Connelly's Flame (16 page)

What about you?
“No, I have to get ready for my next few cars. And I have a lot of data that I have

to put into the computer.” She shrugged her shoulders, “Why did you stop?”

He chuckled as he began to move his magic hands. “You know, this would be so much better if we

were naked and on a bed.”

“Life would always be better with ‘if’ in it, Johnny Reb.” Dezarae closed her eyes and allowed

herself to relax.

“So, are you saying you don’t want a repeat of what happened in your garage?” His challenge rang

firmly in her ear.

59

CONNELLY’S FLAME

Aliyah Burke

Twisting out from under his touch, Dezarae looked at him, amazement on her features. “I can’t

believe you said that to me.” Her dark eyes picked up on Charmane coming across the yard.

“I want more than that, Dez. I want to make you scream my name out loud. I want to make love to

you. With you. All night and then some.” His eyes burned with a feral heat as he spoke.
You are mine,

Firebird, you are mine.

Charmane walked into the shop before Dezarae could formulate an answer. “Ready, Daddy? Are you

coming, Dezarae?”

Her expressive eyes moved to the child among them. “I’m not coming, Charmane.” She looked back

to Ross, “Not yet, anyway. I have to stay here and get some work done. I’ll see you both later on.”

“Bye, Dez,” Charmane said as she pulled her father out of the shop with her.

“Bye, Charmane. Have fun with your daddy.” Dezarae waved as they moved towards the vehicle.

Once they were in the confines of his green Explorer, then and only then did she allow her tears to fall.

60

CONNELLY’S FLAME

Aliyah Burke

Where is she?
Ross frowned as he left the room. “It’s eleven at night, where the hell would she be?”

Low voices coming from the open door grabbed his attention. Silently, he padded to the partial

opening and peered in.

Sitting together on the bed in the large purple and silver bedroom were Dezarae and the one Ross

had been searching for, Charmane. His daughter wore a nightgown while Dezarae wore an old tee-shirt and a

pair of pajama bottoms.

Charmane sat perfectly still in front of Dezarae as she got her hair braided. They were talking softly

as hushed music played in the background. Charmane was telling her about their dinner.

On one hand Ross wanted to listen and observe their interaction with one another but on the

other…on the other he wanted to be a part of the closeness he was witnessing. Even when Charmane had

been a baby, he had never sat with her and Joy. She didn’t want him near her or the baby.

So he moved the door open and slipped inside, unable to stay away from his daughter and the woman

who had brought life back to him. “Ladies,” he said in a quiet voice, “mind if I join you?”

Head immobile, Charmane answered him, “Hey, Daddy! Dezarae is braiding my hair. Come in and

sit down.”

“Evening, Ross,” Dezarae said in her naturally low voice. “Grab a seat.” She swallowed as her room

seemed to shrink the second his body filled it.

“I was on my way to check on you Charmane and I couldn’t find you,” Ross said. He sat in the chair

he had so thoroughly kissed Dezarae in earlier, his body lounging in it so he could easily watch the women

on the bed.

“Sorry, Daddy, I asked Dez earlier to braid my hair before bed. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said

softly.

“Don’t worry. I found you.” He winked at his daughter.
I have to find a way to get you away from

your mother.

“So you did,” she said moving her head to look at him, only to have a silent Dezarae gently but

firmly put it where she wanted it to stay. “Sorry, Dez,” Charmane apologized.

“So, then, what happened?” Dezarae prompted the girl to go back to her story, not wanting to give

Ross a chance to control the conversation.

For the next thirty minutes Ross sat in silence and watched his daughter bond with a woman more

tightly than he had ever seen. He knew Dezarae didn’t want him to talk and he was willing to watch and

listen. His gray eyes never left the women on the bed.

He stared at the way Dezarae was so patient with Charmane. How she smiled and nodded to things

that were said to her. How her soulful eyes moved to him from time to time and ran over his body as if

testing the water.

Ross sat up in the chair as Dezarae whispered something to his daughter, causing her to look at him

and laugh. “What is so funny?” he asked as his tall body unfolded gracefully from the chair and approached

the bed.

“Nothing,” they both said at the same time.

“Humph,” he grumbled as he narrowed his eyes at them. “Why is it that I don’t believe you?”

“Overly suspicious?” Dezarae teased.

“Of two women who look at me and laugh? Now why would that make me suspicious?” Ross

wondered sarcastically.

“Beats me,” Dezarae said. As he took another menacing step towards her bed, she added, “Charmane

is ready for bed now.” She smiled at the child and said good night to her.

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As the twelve-year-old led her father out of the room, Dezarae waggled her fingers at Ross as he left

with a promise in his gaze. Shutting the door behind them, Dezarae quickly brushed her teeth and headed for

bed herself. She had a busy day ahead of her.

Two hours later, she found herself lying awake looking up through the skylight that was over her

bed. “Damn him,” she swore. “Why the hell would I think he would actually come in here tonight?” Dezarae

flailed her arms and legs like she was having a tantrum, moaning in frustration she rolled over, punched her

pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. “Why the hell do I care?”

“Because you want me. No matter how hard you try to deny it, you want me, Firebird.” That sexy

Southern drawl reached her in bed.

“Ross,” she breathed. “What are you doing here?”

He chuckled. “After that fit you threw, you are going to pretend that you are shocked to see me

here?” Out of the shadows, he materialized beside her bed.

Of course he would be around to see that.
“Why are you here?” Dezarae tried to keep her heartbeat

slow and sound unaffected by the smell of this man. Still she rolled towards him.

“Because you called for me,” he said as he sat down beside her on the mattress.

“I did no such thing,” she protested even as her body shuddered with anticipation.

“You have been calling for me since the day we met. The same as my soul has been calling out for

you.” He leaned over her, halting millimeters away from her mouth.

Dezarae opened her mouth to dispute and found his mouth on hers. Ross slid his tongue into her

mouth as he simultaneously rolled her onto her back. Never breaking the kiss, he jerked the blankets off her

and took their place, covering her with his own body.

Strong hands were placed on either side of her head as the kiss intensified. Tongues stroked one

another as the age-old ritual began again.

Dezarae moved her hands up his back, urging him closer. The feel of his hard erection against her

was mind-blowing. Her body was dripping; she was so wet for him. His chest was bare, for she could feel the

warmth of his skin through her shirt.

She whimpered into his mouth as her hips bucked against him.
Now!
She wanted to scream that word

at him but Dezarae also didn’t want the toe-curling, spine-tingling kiss to end.

Ross’s whole body was alive for her. Every inch of his skin tingled, burned, felt more alive than he

had ever known possible. His body was painfully hard and with each upward thrust from Dezarae his control

slipped another notch. He had never dreamed passion could be this intense.

Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth off her full one. “Tell me now, Dez,” he said in a raspy desire-filled

voice.

Dezarae didn’t hesitate, “Stay with me tonight.”

Ross sighed as he lay on his side and rolled her to face him. Their lips met again, gentle this time.

For although the urgency was there, something deeper had blossomed between the night lovers.

Dezarae held his head between her hands as they explored each others mouths. He tasted so good. It

was like having a fine cigar only to be handed a snifter of top-of-the-line brandy to go with it. She teased his

tongue, drawing it back into her mouth to be sucked on.

His large hand leading the way, Ross felt her outline in the dark. Her body was perfect, each

generous curve she had would fit him like none before. Toned muscles didn’t remove from her sexuality—

they added to it.

Ross knew she was strong and he loved that about her. His gray eyes opened and he found himself

staring at the woman he knew he had fallen in love with. Her dark beauty was barely visible under the full

moon that shone upon them.

“Look at me, Dez.” His command was silky but concrete.

Thick lashes rose, exposing the melted-cocoa eyes. They were so dark it was like looking at black

pearls. Slowly, she released his mouth and just gazed at him. The only noise in the room was their heavy

breathing.

“I want to make love to you, Firebird.” Ross began as his hand moved up to touch her face.

“Yes,” Dezarae said and she put her lips back on his only to release a frustrated groan as he pulled

away.

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Aliyah Burke

“I want the lights on,” he mumbled against her mouth. “I want to be able to see all of you naked.

Beneath, beside, and above me.”

“All of them?” she questioned.

“All of them,” he confirmed, nibbling around the edges of her mouth. His fingers began to slide

under the bottom of her shirt to tease her skin.

Dezarae suddenly had doubts. She knew she wasn’t the slim girl she had been. While not fat, she

definitely wasn’t what one would describe as being attractive by society’s standards. Her belly wasn’t flat;

her arms were strong, as were her legs from doing what she did for a living.

Ross could feel her indecision. “Firebird, I already think you are perfect. I just want to be able to

look at you when we make love for the first time.”

“Why would you say something like that?” Her voice was truly amazed.

“Like what?”

“What you said. I already said yes. There is no reason for you to lie to me.” Skepticism filled her

tone.

Seconds passed before the room was filled with a blinding light as Ross had turned on the large

ceiling light. His body, clad in only pajama bottoms, stood beside her at the bed and pulled her up to a sitting

position.

His eyes were like flint. “What the hell would make you think that I was doing such a thing?”

Blinking furiously against his anger and the light, Dezarae didn’t answer him right away and his hand latched

around her arm and he repeated his question.

“Oh, let’s not kid ourselves here, Ross,” she said, regaining control of her senses. “We both know

that I am not your type of girl. I want to have sex with you, Ross, I said so. Don’t pretend that there is

anything more than what it is. I don’t need the sweet flowery words; I know you don’t mean them.”
I would

love for you to but I am not disillusioning myself.

With a smooth movement, Ross pulled her up from the bed and took her over to stand in front of the

large mirror she had on her wall. Standing before it, he stood behind her and stared at her in the reflection.

His eyes still shot sparks but his voice was controlled when he spoke. “You don’t know a damn thing

about me, Dezarae Kerry. You don’t know what my type of woman is or what turns me on. But I am going to

enlighten you.”

Ross settled his hands on her hips and continued to talk. “Look at the mirror,” he ordered. “Don’t

take your eyes off us.” When she nodded her understanding, he continued. “You
are
my kind of woman,

Dezarae. Everything about you is intoxicating to me. Your passion for life, your work, everything you do

turns me on. I can’t wait to get beneath that surface and really see what kind of passion you have locked up

inside of you.”

His hands began to move up under her shirt, exposing the dark skin as the thin material was bunched

up along the way. “The sparkle you get in your eye as you drive around your racetrack or work on a car.”

With one swift movement he pulled her shirt off, throwing it to the side before holding her arms, not

allowing her to hide her body. “How fearless you are climbing on top of containers to unhook them from the

helicopter—no matter how foolish—all of that tells me you love life.”

He placed light kisses along her shoulders, enjoying the smooth skin as his hands made like they

were going to touch her full breasts only to land on her ribs at the last second. “How can you not think you

are beautiful? Look at what I see. I see the smoothest skin God ever created. Breasts that were made for a

man to hold, cup, kiss, and suckle upon until you carried his child. Made for me.”

Ross slid his hands up under her breasts, allowing his thumbs to graze the already hardened tips. His

eyes had become molten mercury as he ran his tongue along her neck. “Imagine how it will feel to have my

mouth on you instead of my fingers, to have my tongue swirling about that hard tip of your luscious breast.”

His forefingers joined his thumbs to roll her nipples between them and he reveled in her tremble.