“You thought I was like him? Because we were doing a job for him?”
“Because he contaminates everything he touches.”
Blaze shook his head. “I’m not like him. I won’t ever be like him.”
I leaned forward. “Kiss me. Now.” I wanted his hands on me, wanted him inside me. I needed him to erase all of this shit. I needed him to obliterate it.
Blaze’s mouth was on mine, and I kissed him hard, my desire for him eclipsing everything else. I pulled his shirt over his head, unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them down his hips.
“You’re wet,” he said, surprised.
“I need you.” It was all I could say.
He groaned, more like the growl of a wild animal, then pushed me against the wall, not even bothering to finish taking off his pants. Just like the first time, on the car. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he thrust into me, filling me up. He reached inside my dress, finding my breast.
“Yes,” I said. It was a moan, not a word. I melted against him as he fucked away all of the shit that had happened, not just over this past week but over my whole life. I couldn’t think about any of it. I could only think of him. Him. He was it. I knew it, with every fiber of my being. “Blaze,” I said, as his thrusts grew quicker, more urgent.
“Dani.”
“I -” I couldn’t get the words out. It was like my brain was rebelling against me. My lips refused to say it. “I lov-” I stopped, as he paused, mid-thrust, his eyes trained on mine.
“Are you about to say what I think you are?”
A pang of fear ripped through me. He doesn’t feel the same way. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Dani,” he said. “I love you. I’ve known it since the first time I saw you.”
Yes, he does. “I love you,” I said. For the first time.
“Wait,” he said. “Here.” He slid out of me, cock glistening with my wetness, and stepped out of his clothes. He lifted my dress over my head and led me to the bed. “I love you.”
“I love you.” I didn’t believe in this love shit, right? And we hadn't known each other long enough. This was too crazy.
Blaze slid back inside me, back where he was before. Back where he belonged. My safety. This time, we made love slowly, tenderly, for what seemed like forever, in sync, like we were part of each other.
“Blaze,” I gasped. “I’m so close.” He thrust into me, short bursts, bringing me further and further until I was past the point of no return, and I climaxed as he came inside me, the heat from my orgasm radiating from my belly, an explosion so strong I could barely hang on. I bit down on his shoulder to muffle my cries.
Afterward, Blaze looked at me, my * still throbbing as I came down from my climax. “I love you,” he said again.
“You know what? You didn’t even wait until I finished saying it before,” I said. “What if I was saying something else? Like how I loved your cock?”
“I knew you weren’t saying that.”
“How do you know?” I teased. “You have no idea.”
“It’s obvious you love my cock. It doesn’t need to be said.” He grinned. “Now, it’s obvious you love me too.”
“You’re all kinds of cocky now, aren’t you?”
“Not cocky. It’s a fact. It’s not arrogance if it’s true.”
“You’re going to be insufferable now, aren’t you?”
“That’s right, sweetheart,” Blaze said, kissing me. “And I’m all yours.”
I groaned loudly, in mock protest. “Can I take it back?”
“Nope, sorry. No refunds, no returns.”
“Damn it.” I was silent, hanging on to him, wanting this moment to last just a little longer. I knew what waited for me on the other side of the door, what we had to do. “Blaze?”
“Yeah, sweetheart.” Somehow his use of sweetheart didn’t sound so sarcastic anymore.
“We have to talk to Benicio.”
He nodded. “While you were in here, we were talking. We have a plan.”
“Will she be okay, do you think?” Benicio asked, nodding in the direction of the bedroom. We sat in his office drinking scotch. Right now, I could drink a bottle myself.
“She’ll be okay. She’s a strong girl. She just needs some space.”
“You and her,” he said. “Do you love her?”
“Yes.” It came out, an automatic response. Do I? It's only been a few weeks.
Benicio nodded. “I can see that. You look at her the same way I used to look at her mother. Dani is very much like her mother, I think-not just in looks. Her mother was so strong, through everything. So fiery. You should have seen her in the beginning. Guillermo took some of that from her, even before…” His voice trailed off.
“That’s Dani,” I said. “She’s all fire.”
“Your club-” Benicio said.
“The Inferno MC.”
“You’re involved with Guillermo now, on his payroll. Yes?”
“We’re tied to him now,” I admitted. “We made a deal with him to start providing security for his business.”
“What if I made you a better offer?” Benicio asked.