Slow Burn (28 page)

Ashley’s ears grew hot with embarrassment.
She felt like a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar, which
was ridiculous. This was
her
home.

“Of course, you’re right.” She indicated the
door and added a smile to gentle her next words. “If you’ll excuse
us....”

“Do you want us to fix the door?” Kilpatrick
asked.

“I can take care of it.” She didn’t know how,
but she wanted them gone.

The two officers nodded and left. Ashley
sighed when she closed the door behind them and it swung open. She
grabbed the stool she used when she worked and propped the door
with it. The entire time, she was aware of Ron’s eyes on her. When
she finally looked up, it was to find him inside her loft, removing
his firemen paraphernalia. He had on everything black
underneath—pants, shirt and boots. And he was still pissed, judging
by the way he crossed his arms and leveled her a frosty glare.

A sliver of apprehension shot up her spine.
Not that she feared him. Ron would never harm her. She just didn’t
know if she could bullshit her way out of what she’d done. Ashley
gave him a tentative smile, which quickly died when his eyes
narrowed. “You’re angry.”

“You think?”

Boy, he was in a nasty mood. “I had to do it,
Ron.”

His arched eyebrows shot up. “Had to?
Interesting choice of words.”

He was too calm, reminding her of a looming
dark cloud before the thunder and lightning kicked in. “You want to
know why I told them not to let you through.”

“Damn right I do.”

He was glowering at her so hard she knew only
the truth would work now, which meant leaving herself open and
vulnerable. Dub her a coward, but it was easier to lie on the
tracks and await the train than tell a guy you cared about him.
Once said, there was no going back.

When Ron’s brows jerked up, she blurted, “I
was trying to protect you.”

He blinked as though she’d yanked the carpet
from underneath him. “Pass that by me, again.”

“I thought that if you stayed around me, Dunn
might hurt you. I couldn’t bear it.” When he continued to stare at
her, she shifted her weight to one foot and yelped, “Ouch.”

Pain shot up her leg. She lifted her foot and
saw the blood on her sock. Dang, she must have stepped on a piece
of a broken glass. While she pulled off the sock to see the extent
of the damage, she heard Ron curse and looked up.

“You’re hurt.” He hurried toward her.

“I should’ve remembered there was broken
glass on the floor.” Her face scrunched up when she saw blood ooze
out of the wound. She hated blood. The sight of her own made her a
little woozy.

“Don’t put your weight on it,” Ron cautioned
when she let go of her foot. He didn’t give her a warning before he
scooped her up. “There might be broken glass imbedded in it.”

Ashley searched his scowling face. “Let me
explain.”

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter now.”

“But it does.”

He stopped outside the door of the downstairs
bathroom. “Ashley, let it go.”

“I can’t.”

Sighing, he entered the bathroom, set her
down on the toilet seat and propped her leg on the edge of the tub.
When he shifted to straighten his body, she reached out and touched
his cheek. He froze but didn’t pull away. Instead, he turned his
head to look at her, his expression unreadable.

Where should she begin? Ignoring her stinging
foot, she studied his face—the arched eyebrows and the chiseled
cheekbones, the strong jaw line and the sculptured lips. She
caressed with her fingers where her gaze had been, ran her knuckles
over his stubble. She realized her hand was trembling and let it
fall on her lap.

“I want to apologize and explain. At least,
allow me to do that.”

He sat on the edge of the tub, right beside
her feet. “Okay.”

Ashley swallowed.
Here goes nothing or
everything.
“For years, I’d refused to face what happened ten
years ago. When Dunn hurt Kirkland and then came after me, I knew
there was a possibility that someone else I cared about might be
next. I had to make some tough decisions.” She searched his face
but couldn’t tell how he was taking her confession. “When I refused
to stay at your place or let you stay with me, it was because I
couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. I’m sorry I took a
coward’s way out and told the cops not to let you through. I just
couldn’t take the chance.”

She waited for him to say something,
anything, but he didn’t speak.

His gaze grew so intense her face heated with
embarrassment. “Say something. Please.”

He cleared his throat then pointed to her
foot. “I need to take care of that.” His voice was gruff.

She sighed and dropped her injured leg inside
the tub. She should have kept her mouth shut. Men heard the words
‘I care’ and they just assumed a woman wanted commitment, the sure
way to send them running. Her heart squeezed at the thought of Ron
leaving her. The three days without him had felt like eternity.
“The first-aid kit is in the cabinet behind the mirror.”

Ron pulled out the red and white box and set
it on top of the toilet tank. Neither of them spoke as he sat down
again, turned on the tub faucet and ran it over her bleeding foot.
She winced at the stinging sensation, but her gaze followed the
outline of his face, his muscular arms and down to his long
fingers. He held her foot in his large hand, his touch gentle and
soothing. She must have really hurt him. Ron was never one to clam
up.

He set her cleaned foot on his lap then
reached inside the first-aid kit for peroxide and a cotton swab. He
poured the disinfectant on the swab and cleaned her cut. She
winced, her leg jerking.

Ron threw her an apologetic look. “This will
be over soon. It’s not bleeding anymore, and I don’t think you’ll
need stitches. Have you had a tetanus shot recently?”

She shook her head. “Do you want me to speak
with Sanchez?”

His nod was curt. “Yes. Because I’m not going
anywhere. I intend to take you to the hypnotist tomorrow just like
I promised.” He spread a generous amount of first-aid ointment on
the cut, then wrapped her foot with a clean gauze. “How’s
that?”

“Good, thanks.”

He watched her face. “Does it hurt? The wound
wasn’t deep, but you never know.”

“I’m fine, really. Thank you.” She added,
“I’m really sorry for everything, Ron.” When he still didn’t say
anything, anger crept in. But she lacked the strength to hold on to
it, and it quickly flickered out. Truth be told, she’d rather love
him than fight with him. “You may not think so now, but I thought I
was doing what was best.” Her voice shook and she stumbled over the
words, but she didn’t care. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Ron looked as though he was about to say
something, then appeared to change his mind. Instead, he put her
foot down, lifted her up and traded places with her on the toilet
seat. Then he pulled her on his lap. For a moment, he didn’t speak,
just held her tight, her head on the curve of his neck. She could
feel his heart beating hard in his chest. The heat from his body
spread, warming her until her shivering subsided. She let him
cuddle her, offering her comfort when she was the one who’d hurt
him. How could she have been such a fool? This man was
priceless.

She turned her head and dropped butterfly
kisses on the hot skin of his neck, gripped his face and tilted it
so she could kiss along his jaw, the corners of his mouth. She knew
exactly when he relaxed.

“Do you forgive me?” she whispered.

“Only if you promise me one thing.”

She leaned back to look into his eyes. They
were watchful, unreadable bottomless cobalt blue pools.
“Anything.”

“Don’t ever stand between me and a cocked gun
again.”

She blinked. Was that why he’d been so quiet
since the cops left? “I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

He blew out air and shook his head. “I know.
Just don’t ever do it again. Also never ask someone else to deliver
a message to me.”

“Okay. I’m really so—”

“Don’t. No more apologies. Just plain
old-fashioned honesty. No matter how bad or ugly, give it to me. I
hate to be taken for a fool.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

He scowled. “Good. Now how long is this meek
attitude of yours going to last?”

Despite the bite in his voice, his eyes
twinkled. Ashley laughed. Slow to anger and quick to laugh, she
loved that about him. “Will you ever act normal, Ron Noble?”

“Does normal turn you on?” he shot back.

“No.”

“Then never.” He planted a brief kiss on her
lips. “C’mon. Up you go. I have to clean up the mess you made in
the kitchen.”

“Don’t you mean the mess you caused when you
scared me half to death? And there’s nothing wrong with normal now
and then.”

“I can do normal quite easily. Unfortunately,
you bring out something primal in me.” He angled his head and
kissed her again, deeply, possessively. “Put your arms around my
neck,” he ordered when he finally eased off. “I have to carry you
out of here.”

Like hell he was. It had been three long days
since he touched her. The kitchen could wait. She couldn’t. “Not so
fast, Hotshot.” She pulled his head and poured all her hunger and
need in a single kiss. Within seconds, the atmosphere in the room
changed.

His heart slamming in his chest, body
heating, Ron sat back and pulled Ashley to him. Hearing her admit
that she cared about him was headier than the best brandy he’d ever
tasted. But when she’d planted herself between him and those cocked
guns, his heart nearly stopped. He hadn’t known what to think or
say. But right now wasn’t the time to analyze it. It would keep
until later.

He palmed her cheeks to hold her head in
place and took possession of her mouth. For three days, he had
dreamt about this. Ron had pushed himself mentally at work and
physically at the gym to the point of exhaustion, only to have her
invade his dreams. If he’d thought that all he needed to get her
out of his system was a good lay, he would have found release
somewhere else. Right from the beginning, he’d known it was more
than sex with Ashley. Known and fought it because he’d taken his
mother and uncle’s way of life as the norm, never letting anyone
get close. It was liberating to let go.

He gripped her head and plundered her mouth
as he intended to do her body. Their heavy breathing, sighs and
groans filled the room as their needs spiraled out of control. The
desire to cherish and please clashed with the wild urge to conquer
and claim. The former won hands down and he slowed to a languid
pace. Nibbling, teasing and savoring. He intended to make up for
the last three days.

Finally, he lifted his head, and whispered,
“Are there surveillance cameras in this room?”

“Are you kidding?” she breathed out. “No
audio either. Here or the one upstairs.”

He leaned back and glanced around. It was big
by bathroom standards, but not in the same class as the one
upstairs. He didn’t want her freaking out because of her
claustrophobia. “I want to make love to you right here, right
now.”

“Me too.”

“Later we can move to the one upstairs.” A
sweet, radiant smile curved her lips as she ran a finger down his
nose, then across his lips. He pulled her finger into his mouth and
rested a hand on her soft thigh. Her muscles trembled under his
palms. He moved up under her dress, caressing her lace-covered hip,
her stomach, the small of her back. Her responses, the tiny moans,
the arching of her back, were fascinating.

“Your skin is so soft. Like nothing I’ve ever
felt.”

“You say the nicest things.” She stilled his
hand, stood up and straddled him then tugged at his black tee shirt
and pulled it off. His breath grew rugged when she ran her palms
along his arms, past her shoulders and down his bare back to his
belted pants. “You’re beautifully built. Hot. Everything about you
is hot.”

His erection pulsed and throbbed, needing her
so much it was a physical pain. The silkiness of her skin begged
for his touch. He slid a hand under her dress, again, stroking,
creeping higher. Relieving her of dress and bra gave him exactly
what he wanted, her naked.

The perfection of her body held him
spellbound but just for a moment. He continued stroking her skin,
teasing her nipples while she gasped and trembled. He could never
get tired of watching her respond to his touch.

He leaned forward to nuzzle the gentle swell
of her stomach, which was right in front of his face. She smelled
good. He took a deep breath, savoring the heady scent of her
arousal. His hands lowered and gripped her lacy thong bikini. This
time, he slid it down, past her long, supple legs. He lifted her
leg and rested it on the rim of the tub while kissing her soft
inner thigh. He slid on his knees and rested her raised leg on his
shoulder. Then he grabbed her bare ass and found her, drawing her
swollen knob of pleasure into his mouth.

Ashley moaned, or maybe she protested, he
wasn’t sure. But the way her fingers forked through his hair,
gripped his head and pressed his face against her mound, he highly
doubted it. Her nails dug into his scalp, her hips writhing as he
licked and lapped, pushed and coaxed until her body convulsed. He
absorbed her pleasure, not relenting, loving her hitching breath,
the tremors that shook her body. Finally, he lifted his head and
looked up, but her eyes were closed in ecstasy. Keeping a steady
arm around her waist, he stood and kissed her, long and hard,
making her taste her juices on his lips.

He eased off to fumble with his pants, but
his trembling eagerness made the task difficult. “I need to stop
this habit of making love to you partially clothed,” he
growled.

“Don’t you dare. I love your style. Slow or
fast, you always know what I need.” She nudged his hand aside and
undid the belt. Then she shoved everything, jeans and underwear,
all the way to his ankle and yanked them off, his shoes, too. Still
bent, her hand closed around him, her thumb delicately rubbing the
tip of his shaft. “So delicate yet firm and powerful.”