Taming Fire (Braving the Heat #2)

by Leora Gonzales

  Louise was about to speak when a small bundle of energy slammed into her waist. “Oooof!”

  Nix caught Junior by the back of his shirt and pulled him away from Louise before she tipped over and fell into the table laden food. “Woah there, buddy.”

  Junior glanced back at him before turning back to his aunt. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “No!” Louise half yelled at the same time Nix calmly answered, “Not yet.”

  Junior obviously didn’t quite know what to make of his aunt, or him, for that matter, so he just shrugged, plucked the cupcake off Louise’s plate, and took off running again.

  “Tomorrow night?” Nix prodded again, not willing to leave her alone for even one second until she gave him the answer he needed.

  “Fine,” she all but yelled at him, which only caused Nix to smile at her. He loved getting her all riled up.

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something comfortable and easy to get out of.” Nix chucked her under her chin, closing her mouth which had fallen open at his words.

  “Wait, what?” Louise sputtered grabbing his arm when he went to step away from her.

  Nix patted her hand where it was holding him. “What part didn’t you understand?”

  “Louise, I didn’t know you knew Nix,” Leo said, interrupting the pair before Louise could answer.

  Both Louise and Nix jumped at the new voice.

  Louise shook her head, as if to clear it, before answering Leo, “Actually, I didn’t know him. We met the other night when my nephew called the fire department on me.”

  “That was your place?” Leo chuckled, looking at Junior playing with some of the other kids.

  “Unfortunately, it was.” Louise nodded.

  “I wouldn’t say it turned out that bad,” Nix mumbled under his breath, the words directed at Louise. “Do you need a reminder?”

  “Do I what?” Louise looked confused as she tried to catch up. Little did she know that Nix loved seeing her flustered so much that he planned on moving the finish line just as much as she would allow him to.

  “She needs a reminder. Can you guys keep an eye on Junior for us? Great.” Nix didn’t wait for an answer from Leo. He knew his friend would watch the kid as if he were his own.

  Taking Louise firmly by the hand, he gently guided her back into the house. This time he knew exactly where he was taking her. Not too long ago, Will had asked Nix to help tear out the carpet in the small office, so that’s exactly where he headed. There was no chance that someone would need to use the office for an emergency piss break, so they would be safe from others walking in on them.

  “Are you seriously dragging me around like a caveman again?” Louise asked angrily, although she didn’t pull away.

  Nix didn’t answer her until he had Louise safely secured behind the locked office door.

  Leaning his hip against the small desk that Will had put in the center of the room he crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Louise closely. He knew the way he watched her made her uncomfortable since she couldn’t help but shift from foot to foot nervously.

  “I want to clear some things up before our date tomorrow,” Nix said. He knew that he needed to lay out the cards for her so that she knew what she was getting into with him if she agreed.

  Louise kept her wide eyes locked on him as he unfolded his arms and moved closer to her.

  “I’m a firm believer in fate.”

  “Oookay,” Louise said as if she were talking to a crazy person.

  “You see, I believe it’s fate that Junior called the fire department. If he hadn’t, we may never have crossed paths.”

  Louise gave him a pointed look. “Is it also fate that you had my sister as your date today?”

  Nix clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I already explained why your sister was here. You need to trust that she’s not the one I want. You are.”

  Louise’s expression softened, and she replied, “Believe me, if you wanted my sister, I know you wouldn’t be here with me. We’re exact opposites.”

  “I want you, Louise,” Nix said plainly.

  “I’ve picked up on that.”

  “I’m also somewhat of an asshole,” he continued, causing Louise to let out a soft laugh, which made him smile. “I like to be in charge, both in and out of the bedroom.”

  “I picked up on that too, and just for the record, I don’t like to be told what to do,” Louise answered quickly.

  “So, let’s make a deal. Alright?” Nix offered, studying her expression closely. “I will try to control my caveman tendencies outside of the bedroom. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy though. I like things my way, which is usually the right way.”

  When she didn’t do anything but roll her eyes, Nix stalked closer to her. “I want you to give this a shot. Let me take the lead in the bedroom when we get there. I’m not going to push it…and I’m not going to push us, but I need you with me on this. We will take our time and go at your pace. You won’t regret it.”

  At the end of his little speech, Nix was standing directly in front of her. His chest bumping into her own as he breathed deep, pulling the scent of her shampoo into his lungs with every inhalation.

  “Promise?” She licked her lips while staring at his own.

  “Oh, darling. I promise you won’t have any regrets.” Nix leaned forward and followed the path her tongue had taken with his own.

  Louise opened up to the nonverbal command allowing him into the sweet cavern of her mouth. Nix turned their bodies until her back was to the desk. With a quick lift, he had her sitting on the wooden table with minimal fuss.

  “Nix!” Louise squeaked out before he stepped between her legs.

  “Hang on, darling,” was the only thing he said before he leaned down and took her mouth.

  There was no other way to describe the kiss other than a ‘taking’. Nix swept his tongue into her mouth, coaxing hers out to play, yet mastering the authority he had over her. His hands gripped her rib cage, fondling the softness that padded her torso. It was a welcome change from the normal skin and bones that he was used to feeling. He now had a new appreciation for the female body, a body that would be able to handle what he was prepared to give without holding back.

  Nix wouldn’t have to temper his thrusts as he pumped into her because she was built for pleasure…his pleasure. All he needed to do now was show her how good it could be between them.

  Moving his grip to her ass, he tiled her pelvis into him. Hiking her legs over his hip, Nix ground himself into her core.

  Louise pulled back from their kiss to suck in deep breaths as though she were starving for air. The action didn’t deter him. He simply moved his lips to her throat where he licked and nipped. The skin reddening as blood rushed to the surface. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to mark her skin like some fucking teenager.

  “You still with me?” He groaned, leaning back and catching her gaze.

  “Yeah,” Louise breathed, her mouth puffy and her eyes glazed.

  “Good,” he replied, and with a very deliberate movement, Nix reached for the hem of her T-shirt needing it up and off her.

  Raising the fabric slowly, he stared hard at the flesh he uncovered. Nix frowned as she automatically froze in place, her stomach sucking in a breath. “Relax, darling.”

  “Sorry.” Louise let out a gust of air, her muscles softening at the action.

  Nix knew that he needed to show her how much he loved her body, and even though they were hiding in an office at his friend’s house, he knew there was no better time than the present.

  Lovingly, he stroked the softness of her waist. He traced the roll that hung over her waistband, loving the silky feeling of her skin. He moved back to her shirt, taking it all the way off of her this time without stopping.

  Louise sat in front of him, her upper body bare except for the bra she was still wearing. Her eyes showed that, regardless of her earlier stiffness, she was unapologetic about her figure. The steadiness of
her gaze made his attraction to her grow even more if that were possible.

  “You’re gorgeous.” Nix breathed roughly, allowing his eyes to trace over the curves his hands had explored earlier.

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Louise gave him a daring smile before reaching behind her back to undo the clasp of her bra.

  “I have a feeling you’re going to be the death of me,” Nix whispered as she bared her curves to him. His cock grew harder than he could ever remember it being.

  Just as the cup of her bra fell away, giving him a glimpse of a pinkish brown nipple, a loud knock sounded behind him.

  “Fucking hell!” Nix ground out when they both jumped. Louise adjusted her top to cover her breasts. “I’m going to kill whoever that is.”

  “Nix?” The voice belonged to Leo, who’d been watching Junior while they had snuck into the house.

  “Everything ok?” Nix asked loudly as he helped Louise pull her shirt back over her head, still irritated that they had been interrupted.

  “That’s why I came to find you guys. Junior just puked all over Winter’s flower bed. I think he ate a bit too much, and with all the running around he decided to channel the exorcist.”

  “Shit.” Louise hopped down from the desk and moved toward the door as if she hadn’t been half naked just a minute before. Jerking the door open, she obviously startled Leo who hadn’t expected such a quick reaction. “Where is he at?”

  “Jazz and Winter took him into the kitchen to help him clean up.”

  “Thanks, man.” Nix patted Leo on the back before following Louise down the hallway, his erection completely deflated.

  “No problem,” Leo mumbled, following the pair.

  Nix caught up to Louise before she entered the kitchen, knowing that they weren’t going to get any more alone time today. “Tomorrow, seven o’clock.”

  Louise looked back at him and winked. “Yes, sir.”

  He watched her go into the kitchen to take care of her nephew before rubbing the center of his chest with his palm. Her parting shot made the blood rush back into his dick without her even realizing how it affected him.

  Nix almost jumped when a large hand clapped the back of his shoulder. “You’re in deep trouble, my friend.”

  “I don’t think so. I have a feeling Louise is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” Nix replied honestly, surprising both himself and Leo. “If she’s trouble then I’m going to welcome it with open arms.”

  Chapter 11

  “What the hell are you doing?” Louise waited a few moments as if she were going to answer herself like some sort of crazy person. “He’s way out of your league…and bossy.” She tacked that on the end as if that were enough to deter her from panting after Nix like some sex-crazed weirdo.

  She stomped back and forth in front of her closet. She had yoga pants, nice yoga pants, and jeans that were a bit too tight. Jeans that were tight enough to create an inevitable muffin top when she sat down…and, of course, she would most likely sit down during their date, which didn’t help her at all. Not a lot of options to choose from for dinner with a man that made her heat up from the inside out.

  “Aunt LouLou, the timer went off,” Junior yelled from the kitchen just seconds before the smoke alarms went off.

  “Holy—” Louise ran down the hallway and skidded into the kitchen on her sock-covered feet while Junior yelled frantically. “Junior calm down. It’s just smoke.” Turning off the oven, she grabbed some junk mail from the counter. Waving it about, Louise opened the back door to let some of the smoke out of the house.

  “Call 911! Call 911!” Junior screeched, running around with his hands in the air as though he were beating imaginary flames out of the sky.

  “Junior! Calm the fuck down, kid!” After the words flew out of her mouth, she grimaced at the way she sounded.

  Well, that wasn’t very motherly.

  “Don’t say that word, buddy. That’s an adult word only,” she ordered, knowing that he was bound to say it now in front of her mother or at school. The last thing she needed right now was for Junior to drop the f-bomb at preschool.

  “We’re all gonna die,” Junior yelled dramatically as he choked on the black smoke wafting from the oven.

  Louise rolled her eyes as she grabbed a potholder to pull the tray out of the oven. Wincing at the small black briquettes that were previously chicken nuggets, she walked to the back door and tossed the entire tray into the backyard. The metal and small black blobs hit the grass and bounced about, removing the source of the smoke from the small kitchen.

  Louise grabbed Junior as he was running by her and snatched the phone out of his tiny little hand. “Oh, no you don’t, mister,” she said firmly. “Calm down. I’ve taken care of it.” Pointing at the stove, she said, “See? No fire.”

  Junior gave her a serious look. “What am I gonna eat now?”

  “Well, I have more nuggets.” Louise moved toward the freezer. “I can make you more, but this time I’ll make sure to shorten the time.”

  “Good idea,” Junior said sagely. “You might want to stay in here this time, though.”

  Louise gave him a look. “Why do I have a feeling that the timer had been beeping for a while before you yelled for me?”

  Junior cast her a guilty glance and answered cautiously, “I know you said to sit and wait, but I had to poop.”

  Louise rolled her head back on her shoulders and took in a deep breath, which only reminded her that she had a smoldering mess now littering her backyard. “Kid, you poop more than most adults I know.”

  Junior simply shrugged, sat at the table and waited for her to continue making him dinner. “Everyone poops.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Louise grabbed the large bag of frozen chicken out of the freezer and shook some out on the sheet pan. Setting the timer again, she pointed at Junior. “Do not move. Do not breathe. Do not call 911.”

  “Aye, aye, captain.” Junior saluted.

  Snorting with laughter, Louise was on her way back to the bedroom when the doorbell rang. Stopping in her tracks, she checked her fitness watch in a panic. “That better not be…” She had specifically told him there would be no date if she wasn’t able to drive herself to his place. Luckily for Nix, it was just Winter who had shown up to watch Junior.

  “Open the door,” Winter yelled from her front porch seconds before Louise pulled it open.

  “Dear Lord, what did you bring?” Louise took a large platter out of Winter’s hands allowing her to catch the bag that was falling off her shoulder just in the nick of time.

  “I had way too many brownies left over from yesterday, and let’s be honest, it was too dangerous to keep them at home,” Winter explained. Holding up the bag she had saved, she opened it up. “I figured Junior might like to do some Halloween crafts, so I brought over every ounce of glitter, paper, and glue that I could find.”

  Louise eyed the duffle Winter was holding. The damn thing was bigger than an overnight bag. “That’s…awesome,” she replied giving a worried look.

  Winter laughed at the face Louise was making. “I promise I will clean up everything when we’re done.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just stressing out.” Louise carried the items into the kitchen. After double-checking that she had set the timer on the oven, she stored the brownies high enough on the counter that Junior couldn’t get into them, and continued, “I’ve been over my closet about fifty times and I’m coming up with a big old pile of nothing.”

  Winter laughed softly then lowered her voice to tease her. “Wear nothing. I’m sure that Nix wouldn’t mind it.”

  “Ssshhh.” Louise looked nervously at Junior, making sure he wasn’t paying attention. Luckily, the kid had his tablet in front of him, which meant anything short of another fire would be ignored.

  “He didn’t hear me,” Winter assured her. She waved her hand in front of her face. “What’s that smell?”

  Louise chuckled as she walked to the back door to open it for fresh air
once again. After a quick retelling of what had happened, the timer beeped. This time the nuggets came out brown and crispy, not black and charred.

  “Can he have a brownie for dessert?” Winter asked as she squeezed ketchup on Junior’s plate.

  “Only one or else you’ll be calling me in an hour demanding I save you.” Louise ruffled his hair when he gave her a big smile. “I’m going to steal Winter for a couple minutes. Okay, bud?”

  “Okay.” Junior smiled with his mouthful of food.

  With Winter following her down the hallway, Louise led her into the bedroom. “Just look for yourself. I have nothing. Unless he plans for us to clean the garage or go to the flea market, I am all out of date options.”

  “Oh, c’mon it can’t be that bad,” Winter argued moving to the wide-open closet. “Well, first off, this closet is frightfully small.”

  Louise blew a raspberry at her friend before flopping back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling fan.

  “Damn girl, I know you teach yoga, but seriously, this shit is ridiculous.” Winter ran a hand over the multiple pairs of yoga pants and T-shirts that lined the closet.

  “That’s all that’s in the dresser too.” Louise pointed at the chest of drawers against the wall.

  “How about these?” Holding out a pair of jeans, Winter showcased them as if she were on some sort of gameshow.

  “They’re tight.” Louise chewed on her lip as she recalled just how tight they were.

  Winter tossed the pair of jeans onto the bed. “Perfect! Now get your ass dressed and get the fuck going.”

  At those words, which were an order really the more Louise thought about it, she got dressed and headed to Nix’s house. Before pulling out of the driveway, she grabbed her phone and sent out a quick text.

  Louise: Heading your way, b e there in ten.

  Nix: Be safe. Can’t w ait to see you.

  Louise couldn’t help the stupidly giddy smile that took over her face at his response. Catching sight of her grin, she shook her head and snorted.

  Keep your cool, Lou. Keep your cool.

  As she pulled up at the address Nix gave her, she looked up at the house. She noted the neat landscaping. Although lacking flowers, Nix had brightened up the front of his house with colorful bushes that she too had chosen to mix into her own yard. Before she was even able to start up the few steps leading to his front door, his big body was filling the space. With his arms folded over his wide chest, he watched her as she moved up to the doorway.