Flash Read online

  “What are you talking about?”

  He grins wickedly, “Call me old-fashioned, but I’d like to get to know the woman I intend on spending the rest of my life with before I do what I’ve been aching to do ever since I laid eyes on her.”

  I feel a shiver of expectation rush through me as I say quickly, “What’s your full name?”

  “Maxwell Flashman the third.”

  “The third! You mean somewhere out there are two more of you?”

  He chuckles. “Yes. My father and my grandfather. It’s kind of traditional to name your firstborn after his father.”

  Stifling a giggle, I say lightly, “Are you close with your family?”

  “Not really. They live in Seattle and I don’t visit much.”

  “Why?”

  I watch him tense and sense a story behind his words. “They are ashamed of me.”

  I never expected to hear him say that and it brings tears to my eyes. “Ashamed! Are they mad?”

  He shrugs and says dully, “I suppose they are. You see, my family is one that goes way back. Each generation is more successful than the last and my grandfather inherited an empire.”

  “What sort of empire?”

  “Machinery. They design and make farm machinery and are very good at it. However, I didn’t share their passion and shortly after graduating from university enrolled in the military.”

  He shakes his head and says in a firm voice, “My father was angry. He told me I’d wasted my college education and degree for nothing to become a deadbeat. In fact, I’d probably shoot myself in the foot for real as I had when I turned down his kind offer of a future in the family business.”

  Words fail me as I picture the scene and I feel angry on his behalf because they should be proud of their son, even I can see that.

  Reaching out, I grab his hand and say softly, “I’m proud of you Flash.”

  He nods, but the silence speaks more than words as I feel the emotion surround me like a warm embrace. Changing the subject, I say quickly, “Favorite food.”

  “Pasta.”

  “Favorite type of music?”

  “Rock.”

  “Favorite movie.”

  He hesitates and then laughs softly, “Toy Story.”

  I get a fit of the giggles and he grins. “What’s wrong with that? If that’s so bad what’s yours?”

  “Gone with the wind.”

  He rolls his eyes and says teasingly, “Now tell me your real one.”

  Laughing, I say, “Aladdin.”

  He grins, “What about you, what’s your favorite food?”

  “Chinese.”

  “What, you’re kidding me?”

  “What’s so strange about that?”

  He shrugs and says lightly, “Tell me about your family.”

  The laughter stops and the despair takes over. He must notice the change in the atmosphere because he smiles sweetly, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, just say pass.”

  I take a deep breath and say dully, “It’s ok, my parents aren’t the sort to make a girl proud. They raised me and my sister on a farm in the Midwest. They were puritans and our upbringing stricter than most. Well, we grew up and wanted more than we could see in our future, so one day we just left and never went back.”

  I gloss over the real story and say lightly, “Do you have any hobbies?”

  I can tell he notices my quick change of subject and just smiles, “Gym and shooting.”

  This time I roll my eyes. “Of course.”

  Suddenly, he places his hand on my leg and says huskily, “Although I am considered good at something much more rewarding.”

  The feel of his hand on my bare skin almost makes me come right here and now and I push his hand away and say huskily, “I think I’ll reserve judgment on that until I see you at work.”

  He turns off on a rough track and suddenly all the gentle teasing is left on the road outside because both of us know where this journey ends and I can’t wait.

  12

  Flash

  I’m a selfish bastard. I should wine and dine Jennifer and make her feel special. I should shower her in gifts and love and take time to discover the woman behind the sexy body - but I can’t. I have only one desire and that’s sinking myself balls deep into the woman I want to wake up next to for the rest of my life. I’m not sure why I feel so desperate but the rest can come later because I have a lifetime to get to know her. I just need to show her what she means to me first.

  Suddenly, shit got real. I sense the need in her, yet can almost taste the nerves. She wants me as much as I want her but she’s still afraid. I turn to look at her and my heart lurches as I see the need in her eyes. She’s scared, probably for the same reasons as I am. What if I scare her away? What if she leaves and takes my heart with her?

  Self-preservation is a natural emotion and it would be easy to call this whole thing off but I can’t.

  Taking her hand in mine, I squeeze it and say huskily, “You know what I want Jennifer. I just need to tell you that it’s not temporary. What I feel for you is permanent and if you’ll give me a chance, I want to be the man in your life. I don’t want to be with anyone else and if we do this, I commit to you alone. I know I’m asking a lot of you but I need you to know how I feel.”

  She takes my hand and raises it to her lips, kissing it gently. Then she pulls it to rest on her heart and I feel the steady beat inside.

  She says softly, “I’m in no position to start something with anyone. I’m damaged goods and a woman no man should have the misfortune to chain himself to. However, I’m also a selfish one who can’t turn her back on something that says we should stop now because I’ve wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you. So, Flash, can you take on trouble because if you can, I will show you how good trouble can feel?”

  A slow smile breaks across my face as I lean toward her and feel her breath join with mine. “I kinda like trouble and you, darlin’, are the sexiest kind of trouble. So, do your worst because I was hooked on your line weeks ago.”

  She leans closer and our lips connect. Slowly, softly, tantalizingly good. The taste of Jennifer is that of new beginnings and hope all wrapped up in a decadent package of pure sex. Jennifer is the stuff of legends and I can’t wait to see for myself what that involves.

  Pulling back, I look into those big, brown, eyes and feel a strong connection. It’s one of inevitability and finding the person who was always meant to be with you.

  Jennifer looks so hot it singes my skin as I touch her lips gently and then she says in surprise, “Where are we?”

  Laughing softly, I lean back and look around with pride. “Home.”

  She looks confused and I grin before opening the door and heading around to pull her with me. As we stand to look at the place I call home, I feel quite emotional. I’ve never brought a woman here before; it’s my sanctuary and the place I come to take time out and reconnect with the man I really am.

  Taking her hand, I lead her to the water’s edge that sparkles beside the brand-new cabin I built from scratch and say proudly, “This is my home, Jen. I may live most of the time in the Rubicon but this is where I come to rest.”

  She looks around with amazement and says breathlessly, “It’s beautiful.”

  As I look at the woman beside me, I have to agree. The wind has taken a few strands of her hair and it dances like a free spirit. Her eyes are bright and more relaxed than I have ever seen them before. I never thought she could get more beautiful, but she has. Jennifer is the most beautiful woman I have ever met and I physically ache for her.

  She smiles happily. “Your home’s impressive, Flash.”

  I feel my soul relax as I look around my property. Being a Reaper means we are paid rather well for our sins. We have no way of ever spending the money we receive, so I bought this little piece of paradise and made it my own. Set beside a sparkling lake is the cabin I built with my own hands. It helps me forget the shit in my life and calms my
spirit. I knew I wanted to bring Jennifer here because she is as special as this place is to me.

  Pulling her toward me, I say gruffly, “You are the first and last woman I will ever bring here. I want you to know that. You are special, Jen and I don’t think you realize that.”

  She looks surprised and then her eyes fill with tears and she says with a quiver in her voice, “I’m not special. If you knew me—properly I mean, you wouldn’t have brought me here.”

  Lifting her face to mine, I stare at her with resolve. “I disagree. Maybe one day you will let me in on why you think that way but for now I’ll trust my own judgment. Now, let me show you around because I’m mindful we don’t have long and I want to show you—everything.”

  13

  Jennifer

  He winks as he lifts my hand to his lips and I see the wicked glint in his eyes. Suddenly, I have lost the power of speech and control of my limbs as I melt into a puddle of desire. This is so intense—he is so intense and I have to pinch myself to remind me I’m not dreaming because Flash is the stuff of every woman’s dreams and I don’t want to wake up.

  I follow him toward the cabin and feel my heart thumping with every step I take. This feels so wrong yet so right. I shouldn’t be here, I’m a mother and a wife and my life’s one big hot mess but I have to follow my heart and that’s been devilishly taken by the man beside me. Just breathing the same air as Flash is enough to make me come. Like most Reapers, he’s a force to be reckoned with and they’re a rare breed. Fiercely protective, devilishly handsome and so sexy they should come with a government warning. I’ve tried to steer clear, but it’s impossible. Flash grabbed my attention from the moment I arrived because when he enters a room, it’s difficult to remember your name let alone that you should stay clear. He ruins people for a living and when he comes home, he does it all over again. My instincts warned me to stay away, but it was never gonna happen because even at the lowest point of my life, I want him and reason with myself that one taste will be enough.

  He turns the key in the lock and we head inside and I stare in amazement at the super modern, super cool, interior of a place that holds no apologies. It may look simple from the outside but Flash has created a modern masterpiece.

  Painted white walls surround marble and steel. Minimal furniture scatters around a room dressed with decadence. Fur rugs caress the floor and subtle lighting creates atmosphere. Art and photographs made into canvas, sit proudly on the walls and the silence sits around us shutting the world out and making it possible to believe it doesn’t exist.

  Flash turns to me and I see the anxious look in his eyes. “Do you like it?”

  He looks at me for approval and I say softly, “I love it. If I could picture my dream home, it would be this. You’ve done an amazing job.”

  His eyes light up and it makes me smile inside. For a guy who fights and kills for a living, he has a soft side that draws me in. He couldn’t be more perfect for me which is why I reach out and run my fingers through his untamed hair and say breathlessly, “Thank you.”

  He looks puzzled and I say sadly, “You’ve shown me a part of you that nobody ever gets to see and I like it very much.”

  He shifts closer and I feel his breath fanning my face as he whispers, “I can show you another part of me if you let me.”

  I feel the anticipation building and turn my back on my head telling me to end this here. Why would I? Flash is everything and who doesn’t want that?

  I lean in until my mouth is almost touching his, and he says huskily, “Are you sure, darlin’?”

  I whisper, “Do I have to beg?”

  He crushes his lips to mine, and it’s like a lit trail of gunpowder. As I taste the man I’ve desired for so long, it’s like tasting paradise. I lean into him, desperate to feel his skin on mine and he groans, pushing me back against the wall and pressing his body into mine. I almost can’t breathe as I push his leather jacket from his shoulders and run my hands under his t-shirt. His body feels like velvet-clad iron and I push his shirt up to feel the soft skin beneath.

  He runs his hands around my waist and pulls me closer, gently nipping my neck with his teeth. As I feel the bite, I groan and arch toward him desperate for the contact.

  I unfasten his jeans and push them down as he pulls back and says huskily, “Are you sure, honey?”

  I almost pass out with desperation as I say quickly, “For fuck’s sake, Flash, stop talking.”

  Laughing, he sweeps me in his arms and says firmly, “Not in here.”

  I giggle as he kicks open a door down a hallway and reveals a huge bedroom with the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. With no ceremony, he throws me on the bed and then proceeds to rip off his t-shirt, closely followed by his jeans. My eyes widen as he reveals the biggest cock I have ever seen, promising me the sweetest pleasure and I laugh softly, “What, no underwear, honey?”

  He grins wickedly, “I’m a commando in every way, darlin’.”

  Giggling, I watch as he strokes his velvet shaft and looks at me with a hooded expression. “Your turn.”

  Sitting up, I stare him in the eye as I reach for my top and pull it over my head. I love the fact his pupils dilate as he rubs his cock that has grown to an alarming length as he devours me with just one lust-loaded look. Teasing him, I lean back and lift my hips and edge out of my shorts, slowly, carefully and as seductively as I can and laugh as he groans with desperation. “Fuck me.”

  I pull myself up to my knees and face him with a challenge in my eyes. I’m not sure where this part of me has been hidden but I want to tease him, make him pant and never forget the moment I gave myself to him one hundred percent.

  My long curls fall forward and my hair touches the breasts that remain hidden in the satin bra. Reaching around the back, I slowly unfasten it and watch Flash’s eyes darken like two black holes. He throws me a tortured look as his ragged breathing is the only sound in the room. Holding his gaze, I remove it and see the desire flood his eyes as his cock throbs in his hand. Slowly, he looks all over me as if he can’t tear his eyes away and I shift closer. Then I shrug out of my panties and ball them in my fist as I edge closer and rub them over his bare chest, taking great delight as his breathing intensifies, and he groans, “Fuck me.”

  I trace the tattoo that sits proudly over his heart of the Grim Reaper and lower my lips to kiss the words—Reaper.

  Yes, he’s a member of the Twisted Reapers but he’s also a man. Maxwell Flashman is all man and now it’s time to claim him as I’ve ached to do since I saw him for the first time.

  I pull his lips to mine and it begins. Flash and Jennifer connect in the flesh like they were always destined to do. He pushes me down onto the bed and kisses me all over. Slow, teasing and seductively and my body strains to be close to his. He gently nips and licks every part of me until I groan with desperation. I try to reach for him but he grasps my wrists and says firmly, “No touching until I say so.”

  The dominance in this man is a complete turn on and feeling the bite of his hands gripping my wrists makes me shake with anticipation. Flash is in no hurry to taste what he has wanted for some time now and I marvel at his restraint. If it was up to me, he would be inside me already and it’s the sweetest form of torture.

  Then he licks the place that aches for him and it’s almost all over. I gasp and shudder under his tongue and he laughs softly, “Not yet, darlin’. I’m having way too much pleasure.”

  Turning me over, he licks and bites every part of me until I think I’ll pass out with desire. After what feels like a torturous amount of time, he spins me around and pulls me up against his chest and as we meet, chest to chest, breast to breast, our hearts thump together a steady beat. He lowers his lips and I taste my arousal on them and it sends me wild. Groaning, I press myself against him just desperate to calm the storm inside and he looks into my eyes and says huskily, “It’s time, Jennifer.”

  I watch as he pulls a condom from his pocket and slides it on quickly and then he smiles
sexily as I nod and shift so I’m poised above him and he lowers me down slowly onto his throbbing shaft.

  Every inch that sinks inside me means everything. I savor the moment because as I feel Flash enter my body, he takes the final piece of me that doesn’t already belong to him. He has my mind, heart and body and it feels like heaven on earth.

  I gently rock against him and gasp at the pleasure that one simple act brings. He holds me in his strong arms as we move together as one and as my clit drags against his cock, I bite my lip to stop the pleasure carrying me away before I’m good and ready. Flash groans as his cock throbs hard and huge inside me and whispers, “You feel fucking amazing; I always knew you would.”

  We rock back and forth as close as two people can possibly get and nothing else matters but this moment. The moment when Flash and Jennifer begins despite the obstacles placed in their path. Finally, I now know what love feels like because as I cry out and my body pulsates around his cock, I know this feeling is a thousand times more powerful than any I’ve ever felt in the past.

  As Flash feels me come apart on him, he roars and I feel his cock throb with release inside me. I ride him like a man deserves to be and squeeze every last drop of what he has to give because I’m a greedy bitch who wants all of him. I won’t share and I want it all because Flash was always meant to be mine, and destiny brought me to him.

  Now I just have to figure out a way to stay.

  14

  Flash

  My mind, body and reasoning are fucked because what just happened blew me away. I never expected that. I never expected feelings to be so powerful and now I know what I’ve missed out on all these years. Fucking a willing woman is nothing like making love to the woman you love. It’s hit me like a tidal wave and as the waves roll back, it leaves me feeling like a changed man.

  Then things change again as I feel the gentle sobs of the woman in my arms and it hits my heart hard. She grips me so tightly and I feel the alarm taking over my mind as I say with concern, “What’s the matter, darlin’, did I hurt you?”