FLAMESโSTAY CALM. SNAKES IS RUNNING TESTSโโItโs been TWO fucking hoursโ, I exhaled, hand on my hip, the other hand scrubbing the stressful lines on my forehead.The minute I walked in found Blaze hurdled on a corner assessing the woman who looked ready to attack at any moment. My heart fucking lunged.The room she was inโfuck, fuck that bastardโreeked acridly of sewage, damp socks, the ground itself was wet and she was fucking barefoot.Her clothes, the same shirt and jeans she was in when we separated hugged her body but they werenโt in the least bit clean. They were dirty, filled with claw marks, the thought of whose claw marks they were invaded my thoughts and I wanted to shoot everything and everyone.Some few plates lay scattered on the room, shattered, dirty.The blanket a few feet from her told me that was the only thing that shielded her from the cold, from fucking pneumonia and there she was, staring at me, at my direction really but not at me.Her lips curled up with frigh
MIAโIโLL SHOW YOU UP TO YOUR ROOM, maโamโThe butler, the housekeeper, whoever was in charge of the house here grabbed my hand and I let him.I didnโt like it in the least bit.I didnโt like using anyone for support, I didnโt like that certain uneasiness in their voices when they offered to help me.Even with the guys, Flamesโ friends, I had felt it. I had felt that certain drop in their voices, that sound eyes made when eyelids clashed more than once, they all looked at me and had no clue how to treat me.Everything was over, I knew but how-how could this be my beginning?A life so desolate, a life where I was confined to the man I didnโt want near me, a life condemned to asking help from others, to rely on someoneโs eyes.I hadnโt come to terms with that yet.I also hadnโt come to terms that Alessandro was in my life now. Permanently.And you know what? That was hard than being blind, because in all this messiness, he was the guy I wanted to turn to.But the guy I wanted to turn to
FLAMESI WATCHED AS SHE TALKED TO Carl, I listened to every word, had the patience of letting them be all buddy buddy with each other before I broke up the little reunion.I didnโt give two shits what my butler thought as I let her find her room all on her own.She wasnโt crippled and damn it I wanted her to understand that.All this, her sight, her fucking stubbornness, it was all fucking temporary, something that sheโd cemented in her head and if she managed to maneuver her way around that, she wouldnโt feel weak, she wouldnโt be weak in the first place. I might have been evil, might have been a prick in teaching Mia how to fend for herself without any help but I wouldnโt just stand there, watch her ascend a flight of stairs without any help.Iโd been behind her.Backing her from behind, cheering her on from behind as she took unsteady steps to a destination she couldnโt see.And when sheโd missed a step, I was right behind her.I would always catch her. she might not have fancied
MIAHE WAS MARRYING ANOTHER WOMAN.Not to seem affected, the only reply that could come out of my mouth wasโฆokay.Okay it was not like I was devastated or anything. This was what I wanted.He deserved a woman who was complete but why did it feel like a hot sword was cutting piece by piece of my insides?โTo your rightโฆno other rightโI moved, my hand reaching for the cold countertop, to the barrel holding the wooden spoons and picking one out of it.โThanksโโItโs nothing really. Any friend of my brother is a friend of mineโMy smile fell.Saying we were friends was a bit of a stretch, friends didnโt know how you tasted, or fucked you till every time they came near you, you wanted to do it again and again.โWe are not friendsโ, I clarified, walking my way back to where Lucy was.โRight, your situation is different, Iโm judging from your accidentโHer words made me still.โHe told you about the accident?โโNoโฆheโs too closed off to tell me anything. I picked it up on the way you move,
FLAMESFUCK LUCE.FUCK CARL.AND FUCK MOLLY AND ISSA.I wanted her to be fucking free, to be normal, to be happy but in a club full of delinquents and hungry men that was the last place a stunning blonde like her out to have been.My head spiraled as I mulled over that incredibly short dress sheโd worn. Reaching mid-thigh, all leather and all black, add in the smoky stuff smudged against her eyelids and she was the most stunning woman in the room.Lucy had warned me to back off. The urge to fucking strangle my sister had never been this close.All thisโฆinviting her to that party, becoming friends with Mia in the first place was some kind of torture targeted at me. For not being the brother she wanted and damn her because it fucking worked.I whipped my phone from my pocket, one glass still gripping the glass that had been my companion for the night.Downloading the forbid app that ate peopleโs minds away, I groaned looking at the red abomination they called Instagram. The last fucking
MIAI HAVE A COUSIN, BORN BLIND, IT DIDNโT STOP HER FROM RUNNING TRACK.You can be anything you want, Mia and no one can convince you otherwise.Ethan Lochan had been great company for the night. After Tonia had assaulted me with a few mean words that diminished the brave front I had put up, the last thing I expected was to land in the menโs washroom and find a good guy like Ethan to show me the way out.And I donโt know it was nice having someone to talk to albeit a stranger about my condition.While my friends-Lucyโs friends didnโt ask much about me being blind to which I was grateful, the stinging feel of losing my eyesight still lurked in my heart, throbbing every time I heard someone speak and I couldnโt make out which face was which or who was who and with Ethan...I guess it was easy to talk to a stranger who understood my condition rather than told the people close to me.And the night with Ethan had been remarkable, the best night Iโd had since I received โthe whole I donโt t
FLAMESโWHAT DO YOU SEE CARL?โI puffed out smoke from my mouth. It had been a while since I smoked this shit but circumstances called for it, I guess.Jostled by the question, putting down the newspaper next to the mahogany tray between us, his eyes looked dead ahead like mine had since the punk arrived in my fucking mansion.โWhy, Sir, I donโt know. She looks happier than she did days agoโRight.โAnd why is that?โโI suppose it has to do with whatever sheโs doing right nowโ, Carl uttered with balmy enthusiasm.I didnโt say shit as I held my cigarette between my fingers, taking in the smoke with the hope it would block the sight in front of me.Miaโs neon backless, tiny bikini was the only good thing happening today. She had braided her hair into two pig tails and that sight was worth a thousand words.Innocent, cute, the only color in my black and white morning.Her smile couldnโt have gotten wider as she butterflied her way in my pool from one end to another, laughing, chucking, g
MIAI SUCKED IN A BREATH, ELECTRIC CURRENT COURSING UNDER MY SKIN as Ethan placed his hands on my belly helping me ward through the water like a graceful swan even though I felt like a pig wiggling in mud.I didnโt think I would like dancing or cooking or painting but with being free I wanted a splash of all of them.I never had to make a choice in my life. Never had the freedom to do anything I liked and this was my chance to do so.And in a week of training with a dancing instructor who might have been the sweetest man I knew, I was blowing it because of the silly heart that wept for someone who wasnโt mine.โItโs a hard technique. No one can get it in a weekโ, Ethanโs smooth voice hit my shoulder and I could tell he meant well but I wasnโt even trying to master said technique.โI knowโโYou donโt have to beat yourself around about itโโI know!โI shouted; Ethan let go of me as my feet floated inside the pool all awkwardly.โOkay, whatโs really going on? You have been acting weird a
A FEW YEARS LATERโYEAH, yeahโฆfuckโI moaned loving the feel of him moving in and out of me while he enjoyed the show like he always had.He let me take over at times and this was one of those times where I sat in his arms, his hands on my back as I bounced my titties off his dick.The bad thing about it is that it didnโt feel half as satisfying like when he had control over everything and he knew that.โHad enough?โ he asked, I slapped his cheek.โFine you win you can take overโHe chuckled,โI thought you would never askโHolding me in place, my head towering his and our eyes locked on each other, he slipped his dick in me again taking control over everything.Then just as fast and rough as he always was, he thrust once in me and I could feel him all the way in my womb, all the way in to my hilt hitting that spot that only he could reach.โThat felt good, didnโt it?โโDonโt gloat, just make love to me like how I like itโHis thrusts increased, stretching my insides, forcing my walls
FLAMESโWE ARE GOING BACK to Austin, Texasโ, Bates spoke over the phone.โMiamiโs not good enough for your playboy ass?โI would miss him but I also knew Miami was never the kind of forever he wanted for him or for Cannonโs kid.โMy playboy ways are over Flames. It wounds me that you think Iโm still the same fucker you areโโFuck offโ, I laughed and he laughed too and together we were drawn back to our days when it was just me being fucking grumpy at everything and him being the annoying little fucker that buzzed in my ear like a pesky mosquito.โThereโs still room for you in B&A, YOU KNOW thatโโI know but the kidโs been a lot and I think itโs time I put down my Glock and focus on what mattersโโYeah and what is that?โโFamily. I might have a family of two but I love it because itโs so much than I ever had when I was a kidโIt was the first time he was admitting that even if we all knew his life story. I could particularly relate to the word family because soon enough I was starting
MIAI LAUGHED.Andro twirled me around bringing me back to his arms as we danced the morning away.The song we were dancing to was something between the lines of โbaby mamaโ and โIโve been pregnant FOR way too longโ.โYou did not tell me you could dance like that, misterโ, I poked my FINGER on his bare chest and what I felt was a brick of hardened muscles.โIโm a man full of surprisesโ, He said cockily, hands on my waist, eyes so glued to mine I felt like a mushy mud puddle.โDo the guys know you dance?โ I teased, he hit me back with a hard,โNoโโItโs not a bad thing if a man dances, that doesnโt mean you are weakโโIt doesnโt but the last thing I want is for my men to think Iโm weak. Believe it or not, they look up to me and Iโm the glue that holds them together. If they know I dance or I have a weak spot for anything, theyโll relax and thatโs the last thing they should be doingโโIโm I your weak spot?โI was.I knew I was.He had assured me of that in the last few days I had almost
MIAIโD HALF THOUGHT THAT WATCHING a chick flick with a stone-faced guy was the last thing I would have to face for the day but no.Right now, I wasnโt in the room with Pindrop seated on the couch and half explaining the things about the movie that he didnโt understand. That was too good of a gift to ask from God.So instead, He brought this man and trust me hell hath no fury like a scorned Alessandro Petrakis.โThirty-three calls, fifty messages, five bouquet of flowers and nothing. I had to rush all the way home because my heavily pregnant woman is throwing a tantrum so tell me whatโs wrong right fucking now or Iโll show you just how much agony you put me through for not answering my callsโHe thundered; I didnโt flinch because this was how he acted when he was mad.I was mad too; I had no right to be but I was because heโhe was in Germany with my sister.Alessandroโs eyes searched mine, the bowl of fruit salad resting on top of my bump shook with my hands.I wasnโt scared of him.R
FLAMESEVERY time I landed my ass in this summit there was always the rare occasion, that one I would have to listen in on bullshit conversations about leadership or two, pretend the suit I wore to this function wasnโt choking the life out of me.And the suit was really fucking tighter than the last one I had worn last month.Seated next to the CEO of Alpha security didnโt help my cause either.Elliot Guzman listened to every goddamn word the host spoke, pausing for a second to jot down what he found important and what he needed to change in his firm.The dude was so uptight, I had hated Alpha security the minute I met its leader. And there was that rivalry between us that we both failed to acknowledge.While Guzman scribbled shit in his dandy notebook, my hands itched on my screen.The fuckers I had told to keep an eye on Mia had been MIA. AND WHEN THEY DID TEXT me right this second, they sent a picture of them enjoying pizza withโฆwas that?The fucking guy from Miaโs apartment? The f
MIAI HAD BURNT A LOT OF BRIDGES with him by leaving him but he was here, he was asking how I felt, he was massaging my feet, he was listening, he was acting jealous even if he would have rather died than admitted that and name any woman who would have resisted that.I hadnโt had him for too long and something in my mind and heartโlike a kill switch just snapped and I went in for the big prize.A shudder racked my whole body when our lips connected.Sparks might have buzzed and scintillated between us as I took more of his scent, as my fingers found his terse jaw and as uncomfortable as it was I had to move and so I moved.Onto his lap, dry humping against his crotch like a wanton.And maybe I was a wanton woman for wanting him to do dirty things to me a few feet away from the kitchen counter where I had caught Lucy and Blaze going at it like cats on heat.But thatโs the thing, I didnโt care.I wanted him.I loved him.He smelled so nice, he looked nice.All muscle and brawn, all hand
FLAMESโHOWโD I DO?โRakkonโs grin was so wide I could see it beyond the screens and it chuffed me.โDonโt gloat just bring them homeโ, I sighed getting off the comms.I had one man down and one family to break the news to and honestly this was the part of the job I hated. To have a family entrust me with their delinquent only for him to wind up dead.โIโll make the callโ, Blaze appeared behind me, understanding wedged between his usual cold stale aura.And if the ladyโs perfume he had on was any indication, I might have got the hint he was fucking someone in the parking lot before he showed his ass here.I didnโt have time to think about that. Hey whatever kept him happy was fine by me.โIโll check on MiaโHoly gave me a curt nod of understanding, Blaze stood beside me with that hard and blunt face he wore like a mask.โWord of caution though, your sisterโs hereโI turned to him with a gutted look.Lucy. Here? Fuck. I thought she was home for the summer after months of attending show
MIAโSAY SOMETHING, ANYTHINGโHeโd freaked out the minute we stepped into the parking lot and even when we got inside his car the situation hadnโt changed.โI donโt- โThe ringing of his phone from the dashboard cut him short and he picked it up faster than I had ever seen him. To avoid the conversation and mostly to avoid the news.I was the one who should have been shocked anyway.I was the woman who was going to push three of his babies out of me and thatโฆwould hurt like a fucking bitch.โSituation? What do you mean one of them got fucking shot? They are bloody rookies they should have had someone looking after them. Ooh, right.Iโm not going to grovel at the kid, Holy. He made a mistake, granted I shouldnโt have fired him but he needed a time out to cool off. Yeah, call him in, loop him in on the situation and get him on the field. Well, heโs re-hired damn it!โAnd when he had thrown his phone somewhere in the back seat like soggy spaghetti he didnโt like, I was still there locked
FLAMESTHE TEAL COTTON AND LACE CHEMISE STOPPING MIDTHIGH ON HER didnโt make her look less pregnant but she did look fucking gorgeous and it took every fiber in me not to give in to the feral urges.And my favorite thing in the world I had discovered was placing my hand on Miaโs tummy, protecting the kid in there and sort of assuring him his daddy got this.Miaโs face snored in front of mine, I pulled the covers even higher to cover her sleeping body.โI would have dropped anything for you, Mia. Anything you would have asked me of, I would have given you but you left as if we were nothing, I was nothing and damn it I want to hurt you too but how can I when you are giving me the most precious gift a man like me doesnโt deserveโA child.A bouncy baby girl.The thought brought a smile to my face and I grinned in the dark.The clock to Miaโs right on my nightstand read 0300 hrs. I hadnโt slept a fucking wink and I would have gladly put the blame on little miss snores next to me but someh