Page 3 of Up in a Blaze (Polished P & P #4)

CHAPTER THREE

BLAZE

A s we walked into the break room, I looked down at my little firecracker once again while he smiled, waved, and greeted every person in there.

The man was too damn good-looking for his own good.

Too nice. Too charming. Drove me fucking crazy with the amount of attention he got. But at least I could say he was mine .

At least I could tell any fucker looking at him that he was taken.

And if they didn’t get the message, I would remove their eyes and make them eat them so they were clear that he was mine.

All fuckin’ mine.

Although, if I was still in the business of selling body parts on the black market, I would have thought about keeping the eyes for the money.

I gave up Henri once because of the shit I dealt in. I’d be a damn fool to lose him again. The first time had nearly broken me, and the only thing that kept me from going mad was watching him from afar.

I’d stalked him on the days I was desperate to see and hear him. I’d also installed a couple of cameras around his place.

It was just luck that no other fucker had been with him at his house or those times I followed him through the streets. If there had been, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from ending them in one way or another.

He’d been an addictive hobby. My obsession.

I wanted to know he was always safe, which was why I had to move the computer room here to Polished. To be close in a place where shit could go down. Thank fuck nothing had happened since he’d started.

When we stopped in front of the buffet line to grab some warm food, I thought again about how well this place was set up. The brothers of the Diamond MC knew how to treat their employees.

“Mon amour, what are you having?” Henri asked as he picked up a tray.

I took another one and set it beside his on the rails. “Just put on mine whatever you wanna try.” I’d eat about anything, and I knew Henri liked to pick or try different things.

He beamed up at me, and went to his toes to kiss my jaw. My gut danced. It always did.

He’d been the only man to get that type of reaction out of me—just another reason I’d become infatuated with him.

As he grabbed food, he called out to the cooks in the back, telling them, “Bonjour, everything looks amazing like always. Harriet, how’s the little one?” After she answered, he went on. “That’s great. Bruce, did Audrey get that part in the musical?” Bruce grinned and told Henri all about it.

The light of my life didn’t care we only had so long to eat. He made sure everyone around him knew he saw them.

Like he’d seen me.

And that was after he’d saved my ass.

Hell, I’d fallen for the guy the moment he glowered down at me as I bled out.

I’d been damn blessed when he stumbled upon me and was brave enough to take me back to his place.

I moved over to a table, placed our trays down, and pulled out Henri’s seat for him. He slipped down into it before I took hold of the chair next to him and moved it closer to his side to sit.

“You know I love you,” he said. When I looked at him, I grunted. He smirked. “And you know you’re stuck with me forever and ever.”

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“What do you need?” I asked.

He laughed. “What would you say to someone else joining our family?”

Dropping my fork, I gripped his throat and pulled him close. “I share you with no one.”

“Not even your computer bestie?”

“No. One,” I bit out. “Did Tech say something to you? Did he suggest something?” I stood, ready to fold Tech’s body into a pretzel shape, when Henri’s hand wrapped around my wrist as he cackled like a madman and others looked over at us.

“Relax, mon amour. I did worry that you had fallen for Tech since you spend so much time with him, but I know I don’t have to. I am, and will always be, only yours.”

Sitting, I cursed under my breath and asked, “Then what the fuck you talking about?”

“A puppy? I want to be a papa. To dote on another like you do me.”

The ache in my chest eased, and I felt foolish for it to begin with.

Henri wouldn’t step out. He was completely committed to me, which he’d proved time and time again when women and men tried to get his attention.

I should do to him what he threatened to do to me. Piss on him in front of everyone so they knew he belonged to me.

“Are you thinking of peeing on me?” he questioned before taking a bite of the pizza slice on my tray. He chewed a couple of times before his nose screwed up, and he put the slice back down on my tray.

“I’ll do it if I have to,” I told him, taking a sip of his iced coffee.

“So,” he drew out. “What are your thoughts about a little chiot ?”

A puppy.

I cringed.

He wanted a puppy that’d whine, pee, shit, bark, and chew everything up. “You know what they’re like to train?”

“Non, but I know you and I will make perfect papas together.”

Shit.

“It could chew up your shoes and clothes.”

He shrugged. “Then I will buy more.”

“When did you start thinking about wanting a dog?”

“Earlier at the compound.”

Groaning, I rubbed at my forehead. “Can we think about it for more than a few hours before we decide?”

“Sure, mon amour.”

A tray set down across from us, and I narrowed my gaze on Loyal, a Diamond MC brother who worked as security here.

He tipped his chin. “Hey.”

“Bonjour, Loyal. How is work?”

“Good,” he said around a mouthful as he eyed us. “Don’t you two get sick of seeing each other at work and home?”

Henri laughed. “Non, chéri. Besides, my Blaze spends more time looking at a screen than me.”

“Henri,” I warned. He was talking bullshit.

He rolled his eyes. “However, I know it’ll always be me he seeks out when his love affair with a computer is finished.”

Damn right.

I loved coding, hacking, investigating, and all the other shit Tech and I did on the computers, but Henri would always come first over everything. I’d sworn it to myself when he’d reached out to me after years of no contact.

When he asked for my help, I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to walk away for a second time.

It probably wasn’t good to be thankful since Henri had only reached out to get me to help find Dusty.

At first, I didn’t think the Diamond MC would want an assist from me, but Country’s fear of losing Dusty meant he quickly accepted my help.

I knew Country and Death back in school.

We’d been friends for a while, until I’d started dealing in shady shit and they’d wanted no part of it.

But it was also around the time my sister was brutally murdered, and the vengeance that burned inside of me overtook everything in my life.

A slim hand squeezed my thigh. I glanced to Henri, who quirked a brow, silently asking me if I was okay. I nodded once.

He went on eating, as did I, but Henri also asked Loyal, “Has there been any drama happening in your area?”

Loyal snorted. “If I was to guess, you’re itching for something to go down.”

“Moi? I would never.”

Shaking my head, I grinned for a moment.

“Sure, Henri,” Loyal said. “Hey, did you happen to see Pixie when he came in?”

“Non, why?”

“He didn’t look too good.”

Henri cocked his head to the side. “He is with a client right now, but I will check on him.”

Loyal tipped his chin up. “Knew you would. Thanks, Henri.”

In the time Henri had been here, he’d become somewhat of a mother hen to the employees. He lived to gossip and help where he could, and the brothers knew he was always willing to be there when certain employees needed a gentler hand.

Pixie was shy and quiet, and Wreck had told me he’d spoken to Henri more than anyone else in the building, but even with the times they’d talked, it wasn’t much.

The kid needed help. There was something troubling him, but it was up to him to reach out. We couldn’t interfere. Not yet at least. I had a feeling that if we moved too fast with him, he’d just up and quit.

Henri laughed at something Loyal said. I fucking loved watching him. Everything he did I was obsessed with.

The way he moved and talked….

I still remembered the first time I’d seen him naked. My lips tugged up in the corner briefly as I thought of the shocked look on his face when he’d turned around in the bathroom to find me naked first.

As I stared at the beautiful man, I was sure he thought I’d tell him to fuck off.

But I couldn’t.

The need to see him naked in the shower clawed under my skin. My cock was already hard, desire pushing me to palm it as he said, “I suppose you will need a hand in the shower.”

Fuck yes.

Even when pain radiated all over my body, I blocked it when he started to undress.

Inch by inch, he revealed his sweet skin that I wanted to lick, bite, and claim.

I’d wanted to make him mine when I’d seen him, when he’d spoken to me and cursed me out in French.

“ Mon bête , you look at me like you want to devour me,” he said.

My beast.

Yeah, I wanted to be his beast.

“I do,” I admitted roughly.

He clamped his teeth into his plump bottom lip as he pushed his sleep pants down. His erection bobbed free, ready for my hand to wrap around it. But I stopped myself, ordering, “In the shower.”

He cocked a brow. “You,” he challenged.

“If I had the energy, I’d spank you. Please get in the shower. I want to look at your ass.”

His whole face lit up as he winked. “You should have started with that, chéri.” He spun around, and looked back over his shoulder to me, eyes shining.

I followed right after him into the steamy shower, shutting the curtain behind me.

He moved beyond the spray of water, crooking his finger at me. I stepped right under the water and brushed my hair back with a hand, watching him through the droplets.

Henri scraped his top teeth over his bottom lip, running his gaze down over me. “It is lucky, mon bête, that I placed a waterproof patch over your wound.”

With a grunt, I nodded once.

“Will you allow me to wash you?”

Fuck. I’d give up my own kidney to have that. “Yeah.”

He reached around to grab the soap and slid it over my flesh, starting at my shoulders. I dipped my head, closing my eyes, enjoying his gentle hands on me.

I hadn’t been with anyone in a long time. Hadn’t realized I’d missed the touch of someone. But Henri’s was different to anyone else’s.

It was more welcomed. Wanted.

Henri hummed when my dick jerked from his touch.

Opening my eyes, I kept my gaze lowered to see his hands. One brushed over my balls. The other that held the soap stroked my cock. Unfortunately, he didn’t linger. But still, his next move had me gulping when he crouched in front of me to clean my thighs and calves.

As he looked up with a seductive smile, I took a step forward and curled my fingers through his hair.

He cocked a brow. “What is it that you want, mon bête?”

“Your mouth.”

“Then take it.”

Desire burned hot under my skin. I dragged him to his feet and heard his gasp, saw his surprise, and heard the soap drop just before I claimed his mouth with mine.

He moaned into my mouth when I forced my tongue in to play and tease his.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

His mouth was made for me to take. I wanted more. I wanted to devour him in ways where he wouldn’t be able to forget me.

And I felt all that from one kiss.

He tore his mouth from mine, staring at me while we caught our breath. “Baiser.” He breathed out the word fuck in his thick French accent. “You can kiss.” He dropped to his knees again, and before I could say anything, he swallowed my cock, sucking like a goddamn vacuum.

“Fuck,” I grunted.

His dark gaze lifted to lock with mine as he bobbed up and down on my dick, licking and sucking it in ways that drove me crazy.

His hand cupped my balls, slowly rolling them, tugging them.

“Can I come on your face?” I wanted to mark him, paint his face with my cum and rub it into his skin.

He hummed and nodded slightly. My gaze flared in surprise. As far as I’d figured, not many would allow it with a man they’d just met. Then again, I’d never wanted to do that to another before.

Having his trust, his approval, was a rush to my body. My climax tickled down my spine. “Christ,” I clipped, pulling free and wrapping my hand around my dick to jerk.

Henri sat back, smiling, gazing up at me like a devious devil.

Or my French firecracker.

Groaning, I released all over his face, on his chin, forehead, cheeks, swollen lips.

Reaching up, I quickly moved the water spray away so my seed lingered on his soft flesh. Want burned inside me to have my essence soak into him in a way it never had before. Leaning down, I gripped the back of his hair in one hand and used my fingers on the other to gently massage my cum in.

After, I dipped my thumb into his mouth and out again. He just kept smiling up at me.

Gripped with need, I reached down, wincing as my wound pulled, and grabbed his wrist, yanking him up. Turning him, I blanketed his body and wrapped my palm around his hard dick.

“Yes,” he moaned when I started jerking him off. He pushed his ass back against me.

Taking the front of his throat in hand, I squeezed. “Still,” I ordered.

His breaths panted out as he stopped moving against me and let me toy with his body.

Grazing my teeth against his neck, I then sucked his skin into my mouth, marring his flesh in another way that would show he was taken.

He quivered and whimpered. “Blaze, baiser. Coming,” he shouted.

I didn’t stop milking his cock until his body ceased shaking. He let out a noise that sounded a lot like a purr.

After turning him, I pinched his chin. “I’m keeping you,” I warned.

His lips quirked, and he rolled his eyes. “We will see how this goes.”

“I’m keeping you.”

“As long as you tell me why you were bleeding out in an alleyway.”

“It was the brother of a man I killed in revenge.”

He gasped, but he never moved away from me. That gave me hope. “Why did you kill his brother?”

“He beat, raped, and murdered my sister.”

His jaw clenched and gaze narrowed. “Then he deserved it.”

Fucking hell. He was my ideal partner already.

“Oui,” I answered.

His smile had my heart clenching. I wanted to bury myself into his goodness. Forever.

How had this man captured me in such a short amount of time?

I didn’t care. I wasn’t walking away.

“How do you know French?” he asked.

I brushed my nose up and over his temple. “My grandmother taught me when I was young. She passed away, and I kept learning for her.”

He shared another smile with me before he ran his hands up my chest. “You need more food and rest, mon chéri.”

“You’re still willing to have me here? To take care of me?”

“Oui.”

Christ, my heart had ached with the swarm of warm emotions flooding it. “Then I promise to take care of you too,” I told him.

In French, he said, “You may be a beast, but I can see your soft side. I am not promising anything, but I would love to get to know you. To spend time with you.”

“ Affaire ,” I replied, committing to the deal.

What he didn’t know was that he’d just signed himself up to be mine.