Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series) Read online

  Ava gauged how full she felt. “I am so stuffed; I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

  Paulo looked disappointed but said, “Then you take home. I pack up for you.” He hurried off to the kitchen. She saw Liam yawn and looked at her watch. It was almost ten o’clock, and she knew that he must be exhausted.

  “Are you taking the train back to Westchester tonight?”

  “No, actually I am going to sleep here. The company suite is occupied tonight and Paulo has graciously offered his couch to me. I brought some clothes.” He gestured to his backpack in the corner. “But I will walk you back to your apartment.”

  Ava stood up. “You don’t have to I can walk it by myself. It’s only five blocks.”

  Liam shook his head. “It’s late, and I will not allow you to walk by yourself.” He went to the closet to grab their coats. He helped her on with hers and slung his over his arm. They both went into the kitchen to say goodbye to Paulo. He had a shopping bag with desserts for them.

  He handed it to Ava and gave her a kiss on both cheeks. “I hope I see you again, Bella.”

  “Thank you, it was a wonderful dinner.” Paulo hugged her, and he shook Liam’s hand.

  Just then Ava had a thought. “Would you like to stay over at my place?”

  She saw Liam’s eyes brighten, “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

  “No imposition.”

  “Well, Paulo, I guess you won’t have a roommate tonight.”

  “That is fine, you snore much,” he said to Liam. “I hear you in my room. Orrible!” Liam raised his eyebrow and laughed. He reached down to grab his backpack, took the bag of desserts from Ava, and they made their way downstairs.

  The air on the street had gotten noticeably chilly. Liam asked if he should hail a cab, but Ava nixed the idea. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and reached for her hand. They briskly walked to her apartment several blocks down. There was a lot of activity on the streets even with the cold air; ten at night in NYC was still early on a Saturday.

  As they arrived at Ava’s building, they were happy to be in the warmth. Ava’s nose was cold. They pressed the elevator button, and Ava peered into the bag that Paolo had given them. It was filled with containers.

  The elevator arrived quickly, and Ava pushed the button. Liam put down the dessert bag and backed her against the wall. He moved a strand of her hair out of her face and bent down to kiss her. His lips were cool from the outside, but they were soft, and his kiss was gentle. When the elevator stopped, he withdrew, and she felt somewhat dizzy from his kiss. He picked up the bag and she went ahead of him.

  She dug in her purse for her keys and once again dropped them. Liam laughed and said “What is it with dropping keys? Is it just when I am around?” He picked them up and slipped the key into the lock. She finished by turning the key and pushing open the door.

  They were greeted by the fragrant smell of the roses he had brought her. Liam placed the bag with the desserts on the kitchen counter and asked her where he should leave his bag.

  “You can leave it in the foyer closet for now.”

  She removed her coat and opened the closet door, handing him a hanger for his own. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable,” Ava said and added, “You might want to do the same unless you want to sit around in your suit until bedtime.”

  “I want to change.” He picked up his bag and headed to the bathroom. Ava went to her bedroom and closed the door. She selected a pair of yoga pants and a dark pink t-shirt. Once again, she chose not to wear a bra. She was in her apartment, and she wanted to be comfortable.

  She came back to the living room; Liam was already changed and sitting on the couch. He had a form fitting dark blue t-shirt that framed his entire torso and arms. She had only seen him in loose-fitting shirts until now. He was very muscular. He must work out a lot to have muscles like that. He was also wearing a pair of gray sweat pants. He looked at ease dressed this casually.

  She just realized that Liam was the type of guy that was comfortable in his skin no matter what he wore. The more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. It had only been a week, but she could see how special he was.

  Ava went to the kitchen to retrieve the container and two spoons. Liam carefully scooped a small bit onto a spoon and held it to her mouth. She opened for him, and he gently slipped the spoon between her lips.

  “Oh, my gosh, how delicious.” Liam took some and tasted it.

  He scooped a small amount with his finger and held it to her lips. She opened for him and sucked and licked the smooth cream. She couldn’t take her eyes off his. When he removed his finger, she took a deep breath. The last time she had this feeling, she let her heart get too involved, and she was badly burned. Her stomach was in knots and lower down, her sex clenched. To break the awkwardness, she rose to return the spoons and Tiramisu to the kitchen. She washed the spoons and put the Tiramisu in the refrigerator. The other desserts went in the cabinet.

  Riley was a very curious boy, and he was already circling the bag that was left on the floor. She left the empty bag there because she was sure that tomorrow morning he would be sleeping in it. When she came back from the kitchen, she heard quiet snoring coming from Liam. Once again, he had fallen asleep on her couch. She grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch and covered him. Then she went to her bedroom, slipping under the covers of the king-sized bed and resisted the urge to quench her longing. She had trouble falling asleep because the anxiety was rising. She tried one of the relaxation techniques she learned, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

  “LEAVE ME, PLEASE, PLEASE, STOP CHASING ME. STOP, NO, NO, NO.”

  Ava ran through the woods. Her face and arms had bloody scratches on them. No matter where she ran, they would always found her. She moved fast as she could, but they were always there, more and more of them, laughing and pointing. Why couldn’t they just let her go, leave her alone? She was awakened by Liam, who had heard her screaming and entered her room. She was gripping the sheets, and her body was contorted. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gently shook her, calling her name until she opened her eyes. Tears had trickled out of her eyes, and her t-shirt and face were damp with sweat.

  She looked at Liam trying to recognize his face, and when she did, she clung to him and sobbed into his chest.

  “Come on now; everything is alright. What was that all about?”

  Ava didn’t answer him but instead asked if he could bring her a glass of water. While he was gone, she went to the small bath in her room and splashed cold water on her face. Her t-shirt was damp, and her breasts were very visible through the fabric. She went to her dresser and got another shirt to wear before Liam returned. When she was changed and came out of the small bath, he was sitting on the edge of her bed. A glass of water was on her nightstand. She sat back into bed and took long gulps of her water. Liam reached for the glass.

  “Small sips. Small sips.” He touched her knee and asked if she wanted to talk about it. She noticed he was no longer wearing his sweatpants. He had taken them off and was in his boxers.

  Liam saw her looking at his bare legs and offered her an explanation. “I often sleep in my boxer shorts. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Liam stroked her hair. “Are you alright now?” Ava nodded, and Liam rose to go back to the couch. She felt frightened as he started to leave the room.

  “Can you stay with me? Please just hold me for a little while?”

  He stared at her as if deciding, “Of course.”

  Ava flipped the covers back, and he climbed into bed. He worked his way over to her side and cuddled her in his arms. She reached up and turned off the light and drifted off to sleep in Liam’s arms.

  When she woke up early the next morning, Liam was on the other side of the bed. He had thrown the covers off of him and in the dawning light, she could see that his cock had worked its way out of his boxers. He was fully erect, and the head kissed his
belly. I guess this is what they refer to as morning wood.

  She was fascinated by his erection. Being a virgin with very little experience at all she had never seen a cock up close, (much less an erect cock). That was a lie. She had seen an erect cock before. She thought back to one summer shortly before her eighteenth birthday. It had been an incredibly hot late May evening. Even the air conditioning was not doing the trick, and she was uncomfortable with the Georgia humidity. She had decided to take a midnight dip in the pool, but when she got there, she heard voices.

  Ava had slowly crept to peer in between the bushes that were lined against the fence surrounding the pool. There were two naked people in the pool enclosure, and she recognized one as being her sister, Brooke, who was four years older than her. Brooke was gorgeous and had her share of men. Ava did not recognize this man, but then again she and Brooke were not exactly buddy-buddy. She could see them both since the interior pool lights were all lit. The man had an erection, and it was quite large. Brooke was kneeling on one of the chaise lounges and the man had positioned himself behind her.

  Ava heard her say, “Now, would you fuck me already!” The man slid his cock into her, and he grabbed her hips. Ava watched mesmerized as the sex act took place. She noticed he had a tattoo of a crest of some sort on his leg, but she could only make out three letters DER. She watched as Brooke’s hand slipped between her legs and she heard her moaned. The man was grunting as he moved his hips back and forth. She heard Brooke let out a final loud moan, and the hand between her legs dropped to the edge of the chaise.

  The man kept saying “I’m going to come, I’m going to come.”

  “Pull out, pull out!” Brooke had screamed. The man pulled his cock out of her, and he turned to the pebble garden that lined up against the concrete pool deck. If he had looked up, he might have caught a glimpse of Ava’s face, but he was concentrating on his pleasure. She saw him stroke his cock quickly and in a few moments, she heard him moan. She watched as thick white ropes of cum erupt from his cock, landing on the stones with a slapping noise. When he was finished, his cock maintained its erection. Brooke had jumped into the pool, and he had followed.

  As she thought back to the moment, she wondered if Liam came as much as that man had. Maybe eventually she would find out; she wanted to. Liam stirred but did not wake up. She continued to watch his erection and even got the courage to run her finger against the shaft. The skin was smooth as silk. That was all she had time to do because Liam turned on to his side. She slid back to her side and curled up and went back to sleep. She woke up a couple of hours later with the sun streaming in her eyes. Riley was sleeping curled up next to her chest.

  “Well, good morning my prince.” The cat yawned and stretched his legs. Ava turned over and saw that Liam was not in bed. She felt an emptiness until she saw him come into the room with a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you doing today? No more nightmares?”

  Ava gave him a sheepish grin. “No, thanks to you.”

  “Glad I could be of service.” He handed her the coffee.

  “Just how you like it with four spoons of sugar.”

  She noticed that he was wearing his sweatpants. Her face reddened at the thought that maybe he felt her touch him, but if he did, he made no indication. “What do you have planned for the day?”

  “On Sundays, I usually just kick back and relax. The paper should be outside the door. I get the New York Times today.” He left the room, and she heard the apartment door open and close. He came back with the paper, which he handed to her.

  “Oh, no. Not in here. The ink always rubs off on my white comforter.”

  Liam took the paper from her hand and took it out to the living room, then returned to ask, “Do you mind if I shower?”

  “There are fresh towels in the closet in the bathroom, and there might even be some manly body wash from the last time my brother, Michael, visited.”

  She watched Liam as he walked off to the bathroom. She waited until the shower started, then went into the small bath to wash her face and brush her teeth. Usually, she used the larger hall bath, but she didn’t want to wait until Liam finished his shower. He had taken clothing with him and came out fully dressed in shorts and a polo shirt. He sat on the couch, took out his laptop and opened a small eyeglass case. She didn’t know he wore glasses, but he looked very handsome in them.

  It was her turn to shower, and he said when she came out that he would be done checking his emails. Ava took her time in the shower. She wanted to be attractive to him. She shaved her legs and trimmed other intimate areas. It might be a long while until he saw or felt those areas but she felt confident knowing she was well groomed. She had a perfect racing stripe or landing pad; everyone called it something different. Sam had taken her once to get her pubic area waxed, but that had been her first and last time. How could any woman deal with that type of pain down there?

  Ava was ready to spend the day with him just lazing around her apartment. She sat next to him and read the front page of the New York Times and once again felt the flutters in her stomach. He looked up at her and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek; she turned her face to allow their lips to meet. Their kiss deepened, and she somehow ended up under him. His arms on either side of her while his tongue, teeth, and lips worked on her mouth. He sucked and nipped at her lips; his tongue danced with hers. He lay on the side of her, and his hand ran through her still damp hair. She no longer had butterflies but bats in her stomach. She was so nervous. Liam seemed to sense it, and he pulled back to stare into her green eyes before he spoke.

  “Can I tell you something? I have a confession, and I want to get this out before we get too deep.” All of a sudden she had a rush of anxiety. A million things went through her head about what it could be.

  “You can tell me anything, Liam.”

  “Please sit up. I want you to be looking at me when I tell you,” Now Ava was beginning to worry. What was so horrible?

  “I want you to know that I like you, but last Friday was not the first time I had seen you.”

  Her anxiety was growing, and she felt her chest tighten. What? Had he been stalking her?

  “I saw you two months ago when you were coming out of work with Samantha one evening. Justin and I were going to have drinks with her. You hit me like a lightning bolt, and I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I kept asking Sam to set us up, but she had told me that you had something happen back when you lived in Georgia. She told me that you didn’t date a lot because of it, but she would try. Last week, I begged her to get you to come out with us.”

  Liam continued to ramble. She watched him nervously lick his lips while he finished his confession.

  “I know we have only been dating a week, but I want you to know you can tell me anything. Maybe one day you can tell me about what happened to you, but I won’t push. I will understand if you don’t want to see me anymore. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last week; I couldn’t get away from work, and I wanted to do it in person. I just wanted to see if you even liked me. When you said yes to my dinner date, I knew I needed to tell you before it went any further.”

  Ava said nothing. She couldn’t believe that someone like him could have what basically was a crush on her.

  “Say something, please.” She gave him a big bear hug. “That is the sweetest thing I ever heard. Well, maybe it’s a little creepy but sweet.”

  “Creepy? Me, creepy?” Liam feigned tears, and she lightly punched his arm. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. She bent down to kiss him and instead nipped his cleft chin. She kissed and nuzzled his neck. She could feel him stirring beneath her as she straddled him.

  Liam put his hand on her chin and tipped her face up, so she was looking at him. Ava hoped she could trust Liam. She didn’t want this feeling to end. They spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing with Riley, watching TV, kissing and reading the paper. She raided her freezer for leftovers, and they overdosed on tiramisu, macarons a
nd rainbow cookies courtesy of Paulo.

  When bedtime came, Ava went into her bedroom with the full intention of having Liam sleep in her bed. Liam, though, had prepared the couch for his bed.

  “Do you want to sleep in my room with me?”

  He gave her a surprised look. “Do you want me to sleep there?”

  “Yes, I feel safe with you there. I slept so peacefully after you came to bed with me.”

  Liam turned out the light, and she snuggled up against his warm body. Sometime during the night, she moved over to her side. Liam had pushed the covers off, and she was cold. She wondered if she would get another early morning show, but when the alarm went off, Liam was already out of the shower.

  He came into the bedroom, his hair freshly spiked up and smelling of that delicious cologne. He was dressed already in gray slacks, light pink button down oxford with a gray tie.

  “You are a bit dressed down today? Did you have that in your bag?”

  “Yeah. No clients today, just working on some analysis.” He bent down to kiss her goodbye.

  “I have to go. I want to be in the office by 6:30.” Ava clung to his neck and hugged him.

  “Will you call me today?”

  “I’ll try but its Monday so I might be busy. Do you want to get together for dinner tonight?”

  “I would love that.”

  “I’m not sure what time I will be over, but I will text you when I’m leaving. I’ll see you later."

  She heard the apartment door close and got out of bed. She needed to get ready for work and had some cleaning in the kitchen before she left. She grabbed her robe and got into the shower. The bathroom was still steamy, and Liam had left his hair gel on the counter. She made a note of what brand he used so she could purchase a few tubes and have them in the cabinet.

  She turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray. She had plenty of pent up sexual tension from his denial and needed a release. She soaped her body, rubbing her soapy hands over her breasts. Even in the hot shower, her nipples hardened. She worked her way down her body to her sex. Her clit was already swollen with anticipation when she started to rub. She brought herself to climax in a couple of minutes.