Branded (17 page)

She clung to his shoulders, trying to help hold
her up, but her muscles were too soft, too aching.  He let her slide down the
wall until his cock sat at her apex, hot and eager.

“Make love with me, Xander.”  She wanted this,
wanted to share a special intimacy with him.  A quiet voice warned her to be
careful, but she was certain this was what she wanted.

He held her gaze as he thrust inside her, her body
providing the slightest resistance.  He pushed past it, stretching her until he
was fully sheathed.  He held her for a moment, letting her become accustomed to
his size.

She let out a breath, her lips turning into a
gratified smile.  The thought of him inside her brought another shudder.

He grinned as though enjoying his control over
her.  He moved out and thrust back in again.

“Xander.”

She closed her eyes in ecstasy as he continued his
onslaught.  When she was a trembling bundle of nerves, he buried himself inside
her and lifted her away from the wall.  She wrapped her legs tighter around him
as he carried her to his bed.  They fell on the mattress together, disengaging.

“Shit,” he whispered.  “We need a condom.” 

How could she have forgotten that?

She savored watching him move across the room to
retrieve his wallet from the dresser.  He was all smooth skin and hard muscle,
and…hers.

He walked back, his gaze so dark it took her
breath away.  He sheathed himself before crawling back on the bed, creeping up
with a promise of satisfaction in his eyes.

He pushed the edge of her nightgown slowly up her
body, his gaze devouring her as he went, stoking her flame even further.  With
gentle hands, he slipped the satiny fabric over her head.  He caught her gaze
for a second.  “Nicole,” he whispered, and then claimed her lips with a
possessive kiss.

He made love to her with wild, reckless abandon,
and when her release came, it couldn’t have been sweeter.  She cried his name,
gripping his shoulders as an exquisite throbbing consumed her body, then left
her in a satiated mass.

He gave her only a few seconds reprieve before he
continued to plunder her.  Over and over, he shoved his hard length into her
before the roar of their lovemaking seemed to pause, and he shuddered.  He held
his face in a contorted mask of extreme emotion before he collapsed on top of
her.

He stayed that way for a few moments and then
rolled over, cradling her in his arms.  She laid her head on his chest,
listening to his thundering heartbeat slow to a slower cadence.

He kissed her temple, running his fingers over her
bare arm.  “You okay?”

“More than okay.”  She lifted and scooted, her
over-sensitive nipples grazing his chest.  She placed her lips on his in a
slow, lingering kiss.  “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.”  He kissed her back.  “I won’t
forget this night.”

She snorted.  “You sound so dire.”  She settled
back in his arms.  “Are you always like this?”

He laughed then.  “No, not usually.”

“Good.”  She released a contented sigh and closed
her eyes, knowing her future would have to be pretty amazing to compete with
what they’d shared that night.

Wind and salty spray from the sea, blasted against
the right side of Xander’s face as he jogged along the edge of the Pacific.  Both
dogs ran alongside him, enjoying the quiet, empty beach.  He filled his lungs,
letting the high-octane oxygen fuel his body and clear his thoughts.

He’d woken this morning to find himself tangled
with Nicole.  Her hand had been curled against his jaw, her cheek warm against
his chest.  It had been the best damn feeling he’d ever had.  Nothing had ever
felt so right…or so wrong.

She belonged in his arms.  There was no doubt.

But how the hell would he ever manage to keep her
there if she was guilty?  She had to pay for her crimes.

Unless she was innocent.

But could she be?

His gut said yes.  And he wasn’t often wrong. 
What if someone
had
set her up?  What if this whole time he and the
other guys had been operating under false assumptions?  Yes, her father had
been proven to be a thief, liar, and all-around son-of-a-bitch.  That didn’t
mean she was.

He was proof that offspring didn’t necessarily
follow in his father’s footsteps.  Where his father had been weak, he was
strong.  Throughout his life, he’d faced the mistakes he’d made head on.  He
did what he could to make them right, and then he moved on.

If only his father could have had the same
strength to accept that he’d trusted the wrong man, that he’d made a mistake
investing in Nicole’s father’s schemes and lost the family fortune.  People were
human.  Bad things happened.

Why on earth had his father believed his family
would be better off losing him?  Losing the money had been bad enough.

But Xander had rebounded.  He’d continued to build
his own dream and invest in himself.  If only his father hadn’t taken the easy way
out.  Easy for him, anyway.  Finding his father with his gray matter splattered
on the garage wall had been anything but easy on him and his brother.  They’d
blamed themselves, blamed each other, and ended up avoiding each other. 
Another thing he needed to fix.

But Nicole came first.  He was almost one hundred
percent sure she was innocent.  It felt as though they’d both been let off the
hook, but could he trust that feeling?

He stopped, leaning forward, his hands on his
knees.  He pulled more of the salty air into his lungs as the dogs danced
around him.  Then he turned toward his house and began jogging back toward
Nicole and the murky problems waiting for him.

He had another full day of alone time with her.  And
he intended to enjoy every minute of it.

*        *        *

Nicole found Xander’s note on his pillow when she
woke.  He’d gone for a run with the dogs, but didn’t want to wake her.  His
consideration made her smile.  The extra sleep had been exactly what she’d needed. 
The positive energy swept in by the ocean and knowing the police had eased off
her case left her completely rejuvenated.  Spending so much time with Xander
was like the froth on her chai latte.  Addicting.

She’d barely had time to get dressed and go
downstairs to start the coffee before Xander and two wildly excited pups came
rushing through the back door.  The dogs were panting, and Xander was doing the
same.

“Hope you don’t mind that I took Stormy with us.” 
He tugged his shirt over his head and wiped the sweat from his face.

She dropped her gaze to his muscled pecs.  “Of
course not.”  Suddenly, she was no longer hungry for breakfast, but for
something else instead.

“Better watch where you put those beautiful eyes
of yours.”  He grinned, his mood seeming higher than it had been since they’d
left Portland.  Running or the fresh air must agree with him.

“Excuse me?”

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never
eat.”  He drew a deep breath into his lungs and exhaled.

She blinked and looked away.  “I’m sure I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”  She was also sure her heated cheeks proved
she was a liar.  “I was just getting ready to start breakfast.  What would you
like?  Omelets?”

His laugh reached out and tugged at her heart.  “I’d
like you to give me ten minutes to shower, and then I’ll take you to breakfast
before you attack me right here on the floor.”

She picked up on his playfulness and joined in.  “Then
I guess you’d better hurry.”  She drew her gaze over each naked contour of his
chest, admiring and approving of his display.  “You wait any longer, and you
won’t have a chance.”  She met his fiery gaze and held it.

“Shit.”  He headed for the stairs.  “You play this
much better than I do.  I’m ready to let you win right now because I know
losing will be awfully sweet.”

His quick comeback left her heart racing in heated
strides.  “What’s gotten into you this morning?” 

“Must be the ocean.”  He took the stairs two at a
time, and she watched as his back muscles contracted and released as he
disappeared out of sight. 

She loved this playful side of him wherever it had
come from.  If she’d thought he was perfect before, she didn’t know how to
describe him now.  Beyond perfect?  Possibly.  All she knew was he made her
days so much brighter than they’d been in a long, long time.

Xander was true to his word and returned
downstairs in less than ten minutes.  Wet, spiky hair covered his head and a
shadow darkened his normally smooth-shaved face making what was already hot
even hotter.

She let out a slow breath, trying to hide how he affected
her.  “That was fast.”

“I know when to hurry and when to take my time.”

Her cheeks flashed heat again as she remembered
him drawing out one of their lovemaking sessions the night before until she’d
begged for release.  She cleared her throat.  “I would have to agree with that.”

He approached her with a feral gleam in his eyes,
his look so powerfully sexual that she took a step back.  He pulled her into
his arms, branding her with his sensual lips, stealing her breath.  When her
knees went weak, he pulled away.

“Good morning, Nicole.”  His deep voice vibrated
through her chest.

“Good morning,” she fought to answer.  She traced
a finger past his ear and down his chin.  “Are you always like this in the
morning?”  And she thought
she
was happy.

“I am when I’ve spent the night in the arms of a
beautiful woman, and then realize I still have another day ahead of us to do
whatever we want.”

His sexual innuendo wasn’t lost on her and left
her anticipating what the day would bring.

“But breakfast first.  I’m starving.”  He pulled
away, and she instantly missed him.  “Pups will have to stay here.  Seaside’s a
dog-friendly town, but I’m pretty sure the local pancake house won’t appreciate
them inside.  You okay if we walk?  It’s only a couple of blocks.”

“I’d love to.”  She wanted to spend every minute
of her weekend either in Xander’s arms or outside.

Nicole zipped up her hoodie and donned a sturdy
pair of shoes before they headed out the door.  The temps were still cool this
morning, but the sun had broken through, and it promised to be a warmer day. 
It was barely past ten, and already the kite-flyers and beach bikers were out
in full force.

Xander took her hand as they walked along the
beach.

“The tide’s a lot higher this morning.”  It hadn’t
taken them nearly as long to walk out to the ocean.

He glanced at his watch.  “Should be just about
high tide right now.  I checked the tide tables this morning.  Plan on digging
clams about an hour before low tide, about one-forty.  Gives us a couple of
hours in town.”

Happiness fluttered in her chest.  “Sounds
perfect.”

*        *        *

With her stomach full of blueberries and crepes,
she and Xander walked down the quaint streets of Seaside.  Starfish decorations
hung from the street lamps as cars lined the narrow streets.  She was happy to
window shop the traditional souvenir stores that carried items like t-shirts
and beach towels, but when she spied a beautiful Celtic knot necklace in the
window of a small shop, she couldn’t resist.

“It will only take a second,” she said as she
dragged Xander inside.

“That’s what they always say.”  He said it with
sarcasm, but his smile told her he was teasing.

A teenager with a pixie-cut red hairstyle and
shiny coral lipstick greeted them.

“I’m curious about a necklace you have in your
window.” 

“The amulet.”  The girl seemed certain she knew
which one Nicole referred to.

“It’s a silver Celtic knot,” she added in case she
needed to clarify.

The girl nodded, a smug look on her face as she
headed to the display window at the front of the shop.  “Like I said, the
amulet.”

The silver pendant shone from the light coming in
the window.  She glanced between Xander and Nicole, and then laughed, shaking her
head.  “Siobhán said you’d be in today.”

“Siobhán?” Xander questioned.

“Store owner.  A bit of a psychic.  She described
both of you perfectly.”

Nicole shared a look with Xander and then turned
back to the young girl.  She loved it when storekeepers added a bit of
supernatural lore to the ambience, but she was pretty certain no one could have
predicted she’d enter this store today.

“Normally, we sell them for forty, but Siobhán
said to give it to you for twenty-five.  Said you’d fallen on hard times, and
you’d need the amulet to get you through the coming days.”

A strange chill skittered down her spine.  “That’s
crazy.”  And a little too close to home for her comfort.

The girl shrugged.  “She’s usually spot on.”  She
held out the necklace to Nicole for inspection.  When Nicole took it in her
hand, the girl continued.  “It’s meant for lovers.  The heart knot symbolizes
the unbreakable intertwining bonds of love between two people.”  She glanced
from Nicole to Xander and smiled.  “Must be true love.”

An awkward beat followed her statement. 
Technically, she and Xander were lovers, but their relationship was so new that
she was uncomfortable claiming it in front of this stranger.  “I just thought
it was pretty, and I love Celtic stuff.”

“It’s definitely pretty,” the girl responded.

“I’ll take it.”  She handed the necklace back to
the young woman, and they followed her to the register.

Nicole removed her wallet from her purse, but
Xander put his hand on hers.

“Let me.  Since we’re lovers and all.”  His lips
tilted in a playful grin, and she wanted to groan from embarrassment.  She gave
him a friendly elbow in the side, and he responded by wrapping an arm around
her waist and pulling her close.