Trial by Fire (Southern Heat Book 4) Read online

  Just as she found a rhythm, he changed it up again and Maya groaned loudly. “No, Seth, more.” Her voice was low and dripping with arousal, but damn, she was too turned on to blush this time. His fingers didn’t penetrate her again but instead moved to push her legs open wider as his mouth returned to her core, sucking her clit again, and her lips, before opening his mouth and thrusting his tongue between her folds. Maya writhed and he placed one hand on her belly, holding her still as he alternated between thrusts of his tongue, sucks, and licks. Just as she got used to one sensation, he’d switch it up, thrusting into her sex with his tongue only to move to her clit, flicking at it with a fast rhythm that was quickly driving her insane. She gathered up enough strength between licks to rise up on her elbows to watch and Seth looked up at her with a proud grin on his face. Yep, he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

  Lick, suck, thrust, nip, suck, fingers inside her, flick, thrust. The mass of sensation slowly built until there was nothing else in Maya’s world beside the softness of the sheets beneath her and Seth’s wicked ministrations. One of his hands rested on her thigh, holding her open to him, while the other thrust inside her again, moving faster now and with two fingers while his tongue teased at her clit. This time, he didn’t change, didn’t move, just kept thrusting and tonguing her until the building fire inside gathered and exploded. Her vision whited out and the world went away as wave upon wave of ecstasy flooded her body. She groaned. Hell, she could have been yelling his name for all she knew, or cared.

  Finally, the room seeped back into the edges of her consciousness. Seth was lying beside her, his chest pressed up to her while his hand leisurely stroked her body, passing over her sensitive core every few seconds. Maya shuddered. “Oh, my God.”

  He peppered her neck and shoulders with little kisses. “Sweetheart, that was just the starter. Ready for the main course?”

  Boneless, all Maya could do was mutter “Ahuh.”

  Seth grinned. “Need the words, Gorgeous.” Damn. He hadn’t held back on the pet names for her before, but now they were naked together they were coming thick and fast. She loved it.

  Maya turned her head and captured his lips, sweeping her tongue inside his mouth and kissing him thoroughly. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, no longer shying away from what she could see in there. The man had proven that he cared about her, that he was in this for the long haul, and then had Goddamned nearly killed her with an orgasm. There was no way she was questioning this any further. She was ready. “Make love to me, Seth.”

  Another groan fell from his lips, then he returned her kiss. He stood, rummaging through his jeans before pulling out his wallet. The fact he was going after a condom was the only reason Maya put up with his leaving the bed. He stood at the end, ripping open the small foil packet and then sheathed himself, stroking his cock until it was rock hard. His eyes never left hers as he climbed back on the bed next to her and rolled onto his side. Seth propped himself up on one arm before lifting one of her legs up and over his, sliding in between. His hand moved to her clit again, stroking her gently until the smoldering embers were blazing again. His hard cock rubbed against her folds and Maya wriggled, trying to slip him inside her. Seth shifted, reaching down and guided himself inside her.

  He started gradually, penetrating her only inch by inch and allowing her to adjust, his fingers still moving against her. He gained ground slowly, but after several thrusts, he was seated deep inside her. The position was different than anything she’d tried before and the stretch of him inside her coupled with his fingers working her clit had Maya gasping. She’d only just had one of the most earth-shattering orgasms of her life and the man already had her climbing high again. Her eyes stayed glued on his face, reveling in the pleasure echoed there. The fact that she could make Seth feel this amazing only increased her arousal, pushing her even higher.

  “God,” he grunted. “You feel fucking incredible.” His hand wrapped around under her knee, lifting her leg as he thrust again. The new position allowed him to slide in deeper again and Maya gasped. She reached her hand around and cradled his head, moving to kiss him, but Seth had other plans. Tilting his head down, as he continued to thrust inside her, he sucked her nipple into his mouth, working the sensitive flesh as he moved in and out of her body. Just as Maya thought she was going to explode, he moved again, kissing her as she wanted while still thrusting deeply. The sensation built, taking her close to the edge and then he moved again. He was going to drive her fucking insane!

  “Let me take you there,” he said. She groaned. Fucking mind reader. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.” He pressed his hand grasping her knee over, gently laying her leg down and shifting her onto her side to lie in front of him. The position put them back to chest, allowing him to thrust faster, his hand kneading at her breast and his tongue trailing up her neck. Everything inside her hummed as her nerve endings were set alight. Fuck. Maya didn’t know if she was going to come or die, but she was definitely hanging on to find out.

  Seth thrust into her again and again, his hands and lips roaming her entire body. Her hands gripped the sheets and he took advantage of the situation, pushing gently until he was behind her. His hand kneaded her ass, slapping her lightly. Maya gasped and he increased his speed again, up on his knees and thrusting into her fast and hard. Did the man own a fucking Kama Sutra? Wherever he learned his skills, she was not going to complain. His thick cock slid almost out of her before thrusting balls-deep inside, thrusting over her G-spot over and over again. She dropped her head forward on the bed, moaning loudly, and Seth’s hand reached around, rubbing furiously at her clit as he moved inside her—in and out, in and out—swiveling his hips on each thrust to hit every inch. She felt her core flutter around him and Seth’s forehead fell onto her shoulder. “Fuck, Maya.”

  His teeth bit gently into her skin and the small bite of pain mixed with the rolling pleasure tumbled her over the edge and into oblivion. “Seth!”

  He groaned at the sound of his name on her lips and as her core tightened around him he moved faster again until finally she felt him grow even thicker inside her. He thrust once, twice more, then held himself deep, his hands wrapped around her hips, as he spilled inside her.

  As Maya came back to reality, he tumbled down beside her on the bed, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. Still his lips moved over her skin, sucking on her earlobe and then dropping little kisses across her bare, now sweaty skin. “Fucking sensational, Gorgeous,” he muttered. He lifted his head and captured her lips, kissing her once more before standing and moving to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Maya’s eyes drifted closed, but even as she fell asleep she couldn’t wipe the wide smile from her face.

  22

  Seth

  Seth came to slowly the next morning. The sun was up, but the morning was overcast, covering the room in a dim light. A warm weight rested on his chest. Maya. Her head was lying on his pec, her arm resting over him and her body tucked into his side. He tightened his arm around her, breathing her in. She let out a small sigh and shuffled closer, but didn’t wake. Nothing had ever felt as good as waking up with her beside him. Well, almost nothing. Feeling her pussy flutter and then pulse around him as she’d come the night before had been the best fucking feeling in the entire world. Lying back, he allowed the memories to wash over him, turning his morning semi into a raging hard-on. Damn, he’d love nothing more than to roll over and wake Maya up with long, languid kisses before making her come with equally lazy thrusts, moving with her until it was just the two of them in the world again.

  But she was finally resting, sleeping longer than he figured she had all the rest of the week combined. There was no way he was waking her, especially to sate his own urges. Besides, she had to be sore after how vigorous they’d been last night, and she needed sleep where she could get it.

  He sucked in a breath, exhaling it slowly. Things were only going to get harder before they reached the end of the battle. He moved his a
rm out from beneath her slowly and then slid out of bed. Last night had been amazing, but today they’d be straight back into the real world. The world that totally sucked right now. The least he could do is make her breakfast before they decided what they were doing next with the information Liam had uncovered.

  One battle with the toaster and two burned frozen waffles later, he got some properly cooked and even managed to defrost some frozen berries and unearth the maple syrup. He piled it all up into his arms and somehow carried two plates plus the bowl of berries to the bedroom without dropping the entire lot on the floor. The plates clinked together as he placed them on the bedside table. Maya stirred again but stayed asleep, and so Seth padded back to the kitchen and retrieved the extra-strong mug of coffee he’d brewed while the first round of waffles had been turning black. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t noticed the smell. He sat down on Maya’s side of the bed—he liked the way that sounded—and waved the mug under her nose.

  “Mmmm,” she groaned, opening her eyes and stretching her hands above her head. “Now that’s worth waking up to.”

  He grinned. “Hopefully I’m the added bonus?”

  Maya’s eyes moved over him slowly, taking in every inch. Well, every visible inch, anyway. He’d shoved his legs through a pair of cotton pajama pants before venturing out to the kitchen, but the rest of him was available for her perusal.

  Her eyes were half lidded, from sleep or arousal he couldn’t tell, but the thought was enough to start a few more inches of him hardening. He stood, handing her the coffee and then moving over to the other side of the bed before the thin cotton pants gave him away. From the way Maya’s gaze followed him, if they got started again, they wouldn’t leave the bedroom all day. As much as that sounded like the best way ever to spend the next twenty-four hours, it was also the last day Seth had free before he was back on shift, and he needed to take the time to make sure Maya was safe before he had to leave for the entire day.

  He reached over and handed her a plate of waffles, resting his own plate on his lap for further erection disguise, and then placed the berries and bottle of syrup between them. The bowl tipped sideways when Maya shifted to grab it and tipped strawberries out onto his sheets. Any thoughts of stains were immediately forgotten when Maya scooped up a plump berry and held it between her lips, biting it in half. Juice dribbled down her chin and Seth suppressed a groan. Screw making it out of the house. He wasn’t going to make it through breakfast before pushing everything aside and taking her on top of the waffles if she did that again.

  He turned and placed his plate back on his bedside table, picking up his cell. “I can make a few calls while you eat, see if the cops found anything from the note since last night.”

  Maya nodded, her face calm, but the fork full of sweet syrup and waffles paused halfway to her mouth, dripping maple back onto the plate. All the light had gone out of her eyes. He grimaced. Seth hated himself immediately. He’d love to just wallow in this time together, play house with her, but tomorrow he’d be gone, possibly even unreachable, for a full twenty-four hours, and there was no way he was leaving her unprotected and unaware if he could help it.

  He stood, running a hand through his hair, then reached out a finger and nudged the still stationary fork toward her. “Eat, please.” He forced a smile. “I slaved over that for hours.” Maya chuckled and Seth’s grin became real, the sound warming his heart as he turned to walk back into the kitchen. Seeing Maya in his bed was doing more to him than he was expecting. It was incredibly easy to imagine her in the kitchen, or sitting on the couch when he walked in after his shift. It was as simple as breathing to imagine her everywhere in his apartment. Maybe it was something that could be possible. He hadn’t seen it coming, but Seth wasn’t even surprised. His heart had already known it was falling for Maya, likely from the first moment he’d seen her standing in the chief’s office. Now that his idiotic male brain had gotten on board, he wasn’t letting her go. His expression darkened. Nor was he letting a single fucker anywhere near her.

  Standing in his kitchen, he glowered at the burned waffle while tapping in the police station’s number, asking the dispatcher who answered for his friend, Scott Wilder. He hadn’t been on duty the night before, or the response to Maya’s report about the note would have been very different. He was sure of that. The detective the night before had been a total dick, almost blaming Maya for the fact she’d taken a few days to tell anyone about it. Seth was sure the detective had never been alone in a motel room, already alone and scared, only to have a threatening note pushed under the door. If he had, then he wouldn’t have been such a raging asshole.

  “Sorry, Mr. Hale, Sergeant Wilder won’t be in until next shift. I can patch you through to the detective handling Miss Graves’ case.”

  The last thing Seth wanted to do was talk to that idiot again. “No, thank you,” he said. “I’ll get in touch with Scott on his cell.” He pressed to end the call without waiting for a reply and then leaned back against the kitchen cabinet, letting out a breath. Ending the call like that had been a dick move of his own, but perhaps the detective would realize Seth wasn’t just some guy off the street if word got back to that he was a friend of Scott’s. Maybe then he’d give Maya’s case the attention it deserved. She’d already gotten a raw deal from her hometown cops, and he wasn’t going to let that happen again in Monroe.

  He pushed off the counter and walked back into the bedroom. Maya’s plate of waffles was now sitting next to his on the table, hers at least half gone, and water was running in the ensuite. He started toward the door, but before he’d made it fully across the room, Maya stepped out, fully dressed and hair back. The look on her face was all business. She stepped over to the chair in the corner and started gathering up the clothes he’d thrown across the room, folding them and placing them on the chair. “Where to first?” she asked, but she didn’t look his way.

  That was it. Seth wanted to keep her safe, but he’d obviously gone about it entirely the wrong way. There was no way he was going to let her continue for another second without realizing exactly what last night had meant to him. What he wanted it to continue to mean. He took two more steps, his large strides eating up the space between them. Maya looked up as he stepped right next to her and jumped, her shirt slipping out of her hands. Seth took the opportunity to take them in his, placing her hands on his chest before wrapping his arms around her waist. Her warm palms settled on his still-bare skin and sent shivers through him, despite the heat. He had a feeling Maya’s touch would always do that. He chucked a finger under her chin, pushing her head up until her eyes met his. “I’d like nothing more than to spend today doing more of what we started last night. You have to know that.”

  Maya kept her gaze on him, but her eyes were dulled, the brightness from their impromptu picnic in bed gone. “It’s okay, Seth,” she said. “Last night doesn’t have to change anything. I get it.” She started to pull away and he locked his arms around her, holding her close to him. Close enough that she’d be able to feel through the thin pajamas exactly what touching her did to him.

  “It meant the fucking world to me, Maya. I’ve been dying to touch you, to feel you, ever since I laid eyes on you.” Memories of her body flew through his mind, but he forced his eyes to stay open, his gaze to stay locked on hers. “Sliding inside you, God, there’s nothing better on the entire earth.” Her cheeks and lips colored as blood rushed to the surface and Maya fidgeted, brushing herself against his erect cock. He let out a small groan and she smiled, doing it again. He chuckled. “Okay, you little vixen. Do that one more time and we really will spend the entire day in bed.” Seth sobered, his smile dropping away. “As much as I hate it, reality is still here.”

  Maya’s gaze dropped again, but this time she stayed close, her body pressed firmly against his.

  Exactly where she’s supposed to be.

  “We shook the hornet’s nest yesterday, Gorgeous. They’re not going to give us a time-out simply because you finally l
et me kiss you.” There it was. Maya smiled, her eyes burning with the heat that had sparked between them the day before. “Let me keep helping you,” he said. “Get the bastards squared away. Then we can get back to me exploring your entire body and making you come so many times you forget your name.” Her body shuddered and a low groan fell from her lips. Seth leaned down and took her mouth, his tongue sweeping inside hers. Fuck it. The world could wait ten more minutes.

  Half an hour and one extremely cold shower later, he opened the truck’s door for Maya and then turned back out onto the road and toward the library. His fingers were tight around the steering wheel strong enough to cut off circulation again, but this time out of restraint rather than anger. He’d only just managed to stop himself from throwing her down on the research table at the library and kissing her senseless the day before, and that was before he’d known what it was like to be inside her. The library didn’t have cold showers and so if he was going to make it through the next several hours, he needed to lock down any thoughts involving Maya in his bed, Maya naked, Maya naked in his bed. And in the shower. Fuck! Seth reached up and rubbed at his forehead. Who was he kidding? He was totally screwed, gone over this woman, and he was loving every second of it.

  He pulled in at the library and grabbed Maya’s bag, leaving the armful of folders and pieces of paper for her. She had some sort of filing system going on, at least he thought she did, but he had no idea what it was. He was certain just picking up the folders would be enough to screw up it up.

  He held the library door open and once she was ensconced at the same table as the day before—shut up, brain!—he’d scoped out the library for any unfamiliar faces. Finding none that looked suspicious, he made a quick trip out to the coffee cart. After their chat that morning, Maya hadn’t eaten another bite of breakfast and they were likely setting up for a long-haul research session today. Even if she was still feeling upset or nervous, he hoped she’d never be able to refuse a danish. He was quickly learning that the way to her heart was anything sweet.