Keep Away From The Heat (A Warning Labels Novel) Read online

  Smoke filled the air and soot littered the landscape, smearing them both with the remains of something that had once been beautiful. “Poetic justice?”

  A harsh laugh escaped him. “Raw punishment.”

  “For me or for you?” A rebellious and not-too-brilliant impulse compelled Simone to kick her boots off, one at a time. Her feet had always been her thermostat. Maybe if she cooled off, they might get out of this with their clothes on. Yeah, that’s it.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Not right now.” She shifted under him, groaning as his rigid cock pressed between her thighs. God, I want to ride him! She tried to sit up, to regain the upper hand, but he refused to give up his ground. “We can’t do this.”

  “But we will.” His mouth claimed hers with a biting kiss, sweeping away any sense of reason or sanity.

  She fell back, pulling at his shirt and clawing bare skin. His belt buckle opened in her hand, and her pants slid down to her knees. “Get off me!” She slammed her body into his chest and hissed when his naked cock stabbed her bare thigh.

  Dash laughed on her neck as his lips dragged over her ear. “I know that trick, darlin’. You put up a good fight, but we end up fucking every time.” He bit her nipple through her shirt, and she gasped out loud. “This is no exception.” He grunted and slammed his hot erection into her slippery flesh.

  Oh sweet heaven, yes! She jerked her knee up, pulling free of her pants while he pounded her, every thrust driving home the message that he’d never forgotten her. Her spread legs welcomed him as if he’d never left.

  Dash shoved her shirt up to her chin, pushing her bra with it and exposing her breasts. She jammed her hands down his pants and clutched his ass while he tugged her nipples with his teeth. Heat licked her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around him, jerking him in deeper while her mind mounted a feeble protest. “Don’t.” But the long-neglected lust fought back, leaving her caught in the crossfire. “Don’t make me come.”

  “Ha.” He slipped his hand between their sweaty bodies and stroked her throbbing clit. “I can and I will.”

  Rather easily too. His touch sparked a yearning flame that raged out of control in a blinding flash. “Fuck no!” Simone gasped and panted as he leaned back and grinned, obviously quite pleased that she’d responded so quickly.

  “You’re still trembling.” He brushed his fingertips over a quivering nipple. “You must’ve really needed that.”

  How long had it been since she’d gotten laid? Didn’t matter. No one else had ever made her drip like Dash could. “We’re not done.” She took advantage of his gloating and shoved him on his back.

  Dash coughed in the resulting ash cloud, lying helpless in the dirt while she mounted him. “Darlin’,” he slid his hands over her thighs and held her firmly on his cock. “You can fuck me as long as you want.”

  She toyed with the urge to run off and leave him unfinished, but the hard flesh between her legs and his possessive grip kept her in place. She slid forward, angling her thrusts so his cock dragged along her swollen flesh. “As long as I get what I want.”

  “And that is?”

  “Revenge.” She rode him hard, banging his dick into the pussy he’d abandoned, making him beg for every slick inch of the pleasure he’d given up.

  “Fucking hell, woman.” He groaned and curled his fingers into her thighs. “You’re going to kill me.”

  Her laugh turned into a moaning gasp as her thrusts drove him deep. “No, I want you to live with this, knowing what you missed.”

  His eyes narrowed and he spanked her bare ass. “What makes you think I don’t?” He smacked her stinging flesh again, and the sound rang off the blackened trees surrounding them.

  “You never came back.” She clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling a sob as she stood and ran.

  ***

  Dash gathered his wits as quickly as possible and stumbled after her, hitching his pants up when his belt buckle slapped his leg. The rough terrain and her bare feet slowed them, and he caught her against his truck. He stood behind her, and her hot skin burned against his aching cock. “I’m here now.” He leaned close and wiped a smear of soot from her neck, then kissed under her ear. “What do you want from me?” His erection slipped between her thighs and she pushed back on it, clinging around him.

  “This.” She bent forward, bracing her hands on the sidewall as his cock slid deeper.

  He closed his eyes and groaned as her sweet flesh claimed him. “You can have it anytime, anywhere.”

  She slammed her ass against his groin. “Tell your girlfriend that.”

  Girlfriend? Did she mean Cassie? “Fuck you.”

  “You are.” She ground against him, and his cock tingled, driving her point home.

  Damn it, what have I done? He’d always been gentle with her, but the fury he’d tamped down for years unleashed itself and dented the sidewall as he slammed her against it.

  She gasped and reached behind him, clawing his bare ass, but he bit down on her neck to hold her still. He’d missed her pussy. Missed her tight heat and her instant wetness. Having her back again woke his long-denied cravings, stirring the desire to possess her completely and drive out the memory of any other man who might’ve enjoyed her, especially his goddamn brother.

  Pounding rage consumed him as he twisted strands of her shiny black hair around his fist and pulled it tight, jerking her head back on his shoulder. “Did he fuck you like this?”

  “Who?”

  Why is she pretending she doesn’t know?

  “That asshole.” He couldn’t say Mal’s name. Not while his cock owned Simone.

  She laughed. “I’ve fucked a lot of assholes. Present company included.”

  Dash stepped back, pulled free, and spanked her bare, bouncing ass. Not just once but repeatedly until her flesh burned against his palm.

  Simone bent over the truck and gasped, cringing when his hand connected with her butt, begging when he pulled back. “Don’t! Oh God, please.” Her breath came in short bursts and she whimpered.

  Holy shit, is she coming? He jammed his free hand into her clenching pussy and felt the unmistakable rush of liquid heat.

  “Oh no! No, no, no.” She drooped over the sidewall, panting. “No, you can’t make me come again.”

  “Why not me?”

  She rolled over. “Because I can’t. You were—”

  “You want someone else to do it? My brother?”

  She struck at him, gashing his cheek with her fingernail. “I never—”

  “But you will now!” He grabbed her hips and jerked her onto his quivering cock.

  She stumbled back and he stepped in, impaling her against the truck while she held onto the edge. He leaned back and watched his pale cock stab her dark flesh. Shudders ripped down his spine and his blood boiled. “Make me come.” He growled and she glared at him. “No one can do it like you.”

  Her eyes widened as if he’d surprised her. “No one…?” She stood still while he penetrated her.

  His balls tightened, sending shock waves along his rigid erection. “Simone, I need you.”

  She lifted one leg and wrapped it around his thighs, forcing him deeper. “No!” She cried out and pounded his chest with her fists.

  Dash grabbed the back of her head and pressed her face into his shoulder while she gasped and protested. Goddamn it, I’m gonna make her want me. She tightened around him and he pounded her. Bodies banging against metal echoed over the burned out landscape, and before he could accomplish his mission, his orgasm betrayed him, sweeping away his intentions with a rush of mind-numbing pleasure.

  Her ragged breath warmed his skin through his shirt. With his eyes closed, he nuzzled her cheek, found her open mouth and kissed her, trembling and clinging to each other. Her fingers curled around his collar as he tried to pull back. He relented and let her have more. But it had to end. Here. Now.

  Dash stepped back and ran his hands through his sweaty hair. “Wow, that was new.”
/>   Simone stood upright and smoothed her shirt. “Angry sex. What a rush.”

  A rush that still buzzed his brain. “We always waited till after the fight to fuck. Never thought about doing it during.”

  She smiled and leaned back against the truck, giving him a good look at her body naked from the waist down. “During is gooood.”

  His cheek stung and his chest burned. She’d scratched him there too. “We should do that more often.”

  Her eyes darkened and she pushed away from the truck. “No.” Simone stomped off in search of her pants. “This was a mistake. I’m your boss.”

  “No shit.” Dash jerked his pants up and buckled his belt.

  “Are you with Cassie?” She stopped short of her abandoned clothes and glared at him.

  “Hell no. Not anymore.”

  “You might need to tell her that.” She bent over to retrieve her pants and flashed him her ass along with all the hot pink bits he’d abused.

  His cock stirred. “Damn it!”

  She stepped into her pants. “What are we going to do about us?”

  Holy shit. Years ago, he would’ve given anything to have another chance with her. But now what could he do? “Nothing. We’re done. Have been for a long time.”

  She nodded. “This was closure.” She stomped into her boots.

  “Exactly. We both needed this to say goodbye.” It made perfect sense.

  “Now we can keep it professional and focus on our jobs.”

  “Right. Professional.” But as he shook the businesslike hand she offered him, a hot tingle zipped through his arm to his cock. “Goodbye, Simone.”

  “See you in the morning, Superintendent.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His eyes burned as she turned and walked to her car. Must be all the soot. He wiped his face with a dirty hand, but only succeeded in turning the ash to mud.

  Gravel crunched and twigs snapped under Simone’s tires as the taillights faded into the undamaged forest.

  Dash shook himself then pulled the Pulaski from the ground. “Damn, this thing went deep.” The axe head ripped the soil as it broke free, and the image tore through his soul. Driven deeper than he’d intended. Too painful to pull out without leaving a gaping hole in his heart.

  CHAPTER 4

  Simone flipped the bathroom light on and jumped as her soot-covered reflection startled her. Black grime streaked her face, her clothes, and probably her ass, judging by the itch crawling up her thighs. Her whole butt still burned from the spanking he’d given her. No one had ever done that to her before, and she came in an unprecedented mix of pain and pleasure. In fact, no man had been able to make her come since Dash left her. She’d gotten so good at faking orgasms that no one ever knew she needed satisfaction, and after a grand performance, she couldn’t find the words to tell anyone. She’d either have to finish herself or help her partner do it. Only Dash had ever made her come without assistance. “I can and I will.”

  “Oh yes, he did.” He knew her body better than anyone because they’d spent so much time making out and groping to orgasm in high school. No one else had been with her long enough to accomplish that. Trapped in a vicious circle she couldn’t escape without feeling something real. After Dash left her, she’d retreated inside the bold costume he’d seen through and wore it like a bulletproof vest. No one could get in. Nothing could hurt her anymore.

  She peeled her sweaty, dirty clothes off and tossed them in the washer. Her prickling skin begged for a shower, and she turned the water on as hot as it would get. She had to shampoo her hair twice to get the stale campfire smell out of it. The soap stung her shoulder where Dash had bitten her. She never should’ve let the man sink his teeth into her—literally or otherwise.

  Her steamy shower cooled, and she turned the water off, then discovered more bruises as she tucked a towel around her breasts. She’d have to wear a scarf to work tomorrow to cover the wicked hickie on her neck. He’d left a mark darker than her skin—quite an accomplishment. Bite marks and bruises on her body. She remembered leaving scratches on him. They’d shared an unforgettable romp that wouldn’t be brushed off with a simple handshake.

  “How am I gonna face him at work tomorrow?” Her question echoed off stark walls without returning an answer. She had no one to call, no girlfriends to male-bash with. Her aunt and her cousins had given up trying to reach her years ago. She’d brushed them all off. Dash was the person she would’ve talked to. “That’s not an option.”

  She glanced around the spacious apartment, her only companions unpacked boxes and solitary furniture. She’d collected a lot of stuff over the years, things that filled her life and her home but provided no real friendship, no comfort when complications arose. She pulled her clothes from the washer and threw them in the dryer. The leg of her trousers had wrapped around the agitator, and she heard a distinct ripping sound as she yanked them free. Damn it. Why’d I let him get into my pants? She’d buried the pain of their breakup in her work, never expecting to see him again despite the silly schoolgirl hope that their career paths might bring them together again. “And as soon as it did, you go and fuck him. Brilliant.”

  She couldn’t have planned it better if she’d tried. The typo led him to expect someone else, so pushing his buttons had been easy and satisfying. Discovering that aggravating him still made her wet hadn’t been a surprise at all. But she’d never driven him to passionate violence before. Wow. I gotta do that again.

  No! Simone slammed the dryer shut and slapped the start button. Jesus. How could she keep their relationship professional when any little disagreement with Dash made her want to climb him faster than a lunatic over an asylum wall? Her lower abs fluttered at the thought of slinging her knees over his shoulders and letting his tongue slap her clit. Holy—! She stumbled and caught the edge of the dryer as her legs gave out. They’d never gotten a chance to explore that particular pleasure before. Other guys had tried, but she’d always wondered how Dash would’ve done it. Probably the same way he did everything else—with reckless abandon and bold curiosity. But he wouldn’t have done it on his own. She’d tried to bring up the subject, but he’d never caught on to her hints. Provoking him into action never failed and often provided spectacular results, but so far she’d failed to drive his face between her thighs. Maybe I’ll fire him tomorrow and watch him explode.

  Stop! Years of watching his brothers ignite his short fuse taught her how to use it for her pleasure. Too bad she hadn’t let it burn out of control sooner. Mal and Wyatt bore the brunt of his fury, but he’d never hurt her.

  Closure. Had they achieved it?

  Her phone rang and she ran down the hall to grab it. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Simone.” The otherwise professional female voice faltered. “Uh, can I call you that? This is Cassie Storm.”

  Cassie…the weather girl, her new employee. “Yes, that’s fine.”

  “I wanted to call and tell you that I’m concerned about that storm.”

  Simone turned on her TV and found the local news. “Which storm?”

  “The one just off the west coast. It’s not behaving like any system I’ve ever seen in this part of the country.”

  The weather report came on, and Simone watched while listening to the forecaster on her phone. “What’s it doing?”

  Cassie sighed. “Nothing yet. It’s just sitting over open water, unusually warm waters that can act as a fuel source.”

  “Why does that concern you?” Nothing on the local news, so she flipped to The Weather Channel.

  “There’s a front behind it that’s going to push it straight toward us, and if it gains strength, we could be in real trouble. I predict strong, gusty winds moving onshore tonight.”

  Simone pulled her curtains aside and watched the trees outside her window. Nothing moved, and the flag at the post office hung limp from its pole. “Have you spoken to the National Weather Service?”

  “Yes, but they just told me to let them know if anything changes.”

 
Nothing about a Pacific storm system on The Weather Channel either. “I’m going to tell you the same thing. We don’t have enough valid information to issue a warning.”

  “We should at least issue a hurricane watch.” Cassie’s tone turned urgent. “Give residents time to prepare.”

  Hurricane? Here? “No, I don’t want to cause a panic. People in this town have never seen a hurricane. They don’t know how to prepare.”

  “I’ll put together instructions and a list of resources. We can—”

  “No, Ms. Storm.” Simone cut off Cassie’s excited rambling. Long ago, she’d learned that using formality with people enhanced her performance skills. “Keep an eye on it, and let me know if anything changes.” Oh great. A disaster junkie forecaster. Just what I need.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cassie sighed. “I need to go. Dash is here.”

  “Who?”

  But the weather girl hung up, leaving Simone scowling at her phone. Dash had said he wasn’t seeing her anymore. Is he screwing around with Cassie after rolling in the ashes with me?

  He hadn’t promised her anything. In fact, they’d agreed it wouldn’t happen again. Did she even want him back? Well no, not really. But she didn’t want her employee to have him either.

  Closure? Oh hell no! That man was not going to move on without…what? I don’t know, but damn it! She wouldn’t let him leave again without listening to her side. We are not done, sweetheart.

  A sudden gust of wind ripped through the trees and howled down the street, sending a hair-raising shiver down her spine.

  ***

  For the first time since he’d left Simone, the words to describe his aching heart eluded Dash. He drove past his house, having no desire to sit in the empty living room or go to bed alone. He’d spent too many nights with the TV remote in his hands, flipping through the channels. Nothing interested him except maybe an occasional cooking show.

  But watching Emeril kick it up a notch made him think about giving up searching for someone to share his life with and learn to cook a decent meal for himself. He’d thought he found a potential love in Cassie, but aside from great sex, their careers had been their only connection. At least, that’s what he’d told her on that awkward night when they lay panting in her bed with nothing to say to each other. He’d said goodbye and they hadn’t seen each other naked since. Now work was all they talked about. That suited him just fine. He didn’t need anyone getting close and tearing his life apart again.