Thane gritted his teeth. The tease moved as slowly as possible. Finally, her buttocks nudged his cock. She eased back a little more and reached between them. He gripped her hips and urged her lower. The head of his shaft nudged and then sank into her. Searing heat washed over him, almost ripping away his control. He took a deep breath, and his hands tightened on her hips. His legs tensed. It would feel so good to thrust into her, but not this time. She’d set the pace.
“Ride me. I need to feel you moving over me.” He tightened his fingers on her hips.
“Yes.” She sank down onto him.
He closed his eyes. Slick wetness surrounded his cock. She tilted her hips and lifted until only the head remained inside her. He flexed his fingers. His chest tightened, and blood pounded through him with the urgency. She was going to drive him crazy.
After a few strokes, she leaned forward, bracing her hands on his chest. The rolling motion of her hips increased, and she ground against him. A pretty flush rose on her cheeks. The rippling contractions of her sweet cunt drew him deeper
“Faster, Moriah.” Thane slid his hands down to her ass and gripped the full globes. He ran his fingers over the soft skin.
Temptation overwhelmed him. He pulled her down. She moaned and rotated her hips. His grip tightened. Her tight, inner muscles clenched. A spike of sweet agony ripped through him, nearly wrenching away his control.
He thrust up into her. She caught her breath. Her body tensed, and she arched. She shook and cried out as her nails sank into his skin.
He ground against her as he rocked his hips. So close. He gritted his teeth. Two strokes up into her, and he came. He groaned, pulling her close to him as he continued to move her slightly against him, trying to extend the pleasure.
He wrapped his arms around her. Her warm body nestled close. So good. He could stay like this all night long. Her body pressed to his. It was so right. He nuzzled his face against hers.
“That was wonderful.” Moriah kissed his cheek.
“It looked interesting, but it doesn’t look like the fighting lesson I expected to find. Did you two do anything at all tonight except roll around on the mats?” Dante asked.
Thane winced.
“Yes, we did. He had me punching the mitts and ducking, but after a while of him slipping in extra touches, I jumped him.” Moriah levered up and half turned her upper body.
Thane gasped. Her pussy squeezed him. Fuck, she was going to make him hard again if she kept wriggling around.
“Took you down, did she?” Dante strolled into the room.
“With temptation. Do you know how hard it was to concentrate with her breasts jiggling as she ducked and punched?” Thane smiled.
“I can imagine. Since the lesson has ended, why don’t you come upstairs with me, Moriah, and you can show me just how tempting you can be.” Dante held out his hand.
Moriah rose, and Thane let her go. Dante would enjoy some time alone with her. Thane would join them later.
Chapter Sixteen
Dante jolted up in bed. His heart pounded in his chest. He looked around. Nothing moved. What woke me?
A buzz sounded. His phone skittered across the night table. He grabbed it before rising from the bed. Damn, he couldn’t take the call here. He glanced to the left. Moriah still slept. He swiped his finger to answer as he strode to the door. This might take a while.
“Hello.” He stepped out into the hall and shut the door after him.
“We’ve got problems, Dante.” Phoenix’s dead serious tone blasted the lingering drowsiness away.
“What kind of problem?” Dante strode toward the laundry room. There should be clothing there. Phoenix didn’t panic or call over minor issues.
“I just got a call from a contact at the police station. He knows we’re keeping an eye on your woman’s bakery. He told me there’s a fire.”
Fuck. “Do you know how bad it is?” He grabbed a pair of pants.
“Don’t know. I told my contact that we’d be by to check on it. Did you want to bring Moriah?” Phoenix asked.
“Not now. I don’t want to take her into what could be a trap. We’ll go check what happened, and if it’s not a trap, I’ll come back for her.” Dante grabbed a pair of pants from the basket of clothing. He pulled them on.
“Do you think that they’d do anything with human officials there?” Phoenix sounded skeptical.
“They’ve been getting bolder. I wouldn’t put it past them. This group doesn’t seem to have a lot of sanity.” It was a long shot, but Dante wouldn’t underestimate them. They’d attacked Ford in a fucking park. “I’ll come by to get you.”
“All right, I’m waiting.” Phoenix ended the call.
A slight scuff drew his gaze left. Cael leaned against the doorway. Dante smiled and grabbed a shirt.
“What happened?” Cael straightened. “Do you need any help?”
“There’s a fire at Moriah’s store.” Dante pulled it on over his head.
“What happened? Is it out?” Cael tensed.
“Phoenix didn’t know. I’m taking him with me to see what happened. When I find out more, I’ll call. I don’t know what kind of situation I’m walking into here. I’m not putting her in danger.” Dante tucked the shirt into his pants.
“All right, we’ll be with her, but she probably isn’t going to be happy about being kept out of the loop about her business being on fire.” Cael rolled his shoulders. “I’d be pissed.”
“I would, too, but with the attacks on her, I don’t want her out there until we know for sure.” Dante strode past Cael. He had a pair of shoes in the closet.
“You might need this.” Cael held out a wallet. “When you got up and didn’t come back after a moment or two, I thought it might be something that took you out.”
“Thanks. I’ll give you a call as soon as I learn anything.” Dante slipped the wallet in his back pocket and grabbed his keys as he went through the kitchen. “Try to get some rest, but keep your phone close. One of us needs to be on top of things at work today.”
“I will. Call if you need anything.” Cael nodded.
“Why don’t I believe you’ll rest?” Dante glanced back at his friend.
“Because you know me.” Cael smiled. “Be careful. Moriah will be pissed if you’re hurt.”
“I will.” Dante left. Hopefully, Cael went back to bed. Moriah might wake if she didn’t have someone next to her. In spite of the newness, she’d gotten accustomed to them beside her.
Dante drove to pick up Phoenix. The black-haired man stood on the sidewalk, with one hand stuck in his jeans pocket. The other tugged at the collar of his blue button-down shirt.
“Who’s your contact? Since you didn’t say Parker, I know it’s not him.”
“It’s one of Parker’s friends. Parker said that he was trustworthy. Since Parker is out on injury leave because of that bullet wound, I needed to ask someone to look for calls to that address. I told him that we suspect someone was targeting her business because of the incident that we had to report.” Phoenix brushed his fingers through his shoulder-length hair. “I wish Parker was back at work.”
“That isn’t going to happen until the standard leave passes. He has to appear normal.” Dante shook his head. He’d rather deal with one of their own, as well.
Dante drove into town. He headed straight for the center where her bakery was located. As he approached, a red glow brightened the night. Fuck. That can’t be good.
Fire trucks and emergency vehicles prevented him from getting too close, but flames engulfed the entire end where Moriah had her bakery. Moriah would lose her mind. Most especially over her employees. Was this an accident or did someone deliberately set the blaze?
“We’re not going to be able to discover what happened yet. Not for hours, maybe days.” Phoenix shook his head. “From what I see though, her bakery isn’t going to be able to open anytime soon.”
“No, we can’t do anything. Let’s go back. We’ll come back with Moriah in
the daylight hours to see what happened. From what I can see, she’s going to be busy with insurance claims.” Dante clenched his hands on the wheel. She’d take this hard. He took a deep breath. Hopefully, they could help her overcome this setback, but first, they had to get through the tough part of telling her her business burned.
He raked his fingers through his hair. At least, he could let her sleep a few hours. Not that it would help. This would break her heart. She loved that store.
He drove back to the community and dropped off Phoenix. As he turned into driveway of his home, light shone from the living room windows. Why are the lights on? Dante frowned. Did Cael decide to wait up?
He pulled into the garage and slipped out, quietly shutting the door. Maybe Cael had fallen asleep on the couch or Thane had gotten up when he noticed Dante was gone. He entered the house and headed to the living room. A muffled moan filtered into the kitchen. Dante tensed, and his pulse increased. Was that Cael? Had something happened?
He eased closer to the living room, staying to the shadows. If anyone was in his home, he’d spot them before they noticed him. He peered into the room. Cael sat on the couch while Thane sat maybe half a cushion away. Between them, a shape huddled and pressed against Cael’s chest. He advanced. Moriah. Her shoulders shook as she drew in a deep breath.
Dante strode into the living room. Somehow, she knew. “What happened?”
“The alarm company called. Told her that the alarm had sensed fire. They reported it, but were told the trucks and crew were already on the way.” Cael tightened his arm around her. “How bad was it?”
“It’s still going. Phoenix and I couldn’t get close enough to see much, but from what we did, it’s the entire end of the complex. It looked like a bad fire.” Dante sat on the couch. He wouldn’t pull her out of Cael and Thane’s embrace. Tightness built in his chest, and he clenched his fingers.
“Oh, fuck, what am I going to do?” Moriah lifted her head.
“Moriah, we’ll help you. You’re not alone.” Dante pushed the coffee table out of the way and knelt in front of her.
She reached out and grasped his hand. Her cheeks shone from the tears streaming down her face. He squeezed gently. Hopefully, it offered a little reassurance.
“Everything’s gone.” She pressed her face against Cael’s chest.
“You can rebuild. I know you loved that place because your mother started her business there, but you can continue the legacy when you create something new.” Thane rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I know I can and I will.” She wiped at her eyes. “But the bakery was more than the building and the pans. It was the people. I can’t expect my workers to wait around until a new store is ready to open.”
“Sweet Moriah, I can’t guarantee that your workers will wait or be available. I’d like to be able to do that, but know that we’ll be here to help with whatever you need. In a few hours, we’ll go see how bad it is, all right?” Dante patted her leg.
“I think I need some coffee.” Thane stood. “I’ll start breakfast, too. I don’t think any of us are going back to sleep for a while.”
Good idea. They wouldn’t be able to get her mind off it, but maybe they could help her relax.
Chapter Seventeen
Moriah sat on the couch. She flicked through her email, but didn’t see anything important. Definitely nothing from her insurance company which was what she expected next. The company would wait until the police and fire marshal came in with their final reports to make a decision about the claim.
From the initial report, the fire had begun a couple stores away from hers. There probably wouldn’t be a problem with the claim, but tension still plagued her. Every day her muscles tightened, and her stomach ached. She had so much to do.
Looking online at bakery supplies and equipment tortured her. She couldn’t do anything until the insurance company made their decision. Whenever she did find a new place and finished any needed construction, she’d have to find and train new workers. No telling when she’d be able to start.
Dante walked into the room. He smiled and strode across to her. A T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest, and jeans hugged his lean hips.
“Come on, Moriah.” Dante held out his hand.
“Where are we going?” She slid her fingers across his palm.
“We’re going for a drive.” Dante tugged her up from the couch.
“That’s enlightening.” She shook her head, but followed him.
“It’s meant to be.” He laughed and tightened his grip.
He led her out to the car. Where did he intend to take her? They’d kept her busy over the last few days. He, Cael, and Thane had taken her to his office, the hospital where Thane worked, as well as the clinic he helped out in. She’d explored the community with the men at her side.
He drove back toward town. As he turned into the neighborhoods near his office building, she straightened. Maybe he was heading for that. Did he have something he wanted to show her? He turned away from his office building.
She sat forward. Where was he going? He eventually pulled into a shopping center a few blocks away.
What are we doing here? She turned to him. He pulled into a spot in front of a vacant store.
“Why are we here?” She turned from the storefront to the man in the car.
“This is our surprise. Well, this or a spot like this. One of the Gargoyles, Brandon Jennings, is a realtor and invests in real estate, as well. He owns this and a couple of similar locations. When he heard what happened to your store, he told us that he had some vacancies. If you need a new location, he’ll be happy to rent or sell you space.” Dante turned to face her.
“Yes, I’ll need a new location. I can’t wait for that building to be rebuilt. But I’ll have to buy the equipment, pans, and supplies. Research the area. All that will have to wait until the insurance company is satisfied with the investigation.” She bit her lip, but stared at the storefront. It would be so great to go through that shop. She licked her lips.
“Would you like to look inside?” Dante held up a set of keys.
“Really?” She clenched her hands. So tempting, but she couldn’t do anything, even if she liked it.
“Come on. We’ll walk in there and you can see. I know you’re waiting and that you might not want to start building up any hopes. You will get what you need and getting a feel for what you want and what you don’t isn’t going to hurt.” Dante jingled them.
Well, he was right about that. “All right. I am having a little trouble giving up the thought that I want what my mother built. That’s gone. It went up in flames.”
“She set you up in a good location and gave you the knowledge you needed. We can’t change what’s happened, but we can help you rebuild.” Dante patted her thigh before he got out of the car.
She slid out her side and strode over to join him at the front of the car. He slipped an arm around her and led her to the empty store. She glanced into the windows. It probably had about the same storefront space as the old bakery.
“Thank you and I appreciate any help that I can get.” She bit her lip. If she could start now, she would, but those damn Gobel still targeted them.
He opened the door. “You first.”
She strode into the store and glanced around. It was a neutral color scheme, but it would be beautiful brightened up with some color. It definitely had potential. A long counter and some display cases would make this almost perfect.
“Ready to head back to the back and see what’s there?” Dante asked.
“Was this designed to be some sort of food service place?” She glanced over at him. The layout wasn’t what she’d expected. Her mother had to have extra walls put up in the old bakery because it hadn’t originally been intended as a bakery or café.
“Yeah, the place was originally intended to be some type of coffee shop I think. The client fell through after the building was modified.” He strolled to the door.
“Do y
ou know why it fell through?” She paused in front of him.
“I believe he said that she was married to a guy in the military, and he was finally back in a place that she could be with him. Wherever they went, she intended to start her shop.” Dante continued into the back.
She followed him. A big brown box sat near one of the walls. She frowned. The person had backed out of the sale. Their stuff wouldn’t still be here. Did the realtor have someone lined up for this place?
She bit her lip. If he did, she couldn’t do anything about it. Best focus on the place and do what Dante suggested. Get an idea of what she wanted.
Plenty of room back here. She walked down the length of the room. Nice storage area. She made her way back to where Dante stood next to the big box. A wide smile curved his lips.
“Do you like it?” Dante asked.
“If I had more research on the area and I was ready to start putting the store together, I would totally be all over this place. It looks like it has more space than the old store.” She tilted her head. “Did he tell you what the box was for?”
“The box doesn’t belong to him.” Dante patted it.
“Well, whose box is it?” She frowned.
“Yours.” Dante stepped forward.
“Mine?” She jerked back.
“Yes, it’s our present to you. A little bit of help from us to you. Whenever you’re ready to start putting together your bakery, you won’t have to buy this.” He used a dolly to turn the tall box. The name of an industrial oven manufacturer was scrawled across the front.
“Oh, my god.” She stared at it. That was an expensive model. “How did you know what to get?”
“We were in your bakery enough to see what kind of ovens you had. A lot of the stuff there we didn’t know what the names were, but the ovens we recognized.” Dante strode over and hooked his arms around her.
Her eyes burned and she sniffed. They were so damn sweet. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know we didn’t, but we want you to get back up and running. This will be moved into storage until you decide where you want to rebuild.” He dropped a kiss on her lips.
Finding Their Flame [Stone Passions 2] Page 15
