She blinked. “But you said—”

“I
will
pose for you sweetheart, but
right now I need to touch you or go crazy.”

Her eyes widened.
What am I supposed to
say to that?
She couldn’t open her mouth and lie to him, or
order her legs to move. She had wondered how those perfectly shaped
lips would feel, taste. Heck, she’d even woven fantasies about the
delicious things they could do to her body. The peck he’d given her
earlier only added to her craving.

She took a deep breath and released it in
spurts. Her heart thudded against her rib cage, excitement pulsing
through her. This was so not her. Messing around with a man she
hardly knew was insane, and she didn’t do insane. Yet, she felt
almost delirious with anticipation as Ron stopped before her.

His arm boldly snaked around her waist. The
arrogant way he assumed she wouldn’t object to his intentions left
her weak in the knees. Ashley opened her mouth to say something,
but his expression froze the words in her throat. The wicked
sensuality and the raw lust in his eyes was enough to make a woman
snap on a full metal chastity belt. Yet, he appeared to be waiting.
For what?

She frowned. Could he be seeking her consent?
Ron didn’t look the type to ask for anyone’s permission. Her gaze
still locked with his, her lips parted, invited. His eyes grew
fiercer, hotter. Still, he waited. She lifted her hand and laid it
against his masculine chest. His body jerked as though scalded. His
muscles flexed under her palm, his heart thumping hard and sending
pulses of excitement along her arm.

He meshed her body with his. The intimate
contact caused a moan to escape her lips. His head dipped, his hot
breath against her lips making her quiver. Then he angled his head
and covered her lips.

His lips were hot and gentle. Not exactly
what she’d expected from such a large man. The taste of him, the
velvety texture of his lips was new, exciting. His scent, volatile,
musky and male, slammed into her with a force of a tsunami.

Heart pounding in her ears, Ashley
surrendered and let him take charge of her mouth. She moved into
his arms as though she had always belonged there. Tongues, flavors
and breaths mingled. His scent teased her senses, making thought
and reason difficult. His mouth caressed and explored, taking and
giving her sweetness that was so unexpected, so intoxicating her
entire body throbbed with raw need.

She couldn’t afford to need this man. She had
enough craziness in her life without needing someone who was here
now but could be gone forever tomorrow. She jerked, pulled her face
away and tried to break the spell he’d cast over her.

“Please,” she sobbed achingly, gasping for
breath.

“Please what, babe? Please don’t stop?” Ron
whispered erotically along her cheek. “Please take me?” He took a
tiny bite of her ear, then soothed it with his tongue. His final,
“Please tell me how to please you,” was a homerun. Her resistance
ebbed.

Ashley turned her face and claimed his lips
this time. Forget tomorrow. Right this moment, he was hers. She
slid her hands up, slowly loving the muscles shifting under her
palm, and cupped his cheeks, touched the corner of his mouth before
forking her fingers through his hair. She couldn’t get enough of
him.

His kisses became bolder, hotter, awakening
every yearning cell in her body. Her fingers dug into his chest,
eliciting a groan from him. He was all over her, his hands, his
mouth, his breath, his very essence.

Fireworks exploded behind her eyes. She felt
feverish, yet more alive than she’d ever been in her entire life.
Panic torpedoed inside her. Where was her freaking control?

Ashley flung her head back and gasped for
air. “Ron? Please. I need…we need to….”

“Yes,” was his craggy response. “So much.” He
dropped butterfly kisses along her neck, inhaled deeply. “Hmm, wild
roses. You smell so good.” He bit her jaw, causing her body to
vibrate. “Dark, juicy, exotic.”

She was barely hanging on to her control.
Lord knew she had a healthy sexual appetite, but this was way, way
out there. She’d never lost control from a kiss. If one would
define what he was doing to her a kiss. He was plundering,
ravishing, branding her. A surprised huff escaped her when he
circled her waist and lifted her off the ground.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he commanded
hoarsely, pressing her more intimately against him.

Her knees wanted to lift, but she willed them
to stop. It didn’t matter that she could feel his arousal against
her or that his take-charge attitude was a major turn-on. This had
gone too far. Somehow, she must stop, regroup and start thinking
like a mature, rational woman.

His “Please,” sounded guttural, raw. It
called to something inside her.

Her thighs opened, knees lifted, legs wrapped
around him. The bulge in his pants nestled perfectly against her.
Exquisite sensations migrated from all over her body to the joint
between her legs. His mouth closed on hers, tongue boldly thrusting
into her mouth, mating, dancing. Her arms wrapped around his broad
shoulders, reveling in his perfection, her mouth welcoming his. Her
fingers silently urged him on. Then his weight shifted and the next
thing she knew, her back was up against the wall, his hips grinding
into hers. A primitive growl rumbled through his chest.

She clung to him, floating, aching and
craving. He let her mouth go and sought her face, her neck. His
long fingers slid up her back, cupped her face as he plundered her
mouth. She moaned. Or did he? It didn’t matter. The more he gave,
the more she wanted. His hands on her bare skin…hers on his sexy
body….

His hand skimmed over the thin cotton fabric
of her T-shirt and landed on the underside of her breast, but
stopped shy of covering her aching nipples. Ashley stopped
breathing.
Touch me. Please.

As though he heard her, he sought a taut
nipple, her T-shirt no barrier to his questing fingers. A burst of
sensation annihilated what little control she had left. Ashley
arched her back and tried to stop her hips from pushing against
his, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. It greedily
sought his, loving the feel of him against her, needing a release
so bad it wiggled and rocked.

Sanity returned. To lose control this fast
was unlike her. Worse yet, it was with a man she wasn’t sure she
should trust. She wrenched her lips free from his and gasped,
“Ron…stop.” Her voice was low and unconvincing, more of a whine
than a command. She wasn’t surprised when he didn’t heed her. She
stiffened.

“Please. Stop.” Her voice came out
firmer.

CHAPTER 8

Ron froze, chest expanding as he fought for
control. Not now, he wanted to howl. This was worse than a slow,
agonizing death. He stared at her in disbelief, but something in
her hazel eyes told him she meant it. He cursed silently, took a
deep breath and rested his sweaty brow against hers, his eyes
closing. “Why?” he asked in a voice low and rough.

“I can’t…I don’t…,” she paused, “I can’t make
love to someone I hardly know.”

He could feel her sweet breath brush his
face, her heart thunder against his and the heat between her legs.
Their clothes were no barrier to the fire beckoning him down there.
Slowly, he opened his eyes,

Uncertainty, regret and arousal were clear on
her beautiful face. He could take uncertainty and arousal any day.
Regret was bad, very bad. Was it for kissing him or stopping their
heated foreplay? She pulled her full bottom lip between her white
teeth and gnawed on it. He smothered a groan, fought the urge to
coax that lush lip out with his tongue.

Had he read her wrong? Had he rushed her? He
didn’t think so. She’d shown a raw enthusiasm that was surprising.
Even now, she was staring at him with a mixture of fascination and
uncertainty, her body still trembling.

“Okay, babe, let’s play twenty questions, get
to know each other, then pick up where we stopped.” His gaze slid
to her lips, the zenith of all his fantasies. He couldn’t wait to
get lost in them again.

Ashley slumped against the wall and shook her
head. “I can’t.”

“Can.”

“I need to photograph you.” It came out as a
plea.

Ah, she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
The thought filled him with satisfaction.

“We have the whole day.” He wrapped his arms
securely around her buttocks and walked with her to the lounge he’d
previously occupied. Her arms came to rest on his shoulders and her
legs tightened around his hips. Her body quivered in response as he
lowered her down, making sure she felt his arousal all the way to
the floor.

She was meant to be his, but a nagging guilt
followed that thought. He knew he shouldn’t start a relationship
with her while the issue of the fire was unresolved, but he
couldn’t stop thinking about her. “I want you, Ashley, and I’m not
afraid to say it.”

Her hands slipped lower to rest on his arms,
her fingers digging into his flesh. “Look, Ron. I’m sorry if I led
you on and gave you the wrong impression. I truly am.”

Her voice was unsteady, her eyes shadowy and
he’d never wanted her more.

“I’m not.” He looked down at their meshed
bodies. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with what we’ve been
doing or will be doing,” he added. “You want me, and I sure as hell
can’t seem to keep my mind off you or my hands off your delectable
body. Let’s keep the Q and A short and sweet, okay? Two minutes,
tops.”

She opened and closed her mouth without
uttering a word, and he knew he had her. He lowered himself on the
couch and pulled her down on his lap, right on top of his engorged
organ. Ron winced and tightened his arms around her waist to hold
her down when she could have jumped up.

She stayed, but sat stiffly. Then as though
garnering some inner strength, she lifted her chin and glowered at
him. “Two minutes is hardly enough time to discuss anything,
Noble.”

“You think? Allow me. Born thirty years ago,
grew up here in L.A. and Vegas, have no siblings, never been
married, don’t have out-of-wedlock children. Don’t smoke, only
drink socially, love spicy foods and have a healthy,” he gave her a
brazen grin, “change that to a very healthy sexual appetite.” She
rolled her eyes. “I did my undergraduate at UNLV and got my MBA at
Columbia.”

She couldn’t hide her surprise. “All the way
across the country?”

Anything to escape the rumors and his
responsibilities, he thought. “An inspired countermove against a
tyrant grandmother,” he improvised. “She and I had reached an
impasse.”

Her intelligent eyes lit up with interest,
but all she said was, “Let me guess? You couldn’t bully her into
seeing things your way. Poor woman.”

“See? Less than two minutes and you already
know me so well.” When he trailed his finger around the thin skin
along her waist, she swatted his hand. Okay, so she wasn’t ready to
play, but at least she was relaxed. “And for the record, no one
bullies Penelope Darden, and she doesn’t deserve your sympathy. I’m
the one in need.”

“Of what?” She laughed at his expression.
“No, don’t answer that.”

“I’m serious here. Fighting fires is in every
Noble’s blood. Four generations of firefighters, and she wanted me
in a suit, behind a desk.” She tried to get off his lap again, but
his arms tightened, pulling her closer into him. But her wiggling
sent blood flowing to his groin. She soon realized her mistake and
froze.

“Can we, uh, continue this conversation while
I photograph you?” she asked with a slightly wobbly voice.

He rather liked their closeness. Her perfect
ass fit his lap so well, and it wouldn’t take much to pull down
both their pants and slide inside her. Oh, yes, the position had
possibilities. “I like this.”

She pursed her lips. “You’re perverse.”

He kissed her nose. “Tell me you don’t find
this stimulating.”

“I don’t.”

Yeah, right. She might not be aware of it,
but her body curled naturally around his when she relaxed. “You’re
such a liar, Ashley Fitzgerald. But, I’ll forgive you this time.”
He dropped his arms to free her, but he couldn’t stop himself from
running a possessive hand down the small of her back as she got
up.