Kiss of Fire (St. James Family)

by Parker, Lavender

  “Stop pacing around back and forth, you're making me nervous!” Granny yelled, eyes returning to General Hospital while she peeled potatoes. Toni wandered into the kitchen and leaned on the old butcher block countertop next to her grandmother. “Help me, would you? I don't know where Vivvy's gone off to, and my arthritis is kicking up,” Granny said, handing her a potato and a paring knife.

  “Don't you have a vegetable peeler?”

  “Why?” Granny asked, raising a penciled in eyebrow. “Knife works just fine.”

  “Never mind.” Toni murmured, attempting to mimic her grandmother's smooth technique for peeling potatoes. They sat, not talking, for awhile, watching the drama unfold in Port Charles. Toni never watched soaps anymore, but they reminded her of her childhood. Both Marietta and Granny followed them and many a day after school was spent doing homework at the table while the stories played in the background.

  “Granny?” Toni said. “Did you ever make a man fall in love with you with a pie?”

  “Your grandfather,” Granny said, eyes still glued to the little kitchen TV.

  “What kind of pie was it?”

  “Mmmm, apple,” Granny murmured. “No. No that's not right. It was a lemon merengue,” she said, chuckling to herself.

  “Did you make it just for him?” Toni said, her potato looking considerably more pock-marked than the ones her grandmother had done.

  “No,” Granny shook her head. “That was back when I was running a little shop out of my kitchen. My mother, your great-grandmother, had just taken ill with the cancer and I had to take care of Charlie, my little brother. So I was running a pie stand, and the neighbors would come around every week. There was a widow, a white man, Mr. Farmer, who'd come around with the roaming eye, you know, but he always bought whatever I hadn't sold all day. Usually blackberry or the strawberry rhubarb. Occasionally a mincemeat. Anyway, one hot day your grandfather came strolling down the lane, took one look at my sky-high merengue, and said 'that's the woman I'm going to marry'. And he did, too.” Granny dissolved into a body shaking laugh, shaking her head at the memory. “He was a man of his word.”

  Toni smiled, trying to imagine her grandmother and grandfather as young lovers. She stabbed at the potato, her mind turning to O'Donovan, of course. He'd come strolling down her lane, so to speak, but she'd turned him away. It had been the right thing to do. Maybe. She couldn't be sure. Her love for him was making it hard for her to be rational about the situation.

  “You trying to kill that potato?” Granny asked, her eyes still on the TV. “I think you succeeded.” Toni stuck her tongue out at her grandmother's back, tossing the poor potato into the big pot with the others. “Men these days ain't so different as men were in the past, you know,” Granny said softly. “They just want to feel like you need them. My way was always to show my love with food, but there's other ways.”

  “You're just saying that because I can't cook,” Toni said.

  “You said it, not me.”

  “But what about us? Men want to be needed, so we show them we need them. But what do we get out of it? Nothing more than a bucketful of tears and a broken heart.” Toni grabbed another potato and started peeling.

  “You're too young to be so bitter. Take it from an old lady who's seen a lot of shit,” Granny said, finally turning to look at Toni. “Are we talking about your white boy, who just drove up to my house this afternoon and didn't bother to come in and say hello?”

  “He said to tell you hello,” Toni mumbled, eyes on the potato.

  “Well, he's chasing you, that's a good sign. But don't make him wait too long, baby, not if he's got you all hot and bothered. Men hate to wait.”

  “He can wait forever as far as I'm concerned.”

  “Okay, baby,” Granny said, turning back to the TV. “But those potatoes can't wait. Hurry up or we're not going to eat 'til midnight.” She chuckled to herself and as Toni stared down at the sad looking potato in her hand, she couldn't help but laugh as well.

  ***

  A small knock sounded at the door and O'Donovan was across the room in half a second, throwing it open. He'd been going out of his skin waiting for her. But as he saw her standing there, on the threshold of his hotel room, he felt the tension rush out of his body in a whoosh. She was here, and that was all the was important. Toni looked effortlessly beautiful, like she'd gotten dressed just for him, her hair pinned up, in a silky camisole and tight jeans. She jammed her hands in her back pockets, like she didn't want to tempt herself to touch him.

  “Lovely,” he heard himself growl. She had about two seconds before he grabbed her and tossed her onto the bed and had his way with her. Two seconds to deny him. That was all she got.

  “Can I come in?” she asked, and that was just as good as an invitation in his opinion. He slid a hand around her waist and pulled her close, slamming the door behind her.

  “Goddammit, I missed you.” He ran his face down her neck, just like he knew she wanted it, biting down lightly on her collarbone. She shivered against him, but then planted her palms firmly on his chest and pushed. He let her pull away, although he wanted to hold her forever.

  “I want you to go away,” she said in that flat tone that she'd used earlier. “I don't know why you're here, but—”

  “Isn't it fucking obvious?” he cut her off. “I want you. I need you. I'll follow you anywhere.”

  “Stop it.”

  “No.” He grabbed her again, pulling her hips against his. “What do I need to do? Tell me.”

  “There's nothing you can do. You left me. You don't get a second chance.”

  “Fuck,” he hissed, pressing his forehead against hers. He was a pathetic asshole with no defense, and he knew that. But that didn't mean he was going to give up.

  “Were you fucking her and I at the same time?” she asked. “Gwen said you cheated on her all the time. Did you cheat on me?”

  “What?” O'Donovan pushed back to look at her. Fucking Gwen. Shit. “I didn't cheat on her.” He couldn't stop himself now. “I didn't cheat on anybody.”

  “You're so full of shit!” she yelled, and his heart squeezed in his chest. She had ditched the dead tone, and the thought gave him hope, despite her words.

  “I didn't! There was always space in between... Fuck!” There was no way to say it that sounded good. Even though he hadn't slept with Brigid until he ended it with Toni, there was no easy way to say that. He sounded like an asshole either way. “I wasn't fucking you both at the same time!” he finally said, because although it was crude, it was true.

  “Forget it. Just leave me alone.”

  “I can't.” He heard the desperation in his voice. The trip to New Orleans had been his trump card. If it didn't work, he didn't know what he would do. He would just go crazy, he supposed. He would literally go crazy without her.

  “Too bad,” she said, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, like she could take on the world. She dug her fingernails into his bare chest, and he couldn't stop his eyes from dropping to her mouth. She ran her tongue across her lips and suddenly the room was sweltering. His control, whatever he'd had to begin with, went right out the fucking window.

  He crushed her mouth with his, his hands on her ass in half a second. She pressed her heel into his chest, but her lips reacted to him. She thrust her tongue into his mouth without hesitation, and he couldn't help but return the favor. He sucked on the tip of her tongue like he wanted to suck on her clit, hard and then soft then hard again. She moaned into him, raking her fingernails down his chest so fast it stung.

  “Fuck Toni,” he whispered against her mouth. Then she reared back and slapped him so enthusiastically it snapped his face to the side. Stars burst on the inside of his eyelids, but he couldn't help but smile. The pain felt good. Being a Catholic, he felt like he had to atone, after all. “Do it again.” he said, digging his hands into her ass. Her eyes flashed and then she obliged him. The smack echoed in his ears and he felt himself go cross-eyed. His woman had a han
d on her, that was for sure.

  He tossed her onto the bed, and she landed on her back. She was up like a shot, throwing her legs over the edge. He pushed her back down, and she scrambled up again. They faced off for a moment, both of them breathing hard. In the blink of an eye, she dropped her hands to the hem of her tank top and yanked it over her head. He didn't waste time unbuttoning his jeans and dropping them down around his ankles. His dick was so hard, if he didn't get inside her soon, he wouldn't be in control of his actions. She surprised him then, slipping her fingers around his erection and dropping her open mouth over the tip.

  His heart stopped. Fuck. He wondered how he was still alive. How was it possible? The pleasure was too intense. He had to force air into his lungs. She swirled her tongue around his head, then drew him deeper into her hot mouth. She withdrew, her fingers squeezing the base of his cock. Her eyes flicked up to meet his.

  “Do you like that?” she said in that low, flat tone. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her and force his Toni to come back. His Toni would giggle and play with him, squirm and purr until she came against his cock.

  “No,” he said, although he ached for her to suck him deep again. She furrowed her brow, and, again, like she could read his mind, did just what he needed, closing her mouth over him again and working him even harder. He squeezed his eyes shut, the pleasure searing through him. She took him so deep he could feel the back of her throat, sucking him hard like she was trying to punish him. She skimmed his sensitive flesh with her teeth and he clenched his hands at his sides, wanting to tangle his hands in her hair and force himself deeper down her throat.

  She came up for air after what seemed like an eternity, then ran her tongue down his length to his balls, sucking the sensitive skin between her lips. He moaned, not able to stop himself.

  “Fuck, lovely,” was all he could get out. Then the clouds opened and she smiled. It was a small smile but he couldn't miss it. Then she was deep-throating him again, and all cognitive thought ceased. She was making low moans in her throat, the sound vibrating through his dick, all the way to his balls. She was on a mission to make him come, it seemed, and that just wouldn't do. He needed to be inside her. Months had passed since he'd been inside her and he needed it, goddammit. He shoved her shoulders back, harder than he intended, but it had the desired effect. She fell back onto her elbows on the ugly-ass motel comforter.

  Her mouth parted and her lips wet, she stared up at him. His dick throbbed between them and he stroked himself, not able to resist.

  “Who have you been doing that to, lovely?” he asked, his head swimming. “I'll kill him.”

  “Only you,” she said, swallowing hard like she could still feel him in her throat.

  “Take them off,” he said, raking his eyes up her legs to her eyes. She unbuckled her jeans and he yanked them down her legs. She lay there, spread out on the bed in her little red bra and panties, and he realized she had a tattoo on her pelvis, right below the line of her panties. Dropping his knee on the bed, he leaned in closer to her, yanking her panties down her hip. She tried to pull away from him, but he grabbed her legs and pulled her back.

  Twas Better to Have Loved.

  He read the words over and over again, running his thumb over the hard, healing ridges of the tattoo. She was panting, beads of sweat on her forehead. It was ungodly hot in the room, but he didn't mind anymore.

  “Do you still love me?” he asked, his voice hoarse. She didn't answer, just stared at him. Taking a step back, he found a condom in his back pocket and slipped the rubber over himself as she watched. He crawled over her, spreading her legs wide with his knees. He finished undressing her quickly, and she let him, no resistance. Her body was limp as he unhooked her bra. He tossed it aside and she dropped onto her back, punishing him with her inaction. Again, he felt the urge to shake her awake. But he didn't.

  He hovered above her, planting his hands on either side of her face. Her eyes were big and intense, never leaving his. “You want me to make love to you or you want me to fuck you?” he asked.

  Crack!

  She surprised him with another slap to the face, and he knew he'd gotten his answer.

  “Fuck me,” she confirmed, her voice strained in his ringing ears. Capturing her wrists with one hand and dragging them above her head, he held her down as he guided himself to her core. As he slid inside, she chose to struggle, arching her back and brushing her hard nipples against his chest. She bucked against him, trying to throw him off, but he didn't let her. He pushed a few inches deep, and she clenched her thighs against his hips with a moan.

  He forced himself to stay still, as she squeezed him and thrashed against him. When she tired herself out, perspiring and gasping for air, he finally thrust hard, sinking balls deep. They both called out, and he knew they'd both been waiting so long for it. He didn't relent – he gave her everything, crashing his hips into hers over and over. He let his chest drop to hers, their damp skin pressing together as he cradled her.

  “I love you,” he rasped into her ear. “I always will.” She began to fight again, her wrists straining against his hand. She bucked against him, causing him to slide out a few inches. He thrust hard to remedy the situation, and she gritted her teeth to suppress a scream. He slid his free hand up her sternum to close lightly around her throat. Her glazed eyes widened as he flexed his fingers against her neck. He swerved his hips at the exact same moment, searching for her spot. She let out a gasp, and he knew he'd found it. Digging his knees into the mattress, he ground into her, ruthlessly. “I love you,” he said again, looking her right in the eyes.

  “Please,” she whispered, her face tight.

  “Tell me what you want, love. I'll give you anything you want.” The words flowed out of his mouth, and he prayed for her to open up to him. Come back to me, Toni, he silently begged, his body working hers. He skimmed his lips over hers, softly, in contrast to how hard he was fucking her. She was starting to make soft whimpering sounds in the back of her throat, and he knew she was close. But he wasn't done with her yet.

  Hinging his hips back, he pulled out of her and his body protested so loudly, he clenched his jaw in frustration. Her body relaxed, her thighs opening up, her chest heaving. But he wasn't wasting time. He flipped her over onto her side, lifting her knee high, opening her up and exposing her wet pussy to him. She watched him, one palm splayed on the bedspread, the other arm stretched above her head.

  “Toni,” he said, sliding his middle finger into her silky heat. “Do you still love me?” He was determined to get an answer, but she didn't speak. She bit down hard on her lip as he withdrew his finger, wet with her arousal, and circled her clit. She shivered, her toes pointing. “Did you get that sexy-ass tattoo because of me?” Again she stayed silent, but he could tell it was getting harder and harder for her to do so. His Toni never could keep quiet for long. With a smile, he lifted the finger to her nipple and flicked the dark bud. She jerked, a moan escaping.

  “I said, do you still love me?” he repeated, angling himself against her, sliding his cock against her slit. He pressed a hand palm down on her ass, still torturing them both by not pumping into her like they both needed. Then he slapped her ass, hard enough to make his hand sting. She jumped against him.

  “Goddammit, O'Donovan!” she yelled, pressing her face into the bedspread. “I hate you. I hate you so much,” she said, and he took her chin in his hand, angling her face up to look at him.

  “Liar,” he whispered, watching her eyes for her reaction. Something flickered in the depths of her eyes, and he got his answer. But then she squeezed her eyes shut, shutting him out. Relief throbbing through him, he plunged into her sweet pussy again, both of them screaming as she clenched around him. She drew both knees high up to her chest, whimpering and purring deep in her throat, the sounds driving him up the wall.

  “Look at me while I fuck you,” he commanded, as he bucked against her wildly. She slit her eyes, looking at him through her dark lashes, a
s his hand dropped to her breast, kneading the soft weight in his hand and tweaking the hard tip between his finger. She was so twisted up, her muscles so tight, she couldn't move against him. She could only take everything that he was giving her.

  Then she surprised him, because she was good at doing that. Stretching her flexible self, she lengthened her leg and hooked her heel on his shoulder. The new angle allowed him to slide even deeper, and he took advantage, slamming against her without abandon.

  “Come, lovely. Come for me,” he chanted, dropping his hand to her clit. As he circled her sensitive spot, he turned his face and drew his tongue slowly up the arch of her foot.

  “Oh!” she called out, and he felt her muscles contract against him as she came, squeezing him hard as a vice. She rolled her head, her swollen lips parted, her brow furrowed as he swerved into her, riding her orgasm. She threw an arm over her face, a deep tremor running through her. He withdrew again,and he leaned over her, sucking her left nipple into her mouth and flicking the tip with his tongue. She trembled lightly, panting as she came back down to earth.

  He pressed kisses down her body as he traveled southward. He felt her fingers graze his shoulders as he positioned himself, mouth to her clit. He caught her eyes right before he dipped his head and lapped up all of her cream. She bucked against his face, and he held her there, sucking and licking until he couldn't restrain himself anymore. His body was taut, his cock so sensitive it was almost painful. She was whimpering and crying out like she couldn't take much more, either, so he levered up, covered her writhing body with his, and thrust hard.

  Toni clamped her legs around his hips and swung an arm around his neck, pulling his face close to hers. He felt his heart speed up, not expecting her to kiss him, but wanting it all the same. She moved with him, their hips bumping together clumsily. Then she licked herself off of his lips, her tongue flicking between his teeth, and he felt his balls tighten. When she pressed her mouth to his, her kiss insistent and burning, he shoved himself so deep he didn't know how he would ever leave her again. He felt the orgasm in his brain before his dick, reality starting to pulse in and out. When he exploded into the condom between them, he felt all of his pain and despair and loneliness and love pulsing through him, the emotions overwhelming him. He loved her so much. He had been such a fucking idiot.