Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series) Read online

  “Well sounds like a pretty good guy if he could help you when he didn’t even know you.”

  “Did you do the deed?”

  Rolling her eyes, she smartly replied, “I just met him. I’m not going to sleep with someone I barely know.”

  “Well let’s hope you lose your virginity before you are twenty-four. It’s time already.”

  “Say it a little louder; I want the whole office to hear.” She saw Sam gearing up to say it louder, and Ava quickly put her hand over her mouth.

  “I have a bunch of work to do,” Ava said. She watched Sam walk away hoping that her lie wouldn’t bite her in the ass later.

  Ava didn’t see Xander for most of the day, but he texted her after lunch.

  I wish you were here with me right now.

  She had gone past his office around noon, and the door was closed. He was probably in meetings with clients that he had mentioned.

  She texted back.

  Will I see you before I leave the office this afternoon?

  Probably not. I am working on a motion for Summary Judgment for one of David’s old cases. I hope we can see each other tonight.

  I hope so too!

  When it was time to leave for the day she didn’t bother going to Xander’s office; she went home. She knew that he might be busy working until well after business hours, so she was surprised when he called her a little after six.

  “Hello, sweetheart, I’m on my way out of the office. Do you want me to come over?” She could hear the pleading in his voice.

  “Do you feel like coming over or are you too tired?”

  “I want to see you no matter how tired I am. I need to stop by my apartment and change, though.”

  “Are you going to stay here tonight?”

  “I could but only if you ask me,” causing Ava to giggle

  “Okay, Xander Wilder do you want to come and have a sleepover at my apartment?”

  “Yes, I do. I will need to bring my suit for tomorrow unless I get up early and head over to my place before I leave for the office.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Just bring it with you.”

  Xander hung up and hailed a cab. He wanted to get to Ava as soon as possible. Fortunately, traffic was moving and within a half hour, he was at his apartment. He chose a suit from his closet and put it in a garment bag. Next, he packed some toiletries and something to wear to bed. Then he changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. It was a cool night, and he was able to jog over to her apartment without sweating much. He arrived at her building just after seven. She had instructed the front desk to send Xander up without calling her.

  Ava was sitting on her couch trying to figure out some of the crossword puzzle when he knocked. She was excited and nervous all at the same time. She opened the door, and he entered carrying all his stuff for the next day.

  “What are you moving in?”

  “Maybe someday, my sweet. Someday.” Ava turned and smiled. She could see a life with Xander, but only time would tell.

  She led him to her walk-in closet. She had a set of drawers on the far wall, and she opened two so he could see they were empty. “These are for you. You can keep whatever you want here.” Xander looked around her closet. It was packed with clothing, some of them he had not seen her wear before.

  “You have a lot of clothes.”

  “A lot of them Rachel made for me. She likes to use me as her model sometimes.” She watched him put his clothing in the drawers. It seemed he had brought several pairs of boxers, t-shirts, and socks. He also brought a pair of dress shoes and sneakers. She hoped this meant that he was planning on staying here as much as he could. She was happy to have a companion. Though she felt he was committed, she still felt the sting of what Liam did to her.

  They had a quick dinner of sandwiches, and after she had cleaned up, she settled down on the couch with Xander. He was working on the crossword puzzle again. When she sat down, he dropped the magazine and pencil on the coffee table and pulled her into his lap. He gently kissed her neck. Then he moved aside the collar of her blouse so he could trace the lines of her collarbone with his lips. She ran her hand through his hair and gripped his bicep with the other.

  Xander knew how to arouse a woman; he had plenty of practice. But his intention wasn’t to have sex with Ava it was to show his love to her. He unbuttoned the top button of her shirt to kiss her upper chest. His hands moved up to her hair, running them through it.

  She murmured his name several times, and it came across in a breathy whisper. Ava felt the nervousness in her stomach as he kissed her and further down, she felt a burning inside. He unbuttoned another button to kiss in between her breasts, then another to kiss her upper stomach. He moved his way down until her shirt was totally unbuttoned. He gently removed it from her pants and put his hands inside, so he was touching her torso. His hands moved up her back until he reached the clasp of her bra. He remained there, and he looked into Ava’s eyes. He saw desire and something else: fear.

  He said, “Just ask me to stop.”

  She didn’t say anything, but she moved her body, so she was now straddling his legs. She placed her hands around his neck and kissed his jaw, then his neck. She sucked on his earlobe, and he continued to work on the clasp of her bra until it was undone. He traced the sides of her bra with his hands until he was touching the underside of her breasts. She made no attempt to stop him. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was starting to get ever so slightly faster. Xander touched her firm breasts with his experienced fingers, kneading the flesh until he reached her nipples. He gently pinched them and ran his thumb over them until they were diamond hard.

  Xander pulled her close and whispered, “I want to suck them. Can I?”

  Ava could only nod. She wanted him. He pushed her blouse off her shoulders and down her arms until it fell to the floor. Then he slid her bra down. The whole time he was watching her eyes, reading them for signs of hesitation; he saw none.

  He saw that she had perfect breasts. They were large, firm and topped with a rosebud-colored nipple in beautiful contrast to her creamy flesh. He brought his head down to suck one nipple, then the other, his hands cupping the bottom of each breast.

  Ava whispered again, “Xander, please.” Xander stopped his movement to look at her. Her eyes were closed.

  He kissed her cheek “Open your eyes. Look at me.” She did as he asked. “Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?”

  She felt embarrassed and buried her head in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her stroking the naked flesh of her back. Ava could feel his arousal beneath her, pressing against her as she leaned into him.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t feel ready,” blushing a shade of crimson.

  “I told you that we would go slow and at your pace. Don’t feel embarrassed to tell me to stop. I will never get angry at you for letting me know how you feel. However, I will get angry if you let me do something you are not ready to do. We have plenty of time for everything.”

  Ava kissed his cheek and slid off his lap. She picked up her blouse and bra and went into the bedroom get ready for bed. This time, she didn’t close the door.

  Xander had already changed, and he was lying in her bed reading his emails. She changed in front of him and felt no embarrassment. She was practically naked wearing only her panties. She slipped on a t-shirt. Xander might have looked like he was reading his emails but he was watching her. He loved her shapely curves, full breasts, long neck and nicely shaped legs. She was athletic but not too muscular. Even when he saw her years ago, he was very attracted to her. The extra weight, glasses, and braces were no deterrent for him. He could see she was attractive even if others didn’t think so. He knew what happened to her was devastating. He wished he had been able to stop it, but the others fought him and voted to keep the event. The past ate at him especially when he thought about what she would say when she found out. He knew he would have to tell her soon.

  Chapter 11

  The next mornin
g they came into the office together. Ava had to admit that she had a wonderful sleep with him nearby. He snored, but she didn’t mind. They both acted professional, no touching, absolutely no kissing and no casual interaction. She didn’t want him or herself to face scrutiny, so they had to be careful. Ava worked on another file doing research and Xander was busy gathering information for the new clients he dealt with yesterday. They didn’t see each other until Ava entered his office with the research he had requested; by then, it was well after lunch. She had forgotten to eat and had her old standby, a papaya smoothie with a straw.

  Xander looked up when she entered. “Just the person I need to see. I have to discuss something of great importance with you.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was serious or if he wanted to have some alone time. She shut the door while sucking the smoothie up through the straw. As she turned, Xander was behind her. He took the smoothie out of her hand and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like papaya.

  He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered: “Do you know what you do to me when I see you sucking on that straw?”

  She giggled, and he kissed her neck. “I missed you today.”

  “I missed you more,” He purred.

  They discussed him picking up dinner on his way to her house after he stopped by his apartment to pick up a suit for the next day. She suggested Chinese, nearly mentioning Lotus Flower, but she didn’t want to taint her relationship with Xander for the one she had with Liam. He wasn’t sure what time he would leave since he had meetings with clients late in the afternoon. They would have to play it by ear.

  Ava started to sip her smoothie again. Xander shot her a dangerous look.

  “Stop that, you are driving me crazy,” he whispered. He went back to his desk and sat down. She took a seat in front of his desk and reached for one of the files.

  “You don’t have any notes on this one. Do you need any research done?”

  “I’m sure I do, but I haven’t had a chance to go through the case yet.”

  Xander’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID and said, “I need to take this. Can you close the door behind you?” He kept his hand over the receiver. She nodded as she made her way to the door. As she closed it, she heard, “No, Abby.”

  Her stomach started to knot. The last thing she needed was to lose another boyfriend to an ex. She felt sick and threw away the rest of the smoothie. When she got back to her desk, her cell had a voicemail. It was from her Gynecologist’s office letting her know she was due for her yearly check up. She called them back and set up an appointment for the following week. She made an appointment for 2:00 PM and would take the rest of the day off. She wanted to ask the doctor about birth control. She wanted to be responsible, and since she was in a relationship with Xander, she wanted to be ready when the time came. Her phone chirped with a text.

  I want to let you know that it was Abby that called. She is coming to New York and wanted to have lunch. I told her absolutely not. I have moved on, and I’m happy.

  Ava loved that he was being honest and offering her information without her asking.

  Did she say what she wanted to talk about?

  She said our relationship. I told her she ended the relationship, so there is nothing to say. She was not very happy and hung up on me.

  Ava breathed a sigh of relief but still worried that she had some competition. Abby had slept with Xander while she had not. It was something she hoped to rectify soon.

  It was 6:30 and Xander had not called her yet. She had just gotten off the phone with her father. She had told him that she had decided to defer a year before going to law school at NYU, that she was tired and needed to decompress. She also told him what had been going on the past few weeks. She had a boyfriend, lost that boyfriend and now had a new one. Her father hadn’t sounded all that happy that she was finally dating, but Jason Keene was always over-protective of his youngest daughter. She was sure that he would call Uncle Daniel and let him know he needed to keep an eye on her. She didn’t know which worried him more, the deferral or dating.

  After she had hung up, she sat on the couch watching the local news and eating some cheese and a couple of pretzels. She was famished. She had weighed herself when she got home and had lost eight pounds in the last month. She didn’t need to lose weight, and Robert had warned her that being too thin was not healthy. She was one hundred two pounds now, and she probably could stand to gain another five at least. She checked the weight chart on her phone and for 5’3” she should weigh about one hundred seven pounds. She would have to try to start eating better if she wanted to gain weight. She didn’t want to get sick. Her phone finally chirped

  Hey, sweetheart. I’m on my way to my apartment. I will text you when I am almost home so you can place the order. Can you get me the Kung Pao Chicken and Spare Ribs?

  She laughed because she was going to order the Kung Pao. She was going to get some egg rolls and rice, too. If she needed to gain weight, she needed to eat something that would help her gain.

  Just let me know when to call.

  She busied herself by getting plates, silverware, and glasses out of the cabinets. She couldn’t wait for him to get here, she was starved. But that wasn’t the reason why. She wanted him to be with her. I have already fallen for him. I think I’m in love with him.

  Xander finally arrived with the food and suit in tow around eight. She was so hungry by then that she didn’t wait for him to hang his clothes in the closet. She sat down at the breakfast bar and started to open up the cartons and containers of food.

  “I notice that you got the large carton of Kung Pao.”

  “It’s one of my favorites. I like a bit of spicy.”

  “Well, you are a bit of spicy.”

  Ava laughed. “Yeah I guess I can be.”

  “You were when you threw me out of your apartment on Saturday.”

  She looked down at her food. “I never apologized for that. I’m sorry, I was not in the best of moods, and I took it out on you.”

  “It’s okay; I don’t blame you for being upset at the time.” He kissed her forehead.”

  They ate and after, Xander changed into shorts, and a t-shirt then asked, “Can we just lie in bed? I’m really tired.”

  “Get into bed and I will be in soon” Ava padded down the hall to the bathroom and by the time she got to bed, Xander was dozing. She set the alarm for 5:30 AM and got into bed. Xander stirred and reached out for her. They met each other in the middle, and she laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating, and it lulled her to sleep. The next thing she knew she was being awakened by Xander.

  “Sweetheart, wake up. Ava, wake up!”

  “Wh, what happened?”

  “You were thrashing around and yelling about someone chasing you,”

  Ava remembered but she wasn’t ready to tell Xander about her nightmares and why they happened. “Oh, weird.”

  Xander wiggled back under the covers and pulled her close. She knew eventually she would have to tell him the whole sordid story about what caused the nightmares. Also, she would need to tell him about her anxiety and the occasional need for medication. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him.

  The next morning, she woke up just before the alarm sounded. She shut the alarm and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Just as she stepped under the water, there was a knock at the door, with Xander wanting to shave while she showered. Though she wasn’t sure she wanted him to see her totally naked, she relented. He entered the bathroom only wearing his boxers.

  “Can I use the clothes hamper for my dirty stuff?” Ava had no problem with it and made a mental note to do a midweek laundry.

  She watched him through the fogged shower glass as he opened his toiletry bag. He put everything he needed on the counter. She was fascinated as he lathered up his face. What she didn’t know was that he was looking at her in the mirror.

  “Are you watching me?” She looked away and continued to wash. He went back to shaving
and was finished just as she reached her arm for her towel. He gave her privacy not wanting to embarrass her. When she was done, she secured the towel around her body and stepped out.

  “Do you want a turn?”

  “Well, yes, but I don’t want to be too forward even though you have seen me naked already,” he smirked at her.

  “I had no choice in that matter. You smelled like vomit. If I didn’t help, I’m sure you would have fallen in the shower.”

  “I’m glad you came to help me.” He quickly slipped down his boxers and stepped into the shower. And she caught a quick glimpse of his muscular backside. Ava combed her hair in front of the mirror and brushed her teeth.

  By the time they got to work, they were both ready for the day. Ava went to her desk and Xander to his office. He texted her a little while later.

  I have to leave for a few hours. I need to be at the courthouse. I hope to be back by early afternoon. If you need anything, just take it from my office.

  She was disappointed she wouldn’t see him a good part of the day, but she hoped he would stay over again tonight. Her day dragged and by two she still hadn’t heard from Xander. She went down the hall to check his office, and she saw the light was not on. She needed to transcribe her notes, so she sat in the alcove. She would have preferred the couch in his office, but she didn’t want to sit in there without his permission. They needed to keep up appearances of boss to employee.

  She started her transcription and noticed the sky had gotten very dark. It had been a dry spring, but now it looked like it was going to start to pour. A few minutes later and big splatters of rain hit the window. She got up to look out and saw that the ground had already become saturated. Water was running fast down the sides of the streets. She turned to hear squishy footfalls behind her. Poor Xander was coming down the hall, and he was soaked. His hair was plastered to his head, and his suit was drenched.