Fire Burns Hot ((An FBI/ Romance Thriller~ (Book 5))) (46 page)

Blackhawk laughed. “Once he finds out he’s getting another grandchild he’ll give you anything you want
, including a kidney.”

“I’ll make it if he won’t,” offered Callen.

Neither of them laughed, because the look on his face was so serene and sincere.

“I’d love that Callen,” Elizabeth answered. “Sweet dreams boys. I love you so much,” she closed her eyes and enjoyed the slow rhythmic breathing. It lulled her into sleep and offered her peace.

Everything would be all right, now that she knew her family would stay intact.

                                               *    *     *

He paced his house waiting to be able to find the next woman to make his own. Heading to the strip club had been useless. All the women he liked were off for the night, and none of the other prospects were anything that interested him.

Damn the stupid holiday
!

Now he was going to have to wait until Monday night to find and take a woman. He couldn’t wait any longer. His body was tight with need and want, and only one of the women there could satisfy him and then give him joy as he set
her ablaze.

All he wanted was to smell the melting hair, the bubbling fat causing the fire to burn hotter, and the crackling of whore
roasting, covered in flames.

Contemplating going out and picking up a
hooker, he looked at his watch. It was too late, and it appeared he’d be going to bed alone and only thinking about burying himself in some wanton flesh.

Going to his room,
he slammed his door.

Unfortunately, he was his own date for the night.

                                *    *     *

Julian held her hand all the way back to his cabin, fearing if he let go, she’d make a break for it into the night. Now that he found her, he wasn’t willing to let her
leave.

He was in love.

Yeah, he took quite the tumble. Thinking back to the time they spent in Cypress Grove, it probably happened the first time he saw her. When she stood in the crowd of techs and his eyes found her, standing out like a jewel among the common, he should have known. Now it was going to be a matter of making her see and stay. That meant finding out if Tori was still in love with the man who died and took her with him years ago.

Everything in him needed to break through the shell she had surrounded herself with, and make her see that he was the one too.
It was obvious that it was going to take patience and time.

“Are you okay, Tori?” he asked, quietly.

Glancing over at him, Tori smiled. “I’m just enjoying the views of the reservation. It’s pretty at night with the stars and the snow.”

Julian didn’t think he’d heard anyone call the Rez pretty before. Most Indian Reservations were hell on earth. Poverty pulled the Natives down into its grasps, never letting them go. The only reason he survived was because of the job he had in Red River as a deputy, and now his own business. Tracking wasn’t lucrative, but it did pay well enough to keep his home repaired, himself and his ladies fed, and his bills paid.
Eventually he’d be branching out, once he had his private investigator license. Tori most likely made double what he made as a federal agent for the FBI. Living on the Rez was more a thorn in his side than a blessing, but he was Native and this was his home.

“Tomorrow
we can take a ride on the horses,” he stated, hoping she’d still join him. Julian wanted to see her with Wakanda and Weeko.

“
I can’t wait, Julian.”

Pulling into the driveway,
she stared at the totem in the headlights. “I really like your totem, it’s pretty awesome,” she offered.

Julian laughed. “Here’s the irony behind that totem. I bought it over a year ago, and
tried to find information on the artist. I searched on line, through the Native community and anywhere I could get a lead and never once could I find anything on him.”

“I don’t get the irony,” she interjected.

“That beautiful piece of art was hand carved by Wyler Blackhawk.”

Tori glanced over. “As in…”

He nodded. “Life puts you on a path for a reason Tori. We don’t always understand it, or like where it initially leads but it knows best. Fate just knows.”

Tori watched him in the shadows of the car. There was no doubt in her mind what he was referencing. Julian was discussing them and her past.

“Want to go in and have some beer on the couch?” he asked, hoping she still wasn’t going to run.

“Yeah, I think that sounds really great.”

Julian hustled out of the car and to the passenger door, holding out his hand for her. “Come along ma’ lady.”

Tori laughed. A N
ative doing a really bad British accent was funny as hell. Linking her arm through his, she walked by his side to the door. Once inside, he hung up both of their coats, and pointed at the couch.

“I’ll get the beer, you warm up the couch.”

She strolled over and sat, looking around the room. Now that she wasn’t nervous, it was so much easier to take it all in. The room had subtle decorations scattered intermittently.

When he joined her, handing her a beer, she felt the curiosity getting to her. “The totem, what’s it mean?”

Sipping his beer, he leaned back. “My entire life I always had these dreams of three eagles following me. My spirit guide is the horse, but these three eagles have tracked me all through life. I figure it means something, I just don’t know what yet. Once I solve it, I’ll let you know.”

“What does the horse signify?”

Julian sipped his beer. “The horse is an independent creature that likes the adventure. Original horses were wild and free, and that’s the spirit of those that have the horse as their guide. It’s freedom.”

She wondered what animal she’d be, if she was Native.

“Bored yet?” he inquired, generally women he had relationships with were never interested in his ethnicity. These were questions only Tori thought to ask.

Tori grinned. “
No way! You’re an interesting man, Mr. Littlemoon.”

Before her, he might have believed that, but now looking at his life it seemed colorless without the shades of her touching it. “I’m fairly simple. What you see is what you get.”

“I don’t mind what I see.” In fact she really liked with she saw in him. It went further past the shoulder length brown hair, and gorgeous gold speckled brown eyes. It was just the genuine man beneath. He didn’t pretend he was something he wasn’t. He was Native, and he wasn’t bothered by it. It was innately sexy.

His whole body clenched at her word
s. Just the mere idea that she found him attractive stirred him up. Tori was a beautiful woman, and just being with her was a treasure.

Julian began praying for patience. He had to let her make the move, had to give her this opportunity to come out from behind the shell and just decide if this was what she wanted. If he was what she wanted in life.

Tori could sense him waiting for her to come to him, and she grinned. If that was the way he wanted it, she’d go to him. Placing the beer on the coaster, she slid across his couch and into his lap.

“Thank you for tonight, Julian
. It was the perfect Christmas Eve. It was the best one I’ve had in a long time.”

His body was screaming at him to place his hands all over her and explore.

Tori took the beer from his fingers and placed it on the other coaster. Placing her hand on the back of his neck, she slowly kissed him. Gently, sweetly and with nothing but adoration for a man that was trying so hard to be easy on her already battered heart and soul. It was obvious that he was continually protecting her, and it meant everything to her. No one had been her guardian in a while.

Deepening the kiss, she ran her fingers from his neck to the buttons of his shirt. The first two were easy, and then she stopped. “I w
ant you Julian. Make love to me?” she whispered against his mouth.

Everything in the man roared to life. The woman
touching him was making his heart pound in his chest. The scent of her perfume was driving Julian completely crazy. “Yes, Tori. I promise the answer will always be yes. I’ll always want you.”

Her heart lurched at the words. Julian was giving her a safe place to hide, and it was in his life. “Come to bed,” she whispered, standing and holding out her hand.

Julian would have followed her into the raging mouth of hell at that moment.

In the room she turned and began unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, sliding it off his shoulders and dropping it to the floor. “I love your body, Julian,” she said, running her hands down his lean f
rame. He was corded with muscles in all the right places. Tori was accustomed to muscled men, the military had quite a few, but none of them compared to Julian. It wasn’t a body built by working out with weights. It was from horseback riding and a good deal of genetics. The man in front of her was sturdy, lean and incredibly sexy.

Stepping to the front of him, she unbuttoned his dress pants, letting them drop to the floor. Now he stood in front of her in nothing but boxers. Tori knew what was waiting beneath, she’d enjoyed his body many times before, yet it wasn’t nearly enough.

Julian wanted to pounce, but she wanted to make love, and he’d offer her that tonight. He turned her around, and began kissing the nape of her neck, as his fingers untied the sash of her wrap dress. It opened and he pulled it from her body, dropping it to the floor with his clothing. Desperately he tried to ignore the red lacy underthings waiting for his attention. The bra was cut low, showing her full breasts, offering them up to him and waiting for him to just take. The lace was incredibly erotic, especially since he was still thinking about how his girl out maneuvered his brother. Hard soldier met incredibly soft and sexy woman in one package.

Tori enjoyed the feel of his lips leaving a trail on her body, and she stepped back to lean against him as his hands caressed the front of her, achingly slow. It was maddening and before she knew it, he had the front clasp to her bra open and her body free. His long fingers cupped her and drove her completely wild
, as he stroked, teased and rolled her nipples. “Julian,” she gasped, feeling herself being turned around.

He scooped her up in his arms and placed her on his bed, just pausing momentarily to stare down at her. Her red hair flowed around her
, and it made him want to run his hands through it. Tori lying on his bed in just a pair of lace panties was something he hoped to never forget.

“What are you thinking about,” she inquired, watching the growing bulge in his boxers.

“You, Tori. I’m thinking about how perfect you look here, and I’m committing it to memory.”

Her heart crushed, because she wanted to tell him there’d be more moments, but she knew when this assignment was over, they wouldn’t stand a chance. He lived three hours away, she was going to the VA hospital, and then back to her life.

The sad look on her face spoke volumes to him, and his heart ached at the truth of it all. He knew what he was risking. Julian was no stranger to loss, and he knew that the odds were when they found the killer, Tori had every intention of walking away. When she was gone, he’d be left to pick up the pieces of his heart.

Alone.

He’d never break her heart, Julian knew the truth. Victoria Christensen was going to destroy him when it came to love. Yet he ignored it and did his best to make her feel alive. If this was all he’d ever have, he wasn’t willing to throw it away.

Julian sat her up, pulling the dog tags
and necklace from her neck and placing them on the bed stand. “Tonight I want to make love to Victoria the woman, not the soldier.”

She nodded, pulling him back down to the bed with her,
as they came together. There was a mating of tongues and mouth, passionate kisses that woke them both up and spurred them further.

Julian was devouring her, trying to memorize her
taste, scent and feel. When the breathless moan escaped her lips, he wanted to climb all over her body and explore every inch of her.

Tori was lost in the complete pleasure of it all, as she just let him do whatever he wanted. It was so overwhelming, that she was helpless to protest.

Julian reached her flat belly and the top of the lace panties. Sliding his fingers into the elastic at the hips, he slid them down, his mouth chasing their trail. When he found her wet and waiting for him, his erection throbbed. First he’d give her complete and total pleasure, and only then would he take some for himself.

Using the tip of his tongue, he teased her unmercifully
. Tori gasped his name, as he continued his exploration. Her begging only made him wilder, wanting more from her. When she shook and ruptured, he gave her a second to regroup. The taste of her was his drug, and he wanted more and more.

“Julian!” she buried her hands in his hair
, as he continued his torment. Her time to refocus and recover was over. There was only so much pleasure she could handle, and he was finding all the right spots on her body.