Phoenix (Flames & Ashes Book 1)

by Carolyn Anthony

  “You’d end up there a hell of a lot more, if I had my way.”

  “Me too,” she purred against my neck before trailing her lips up to take my earlobe inside her hot mouth. Fuuuck. If I didn’t shut this down, I’d have her up against the wall with Ari as an audience, and that shit was not right.

  One taste. Tightening the grip in her hair, I slanted my mouth over hers. I gave her enough tongue to make her needy. Her hard little nipples dug into my chest as she locked her arms around my neck and I stroked my tongue over the seam of her mouth.

  She plunged her hands into my hair, grabbing chunks and crossing her hands behind my head, pulling me in tighter. Fucking amazing. When I drove my tongue against hers, she responded with a fevered heat, dropping her hands to clutch at the back of my shirt.

  I grumbled into her mouth and pulled back. “I can’t keep my hands off of you, sugar.”

  Light green eyes dropped to my swollen lips. “Then don’t.”

  She was on edge tonight, and I planned to stoke that fire as much as possible. Kissing the tip of her nose, I pulled back a little. “Dinner? You hungry?”

  “I’m—yeah. Yes.” She dropped her eyes to the floor and let her hands fall to her sides.

  I’d never been one of those men pouting worked on, but something about the way her full lips pressed together in a small frown got under my skin. Gripping her hips, I yanked her against my way-too-hard cock. “Don’t look disappointed, baby. I guarantee you’ll love dessert. I worked my ass off on this dinner, so we’re eating before we wind up on the floor. Want to see the house?”

  She nodded with a small smile. “Yes, please.”

  “All right, follow me.” I took her hand. “This is gonna be fast, so keep up. Front room.” I pointed down the few stairs to the large, mostly vacant sunken living room.

  “This is big. And absolutely empty.” She chuckled. “What are you going to do with it?”

  “Not sure. I might let the kids decide.”

  Flashing a thousand-watt smile, she glanced up at me. “Dad-of-the-Year move.”

  “Yeah,” I scoffed. “Tell them that. Come on.”

  Turning the corner, we walked into the family room, which was one huge space with more steps leading up into the kitchen. The big screen sat on top of a heavy oak TV stand in front of my couch and La-Z-Boy chair. The long oak table in front of the sofa was more a footrest, rather than a table, but for tonight—I’d claim coffee table.

  “Now that’s a serious TV.” She covered her mouth with her free hand, stifling a giggle. “It takes up half your wall. How very male of you.”

  “It’s a guy thing, chicks don’t get it,” I teased and waved her on. “Keep moving.”

  She interlaced her fingers with mine and followed me to the back of the house.

  I pointed to two doors across the hallway from each other. “Jessa.” I nodded to the door on the left.

  “Brayden?” she suggested, pointing to the opposite door.

  “Yep.”

  I led her farther down the hall to the room next to the two French doors, leading into my bedroom. “Office,” I said, opening the door a little and intending to shut it quick.

  “No way. You know offices are my favorite.” She dropped my hand and dipped under my arm. Standing in the middle of it, she took in the large room. “Jesus, it’s amazing. The window by your desk overlooks the lake? What a view. Why wouldn’t you want me to see this?”

  “It’s a disaster right now.”

  One perfectly shaped eyebrow crept up as she inspected the room once again. “Right now? So you’re saying it’s usually spotless?”

  I stepped into the room, moving right in front of her so she had to look up at me. “Look, Martha Stewart, I work better with a little chaos, and I know where shit is. Don’t judge.”

  Her mouth fell open and she cocked a hip, crossing her arms. “Martha Stewart’s got nothing on me, and I’m not judging. There’s nothing wrong with a little chaos. Keeps you sharp.” She winked up at me. “Besides, your office is perfect. It’s a sanctuary.”

  “It is,” I agreed. “I’m not done renovating in here yet, but I’ve got three projects going right now and new plans to draw up, so it’s gotta wait.” I turned to the door.

  She pulled on my hand, stopping me. “Hold on!” Her eyes searched mine. “You don’t have time to renovate your own office, but you redesigned and renovated mine?”

  I shrugged. “I’m good with this for now. You need uncluttered and organized. Your workspace is important, especially since you work from home. I’ll eventually get to this.”

  “Coming up,” she warned before jumping into my arms and looking down at me. Looping her arms around my neck, she bent down and took my mouth in a slow, sweet, kiss. She ran her tongue over mine, pulling away when I moved to deepen it.

  “Have I told you how amazing you are?” She ran a finger across one of my cheeks and held the other in the palm of her hand.

  “Not today, but hold the thought. I’ll remind you later, when you’re coming so hard you forget my name and call me God,” I teased.

  The smile died on her mouth and her eyes dropped to my lips on a gasp. Her hands found their way back into my hair. She dug the sides of her crossed feet against my lower back, resting the heels of those stilettos against my ass cheeks. “I love the way you talk to me,” she murmured, her eyes locked on my mouth.

  “I’m well aware you do, baby. No filter works for you.”

  “It does when it’s you.” She nodded and quickly kissed my lips. “Okay, one more room.”

  “Let’s do it, before I change my mind.” Still carrying her, I walked back into the hall and kicked open one of the French double doors. “My room.”

  A sparkle lit her eyes and she chewed on her lower lip as she glanced around the spacious room. Huge, but basic. Massive oak dresser. Giant-ass bed. Two end tables, one with a sketch pad and pencils lying on top of it, the other with a lamp and my vitamins in front of my alarm clock. If I didn’t see the fuckers, I’d never take them. They usually ended up sprawled across my room as I slapped at the damn alarm every morning, so I had to deal with them.

  The master bathroom was off to the side. It wasn’t as big as hers, but the shower was fucking awesome and dominated the room. I’d tore down and rebuilt it as soon as I got here. It was a mix of rock and wood with two benches and three showerheads at different heights.

  “Oh my God,” Valentina gasped. “Jaxxon . . . you did this?”

  “It was a bitch, but worth it.”

  “It should be in magazines. You’re scary talented.” She looked down at me and kissed my nose. “I’d kill to shower in there.”

  “Anytime, sugar.”

  She glanced away from me, but not before I missed the regret in her eyes.

  Fuck me.

  “Alone, baby. You can use my shower whenever you want alone. It came out wrong.”

  Her arms tightened around my shoulders and she kissed my neck. “No, it didn’t.”

  “Enough sightseeing.” I already had her in my arms, so I jacked her up higher by the ass and threw her over my shoulder.

  Squealing and pounding her fists into my lower back, she laughed. “Put me down! And this better not be your bad shoulder, Jaxxon!”

  I slapped her ass cheek hard and marched back down the hall into the kitchen. “Shoulder’s fine, baby.”

  “Ouch, dammit! Sure it is,” she huffed as I put her down in front of one the chairs.

  Walking to the fridge, I grabbed a glass with some ice and ginger ale for her. When I turned around, she had her back to me, but was twisted around holding the tunic up looking at her ass and rubbing the cheek I’d slapped.

  I bit back a smile until I saw her knitted brow. “Shit, did I hit you hard?” I set the glass down before lifting the back of her shirt higher up and rubbing my hand over the luscious curve of her ass. “Better?”

  Her quick inhale and the softest moan followed, both at odds with the look on her beau
tiful face. I turned her hips so she faced me and slid one hand back around and over her ass. “Why the confused look, sugar?”

  “Nothing. It just stung.” Her eyes stayed locked to mine and her voice dropped an octave.

  “But it didn’t hurt?” I slipped my hand down her ass and between her legs. The material covering her core was searing hot . . . and wet as hell.

  “Stung,” she said, staring at my lips.

  I pushed my hand forward, brushing my knuckles along her pussy. Nudging her legs open a little, I flipped my wrist around and stroked her with two fingers. She ran her hands up over my chest to the neck of my tank and yanked it to the side. When her plump lips brushed across my chest, I made an executive decision—dinner could wait.

  I wrapped both hands around her ass and lifted her up. Depositing her on top of the table, she laughed and straight-armed me.

  “I thought you slaved over a hot stove the past few hours, remember?”

  Shackling her wrists and anchoring them to her sides, I dipped my head and nuzzled her neck. “One word—microwave. Lay back.”

  “Jaxx—”

  “Lay. Back.” With a hand between her tits, I pushed her down on top of my table so her legs dangled over the side. Spreading her thighs so I fit between them, I looped my hands under her knees and pulled until her pussy kissed my cock. Thank fuck I hadn’t set the table.

  She lifted her legs and wrapped them around my waist, eliminating any space between us. Jesus, the second I touched her, she gave me everything.

  Running a hand from the top of her pants up her stomach, I wrapped my fingers around the neck of her tunic and worked it down to pool around the top of her hips. The gap in the neckline allowed it to slide down her arms with no resistance. “You’re so beautiful.” The dark stained wood of my table contrasted perfect with her alabaster skin.

  “I think you’re maybe a little biased.” Her soft voice floated through the kitchen as she brushed a finger over my lips.

  I leaned over her, moving both hands to rest on either side of her head. “Beautiful,” I repeated before taking her mouth hard and fast.

  The second my lips touched hers, she locked her ankles behind me. I threaded my fingers through her hair on both sides and held her immobile. She shoved one hand into my hair, wrapping it around her fist, and reached over my shoulder to bunch the back of my shirt with the other. She met me stroke for stroke, groaning at the loss of my tongue with each heated break of our lips.

  Caressing her cheeks with my thumbs, I pulled out of her arms to stand up. “Stay there,” I said, unwrapping her legs from my waist.

  She lifted a hand to me. “Where are you going?”

  “Right here. Don’t move.” I grabbed the glass of ginger ale I’d gotten for her and pulled out one of the ice cubes, setting it to the side. I moved back between her legs.

  She seemed antsy tonight—needy, but in an unstable way. It was in the haunted, but hungry way she looked at me, touched me, from the second I’d opened the door. Her reaction to me slapping her ass confirmed it. It was almost as if something volatile hummed under her skin, and needed grounding. Since she wouldn’t ask for it, I listened to her body instead.

  I ran one hand up the middle of her lacy black tank, between her tits to rest against the bare skin at the base of her throat. The deep rise and fall of her chest under my touch, the way she moved in sync to whatever rhythm I set . . . was a fuckin’ gift.

  “Jaxx.” She lifted a hand and ran a finger over my lips. “I . . . I . . . need you.”

  The hesitation in her voice, the skip in her breathing, and the depth of feeling in her eyes, told me “need” wasn’t what she meant, but was safer than the word she wanted to use.

  “I’m right here, baby.” I wedged a hand under her back and she lifted for me. I’d expected a regular tank, but my fingers came in contact with tiny latches down the back. With each flick of the eye-hooks, I kissed her neck, her chest, until I got the damn thing completely undone and on my floor.

  “Do you trust me, sugar?” I asked, kissing the swell of her breast. Her hands felt phenomenal in my hair.

  “From the second you saved me from the leg press.”

  The sexy shudder in her voice shot straight to my dick. Licking across one hard, rosy nipple, I took it between my lips and sucked soft. She squirmed and tightened the hold in my hair. I grew my hair long for Jessa and Sarah, but with Valentina’s hands in it, I wished I could keep it this way a little longer.

  When I glanced up at her body, her head was thrown back. I picked up the ice cube. Her velvet little bud grew harder with each lick, every hard slide of my tongue.

  “Jaxx—enough with the teasing,” she pleaded.

  “Ah, sugar, I’m just warmin’ up.”

  Taking her tender peak between my teeth, I bit down, giving her enough pressure so she whimpered. I kissed across the valley of her breasts to the other side. Wanting to keep her off balance, I let the melting ice drip over the nipple I’d tortured as I took the other between my lips.

  She inhaled sharply and bolted up, but my body blocked her.

  “What—what are you doing?!

  I shifted my eyes to her face. “Does it hurt?”

  Her green ones met mine and her pupils dilated. “A-ah,” she stammered. “No.”

  “Relax for me, then.” I touched the cube to her skin, circling until the ice began to melt and trail down the puckered swell of her breast. When her body trembled beneath me, I shifted and covered the freezing bud with my mouth, sucking hard.

  “Oh my God,” she purred, rocking her hips against mine.

  I skimmed the ice to the other side, her soft moans resonating through the kitchen. I followed the water trail with my tongue, licking and giving her the occasional nip. With every soft bite, her legs locked tighter around my waist.

  Dragging the ice between the valley of her breasts, I rerouted, drawing a line under the tunic to the top of her pants. I straightened up, staring down at the most erotic sight I’d yet to see in thirty-four motherfucking years.

  “No,” she pleaded. “Come back.” She lifted her arms to me, her wet tits rising and falling, her eyes glowing with need.

  I reached around my back and unhooked her ankles. Keeping my eyes locked to hers, I sat down in the chair in front of her and placed her feet on my knees. “I can’t think of a way to get these pants off and keep the shoes on, so for tonight, they gotta go.”

  With slow hands, I undid the buckles at the sides of her ankles and took off her shoes. Her lean, stretched out body, elongating further with every move made my dick twitch. The soft light above my table illuminated the goosebumps, covering every inch of her wet skin.

  “Baby.” I rubbed her calves and the underside of her thighs. “Undo your pants for me.”

  No hesitation. Fuck me, she was wired. She slid both hands down her stomach under the pooled material of her tunic to the top of her pants. I’d originally thought leggings, in which case, easy access, but they weren’t. The material was deceptively soft with a button and a zipper. More to play with. Her long fingers disengaged the button and slid the zipper down.

  “I want you do something for me.”

  “What?” she asked, in a silky as fuck voice.

  “I want you to touch yourself. Will you do that for me?”

  Her hand stopped moving for a second and she raised one arm up and over her eyes. The muscles in her stomach began to shake. Now there’s a goddamn sight. Shit. Her chest rose as she took a deep breath and let it out. She moved her hand under the top of her pants and inside.

  “Are you wet, baby?” The other thing I’d picked up on pretty fuckin’ quick—the more honest and graphic I was with her, the more sensual she became.

  “Yes,” she admitted, on a whisper.

  “Rub your clit for me.”

  Her hand disappeared into her panties, the material hiding her fingers. I’d give her the security of keeping the pants on this time. Next time—all mine. Full view. />
  The sexy cadence of her breathing labored faster and her hips pushed into her own hand.

  “Christ, baby.” My grip on her calves grew tighter, I rubbed her muscles harder as her hips began to roll. “Give me your hand.”

  She slid it out of her pants and lifted it to me. I stood up and wrapped a hand around her wrist, sucking her wet fingers to my mouth. Taking them deep, I pulled them out clean and groaned at the fresh, clean flavor of her arousal. Goddamn, I was addicted to this woman.

  Leaving her thong in place, I dragged her pants down her legs and sat down again, slipping one leg off at a time. When she lay there in only her bunched up tunic and panties, I scooted the chair closer to the table.

  “Spread your legs.” Helping her out, I lifted her feet to the front of the chair’s arms and rested them there.

  I reached into the glass, taking another ice cube. I wrapped my arms under and around her thighs, holding her immobile. Teasing the ice cube along the top of her lacy thong, the melting ice seeped into the material and cooled the skin just under the elastic.

  “Jaxx,” she inhaled sharp. “I—I want you.”

  “You’ll get me, sugar.” Drawing a straight line down the top of her hood to the bottom of her hot entrance, the ice melted faster and her legs quivered harder. Lifting the remaining part of the ice up, I circled her clit through her panties with the cold tip.

  At first, she pulled away, but I guided her back down by her hips. “Take it for me, baby.”

  Her chest rose and then her back flattened on top of the table. Up and down, I soothed the ice over and around her clit, each pass eliciting small gasps from her. When the trembling moved up to her stomach and over her arms, I popped the cube in my mouth and yanked her underwear to the side. I couldn’t get my mouth on her swollen pink folds fast enough. I covered her entire cleft with my mouth and sucked.

  “Oh, jeez, Jaxx—so cold . . . I love—love your mouth.”

  I ran my tongue up her slit and parted her lips with two fingers holding her open. All that glistening, soft pink skin . . . Reaching down, I ran my middle finger around her cold mound in slow circles, watching the small tremors pulse through her body. Her clit was so swollen, it popped out from under its soft hood, begging to be licked, sucked, but I wanted to hear her say it.