She smiled, thinking about the baby. She’d only seen him once, when Marissa was in the hospital. The Evans men were identical triplets, big Texans, and handsome as sin. Callie and Marissa were beautiful women, too. They would produce beautiful children. Sighing, Val wondered if even now she could be pregnant. The condom incident had her worried, yet didn’t prevent a smile from forming on her lips at the thought of having a baby.
“What are you smiling about?” Chaz questioned when he walked back into the room.
Val shrugged, letting her gaze roam down his hard body to his dick. He was still aroused, and suddenly she was hungry. She gave Chaz a come hither look and crooked her finger at him to come over. The sensual grin spreading across his rugged face revealed he knew what she wanted.
She got out of bed and faced him. Lifting on her toes, Val stretched as high as she could go. His lips were her target. She had to curl a hand around the back of his neck to bend him to her will. When their mouths touched he was the one who lost control, wrapping an arm around her waist and crushing her against him. The contact of skin against skin drew mutual sounds of satisfaction. His cock throbbed against her belly.
When their kiss ended, Val turned Chaz around and pushed him down onto her bed. She wasted no time in taking his cock into her mouth and his balls into her hands. Already highly aroused, with pre-cum running from the mushroom shaped head of his shaft, she knew she could suck him into orgasm fairly quickly. Even now he was groaning and arching his hips, forcing his cock into her mouth until it hit the back of her throat. She moaned, loving the feel and the taste of him.
“Aaaah, baby,” he rasped, burying a hand in her hair to guide her movements.
With her hand caressing his balls, they grew full and tight and she realized he was getting ready to come, his next movements confirming it. His lower body arched high and suddenly a river of cum hit the roof of her mouth. She continued to suck until he was drained and quivering weakly beneath her.
“Christ, you drain a man,” he said some time later.
Val laughed softly, enjoying her power over him. “I hope that’s not a complaint, cowboy.”
“No, ma’am,” he said in a deep Texas drawl.
“I think I’ll get a shower and go to bed.”
“That sounds like a good idea. We leave at six o’clock in the morning.”
Val nodded, turned and left the room. By the time she’d showered and returned to her room, Chaz was gone, along with his clothes. She supposed he’d decided to sleep on the couch. Tired, she unfolded the towel wrapped around her body and crawled into bed between the cool covers.
She lay there for a moment, confused at the unexpected loneliness she felt. What did you expect, Val? Men like Chaz Evans didn’t want anything but sex, and she’d made it all too easy for him. No, she didn’t want to believe that. He’d held nothing back when he was fucking her. There had to be something more there, the same something that had made them both change their lifestyles a month ago after meeting for the first time.
After a few moments she heard the water running in the guest bathroom as he took his shower. It was the last thing she heard before closing her eyes.
Chapter 6
Val was abruptly awakened by a loud, piercing sound that tore into the erotic dream she was having like a gunshot blast in the night. She threw back the covers and literally jumped from her bed, pausing long enough to determine that the sound she was hearing was the fire alarm. Not again! She hoped security identified the problem soon.
Suddenly Chaz appeared in the doorway, wearing nothing but his sexy boxers, carrying his jeans. He looked worried. “Hurry up and put something on, this isn’t a test.” He balanced himself on one leg while rapidly pulling on his jeans.
“This has been happening a couple times a week,” Val explained, blinking to focus her eyes. “It’s always nothing. Security has been investigating and believe it’s just kids.”
“That may be so but we aren’t taking any chances.” The timbre of his voice was firm and carried a tone of no-nonsense authority.
“Is this the only floor evacuating?” Val walked naked to her closet, grabbed a pair of jeans off a hanger, and shimmied into them. She reached for a tee-shirt, and turned around.
“I don’t know. I called down to security, but no one answered.” He pulled on his shirt, watching as Val slipped into hers. “Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute; I need to get some things first.”
“No time for that.”
“But—”
“Look, if you’re right and this is just another false alarm we’ll be coming right back. And if we don’t, I have everything we’ll need in my pocket.”
Val seriously doubted that, but she could see he was antsy and eager to be out of there. He waited for her to exit the bedroom, following close behind her as she made her way to the door. Just as she reached for the doorknob he pulled her arm back and forced her behind him.
“Look, let me go first, and you stay close.” He opened the door, glanced up and down the hallway, and then pulled Val into the corridor with him.
Other tenants were making their way toward the stairwell door, while some chose to ignore the rules about not using the elevator during a possible fire. No one seemed on the verge of panic, yet there was plenty of grumbling about being disturbed in the middle of the night. Val didn’t smell any smoke, but that didn’t mean anything.
She started to fall in behind the last group of people when she found her hand being grabbed. Chaz pulled her in the opposite direction.
“What…where are we going?” She glanced back at the disappearing line of tenants.
“We’re going out a different way,” he explained, all but dragging Val down the hallway.
“But there’s nothing down this way,” she protested.
Chaz stopped at a door that had a maintenance sign on it and gave her a smug look. Val was about to question him when he turned the doorknob and pulled her inside. The light was on, but the small room was empty. Her eyes rounded with surprise when he led her to another door. The sign on it said ‘service stairs.’
“How did you know?” He didn’t release her hand, but he did slow his pace a little as they descended.
“It is my job to know, honey.” He flashed her a toothy grin in the somewhat gloomy stairwell. “If this alarm was meant to get you out in the open, they’ll be expecting you to exit the same way as everyone else.”
That made sense. “You mean like a hit man?” The thought made her stomach clench.
“Yep.” They’d reached an exit door at the bottom of the stairwell. He turned to face her. “There’s a patch of trees on the other side of the service road, straight ahead. When I open the door I want you to make a run for them, and stay hidden until I come for you.”
Her jaw dropped. He’s going to leave me? “But, where are you going?” Val didn’t normally frighten easily but now that he’d added a new possibility as to why the alarm had been pulled, it gave her something to worry about.
“I’m going to circle the building and check things out. Don’t worry. I won’t be long, and as long as you stay out of sight you’ll be okay.” As if sensing her unease, Chaz pulled her to him and gave her a hard, reassuring kiss. “Can you do that for me, baby?”
Val was reeling from his rough kiss. In spite of the circumstances, it had packed enough heat to make her stomach flutter. It was obvious when Chaz was in job mode he was practical and all business. She nodded. “Yes.”
He reached for something behind his back, pulled out a gun, and handed it to her. Val shook her head vigorously and refused to take it. “No! I don’t know anything about guns, Chaz. Please—”
“We don’t have time for this, honey, and I’m not about to leave you without protection.” He took her hand and forced the gun into it. “Watch carefully. This is the safety, it’s on now. If you have to use the gun just release the safety, aim, and fire.”
Val stared at the gun as if it were a repulsive re
ptile. She shivered. Could she shoot someone? The self-defense class she’d watched a couple years ago flashed before her eyes. Yeah, Val. A lot of good that will do you if they have a gun, too. She released a sigh of resignation.
“Okay.” Chaz cracked the door open, looked around, and then opened the door far enough for them to slip through.
Val saw the trees he was talking about, and with a slight shove from him she was running toward them. Once she was concealed, she turned to see that Chaz had waited to make sure she was okay. Then he sprinted off in the direction that would take him to the other side of the building.
She took a deep breath, watching the activity unfold. From her vantage point, she could see and hear the approaching fire trucks. As they turned into the circular drive, lights flashed on her hiding spot, and she quickly ducked down until it was safe to stand again. There was a lot of activity going on by the main entrance to the building, but it was too dark to see anything clearly.
All she could do now was wait for Chaz to come back. The longer he was gone, the more nervous Val became. At least the security lights were working, so she wasn’t in complete darkness. As time went on and the clouds blocked out the full moon, it became obvious the lights weren’t all that bright. This, coupled with the occasional rustling of leaves and tree branches nearby, and her mind began to play tricks on her.
Where the hell is he? The gun felt heavy in the palm of her hand, so she tucked it into the waistband of her jeans. Even though it felt as if he’d been gone a long time, Val figured that only about twenty minutes had passed. When the fire truck lights went off, and the truck began to pull away from the building, she knew that whoever had been pulling the alarm the last couple of months had struck again. She was finally able to relax.
She started to feel restless, and she had to go to the bathroom. How much trouble could she get into if she just went back to her apartment without Chaz? Something told her not to do it, that he would be furious. Just because we’ve had sex doesn’t mean he owns me. What can he do to me?
Crap! Once that thought entered her head, she couldn’t get it out. Well, this is ridiculous! She stepped out from the safety of the trees and headed toward the door they’d exited. Damn! She swore, even though it didn’t surprise her to find the door locked. She decided the smartest thing she could do was walk down the sidewalk to the main entrance, and go through the lobby. She swung around and walked to the end of the building, then turned the corner.
“Oh!” Without warning she slammed into a dark, very solid shadow. Before she could scream, she realized the hands taking hold of her shoulders belonged to Chaz.
“What the fuck…damn it, Val!” he growled angrily.
She opened her mouth to say something, but found herself being pushed back and pinned against the side of the building.
“I told you to stay out of sight until I came back for you.” His tone was low, the words said between his teeth. “If I can’t trust you to do as I ask, how am I going to protect you?”
“First off, you didn’t ask me to do anything, you told me. Secondly, how was I supposed to know that nothing happened to you? I’ve been hiding in the bushes for a good half hour. And third, I have to go to the bathroom.” She made an attempt to push him away, but he didn’t budge. “Once I saw the fire truck leave, I figured it was okay to go back inside.”
“Let’s get something straight right now, lady. I call the shots. I don’t care if an hour goes by, when I tell you to stay put, you stay put. Got that?”
“Tell that to my bladder!” Val grew angrier at every word Chaz said. She didn’t see what the fuss was all about. Nothing had happened. “Why did you give me your gun if you don’t think I can protect myself? And did you forget that I know self-defense?”
He made a sound as if he was tired of hearing her say that. “Okay, lady, I’m the bad guy. Show me your moves.” His tone was laced with irritation. Val could tell he was annoyed and out to prove a point, and probably at her expense.
He removed his hands from her shoulders. Fueled by her own growing anger, Val instantly reached for the gun tucked inside her jeans. She got so far as to actually pull it free when a lightning move from Chaz and a painful chop from his hand, caused the gun to drop to the ground.
“Ouch!”
“Never pull a gun on someone unless you plan to use it,” he said roughly.
“I thought you wanted to see my moves,” Val hissed, rubbing her wrist.
“You wouldn’t normally have a gun,” he barked.
Oh! Her wrist hurt where he’d struck it. “Maybe I need to get one!” She raised her hands to gouge his eyes. He easily caught her wrists, stopping her, but Val was ready for him. She threw herself at him and raised her knee at the same time. With a curse, he twisted his lower body so that she grazed his beefy thigh instead.
Chaz laughed. “Predictable. Who the hell taught you these defense moves?” He twisted her arms behind her body. “You need to get your money back.”
Exasperation was getting the better of Val. She squirmed against his hard-as-a-brick-wall chest, thinking back to the self-defense DVD she’d studied a couple years before. They had made it look so easy. A particular move came to mind and she stomped her foot down onto his. Chaz didn’t release her as the attacker had released his victim on the DVD.
Deep laughter rumbled inside his chest. “Sandals against boots don’t work very well,” he said.
“Okay, let me go, damn you! You’ve made your point!” Val felt her lower lip tremble with emotion. She tried to pull away from his strong hold.
“Look, honey,” his tone softened, as though he sensed her sudden vulnerability.
Val found herself back against the building with her arms held down at her sides. Chaz used his body to restrain her.
“The DVD you watched was outdated, and not very realistic,” he stated simply.
“How did you know it was a DVD?” His face was a dark mask in front of her.
“I saw it in your collection by the TV and guessed. You have some good moves; unfortunately they don’t work on every attacker. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m bigger than most.”
Oh, she’d noticed. Everything about Chaz was big. She was glad he couldn’t see the small smile covering her lips, because right now his cock was growing hard against her lower belly.
“My size alone would prevent you from doing any real damage.”
“I’m sure there’s something I can do that will bring you to your knees,” Val whispered.
In an instant the atmosphere between them became charged with a sexual current that promised sparks would fly. Chaz was still crowding her against the wall, only the hands encircling her wrists let go to slide up her arms in a caress that left her sighing. As he reached her upper arms his thumbs stretched out to glide over her flat nipples, which puckered immediately. Val gasped as the prickle of awareness traveled all the way down to her pussy, causing it to spasm.
“Oh, baby,” Sensing that he was lowering his face; she raised hers and met him halfway. “You definitely have the moves to bring me to my knees.”
When his lips first touched hers it was soft, exploratory, teasing Val until she trembled wildly. Her reaction drew out the animal in him, and Chaz’s kiss turned hard and hungry. As she opened her mouth beneath the pressure of his, and sucked his tongue inside, his hands caressed her breasts and body with purpose.
Wildfire raced through Val, and she couldn’t believe how fast things developed between them. Some part of her brain registered that they were outside of her apartment building, that they were losing control against the wall with the moon peeking in and out of the clouds. If Chaz was worried about where they were he didn’t show it. His hands had moved under her tee-shirt and were squeezing and shaping her bare breasts with barely restrained passion.
Without warning, the lights of a turning vehicle landed on them. Val gasped at Chaz’s quick reflexes when he snatched up his gun, and pulled her around the corner of the building into
the darkness. Holding her against the wall he carefully peered around the edge. Once he seemed satisfied with what he saw, he turned his attention back onto her.
“Trouble?” Val asked, still slightly out of breath. Her body was humming with arousal.
“Probably just a tenant. Come on; let’s get back to your apartment.” He tried the maintenance door before Val could warn him that it was locked. “Shit!” He paused for a moment, and Val imagined he was thinking about options. “We’re sitting ducks here, let’s go.”
He curled his hand around hers and tugged her in the direction of the main entrance. Walking at a brisk pace, Chaz made sure she was between him and the building. The thought of him using his body to shield hers from a possible bullet produced fear in Val. She didn’t think she could live with herself if something happened to him. For the first time since this nightmare began, she was glad they were leaving town in the morning.
As they walked along, she noticed Chaz’s gaze shifting all around them. She could feel the tension in his grip, and knew he was on full alert. He reminded her of a warrior, without the trappings. Yet her imagination provided her with the tantalizing visual of him in protective armor, with a shield and a sword, riding a stallion.
Get a grip, girl. You’re losing it. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the lobby. The night attendant was behind the desk, head bent as he appeared to be working on something. He glanced up when he heard them enter.
“Any word on what the fire alarm was all about?” Chaz asked him.
“Oh, Mr. Evans! I was just about to leave you a message. Looks like the same issue that we’ve been experiencing for the last few months. Someone has been messing with the alarms.”
Burning Hunger Page 5
