So ARCs for Flame Again went out late last night (exhales) and I thought I’d share the first chapter of Flame Again, here. It’s available to preorder from this linky 

PART ONE AUGUST- BEFORE

CHAPTER ONE – GABE

As a former medic, Gabe Arthur had been in many tough spots. Gabe thrived on any situation that called for use of his skills and training. But sitting here, waiting for his brother? He’d rather jump out of a plane.

And flying? Not his thing.

He squinted in the bright sunshine as he rubbed his temples. Seeing his older brother, Cole, always triggered his migraines.

Glancing at his watch, he wished he was at home, waking up Ivy, his submissive. He had just come back from a job that took him away for three days. Ivy had a music gala to attend last night, so they hadn’t had time to reconnect.

He thought of calling her and commanding her to orgasm. How delicious it’d be to start her day that way. For him and her.

As part of their D/s, he controlled her orgasms. When she could come, if she could come, how many times she could come, was all up to him. Her orgasms were his. To get to that point, he’d spent hours edging her, learning her body. He’d stop and start her, make her masturbate at set times and trained her to come on his command.

And after all that, he added in a cue word and got her to the point where she could orgasm by hearing the word and his tone of voice. His cock pulsed, thinking about it.

His thumb hovered over her number, but the squealing tires caught his attention as a sleek black Mercedes-Benz AMG S 65 stopped at the curb, in front of the café.

His brother, former superstar defenceman, had arrived.

Cole’s towering frame emerged from the car. He stopped to shake hands with people and pose for pics as he ambled over to Gabe’s table at the back of the patio.

“Hey Shrimp,” Cole said, taking the chair across from him.

Gabe was six foot one. Cole was six foot three. Gabe snorted, hating the nickname. “Hey. I don’t think you can park there. What do you want?”

“Like they’re going to tow me?” Cole flicked a salt packet at him. “Nice to see you, too. Why so rushed? Have to get back to your video games?”

Gabe shook his head, not bothering to reply to his brother. He couldn’t tell anyone about being an elite private security operative for Axis Management.

His brother and his dad rode him hard about being unemployed.

“I don’t game, Cole, you know that.” And even if he did, so what?

“I saw you had dinner at Le Crocodile the other night. How fancy. Did your cash cow girlfriend pay for that?”

Gabe bit the inside of his cheek, getting to his feet. He didn’t need this. Cole should think better about Ivy. After all, she had made his brother a ton of money through Metric, the PR firm she worked for.

“Gabe, no c’mon. Look, she’s coming to take our order now. I’ll have the California lettuce wrap, and an orange juice on ice.” Cole smiled at the server. She blushed and looked at Gabe.

Gabe sighed, the chair scraping on concrete as he sat.  “Just a coffee for me.”

“You got it.” The server skipped off.

Cole stared at him and smirked.

Gabe wanted to wipe that expression off his brother’s face. It was the same expression he had when he locked Gabe in the closet when they were kids. Or when he broke their dad’s collectable RC plane and blamed it on Gabe.

“How did you even know about the dinner?”

“She posted about it.”

The pulsing in his temples picked up tempo. Ivy needed social media for her job, and she loved it. But he hated it, and they had many heated discussions about her tendency to overshare. He didn’t want his life online, and she loved posting all kinds of shit.

The dinner had been a week ago. They had gone with coworkers of Ivy’s to celebrate a new contract Ivy brought to Metric.

“What do you want, Cole?”

“Are you working?” His brother put so much venom in that comment.

“I have some jobs here and there.”

Cole scoffed. “Yeah, maybe you’re content to have a sugar momma, but if you want an actual job, I have something.”

“What, you want me to wash your cars?”

“You’re so funny. Seriously, man, this is legit. Do you want to hear it?”

Gabe sighed. He’d hear his brother out and blow him off later. “Go ahead.”

“How very gracious of you,” Cole said. “A couple of months ago, this charity, Ribbon of Aid, asked me to meet with them.”

“You get approached by a lot of charities.”

“Yes, but this one was interesting.” Cole raised an eyebrow. “They fund excursions to drop off medical aid into places damaged by the environment or war. They want former military.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I thought of my bro, the army medic. They have a job coming up in a couple of weeks. Do you want in?”

Gabe tried to read his brother’s expression but Cole’s poker face was pretty solid.

Cole didn’t do anything out of the goodness of his heart. But Gabe wanted in on this. He loved working for Axis Management, but this job he had just come off had been the first one in almost two months. The first one since his buddy Jordan died.

Gabe eyed his brother, trying to figure out his angle. The server brought their orders.

“The pay is pretty good,” Cole said.

Cole didn’t have to bring this to him. Ever since his retirement from the pro league, his brother had called him more often. Maybe he was trying to be a better big brother.

“C’mon Gabe. Unless you’re too scared?”

Gabe scoffed. He needed to work; he craved the rush. But since June, things at Axis Management had been slow. Gabe wasn’t sure if they’d ever be the same. They were all recovering from Jordan’s death. He’d battled nightmares for weeks after but they stopped once he had a job to keep him focused.

“Yes, I want in. Send me the details.”

“If you sign on, you need to do a good job, you know what I mean? It’s my reputation on the line.” Cole bit into his wrap and stared him down.

“I won’t do anything to tarnish your rep,” Gabe said.

“Are you and Ivy coming to Dad’s on Saturday?”

He’d rather skip the weekly dinners. Ivy always asked him why he went when they were so terrible. Gabe didn’t know. His dad had always told him that family was everything, and Gabe clung to that after his mom left. Damn, he was lucky to have Ivy by his side.

His dad would spend most of the evening asking Gabe how much money he had or when Gabe was going to start his own business or get a job. Gabe shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. His dad would point out how successful Cole was. How Cole is stronger and smarter than he was as if Gabe’s time as an army medic didn’t count, and to his dad, it didn’t. He didn’t understand why Gabe joined the military.

To get away from you, Gabe had stopped himself from saying many times. Ivy told Gabe to ignore his brother and father, but it was like an earworm he couldn’t shake; their voices were rooted in his brain.

Working for Axis Management helped. One reason Gabe signed on for their Team Stealth as a private operative was the money. The other part was Logan, Quinn and Jordan, Erik and his best buddy Nick. Guys he knew and trusted.

The pay that came with Axis Management would be enough, even for his father, and for the first time in their history together, he was making more than Ivy. She had stayed with him throughout his army years, money never bothering her.

She worked hard to become a senior PR Strategist, and Gabe knew she was good at her job, even though he felt she lied for a living.

Even if Ivy reassured him over and over that money didn’t matter to her, it bothered him that she earned more in the early years of their relationship. And even when she surrendered to him as his submissive, the inequity still bothered him.

“Yes, we’ll be at Dad’s. I got to get going.”

“Glad we had this chat. Don’t worry, I’ll get the bill,” Cole said. His brother waved to a couple of fans who stopped to take a picture of him over the railing of the restaurant.

Gabe clenched his hands into fists and exhaled. He wasn’t going to quibble over a buck twenty-five.

“Thanks.”

He waved bye to his brother and started walking toward their condo, stopping by the bakery to buy Ivy her favourite blueberry scones.

As he entered the lobby of their condo, he waved to their neighbours. He loved this place, minutes from the trendy shops, cafes, and restaurants and ten minutes to the beach. The view of the ocean and the North Shore Mountains was amazing.

Ivy had wanted this place so much. The only reason he had to say no to it was because he couldn’t afford the down payment on his own. In the end, he shared her love for their home and was happy he didn’t stop her from buying this place.

He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts as he unlocked their front door.

“Princess, I’m home.”

“Finally! Come and ravish me already!”

Gabe grinned. Ivy was never shy about what she wanted when it came to sex and he loved that about her. Putting down the box of pastries on the counter, he kicked off his shoes and strode down the hall to their bedroom.

Her short blonde hair was mussed from sleep, and he needed to run his hands through it. She sat cross-legged, naked on the bed, her phone in hand. Her green eyes lit up as he came closer, dropping a kiss on her pouty lips.

“Give it to me,” he held out his hand.

“I need it!” Ivy batted her eyes dramatically. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she glanced at it, her expression turning focused and intense.

“Nope. You’re off the clock.” He plucked the phone out of her hand and set it on the nightstand.

She squealed. “No! I had to check the feeds from last night’s gala. It got good press, and everyone’s happy. I did my job.”

“You want a cookie?” Gabe smiled at her.

“No, but I’m hoping you brought home blueberry scones.”

“You know I did.” This woman made him feel like a million bucks, despite what his dad and brother thought of him. She grabbed his shirt pulling him closer.

“I’ve missed you.” Gabe dropped a kiss behind her ear.

“Not as much as I’ve missed you. I haven’t orgasmed in five days.”

“Has it only been that long? We could try for another record. Or you can be good.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”  She returned his kiss with fervour, her sweet taste familiar and needed.

Her velvet lips met his, her mouth opening for him, urging his kiss deeper. Her hands swept down his abs, to the waistband of his t-shirt.

“You are insatiable.” And he fucking loved that about her. His girl made everything better, washed his brother’s voice from his mind with her touch. He threw off his t-shirt.

Their lips met again and he deepened the kiss, swallowing her soft moans of pleasure. Ivy had opened his eyes to sex being something more than the clinical experience he had before her.

Then there was the kink.

She had no shame about expressing her kinks, and they had a collection of toys that would rival any BDSM club.

When Ivy first asked him to spank her, Gabe baulked at her and said he knew nothing about kink.

“Ask Logan,” she had said. He learned that most of his buddies were in the D/s scene. They had seemed so young then, so hopeful.

Over the years, they explored all the kinks until they found what worked for them. Yeah, life was fun and he had few complaints.

He broke off the kiss. Sitting beside her on the bed, he reached out and out and traced the delicate gold chain that served as her collar. Ivy would have loved something flashier, a traditional collar with a D ring, but he liked the subtlety of this. He liked that even though she was strong and didn’t need him to take care of her, she was his.

“Come here, Princess.” He turned her towards him, leaving a trail of hungry, insistent kisses from her collarbone to the swell of her breasts. She urged him on, her hands on the back of his neck.

His mouth came around her large, juicy nipple. Ivy’s moan vibrated through his mouth as he lapped and sucked, tugging at her nipple with his teeth. Her hand drummed on his shoulders, her attempt at telling him to hurry.

His hands roamed over her stomach to her waist. He squeezed her wrist, cueing her to stop it, and bit her nipple lightly.

“Ouch!”

“Impatient, are we?”

“Always.”

He scored her wrist lightly with his nail, enjoying how she closed her eyes against his infliction. Gabe took the other nipple in his mouth, sucking until she squealed with a mix of pleasure and protest.

“Okay! Too much!”

He smiled, flicked his tongue around her areola, and dragged his teeth along her beaded nipple before switching sides.

“Damn you!”

Gabe laughed, squeezing her right breast as he feasted on her left. Her legs opened as he pinched her nipple.

“I call the shots in here, Princess.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Her leaf green eyes were glassy. His hands slid down to her thighs. She spread her legs for him, pushing her hips towards him.

Slowly, he lapped her pussy, the taste of her calming the angst in his brain. Ever so softly, he took her clit between his teeth and pulled oh so gently.

“More! Dammit, more!” Her fingers threaded through his hair.

With the barest of touches, Gabe rolled his tongue over her clit. That was the fun thing with Ivy. She wanted sex; she loved sex, and he absolutely loved being in control of her orgasm.

“Gabe!”

He lifted his head from her pussy, and dropped his hands from her thighs.

“I don’t know if you’re ready, Princess.” He stood, giving her his best Dom glare.

“You know I am!” Ivy clutched his shoulders.

“I’m not sure I’m convinced.” Gabe smiled while shucking off his pants.

“Please feel my pussy, Sir. Feel how wet I am for you.”

“Let’s see. Are you wet and ready?” Gabe sunk one finger into her and then another, and Ivy grabbed his arm, her nails digging into him.

“I am so wet.”

“I don’t know if you’ve earned an orgasm.” Gabe plunged two fingers into her pussy, working them back and forth. “I think I’m in the mood to fuck you and leave you.”

She bit down on her lip and shook her head from side to side, but she gushed at his words, her juices covering his fingers. He knew how much she loved this type of play.

“No! Why?”

Gabe grabbed her and shifted her position so she was horizontal across the bed.

“I heard you posted where we were last Friday,” He grabbed her legs, spreading them as he stepped in between her thighs.

Her eyes went wide, her foot drumming on his back. “Ah! You’re so mean.”

Easing his cock into her pussy, his lips brushed hers. “I can be meaner.”

Her pussy gripped his cock, inviting him into her warm core further.

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her almost chest to chest as he drilled into her; deep and fast.

“Sir! Yes!”

Ivy panted, the flush creeping up her neck, so gorgeous. He slowed his pace right now, captured her lips and felt her angst through how her body trembled. She kissed him back, as if he was her favourite thing.

He bit her bottom lip. And her pussy clenched around his cock.

Gabe grinned, tangled his hand in her silky blonde hair. With fast and quick strokes, he hammered into her so hard, her hips bounced on the mattress. Her eyes closed, her hands pressed on his back, driving him for more.

His balls drew tight, fire trailing down his spine. “I’m going to come in you, now, Princess, and you’re going to say ‘thank you,’” Gabe gritted in her ear as his orgasm rolled over him.

“No! Damn you!”

“Going to come right now.”

The release was so good that he trembled. He stayed in her warmth a moment longer, feeling her muscles coil tight. He kissed her as he eased out of her, pulling her against him as he lay on the bed, catching his breath.

His fingers went to her clit, wet and swollen. “Still ready?”

“Yes,” Ivy said.

“I didn’t hear a ‘thank-you?’”

“That’s because I was going to say, ‘Please, Sir, can I have an orgasm?’” she whispered the words into his chest, her cheeks red.

“Were you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s hear it.” He pulled her hair, tipping her face to him.

“Please, Sir, Can I have an orgasm?”

So damn heady. He kissed her, flicking her clit. Her hips jerked off the mattress.

“Please!” She clutched his arm.

“Open.” He held his fingers covered in her juices to her mouth.

She glared at him but her velvet tongue slowly glided over his fingers, cleaning herself off of him.

“Want your vibe?”

“No! I want your cock.”

“Too bad, Princess. I meant what I said. Vibe or nothing.”

She scrunched her face at him. He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“Yes, vibe, please!”

Gabe reached into the nightstand drawer and set her favourite vibe against her clit. He turned it on.

“Ahh!” Ivy flung her head back.

He increased the speed. Her eyes closed, her brow furrowed, and she grabbed his hand. “God, it’s so much.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No!”

Gabe kissed her collarbone, nuzzling her ear. “Babylon.”

Her face scrunched up, her eyes closed, and Ivy screamed.

“Good girl,” he said, kissing her nape. He removed the vibe and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

“Don’t touch me now!” Ivy said, batting his hands away.

She hated being touched after a scene or sex, preferring to have space for her to come back down to reality.

He stretched as he got off the bed. Ivy curled on her side, a small smile on her face. He was one lucky bastard to have this woman.

Gabe leaned down, meeting her eyes. “Who do your orgasms belong to?”

“You, Sir.”

“That’s my girl. I’m going to make some lunch.”

He slapped her ass, whistling as he strode into the kitchen, hearing her phone ring as he started pulling out pans.