Tell Me What Is Priceless (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

“So I was a really good, like an expensive piece of ass.”

Zar rapped her lightly in the back of the head with his knuckles. “You are the most exasperating woman I’ve ever met. I tell you that you took my body into a mind-shattering experience, and you turn it into an insult. You are not a tramp, a whore, or a piece of ass. You are the most vibrant and exciting woman I’ve ever met. I love talking to you, being with you, and yes, making love to you. My last shot was two months ago. You are not the reason my hip collapsed. You just happened to be making love to me when it did. Stop being so damn self-righteous and give yourself a break. Give me a break. I’m not going to turn into a simpering old fart who forgets what foreplay is. Give us a break, and don’t shut down on me because you saw me in pain. I wouldn’t do that to you if your knees were bothering you or you had a headache. I have not seen you in pain, but I wouldn’t turn away from you because of it. Did David?”

“Yeah, he couldn’t handle it. He could never believe that I was in pain. On the few occasions when I was really bad, he assumed that his pain had to be worse and was more important. I don’t want another life like that.”

“Blaze, I’m not like that. I have my faults, but being uncaring is not one of them. Pain is pain. It doesn’t matter who it belongs to. What matters is how you deal with it. Some people curl up in a ball and allow it to ruin them. Others fight it every step of the way. I’m a fighter, and I’m not going to allow anything to put me down. The shots help, but they are not the entire reason for my existence. They are only an aid, a balance between agony and a bearable life. I choose how to live. The pain doesn’t choose for me. If there comes a day when the pain becomes all-consuming or I am to become an invalid, that will be the last day I am alive. I can’t live only to be dependent. I give anyone who is in that position a great amount of credit, but it won’t be me.”

She was silent and still in his arms, unsure of what to say to him. Zar took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Tell me that was great and that you enjoyed it as much as I did. Say something to me, Blaze!”

“I’m fucking falling in love with you, and it’s a truly asinine thing to do. I want everything between us to remain as incredible as the last day has been. I have never in my life felt every movement a man made inside of me like I did a little while ago. Everything with you is so intense, and it can’t last. If you change on me, I swear I’ll choke you.”

“I don’t know whether to smile or be insulted. How do you combine words to have so many meanings at once? You say that you love me, insulted me, complimented me, and threatened to kill me for something I have no real control over. Feed me more chocolate and then kiss me. Damn, you are aggravating.”

Blaze sat up and dropped the box of chocolates on his stomach. He looked up and saw tears in her eyes and put his hand to her face. “What now?”

She leaned into his touch, and he felt the tiny flickers of spasms in her temple. “What’s wrong?”

“It was the way I was lying. It stressed my neck out. It will pass. Want another cup of coffee?”

“Yes, and your purse is on the table. If you want something stronger, there is a bottle in the flour canister.”

“I can’t take anything, Zar. I’m allergic to most things on the market, both prescription and non. I have pills in my purse, but they make me sleepy for two or three days. I won’t take them unless I can’t stand up anymore. It’s nowhere near bad enough where I would miss a day with you. A cup of coffee and an Advil will help, but it will also upset my stomach. Do you want another cup?”

“Yes, I would love one.”

His eyes followed her from the room, and when she returned, he had them closed. Blaze leaned over him and put the cup down on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Zar wrapped his arms around her and dragged her to his chest. “Kiss me, beautiful lady.”

She shifted to kiss him and then leaned back. “So where are we?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“We met last night. We have had the world’s greatest sex, and the oddest conversations. I’m falling in love with you, and I want to know if when you return from New York I’m going to be a part of your life. I still don’t want anything ball and chainish. But it would be nice to know if I’m going to see you again.”

“Do you listen at all? How do I tell you how much I adore you? I’m not sure if I’m falling in love with you. It’s not one of my favorite terms. I just know that you make me feel incredible. You also irritate me to no end, but I’m alive when I’m with you. I’m going to New York because I have to. I will call you every night if you want me to. You said that you had a book signing in Bridgeport. Come up and meet me for the night and go home in the morning or stay for the day. But I can’t promise that my work will be interesting. I’ll get you a limo if you want me to. I want you in my life. I don’t know for how long or where we go from here. I don’t know what I’m looking for as far as a commitment. I only have one request. If you are with me, you don’t sleep with anyone else. I don’t care if you want to go out with other men. Well, I do, but…if you want to sleep with them, then break it off with me first. To call you or stop over and find another man walking around in a towel would break my heart. Deal?”

“Deal. I ask the same of you.”

“Deal.”

“I will talk to Nan about taking care of the dogs on Thursday. If she doesn’t mind, I would love to come up and see what you do. I usually have a limo for the book signing, so I would only need one to get up to New York. I would rather write than drive.”

“I’ll have one waiting for you, and if I can arrange it, I’ll be in it. Did you ever make love in the back of a limo?”

Blaze chuckled. “No, I can’t say I have. Can we go to sleep?”

“Still hurt, huh?”

“A little. How about you?”

“A little. I think sleep sounds like a good idea. Hey, Blaze, you have stopped blushing around me.”

The comment surprised her. “What?”

“You have stopped blushing about sex. I noticed it in the kitchen. What happened, or was the embarrassment an act? You’re a little fireball once you get going.”

“It was not an act. I don’t play games like that. It was just that I really enjoy being with you. I feel comfortable talking to you, and that feeling of being silly and embarrassed is fading.”

“Good, because we could have a lot of fun making your fantasies come true. I have a few of my own that you might also enjoy.”

Blaze laced her hand through his, closing her eyes as he kissed her knuckles. “Good night, Zar.”

“It has been, Blaze.”

Blaze opened her eyes to the rolling sound of thunder. It echoed, shaking the walls violently with its power. When she reached over for Zar, he wasn’t in the bed. She rocked her neck from side to side, listening to the bones crack. Her head felt a little better, but not all that much.

She rolled over and pushed herself from the bed. Her entire body ached, and she headed into the living room looking for her purse. Zar wasn’t in the kitchen or at the entertainment center. It was down pouring outside, and lightning flashed in the windows. Blaze checked the bathroom and then gazed outside into the first light of a very dark sun. There was no sign of Zar, and she looked around for a note. There was none, and she pulled her phone from her purse, dialing home. Nan answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Nan, it’s me, how is everything?”

“Fine. It’s pouring. Is it raining there?”

“Yeah, and thundering and lightning. I just got up, and Zar is gone. I don’t know where he went, but the house is not big enough to lose him. Why are you up so early? It just occurred to me that it’s not totally light yet.”

“The thunder woke me up. I came upstairs to get some courage from the dogs. You have a headache, don’t you? You are slow to process input when your head hurts.”

“A little one,” she said, dropping down in the office chair and putting her feet up. “You should see this place. It’s incredible. One wall is a big fish tank with a forest above the water. His bedroom is filled with medieval relics, swords, shields, and axes. It’s so cool. There is a natural warm spring a short ways from the house. He has a tablet, and I was playing with it last night. Did you get the e-mail?”

“I got a picture. It was nice. I like it. So, did you?”

“Twice. Talk about incredible. I hit a point where my body was so high, I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe. I was locked in that incredibly good ache. He told me that he heard the angels sing when he came.”

“You can stop smiling for a moment at least,” Nan teased. “I can almost see your face from the tone of your voice. You have this big, silly smile plastered on your lips. I’m so jealous.”

“Thank you, Nan. If you hadn’t dragged me out, none of this would have happened. He is incredible and also fucked-up worse than I am. I’ll tell you about that later. What’s your class schedule like on Wednesday and Thursday?”

“Wednesday, I have all morning classes, and you said that you had a signing at two. Thursday, I have two afternoon classes and a date with Nicky on Thursday night. Why?”

“Could I impose and ask you to take care of the dogs on Wednesday night and Thursday morning? Zar is going to New York tomorrow, and he asked me to come up after the signing. I can be home by late Thursday afternoon.”

“Of course. I think that is great. So this is turning into more than a satisfying piece of ass?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure, Nan. I think that I want it to be more, and that scares me. He is just so…everything.”

The door slammed open, and Zar walked in, shaking the water from his hair. He looked at her oddly for a moment and then smiled. “He’s home. I gotta go. Thank you so much, Nan.”

“You’re welcome, and I’m glad to hear you sound so happy. Go make him warm and cozy.”

Zar stripped out of his coat and dropped it on the back of the chair. He took his boots off and laid his socks on top of them. Blaze stared at his hair. “Wow, your hair really is curly. You do look like him.”

Zar smiled, and she found his silence odd. “Where did you go?”

“I wanted to check out the house.”

“Why, is something wrong? Did you cover the bike? I would hate to get stuck up here and have you miss your plane. I talked to Nan, and if you send a limo, I’ll come up and see you. I have to be home by Thursday night because she has a date. She will take them out and feed them before she goes.”

“Cool,” he replied, heading into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee. “You want one?”

“Please, I didn’t know there was coffee made,” Blaze said as she walked closer. He smelled odd, and she sniffed him, not finding the scent of his shampoo. “You are dripping all over the floor. Why don’t you get undressed. I’ll hang your clothing up in the bathroom while you make us something to eat.”

Zar turned and looked at her, his expression seeming odd. She picked up a piece of his hair and grinned before letting it drop. “You need a towel. I can’t get over how much your hair curled up. That stuff really works, doesn’t it?”

He tore off his shirt, letting it drop to the floor. Before she could react, he pulled her to his mouth by her shoulders and began to kiss her roughly. Blaze pushed him away. “You are cold, and you are getting me soaked. You taste like beer. Have you been drinking?”

“Yeah, what of it? Is it a problem if I want a beer?”

“No. I just thought you didn’t like beer. Why are you kissing me so roughly?”

“Maybe I had too much beer,” he said in a challenging fashion. Blaze bent and picked up his shirt and turned to take it into the bathroom. Zar grabbed her by the arm and spun her, forcing her back to his mouth. “Come on, baby. Let’s go fuck. I’m horny this morning.”

Blaze tried to push away from him. “What has gotten into you? You are acting like a brute, Zar. I don’t like things this rough.”

He swept her into his arms, and she feared that his hip would collapse if she struggled. “Zar, put me down. You are going to hurt your hip again. I’m not impressed by you carrying me.”

He dropped her on the bed, falling over her and pinning her hands behind her head. “Don’t worry, pretty lady. I won’t fuck up my hip. I’m a real man, although I’m not Zar.”

Blaze’s expression went slack as she stared at him, suddenly noticing the small scar on the side of his eye. “Kale?”

“Bingo,” he shouted. “Give the lady a prize. So my brother told you about me, huh? What did he say? I’m trouble. I’m a drunk. I’m man enough to fuck his girlfriends and have them enjoy it. I can do anything your little heart desires without stopping because I’m in pain. I don’t have no holes in my body, and I’m as strong as an ox. Want to find out?”

Blaze brought her knee up into his groin, and a moment later he was airborne. Kale collapsed against the far wall of the bedroom, his body sagging to the floor. Blaze found herself staring at a very large man with a broad smile on his face. She tugged the blanket up around her body and sat up slightly. He nodded his head respectfully to her as Zar headed to check on his brother. Zar shook his head in irritation. “Little fuck is out cold. Serves him right. I’ll have the doctor check him when he gets here. Are you all right, Blaze?”

“I think so,” she said, caught between relieved laughter and tears. “I thought it was you. Where did you go?”