Burning Hunger (7 page)

He reached for something behind his back,
pulled out a gun, and handed it to her. Val shook her head
vigorously and refused to take it. “No! I don’t know anything about
guns, Chaz. Please—”

“We don’t have time for this, honey, and I’m
not about to leave you without protection.” He took her hand and
forced the gun into it. “Watch carefully. This is the safety, it’s
on now. If you have to use the gun just release the safety, aim,
and fire.”

Val stared at the gun as if it were a
repulsive reptile. She shivered. Could she shoot someone? The
self-defense class she’d watched a couple years ago flashed before
her eyes. Yeah, Val. A lot of good that will do you if they have a
gun, too. She released a sigh of resignation.

“Okay.” Chaz cracked the door open, looked
around, and then opened the door far enough for them to slip
through.

Val saw the trees he was talking about, and
with a slight shove from him she was running toward them. Once she
was concealed, she turned to see that Chaz had waited to make sure
she was okay. Then he sprinted off in the direction that would take
him to the other side of the building.

She took a deep breath, watching the
activity unfold. From her vantage point, she could see and hear the
approaching fire trucks. As they turned into the circular drive,
lights flashed on her hiding spot, and she quickly ducked down
until it was safe to stand again. There was a lot of activity going
on by the main entrance to the building, but it was too dark to see
anything clearly.

All she could do now was wait for Chaz to
come back. The longer he was gone, the more nervous Val became. At
least the security lights were working, so she wasn’t in complete
darkness. As time went on and the clouds blocked out the full moon,
it became obvious the lights weren’t all that bright. This, coupled
with the occasional rustling of leaves and tree branches nearby,
and her mind began to play tricks on her.

Where the hell is he?
The gun felt
heavy in the palm of her hand, so she tucked it into the waistband
of her jeans. Even though it felt as if he’d been gone a long time,
Val figured that only about twenty minutes had passed. When the
fire truck lights went off, and the truck began to pull away from
the building, she knew that whoever had been pulling the alarm the
last couple of months had struck again. She was finally able to
relax.

She started to feel restless, and she had to
go to the bathroom. How much trouble could she get into if she just
went back to her apartment without Chaz? Something told her not to
do it, that he would be furious. Just because we’ve had sex doesn’t
mean he owns me. What can he do to me?

Crap!
Once that thought entered her
head, she couldn’t get it out.
Well, this is ridiculous!
She
stepped out from the safety of the trees and headed toward the door
they’d exited.
Damn!
She swore, even though it didn’t
surprise her to find the door locked. She decided the smartest
thing she could do was walk down the sidewalk to the main entrance,
and go through the lobby. She swung around and walked to the end of
the building, then turned the corner.

“Oh!” Without warning she slammed into a
dark, very solid shadow. Before she could scream, she realized the
hands taking hold of her shoulders belonged to Chaz.

“What the fuck…damn it, Val!” he growled
angrily.

She opened her mouth to say something, but
found herself being pushed back and pinned against the side of the
building.

“I told you to stay out of sight until I
came back for you.” His tone was low, the words said between his
teeth. “If I can’t trust you to do as I ask, how am I going to
protect you?”

“First off, you didn’t ask me to do
anything, you told me. Secondly, how was I supposed to know that
nothing happened to you? I’ve been hiding in the bushes for a good
half hour. And third, I have to go to the bathroom.” She made an
attempt to push him away, but he didn’t budge. “Once I saw the fire
truck leave, I figured it was okay to go back inside.”

“Let’s get something straight right now,
lady. I call the shots. I don’t care if an hour goes by, when I
tell you to stay put, you stay put. Got that?”

“Tell that to my bladder!” Val grew angrier
at every word Chaz said. She didn’t see what the fuss was all
about. Nothing had happened. “Why did you give me your gun if you
don’t think I can protect myself? And did you forget that I know
self-defense?”

He made a sound as if he was tired of
hearing her say that. “Okay, lady, I’m the bad guy. Show me your
moves.” His tone was laced with irritation. Val could tell he was
annoyed and out to prove a point, and probably at her expense.

He removed his hands from her shoulders.
Fueled by her own growing anger, Val instantly reached for the gun
tucked inside her jeans. She got so far as to actually pull it free
when a lightning move from Chaz and a painful chop from his hand,
caused the gun to drop to the ground.

“Ouch!”

“Never pull a gun on someone unless you plan
to use it,” he said roughly.

“I thought you wanted to see my moves,” Val
hissed, rubbing her wrist.

“You wouldn’t normally have a gun,” he
barked.

Oh!
Her wrist hurt where he’d struck
it. “Maybe I need to get one!” She raised her hands to gouge his
eyes. He easily caught her wrists, stopping her, but Val was ready
for him. She threw herself at him and raised her knee at the same
time. With a curse, he twisted his lower body so that she grazed
his beefy thigh instead.

Chaz laughed. “Predictable. Who the hell
taught you these defense moves?” He twisted her arms behind her
body. “You need to get your money back.”

Exasperation was getting the better of Val.
She squirmed against his hard-as-a-brick-wall chest, thinking back
to the self-defense DVD she’d studied a couple years before. They
had made it look so easy. A particular move came to mind and she
stomped her foot down onto his. Chaz didn’t release her as the
attacker had released his victim on the DVD.

Deep laughter rumbled inside his chest.
“Sandals against boots don’t work very well,” he said.

“Okay, let me go, damn you! You’ve made your
point!” Val felt her lower lip tremble with emotion. She tried to
pull away from his strong hold.

“Look, honey,” his tone softened, as though
he sensed her sudden vulnerability.

Val found herself back against the building
with her arms held down at her sides. Chaz used his body to
restrain her.

“The DVD you watched was outdated, and not
very realistic,” he stated simply.

“How did you know it was a DVD?” His face
was a dark mask in front of her.

“I saw it in your collection by the TV and
guessed. You have some good moves; unfortunately they don’t work on
every attacker. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m bigger than
most.”

Oh, she’d noticed. Everything about Chaz was
big. She was glad he couldn’t see the small smile covering her
lips, because right now his cock was growing hard against her lower
belly.

“My size alone would prevent you from doing
any real damage.”

“I’m sure there’s something I can do that
will bring you to your knees,” Val whispered.

In an instant the atmosphere between them
became charged with a sexual current that promised sparks would
fly. Chaz was still crowding her against the wall, only the hands
encircling her wrists let go to slide up her arms in a caress that
left her sighing. As he reached her upper arms his thumbs stretched
out to glide over her flat nipples, which puckered immediately. Val
gasped as the prickle of awareness traveled all the way down to her
pussy, causing it to spasm.

“Oh, baby,” Sensing that he was lowering his
face; she raised hers and met him halfway. “You definitely have the
moves to bring me to my knees.”

When his lips first touched hers it was
soft, exploratory, teasing Val until she trembled wildly. Her
reaction drew out the animal in him, and Chaz’s kiss turned hard
and hungry. As she opened her mouth beneath the pressure of his,
and sucked his tongue inside, his hands caressed her breasts and
body with purpose.

Wildfire raced through Val, and she couldn’t
believe how fast things developed between them. Some part of her
brain registered that they were outside of her apartment building,
that they were losing control against the wall with the moon
peeking in and out of the clouds. If Chaz was worried about where
they were he didn’t show it. His hands had moved under her
tee-shirt and were squeezing and shaping her bare breasts with
barely restrained passion.

Without warning, the lights of a turning
vehicle landed on them. Val gasped at Chaz’s quick reflexes when he
snatched up his gun, and pulled her around the corner of the
building into the darkness. Holding her against the wall he
carefully peered around the edge. Once he seemed satisfied with
what he saw, he turned his attention back onto her.

“Trouble?” Val asked, still slightly out of
breath. Her body was humming with arousal.

“Probably just a tenant. Come on; let’s get
back to your apartment.” He tried the maintenance door before Val
could warn him that it was locked. “Shit!” He paused for a moment,
and Val imagined he was thinking about options. “We’re sitting
ducks here, let’s go.”

He curled his hand around hers and tugged
her in the direction of the main entrance. Walking at a brisk pace,
Chaz made sure she was between him and the building. The thought of
him using his body to shield hers from a possible bullet produced
fear in Val. She didn’t think she could live with herself if
something happened to him. For the first time since this nightmare
began, she was glad they were leaving town in the morning.

As they walked along, she noticed Chaz’s
gaze shifting all around them. She could feel the tension in his
grip, and knew he was on full alert. He reminded her of a warrior,
without the trappings. Yet her imagination provided her with the
tantalizing visual of him in protective armor, with a shield and a
sword, riding a stallion.

Get a grip, girl. You’re losing it. They
both breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the lobby. The
night attendant was behind the desk, head bent as he appeared to be
working on something. He glanced up when he heard them enter.

“Any word on what the fire alarm was all
about?” Chaz asked him.

“Oh, Mr. Evans! I was just about to leave
you a message. Looks like the same issue that we’ve been
experiencing for the last few months. Someone has been messing with
the alarms.”

“Thanks Ted.”

“We think it’s kids,” Ted continued as they
walked toward the elevators.

“That’s highly possible, Chaz,” Val agreed.
“It’s something kids would do, if they were bored and looking for
trouble.”

“Yeah,” he said in a disbelieving tone as
they entered the elevator.

“You’re so cynical.” Val grinned. She fought
the urge to give him something else to think about. She’d like
nothing better than to kiss the firm line of his mouth until it
softened with desire. “Did you see anything suspicious
outside?”

His serious gaze met, and held hers as he
shook his head. “I’ll feel better once we’re back in your
place.”

The bell went off; indicating they’d reached
her floor. They got all the way to Val’s door before it dawned on
her that she didn’t have the key. However, it didn’t surprise her
when Chaz reached inside his front pocket and withdrew one. She
already knew the man was very proficient.

At everything he did.

Chaz closed the door behind them and made
sure it was locked. He hadn’t found anything suspicious, but he
wasn’t ready to buy that some kid had pulled the fire alarm either.
He didn’t believe in coincidences, and he always trusted his gut.
Right now his gut was warning him not to let his guard down. He
wasn’t sure if it was the result to any threat toward Val, or if he
was the one in jeopardy, because the lady was definitely dangerous
to his peace of mind
and
his libido.

When he turned around, his gaze
automatically fell on Val’s sexy backside as she walked at a casual
pace down the hallway. He almost whistled his appreciation, but
stopped himself. Was she putting that little extra sway in her hips
on his account? He slipped the key back into his pocket and headed
toward the sofa.

“I hope your bed is comfortable,” she said
over her shoulder.

His gaze landed on the glimmering satin
sheets that were in a color he could only describe as Pepto-Bismol
pink. He’d yet to find a couch that could accommodate his frame,
and with the satin sheets he’d nearly slipped off onto the floor
twice, the night before.

“Very,” he lied.

She kicked off her sandals and then
surprised him by pulling off her tee-shirt and letting it drift to
the floor. His gaze narrowed on the graceful curve of her flawless
back, where it tapered at her waist.
Is this an invitation?
She had just about reached her bedroom doorway. “Need any help
getting out of those jeans?”

Val paused in the threshold and turned her
head to make eye contact. “I’ve never needed help getting out of my
clothes. But I do have an itch you can help me with, that I can’t
reach.” She disappeared into her room.

A slow smile spread across Chaz’s face. He’d
never fully recovered from that kiss they’d shared outside, and her
enticing invitation sent his libido into overdrive. He kicked off
his boots and reached for his shirt, pulling it over his head. He
was halfway to her room when a wicked thought had him pivoting to
the kitchen for an ice cube. He walked into her bedroom and nearly
had heart failure.

That’s what I like about Val, she knows
what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it.
She’d removed
her jeans, and was leaning over the bed with her shapely bottom
thrust up in the air. Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, the
look of desire on her face caused as strong a response in his body
as any aphrodisiac. The breath hissed through his teeth at the
unexpected effect. Not because she made him hot, but from the speed
at which lust had hijacked his senses.