by Cassie Wild
Blaze
Deceit and Desire Book 6
Cassie Wild
Belmonte Publishing, LLC
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Belmonte Publishing LLC
Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC
Contents
Reading Order
Free Prequel
1. Lane
2. Trice
3. Trice
4. Lane
5. Trice
6. Trice
7. Lane
8. Trice
9. Lane
10. Trice
11. Lane
12. Trice
13. Lane
14. Trice
15. Lane
16. Trice
17. Lane
Epilogue
Preview: The Escape (An Irish Mafia Romance)
About the Author
Reading Order
Thank you so much for reading Blaze, the final book in my Deceit and Desire series. If you’d like to read the complete series, I recommend reading them in this order:
1. Lies
2. Fire
3. Tricks
4. Heat
5. Sting
6. Blaze (This Book)
Free Prequel
Get a free prequel to Deceit and Desire! Click Here to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and start reading the exclusive prequel to my Deceit and Desire series.
One
Lane
I didn’t sleep.
I would have torn all of California apart if I thought it would have helped me find her, but I only had so many hours, and Los Angeles was one big-ass city. I knew who could probably help me find her, so I decided I’d bide my time.
And wait the night out.
I was tempted to drink the hours away to soothe my nerves, but I had to be clear-headed, so instead of drinking, I planned.
I planned about what I’d say to Trice.
I planned about what I’d do to Croft if he so much as came within a hundred yards of her.
I planned about what I’d do to get her out of this mess.
I tried not to think about what I wanted to do once I saw her again. That had no place, considering I knew what Croft planned on doing.
Killing her.
He’d just as soon kill her as look at her.
And he’d probably decide to have fun with her first.
His idea of fun was enough to turn my stomach too.
Finally, a couple of hours before dawn, I was able to settle down for a restless sleep.
Restless…plagued by crazed dreams about Trice, Croft, and TU.
I woke up a little before seven and stumbled into the shower, my mind already on everything I had to do today.
Find the guy at the DA’s office.
Find Trice.
Protect Trice.
Deal with Croft if he got in the way.
Deal with TU if he got in the way.
Protect Trice, no matter what.
Considering I might have to deal with TU and Croft, if I made even one misstep, protecting Trice wouldn’t be possible.
I got to the building that housed the DA’s office early, early enough to watch for Croft.
If I knew anything about him, he wouldn’t crawl out of his hole before noon. He’d been drinking and snuggling up to Melina when I left, and she’d been more than receptive, so there was a good chance he hadn’t even left the bar.
Hopefully, he was still there, sleeping his drunk off.
That would be some good news to start the day.
More good news, I knew who the contact at the DA office was.
More good news? He talked more than a little old lady at a bingo tournament. It was a wonder nobody had figured out the piece of shit was dirty as much as he talked.
The bad news was that it took me forever to wade through the shit he told me to figure out the useful stuff.
Then it was figuring out how to find her.
First, I’d gone to the address that was listed as her legal one.
The woman who had answered looked a lot like Trice, so I figured it had to be her mother.
But the snappish way she answered when I asked where I could find her had told me I wasn’t talking to a sympathetic person.
“She’s not here,” she’d insisted. “If you see her, tell her not to bother coming back.”
Talk about harsh.
If that was her mom, I damn well wouldn’t be passing on that message. I wasn’t going to be the source of that kind of pain. I’d caused Trice enough trouble.
Logic tried to speak over the possessive, protective monster that seemed to have taken me over. What if Croft was right?
But there was no way.
If I hadn’t stepped in Trice’s way, she would have barreled on past me that day.
And who would have caught her? I wondered. Who was chasing her?
Those were just a few of the questions spinning in my brain.
And those questions, along with every other one, would have to wait until I found her.
The second place I headed was a restaurant that, according to our guy at the DA, was her employer. But it was early when I got there, and although somebody had answered when I knocked, I was told Trice wouldn’t be in until later.
At least I knew where I could find her. But I didn’t plan on waiting around that long.
It was pure chance that I saw her when I did.
I was heading to the third address I’d been given. The guy who worked with the ADA had told me that he wasn’t sure if it would help me or not, but he knew Trice’s cousin was staying there.
If I was smart, I would have gone there first, because Trice had mentioned her cousin more than once. And it wasn’t until then that I’d remembered the phone call she’d made from my place that day. If I didn’t find her soon, I could go through the phone company and trace the number. I would do whatever it took.
On the way to that third address, I caught sight of a long, slim woman, her tail of hair swaying back and forth with her strides. She ran easily, her strides coming off as unhurried but she was eating up the ground.
She was on the far side of the road, but we were on a one-way street, so I cut across the traffic, ignoring the horns and near misses as I veered up to the curve.
Revving the engine, I waited for her to look my way.
She didn’t.
Shit.
Okay, so I’d just have to get her attention.
I got in front of her, and without pause, maneuvered the bike up onto the sidewalk.
She came to a quick stop, her breasts heaving with the quick pace of her breath. Her eyes locked with mine, widening.
“Lane!”
“We’ve got to talk,” I said, holding out a hand.
She just gaped at me.
I didn’t have time for this. Croft hadn’t realize I’d heard them, so he might not be in any hurry, but I had no idea when he’d make his move. It had been pure hell, burning the night hours away as I counted them down, waiting until I could approach the club’s contact at the DA’s office.
But I wasn’t waiting any longer.
Kicking off the bike, I strode toward Trice.
She stiffened.
“Hey, easy,” I said, lifting my hands.
As I went to place them on her shoulders, she sucked in a breath. I dropped my hands on her shoulders, despite the urge to haul her against me. I hadn’t touched
her in over a month.
A month’s worth of dreams flared to life, and I had to smash them all down and shove them in a box. “Listen, Trice…it’s important.”
She tipped her head back, staring at me. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes wide and a little dazed.
“We’ve got to talk. Now.”
She looked around, shaking her head and mumbling to herself. Finally, she looked back at me. “Fine. Talk.”
“Not here. It has to be…” Trailing off, I looked around at the busy street, noticing the people heading our way on foot. Sooner or later, a cop would see. And there were cops who were friends with the Devil’s Firstborn – dirty cops. The last thing I needed was for one of them to see me talking to a pretty girl in this neck of the woods and pass it on to Croft or TU. “We need to get out of the open.”
She eyed me warily.
Getting impatient, I caught her hand and pulled her to my bike. “Come on.”
She jerked back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
The harsh, stilted tone of her words stung, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I swung her up against me and turned around, putting her on the bike. She went to shove back, and I caught her arms, shaking her a little. “Trice,” I snapped. “Listen to me. You’re in danger. Got it?”
The implacable expression on her face shifted, and she looked around, shivering a little.
Instead of questioning me, she gave a short nod.
“You ready to listen to me now?” I asked, not yet ready to trust she’d stay in place.
“For the time being,” she responded, her voice testy and challenging.
“Okay. Good enough.” I got back on the bike and swung it around, gauging the traffic. Once I could merge, I caught the first cross street heading west.
Weaving through the streets, I made my way through town, leaving the area I was most comfortable with and heading to an area where money did all the talking.
I chose the hotel at random and pulled up in front of the valet. I eyed the men standing there, all of them young and staring at my bike with varying degrees of speculation. “Any of you know how to handle one of these?”
It was the youngest of them who took a step forward. He had nothing but confidence on his face as he responded, “I do, sir.”
“You put a mark on her, I won’t be happy.”
“She’s in good hands, sir. I promise.”
I climbed off and held out my hand to Trice.
She slid off the bike, looking around with uncertainty on her face.
I could understand.
I wasn’t feeling all that certain myself.
Ten minutes later, we were in a room that faced out of the glitzy, glamorous edge of LA.
The view didn’t interest me, but Trice stood at the window, staring out as if mesmerized.
“We need to talk,” I said, although I’d already told her that and I still didn’t know where to start.
I sat on the edge of the bed as she turned to face me. Finally, she paced a few steps forward and sat on the edge of the desk chair, an uneasy look on her face.
“What in the hell am I doing here?” she demanded.
“I told you – you’re in danger.” All the carefully rehearsed lines I’d practiced throughout the night fell apart.
“Yeah, you told me that, but how about you tell me a little bit more.” She came up off the chair and started to pace.
My spit dried in my mouth at the sight of her striding back and forth, the running tights she wore clinging to her long, elegant thighs.
“Lane!”
I jerked my gaze away from her hips and focused on her face, feeling the blood rush to mine.
“What’s the deal with you and Gabriel Marks?” I demanded.
Okay, that hadn’t been one of the lines I’d rehearsed.
She blinked at me, confusion flickering on her face. “The deal?” She shook her head. “He’s my uncle. That’s the deal.”
I came up off the bed. “But you’re testifying against him.”
“Uh, yeah…and how do you know about that?” She smoothed back a stray lock of hair, scowling. “Why do you care?”
“Have you been spying on me to help with the case against him? Did you tell the DA anything about me?”
What the fuck, Lane?
Apparently, logic and my mouth weren’t even on speaking terms at this point.
Maybe the feel of her pressed against me as we rode out of the city had just melted my brain.
“Spying?” she sputtered. “Why in the hell would I be spying on you?”
The sheer confusion on her face told me to let it go, but my brain wasn’t in charge anymore. I had no idea what was.
“Your fucking clan and the club. Is that part of your testimony?”
Her mouth dropped open, and she shook her head. “You are insane,” she said. “Did you forget that you practically grabbed me off the street? And I didn’t ask to be taken to that god-awful club or meet anybody from it, you dumbass!”
It pissed me off that she could be logical.
Standing up, I caught her arms. I opened my mouth to say something, but I had no idea what.
I couldn’t argue with her.
She wasn’t wrong.
I couldn’t say what I really wanted to say, because it didn’t make sense.
“Let me go,” she said, her breath hitching in her lungs.
“No.” My gaze dropped to her lips.
She opened her mouth, and her tongue slid out.
I groaned.
“Lane,” she whispered.
Her mouth was all but beckoning me.
Too weak to resist, I lowered my head.
She was going to push me away. I had no doubt of it.
But her mouth opened under mine, and her fingers curled into my shirt. She moaned, and I took advantage of it, my tongue sliding into her mouth, seeking out the taste I’d been dreaming about all these weeks.
Trice rose up onto her toes and curled her arms around my neck.
Neurons inside my head exploded, and I grabbed her, pulling her more firmly against me.
This was so completely stupid, and I knew it.
But in that moment, I didn’t care.
Two
Trice
Trice
The feel of Lane’s mouth on mine made me come alive. It was like I’d been waiting for this, just this, ever since he’d ridden away from me a month ago.
The days without him, I’d only half existed, and now that he was touching me again, I felt real. I felt alive.
His hands came up, cradling my face, and I rose onto my toes, straining to get closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up against him, obliterating any distance that had separated our bodies.
I whimpered as his cock cuddled up against my belly.
Deep inside, I ached, and my fingers itched to touch him.
Grabbing the hem of his shirt, I shoved it up and slid my hands underneath, seeking out bare skin.
He tensed as I touched him, and without warning, he pulled away, catching my hands and pinning my wrists in tight fists. “Wait,” he muttered against my lips. “Just…wait.”
“I don’t want to,” I said, trying to kiss him again.
He averted his face. “I don’t either, but…fuck, Trice. We need to talk.”
“Can’t we do it later?” I pleaded.
His big body shuddered against mine, and I shivered, itching to feel him pressed against me once more.
“This is crazy. You make me crazy,” he muttered, dragging my hands up over my head and pinning them to the wall.
I could have easily told him that he did the same thing to me.
But then he was kissing me again, and I didn’t have the breath or the mental capacity to do anything but accept those kisses, accept the feel of his hands on my body as he slid them inside the tight waistband of my running tights.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he muttered.
“Then do something about it.” I tugged at his shirt and pushed it upward. It caught under his arms, and he pulled back, jerking it off and tossing it to the side. Before I could enjoy the sight of his muscled, naked chest, he went to work on the sport tank I wore over a jogging bra. He had my upper body stripped naked in what seemed like no time, and I gasped at the feel of his hot, hard form pressed against my own.
His mouth closed over mine, tongue stabbing hungrily inside. I opened for him, wishing I had a better idea what to do, how to kiss him back, how to make him feel a tenth of what he made me feel.
The kiss took on a teasing note, his tongue retreating before turning to rub against mine. Soon, I was echoing his motions, seeking out his tongue and stroking mine across his lower lip without any conscious thought of what I was doing. He shuddered against me, and that was when I realized that I was the one doing the kissing now.
He’d shown me how, without even saying a word.
Curling my arms around his neck, I dipped one hand into his hair and twisted it around my fingers. The strands were silky, cool, and soft, a contrast to the rough lines of his body, his stubbled chin, the heavy wall of his chest.
Desperate for air, I broke the kiss.
His lips brushed over my chin, drifted down. He settled just above the pulse in my neck, and my breath stuttered out of me as he raked the skin with his teeth, then bit me lightly.
One big hand gripped my hip and pulled me in closer against him, tilted me up as he pushed one thigh between mine. The thin material of my tights had never seemed so insubstantial. I could feel the hard ridge of muscle pressed snug against me, and everything in my lower body tightened. I could feel myself going soft and wet for him.
