Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series) Read online

  “No, that could be problematic” Xander admitted.

  “I know my father; he would ask what I did to you and why you wanted a transfer. It would make the partners suspicious if you asked for a transfer since I specifically asked to have you permanently assigned to me.”

  “Well then, the only other alternative is to keep it quiet. We can’t act like we are dating and you certainly can’t kiss or touch me at the office.”

  Xander pursed his lips together, but she didn’t sway.

  “I mean it. I would like to date you, but it can’t be obvious that we are together. It also might mean that we have to be careful outside of the office. I don’t want to be part of drama or gossip or worse yet to jeopardize our careers. Do you think you can do that?” She watched as he flexed his jaw.

  “I think I can, but it will be hard. Remember, I’m already in love with you. You need to catch up.”

  Ava looked down and mumbled, “I somehow don’t think that will be hard.”

  Xander smiled and extended his hand to her. “Can you come closer? As long as we are dating and in the privacy of my home, I want you as near to me as possible.” She unfolded her legs and pushed herself over to him. He pulled her onto his lap.

  “Now, this time, I am going to give you a heads up and tell you that I am going to kiss you.” He didn’t wait for an answer, and he pressed his lips against hers. She was immediately responsive to him and her lips parted for his tongue to probe her mouth. She could feel her heart pounding as his lips moved over hers. She fisted the back of his thick hair as his kiss grew more insistent. His tongue pushed deeper into her mouth rubbing seductively against hers. She could feel the heat from his body against hers. All her senses were tingling. His clean smell and the brush of his stubble against her face. Her stomach started to get butterflies and further down she felt her sex clenching. She could feel her cheeks flushing and growing hot. Ava let out a small moan as he sucked on her bottom lip. He finally broke the kiss.

  “You smell so good. What is that perfume you are wearing?”

  She started to giggle.

  “What? What is so funny?”

  “I think its antiseptic you are smelling.”

  “Stop it; it’s not antiseptic. It is something sweeter.” Xander didn’t wait for an answer. He pressed his lips against hers again, and his tongue gently pushed into her mouth. She sucked on his tongue and this time she heard him moan. She could feel his arousal against her back. He worked his hand under the hem of her t-shirt, and his fingers caressed her soft stomach. He slowly worked his hand higher up until it was just below her breasts. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. All he saw was desire, and he pressed his lips back against hers and continued his ascent. He skimmed the bottoms of her firm breasts with his fingers, first one then the other. She did not protest. He cupped her left breast in his hand as his thumb caressed her nipple. She moaned into his mouth. Her arousal was apparent, and so was his.

  She pulled away from him and whispered his name, “Xander.”

  He continued working both of her breasts with his hand. “I need you to stop.” She sounded scared. He broke the kiss and removed his hand. She sat up but remained in his lap. She wrapped both arms around his neck and buried her head on his shoulder.

  “What’s wrong? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

  “It’s not that.” She kept her head buried in his shoulder because she felt embarrassed for what she was to tell him. “I’m a virgin.” He hugged her tight.

  “That doesn’t matter to me. We can go as slow as you want.” He dreaded the thought, but he knew he needed to ask, “Do you want to go home? It’s getting late.”

  She remained on his lap resting her head against his chest when she asked, “Can I stay here with you tonight?”

  He looked at her with widened eyes. “I have a guest room with a queen bed if you want to sleep over.”

  “No, I want to sleep in the same bed with you, is that alright even if we don’t have sex?”

  He kissed her cheek. “I’m not going to push you into sex, and I welcome you in my bed if you want to stay here.” She rose from his lap and got off the bed.

  “Where are you going, sweetheart?”

  “To find my phone, I need to make a call.” When she got back, she explained, “I asked Gage to feed Riley. Poor little guy hasn’t had me around very much lately. I’m thinking about getting him a playmate.”

  Xander chuckled. “Well, I can understand how he must be missing you. I know I would if we were apart.” Ava dove onto the bed and hugged Xander’s legs. She felt so much happiness even though the day had started so crappy. She was thanking her lucky stars that Liam had broken up with her. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

  Xander unraveled her arms from his legs and pulled her up and back to his lap. He did it with ease since Ava was barely one hundred five pounds. He kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

  “Do you want to watch a movie or go to bed?”

  “It’s still early, let’s watch a movie.” Xander pulled back the covers and slipped into bed. He patted the other side of the bed, and she followed suit. She snuggled up to him with her head on his chest. He turned on the flat screen over his dresser and scrolled through a series of menus using the remote.

  Ava said stop. He looked at her and rolled his eyes, “That one.”

  “Do we have to watch that?”

  “Yes, I want to watch it.”

  Xander pressed the button to start The Notebook. She felt relaxed with him even more than she had during her short time with Liam. As the movie progressed, Xander started to stroke her hair and kissed the top of her head. Halfway through the movie, Xander heard her even breaths that only come with sleep. He turned the television off and went to sleep as well.

  Ava woke the next morning alone in bed. Xander was not in the room. She flipped the covers off her to find him and was going to leave the room when she noticed that the bathroom door was closed. She knocked.

  “Come in.”

  She opened the door, and he was sitting in the large tub surrounded by bubbles.

  “Are you kidding? Do you usually take a bath or is this for my amusement?”

  “Every Sunday I like to take a bubble bath while I read the paper.” He had a tray that stretched across the tub and indeed, there was the New York Times.

  “So you do this every Sunday?”

  “Yes I do and maybe one Sunday you would like to join me,” He winked at her. She had to admit that the bubbles looked very inviting, but she was shy about showing him her naked body. Maybe after they were together for awhile, she would feel more comfortable.

  “It’s very possible,” she winked back.

  She exited the bathroom because she didn’t want another peep show. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything she needed to cook breakfast. By the time he came out of the bathroom, she had placed a perfectly folded omelet on a plate for him. She made herself a sunny side up egg and sat down with him at the breakfast bar. It was amazing how comfortable she felt in his home.

  “So, what do you want to do today?”

  “I need to go home and take care of Riley. I’m in fear for my carpets. He hates when I am away all day. Would you like to come over to my place?”

  “Sure. By the way, how is your knee feeling?”

  She bent over and pulled up the leg of the shorts she was wearing. She still had the bandage he had put on yesterday after the shower. She pulled the tape to reveal an ugly abrasion and a large bruise. She flexed it. “It feels much better. I think the ice did the trick. I could barely walk after it happened but now it just feels a little tight. We need to stop at Stan’s or one of the drugstores. I have no first aid stuff at my apartment,”

  “I was going to ask you why you used scotch tape to put. That was genius!”

  “It might have been genius, but once it got wet, it fell off, thanks to you.” When they were done with breakfast, he cleaned the dishes, and she went to get
her clothes out of the dryer. She dressed in the laundry room while he dressed in his bedroom. When he emerged, he was wearing tight black jeans, a light blue sweater, and sneakers.

  “Ah, you have more than one pair of sneakers.”

  “Fortunately, yes. I wasn’t about to figure out how to clean vomit out of the other pair.” Xander made a sour face. “Ready to go?”

  He opened the door for her, and they got on the elevator. When she had come the day before she didn’t have time to look at the building lobby but it was grand. Xander told her they had a twenty-four hour concierge.

  “How do you afford this place?”

  “I don’t. My father owns it, and I pay him rent though it’s not nearly the amount that he would charge a tenant. I previously had a small apartment with a roommate on Central Park West. My roommate was getting married, and I wanted to move. The tenant my father had was moving back to Europe, so I asked if I could rent this place. The deal is that when I start earning more money, I will move out to purchase my own place. He has given me a two-year lease, but I am going to try to buy an apartment by next year.

  “What about you? Is your rent expensive?”

  “I own my apartment.”

  Xander raised his eyebrows. “You must have saved every cent to buy that place. That is a nice area with the amenities it has.”

  She shook her head. “I bought it with some of my inheritance. My mother left all of us trusts when she passed away. She didn’t like to talk about it, but it appeared that Xander was impressed.

  When they got out onto the street, he reached for her hand. Hands clasped, they walked the several blocks to her apartment. They rode the elevator upstairs, and she fished her keys out of her purse. Sure enough, Riley had gone crazy. The carpet in the foyer was pulled halfway across the living room. He had tipped over one of her plants, and she could hear him scratching the carpet near her bedroom.

  “Oh boy, he is on a bender.” He tore into the living area, and Xander reached down to scoop him up. He scratched the cat behind the ears, and he started to purr loudly.

  “Someone has a new friend.”

  “Him or me?” Xander chuckled. Ava went to the kitchen to prepare Riley’s food. He struggled out of Xander’s arms and ran to his bowl.

  “I’m going to take a shower.”

  “You really should try a bath one of these days,” Xander said seductively.

  “I’ll take it under advisement.” She closed the bathroom door, and he heard the shower going. He opened up the paper and took out the magazine crossword puzzle. He found a pencil on the coffee table and began filling it in.

  She came down the hall in a towel. “Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

  Xander was startled and aroused at the same time seeing her only in the towel.

  “I’m doing the puzzle, is that okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay. That is my puzzle. I look forward to that all week.”

  “We have to get you out of the house more.” And preferably in my bed. He handed her the magazine, noting, “See, I gave you a head start.” Her towel opened just a little when she bent down, and he got a quick look at her upper thighs. It gave him butterflies. Ava went into the bedroom and left the door slightly ajar. From the couch, he caught glimpses of her naked body as she dressed. He started to get further aroused, and he turned his attention away from her to the paper. He turned on the TV and watched the weather channel.

  “Sweetheart? It’s going to be nice today. Do you want to go for a walk in the park or stay here?”

  Ava got shivers when he called her that. She loved being outdoors in the spring and was glad that winter was over for the year.

  “Sure, I think my knee can handle a slow walk.” Ava got dressed and let her hair air dry. What a turnaround in twenty-four hours. Yesterday I was furious at him and threw him out of my apartment, and now I’m happy to be spending time with him. Maybe it was because Liam had so abruptly (by email) ended their relationship.

  Or maybe it was that she had feelings for him. And why not? He was intelligent, caring, handsome, successful and had a great sense of humor. She chalked his erratic behavior previously to his emotions. If he had just told her in the beginning, they would have been able to start off on the right foot. But really, what would her reaction have been? She didn’t trust men. The ones she had dated either lied to her, just wanted to get her into bed or treated her badly. Liam was a prime example of that.

  Xander was the opposite. It did bother her that they would have to keep their relationship quiet but eventually they would have to tell someone. She put that out of her mind so she could enjoy the rest of her Sunday with him. They spent time in the park where he bought her an Italian ice. She cooked him spaghetti when they got back to her place, and she relented and let him work on the crossword puzzle with her. At nine, he had to leave. He needed a good night’s sleep since he had new clients coming in tomorrow.

  As she walked him to the door, he spoke to her about being at work.

  “I want you to know that as much as it’s going to kill me, we must be professional at the office. There will come a time when we can reveal our relationship. Right now I don’t think I would be able to bear being away from you all day every day. At least this way we get to see each other even if I am still your boss.”

  “You are my boss at work, but we are equals away from the office.”

  His eyebrows knitted together. “I never said we weren’t. Just remember that especially if I need to order you to do something. I don’t want our professional life to spill into our personal lives. When we are away from the office, you are my only focus. I don’t want to discuss anything associated with work, agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  He placed his hand on her chin and tipped her face up so he could kiss her. “I have to go, but I will miss you sleeping in my bed tonight.” After he had left, she busied herself with getting her things ready for Monday. She was nervous and hoped that no one would be able to tell they were together.

  Ava arrived at the office and wanted to see Xander before she got started with her day. Because she had been out for two days last week, she still had a few things backlogged plus whatever he assigned her to do. He hadn’t arrived yet, so she sat in the alcove waiting. When she heard him opening his door, she followed him.

  “Hi,” she said seductively. She saw him jump a little.

  “Dammit. You scared me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Close the door for a minute, I need to talk to you,” he said. Her stomach started to tighten. She closed the door while he removed his jacket and put it on a coat rack behind his desk. He moved around the desk like a panther. As she was about to sit down, he took her in his arms.

  “I need to do this.”

  He pressed his lips hard against hers. His tongue hungrily pushed into her mouth. He kissed her with abandon. The first day and he is already breaking the rules he set. When he finally pulled away, she was weak-kneed. She started to feel dizzy.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I need you in my bed at night. Last night was no fun without you there, and I barely got any sleep. We are going to have to make up some schedule where we can be together after work. I don’t care if I have to sleep at your place each night. I just need to be with you.”

  She looked at his weary face. “Would that be so bad?”

  “No, but maybe you don’t want me there all the time.” There was a knock on the door. Ava swiped her hand over Xander’s lips since he now wore her lip gloss. She quickly sat in the chair and put a file folder in her lap. Xander opened the door, and it was Jacob.

  “How was Maryland?”

  Ava greeted Jacob with a little wave.

  “It was fine, but I’m all seafooded out. I don’t want to see another crab or lobster for at least another week or two.”

  Xander and Ava both laughed.

  “So what brings you to my office so early?” Xander asked.

  “Brian, my dad, and your d
ad want to see us both in the conference room at 8:15. I think this has to do with the David Townsend issue. Since we are both taking on his cases, they want to discuss some things with us.” Xander turned Ava.

  “You can handle the items we discussed without my assistance?” She knew it was all an act for Jacob.

  “Yes, I think I will be fine. If I have any questions I will write them down and discuss them with you when you get back from your meeting.” Jacob turned to walk out of the office. Xander followed, but he floated his hand across her shoulder as he walked by her.

  Ava left his office and headed back to her desk. Sam was waiting for her, and she seemed like she was spitting mad.

  “So, I heard what that asshole Liam did to you. I’m going to fly to London and cut off his balls. That son of a bitch didn’t have the decency to come back and tell you in person. He does it through an email!” Ava kept her voice low when trying to calm Sam.

  “Keep your voice down. I don’t want the whole office to hear.” Sam raised one eyebrow at her.

  “You know, for someone who just got dumped you don’t sound so upset.”

  “I was initially… but I met someone this weekend in the park.” Sam leaned towards her with interest.

  “Really? Do tell.”

  “I was running, and I tripped over an indentation in the path. I fell. He picked me up and helped me back home.”

  “Shit, did you get hurt?” Ava pulled her skirt away from her knee. She had left the wound unbandaged so it could get some air. “Wow, that is some scrape. Your knee is all bruised up,” Sam said.

  “It was bad when it first happened, and I was limping. He carried me back to my apartment building.” She didn’t tell her that he had come into her apartment and cleaned her up because Sam would yell at Ava for letting a stranger in her place. “He called me later to see how I was, and we went out.”

  “Does this guy have a name?”

  Ava searched her brain. She should have had all the details ready before she told Sam anything. “Uh, his name is Alex.”