Connelly's Flame (26 page)

“I had hoped you had gotten over this. Apparently, I was wrong,” he snapped.

Taking her eyes off Charmane, she pinned him with a look that should have scared him. “What did I

get wrong? The fact that you wanted me to watch your daughter? The fact that you were sleeping with me

before you asked me to watch your daughter? The fact that you asked me again about wanting a family when

you already knew the answers from when you were here the first time, but this time your child was there? Or

is it that you are hoping I would crumble under your declaration of love?” Her eyes blazed as she questioned

him.

“Charmane!” Ross roared, not taking his eyes off Dezarae. “Shut off that vehicle.”

Moments later, Charmane walked up to them both and said, “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Apparently, Ms. Kerry and I have to work some more things out and I don’t want you driving

without one of us watching you,” he said as his hand latched like a steel vise on Dezarae’s arm.

“I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” Charmane said. “Please don’t fight because of me. I will go

back to Mama’s.”

“Let go of me,” Dezarae spat.

“Don’t fight!” Charmane yelled.

“This isn’t about you, Charmane,” Dezarae said in a remarkably calm voice. “I told your father I

would love to have you stay with me. This is between us.” Her eyes narrowed as she continued to glare at the

man holding her hostage.

“I don’t lie, Dez.” Ross refused to let her go.

“I have other things to do.” Dezarae tugged on her arm.

Ross shrugged. “Fine, go.” He dropped her arm as if he couldn’t stand to touch her.

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Dezarae couldn’t stop the surprised look that crossed her face. Composing herself, she blinked and

turned to walk off.

One step into her journey and Dezarae found herself being spun back around into Ross’s embrace.

His lips were on hers even before she could formulate a sentence, kissing her into a puddle.

The kiss was dominating as he demanded her acceptance of his mouth on hers. His tongue slid into

her mouth and tasted the sweet nectar she offered. Plundering her mouth, he didn’t relent until he felt her

arms begin to move around his body.

As she gripped him for support and to intensify the kiss, Dezarae felt it change. It went from

demanding to coaxing; he eased up on the pressure on her lips. His tongue teased hers as it swept around her

mouth.

Ross pulled back as he caught her moan of pleasure in his mouth. “Did you really think I would just

let you go? I told you. I love you, Firebird.” His lips brushed lightly against hers as he spoke.

“I just need some time to work it out in my head,” Dezarae admitted, realizing that she needed him in

her life.

“No going out with Jack?” he asked in a half demand, half-beg.

Blinking as she smiled softly at the jealousy in his voice, she promised, “Not without you at my

side.”

It was as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders at those words. While things weren’t back to

perfect between them, at least she was willing to give him the benefit of doubt. Love filled his gaze as he

caressed the side of her face, “Thank you for trusting me.”

“I’m trying,” Dezarae said as she allowed him to tuck her under his arm before they both faced

Charmane.

His hand ran idly over her shoulder. “Charmane, I’m going to talk to your mother tomorrow. You are

going to stay here with Dezarae.”

“Okay, Daddy.” The child looked at the couple facing her. Her father stood so tall and strong as he

hugged the woman he loved to him. The happiness in her father’s gaze was something she had never seen

when he had been with her mother or before he met Dezarae. They made a great couple and, for the second

time, Charmane hoped that this would be her new family life.

Dezarae was back to work at her desk in the shop. She had finally cleared off the rest of the papers

that had been waiting for her. Pushing away from the desk, she slid on a clean pair of coveralls and got back

to work on painting the Citroёn. The screens were up, separating this car from the others, and they were also

covered as an extra precaution.

Her mask on, she easily and swiftly painted the French car the pale jade-green color that she had

chosen. Conformation of her choice had come earlier in the day from the owner of the car. In fact, he had

okayed all of her color choices for his vehicles.

Cleaning up her dirty equipment, Dezarae stopped as she felt someone watching her. Looking over

her shoulder, she noticed Ross leaning against a wall, those gunmetal eyes of his on her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as her hands shook off the extra water.

“I wanted to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind,” Ross said as he moved effortlessly towards

her.

“About what?” Dezarae wondered, reaching for a towel to dry her hands on.

“Trusting me.” Tanned hands reached for her to bring her closer.

“I said I would try, but look at it from my point of view. How would you take it?” Dezarae

commented.

“Please believe I would never do anything like that. What we have is too special to use in any other

way.” Ross began to unzip her coveralls.

“What are you doing?” Her hands stopped his from continuing to lower the zipper.

“Getting you out of this,” he replied candidly.

“Why?”

“Because I want to make love to you. And you wearing this would make it more difficult.”

“I have work to do,” she said as she moved the zipper back up.

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Ross pulled her closer and bucked his hips against her, showing her how hard he was. “I want you.”

His words flowed like liqueur over her skin.

Looking up at the man who made her burn in unimaginable ways, Dezarae answered honestly, “I

want you, too.”

She found herself naked and being laid back on her small bed in no time as Ross settled above her.

His mouth latched onto one breast and suckled it as his erection prodded at her wet entrance.

Spreading her legs wider, she gripped his back and encouraged him with mewling cries. Her back

arched as he licked a path from one breast to the other. “Ross,” she whimpered as he continued to tease her.

“Hummm?” he murmured against the tight nipple he had in his mouth.

“Inside,” she begged.

One thrust of his hips and he was fully embedded within her molten heat. Both of them groaned in

relief and pleasure. Ross moved up to kiss her mouth as his body began to move within hers.

Each stroke was deliberately slow and drawn-out. He stroked every nerve inside her as he moved. In.

Out. In. Out. In. Out.

Dezarae began to writhe beneath him, trying to encourage him to go faster but he took his mouth off

hers and said, “No. No fucking, no having sex. We make love this time. Slow.”

“Please,” she tried.

“I don’t want this to end, Firebird.” He continued with his purposeful strokes. “I want you to burn for

me, like I burn for you.”

“I do, Ross, I do,” she moaned.

“Not as much as you will,” he promised her. Closing his eyes he willed patience to his body.

Each thrust of his hips made her cries grow louder. Her fingers dug into the smooth expanse of his

back as he continued his controlled strokes. Dezarae wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to keep him in

deeper.

Ross began to suck on her neck as her body reached the edge of the cliff. “Faster, Ross please,”

Dezarae cried, desperately wanting to reach her peak.

Feeling the tingling he got before he came, Ross agreed with her and began to move faster. Each

plunge into her garnered a cry from her full mouth as her eyes rolled back into her head and she pressed up to

meet his thrusts.

Faster.

Harder.

Deeper.

“Come for me, Firebird,” he demanded as his eyes watched as an orgasm took her body. She bit her

lower lip as her hands clamped down tighter onto him and her internal muscles contracted around him. “You

are so beautiful. I love you, Dezarae.”

Ross knew that he was about to come. Dezarae was still shuddering with the waves of pleasure from

her orgasm and as she milked him he lost what little control he had and with one last thrust came deep within

her body, screaming his release to the small room.

Dezarae felt his sperm cover her womb and her legs instinctively tightened around him to keep him

inside her. As his body collapsed on hers, she still had her legs like a vise around him.

I may have just gotten her pregnant.
Ross smiled into her neck as he realized that. Gently

disengaging her legs from around him, he rolled off her and gathered her close to his sweating body. “I love

you,” he said again.

I love you, too, Ross Connelly.
She couldn’t say it out loud to him so she remained silent and just

enjoyed his arms holding her close.

“I’d apologize for coming inside of you, but I’m not sorry,” he murmured to her as his lips moved

across her scalp.

I’m not, either.
“What is Charmane doing right now?” Dezarae asked, not wanting to think of what

the ramifications could occur from their slipup.

“She is making dinner. She is still worried that you think she is going to be in your way.” Ross said

as his hand found and played with one breast.

“I don’t think she is going to be in the way. I mean it will take time for me to get used to her being

here but I think we have done fine thus far.”

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“She feels bad for creating trouble between us. I heard her last night praying that it works between

us.” Dezarae tensed. “Don’t even think it, Dez,” he growled. “I wish you would stop looking for the worst in

everything that I say. I am not trying to make it work for her. I want it to work for me, for us.”

Relaxing again, she began to press little kisses along his bare chest. “How long until dinner?”

Lifting her up and settling her down on his rapidly-hardening penis, he said, “Long enough.”

Dinner was light-hearted as Charmane had a permanent smile on her face and the two adults were

remarkably relaxed.

Ross helped Dezarae wash dishes and made more of a nuisance of himself than anything else, as

much as he felt the need to touch her body. Even though he never verbally said it as they worked, his eyes

always told her how he felt.

Dezarae spent a bit of time on the phone setting up times for people to drop off vehicles. While she

did that, Ross sat silently in a chair reading a magazine and Charmane put a puzzle together.

Once Charmane was in bed, Ross and Dezarae sat out on the porch discussing tomorrow. “What time

do you have to leave to meet her?” Dezarae wondered.

“We meet around ten in the morning.” He slid his arm around her as they sat on the swing.

“Okay. Are you coming home tomorrow night?” she asked, hating that he was doing this alone.

Brushing her hair back from her neck, he kissed it. “I will be home tomorrow. Will you miss me?”

“Yes.” Dezarae answered immediately. “I hate that you are going to meet her. What if she decides

she wants you back?”

Ross smiled in the dark. “Firebird, she can wish all she wants. There is nothing she can say that will

make me take her back. Not now, especially since I have someone so much better in my life.”

“You always had Charmane,” Dezarae said.

“I did, but I was talking about you, my sexy firebird.” Ross replied.

Dezarae smiled as she remained silent. Her head easily resting against his shoulder, she let the

sounds of the country night flow over her.

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Aliyah Burke

“What the hell are you talking about!” Ross hollered at the woman he had married right out of high

school. Joy Patterson. The fact they were in a restaurant held no meaning to him.

Her brown eyes were full of hate as she looked at the father of her child. “I’m saying that if you want

her, you can buy her.”

“You would sell me our child?” Ross was incredulous.

“Basically. I will sign over my maternal rights if you pay me. Kind of like you buying my half of our

property.” Her sneer turned his gut.

Ross wanted to beat the hell out of both of them. Her boyfriend Don was sitting next to her and he

was scruffy-looking. Clenching his jaw, he asked the question he knew would send him to hell. “And how

much would this cost me?”

“Two hundred and fifty thousand.” Joy said, with a glance at her boyfriend.

“A quarter of a million dollars? And, assuming I did this, how am I to know you will go through

with it?”
I don’t have any way of coming up with that much money.

“Oh, you and I will meet three days from now. Don will be at the bank waiting for conformation of

fund deposits into this account.” She handed him a piece of paper across the booth table. “Then I will hand

you a notarized document that says I have relinquished my parental rights to you, after he calls me and tells

me the money is there.”

“Three days?” Ross felt his world drop out from under him. “How do you expect me to come up

with that amount in that time?”

With a careless shrug, she cooed, “Not my concern. I will see you here in three days, Rossy. Don’t

be late.” Venom filled her voice. “Oh, and if you don’t do this, you will never see her again. I will have your

rights revoked so fast it will make your head spin.”