Branded (18 page)

The girl completed the transaction and started to
put the amulet in a bag.

“Can you just clip off the tag?  My lover here
would like to wear it now.”

Nicole widened her eyes at Xander, but he didn’t
seem fazed by her visual admonition.  Instead, he took the necklace and turned
her around by her shoulder.  His warm fingers grazed her neck, sending shivers
coursing through her.  The cold silver dipped between her breasts, resting there,
allowing her skin to warm it.  She fingered the intertwining strands of silver,
loving it instantly.

“Thank you,” she said to Xander.

“You’re welcome,” he responded, his gaze
connecting with hers in an intimate way that couldn’t be explained with words.

They left the shop, the bright sunshine welcoming
them back outside.  She smiled, pretending the whole encounter hadn’t left her
a little unnerved.  “She couldn’t have really known those things.  I’m sure she
took a wild guess and hit home.”

“Probably.”  He directed her across the street.  “Let’s
purchase our shellfish licenses, and we can stop for some taffy if you want.”

She nodded.  “Or maybe she saw me in the news and
knows my case.”

“That’s probably it.”

She stopped, forcing him to do the same.  “You’re
not any help at all.”

He shrugged.  “What’s there to help?  She gave us
a crazy story.  You got the necklace you wanted.  It’s all good.”

“You didn’t find the whole thing strange?”

“Maybe, but so what?  This weekend is about us,
and I’m not going to let anyone interfere, regardless of what they say.”

She studied him for a moment and then smiled.  “You
know, you have this great way of putting everything into perspective.”

He took her hand.  “I know.  That’s why all the
ladies want me.”

The sun was out full force by the time Nicole and
Xander returned to the house to gather their supplies for clam digging.  She
hurried upstairs to ditch her nicer clothes for some that could get muddy. 
Just as she was slipping into her hoodie again, her phone rang.  She dug it out
of her purse, surprised to see Riley’s name on her screen.

It seemed weird to have another guy call her when
she was with Xander, and she almost didn’t answer.  But then again, they
were
only friends.  “Hey Riley.”

“Nicole.  Glad I finally caught you.  I’ve been by
your house a couple of times, but you’re never home.  Did you get a new job?”

“No.  Not yet.”  She paused, not wanting to mention
she was spending the weekend with Xander.  “I’ve just been busy with some
things.”

“Oh…okay.  I called to see if you’re available for
dinner tonight.  Thought maybe we could catch up on stuff.”

Seriously?  What were the odds?  “No, tonight’s
not good for me.”

“Tomorrow?  If dinner doesn’t work, we could do
lunch.”

She obviously wasn’t going to get off without some
sort of explanation.  “Actually, I’m out of town at the moment.”

An awkward silence crept over the phone.

“I’m at the beach for a couple of days.  I’ll be
home sometime tomorrow night.  Maybe we could do lunch during the week.”

“Okay.  Sure.  I guess call me when you’re back.”

“I will.”  She hung up the phone, unnerved for the
second time that day.  What was up with everyone?  Xander suddenly turning all
romantic.  The strange girl at the Celtic shop.  And now Riley.  Not once in
the whole time she’d known him had he ever invited her anywhere beyond work
hours, and it bothered her that he’d seemed annoyed that she wasn’t readily available. 
Ever since that day when she’d been taken in for questioning, the fates seemed
determined to throw her off kilter.

She zipped up her jacket and hurried downstairs,
Stormy keeping pace.

Xander waited for her on the back deck, and as she
left the house, Apollo stood, walking toward her in greeting.  A couple of milk
jugs with big holes cut in the tops and ropes attached to the handles sat at
Xander’s feet, along with a small shovel and a three-foot metal cylinder.

“What is that for?” she said, indicating the
silver tube.

“Razor gun.”  He smiled.  “For you.”

“I’m pretty sure people don’t shoot clams.”

“It will help you dig them.  Just wait and watch.” 
He picked up the milk jugs and held them out to her.  “Carry these, please.”

She took the plastic jugs, embarrassed to ask what
they were for.  He gathered the shovel and gun before heading down the stairs.  She
followed, Apollo nearly knocking her over in his quest to be the first on the
beach.

The four of them made their way toward the water.

“Clamming should be really good today with the
minus tide.”  He tapped the wet sand with the pole end of his shovel, walked a
little farther and repeated his action.  She stayed silent and watched,
finished with displaying her ignorance on the subject.

“I’m looking for shows,” he said, obviously
reading her mind.  “Small dimples in the sand…like this one.”  He dropped his
shovel at his feet, before putting both hands on the T-shaped bar at the top of
the cylinder.  With a rocking, twisting kind of motion, he worked the tube down
into the ground until it was deep, then he lifted.  Wet clumps of sand fell
from the cylinder as he spread the contents across the ground.

From what she could tell, he’d managed to dig a
symmetrical hole, but not much else.  Then he leaned forward, reaching into a
large pile of sand and pulled out a greenish-brown shell about six inches
long.  He wiped the dark sand from the shell and held it out like a prize.  “There
you go.  Our first clam.”

“That’s it?  It seems so easy, like we’re cheating. 
Those poor clams don’t have a chance.”

“Pretty much.”  He dropped the clam into one of
the milk jugs before removing the rope from the container.  “If you want a
little more sport, I’ll show you how to do it the old-fashioned way.  But first
let’s get these tied around us.”

She watched his face as he threaded the rope
through a few of her belt loops.  Stubble peppered his jaw leaving him with a
sexy, rugged look.  He bent to retrieve her jug and tied it to her waist.  She
caught his eye when he glanced at her and raised her brows.

“All good clam diggers keep their bounty close.”

Her gaze drifted to follow the curve of his lips.

“Wouldn’t want the ocean to wash away your stash
when you aren’t looking.”  He jerked the knot tight, bringing her focus back to
his eyes.

“Yes, sir,” she teased.

He searched her gaze, a strong current of
attraction pulling her in.  “Are you sassing me?”

“No, sir.”  She smiled, and he gave her a quick
kiss laced with hot passion.

“Your turn.”  He handed the clam gun to her, and
she was suddenly at a loss.

“Wait.”  It didn’t seem so easy now that she was
in control.  “What do I do again?”  She must seem like an idiot, but it was
hard to concentrate with him so close.

He picked up his stick and tapped the ground.  “Look
for the shows.”

“That’s right.  The dimples.”  She searched the
ground near her feet.  “Wait, here’s one.”  She pointed to the small hole in
the sand.

“Nope.  That’s a sand shrimp.”

She looked at the hole again and then back to
Xander.  “Seriously?  Then how do you tell them apart?”

“Shows are bigger and not really mounded.  Don’t
worry.  You’ll get it,” he said when she frowned.

She searched again, looking for a hole that was
more flush with the ground.  “This one.”

Xander joined her.  “Looks good.”

For some, silly reason, his approval brought a
smile to her face.  She held out her hands for the razor gun.

“Set it down where you think you want to dig, and
then lift it to make sure you’re centered.  Adjust it if necessary and then push
down the gun, kind of rocking it as you go deeper in the sand.”

“Go deeper?”  She couldn’t resist the tease.

He rolled his eyes, but she caught the glint in
his eye.  “Let’s have some focus here.”

She checked her target and then pushed.  The gun
didn’t go into the sand as easily as he’d made it seem.

“Put your weight into it and twist it a bit.”

She gave it an extra shove, twisting and rocking
to get it into the ground.

“Now place your thumb over that hole in the top
and pull the gun out.”

It came out of the sand a lot easier than it had
gone in.  She mimicked what Xander had done earlier and spread the contents on
the sand.

“Right there.”  He pointed to one of the larger
clumps, and she picked it up.  Sure enough, it had substance and didn’t crumble
in her fingers.  She brushed off the sand, more than happy with her find.  “I
did it!  I got one!”

Stormy and Apollo picked up on her excitement and began
barking.

“You’re an official clammer now.”

She put the clam in her bucket and smiled, a
peaceful happiness settling over her.  “Thank you for this.  Being here with
you has been…amazing.”

Xander pulled Nicole into his arms, afraid of the
feeling welling inside him.  “No.  Thank you.”  He could hardly believe she was
the daughter of the man who’d been so instrumental in his father’s death.  He
had to tell her.  Had to come clean about why he’d entered her life.  She would
understand.  She hated her father as much or more than he did.

But he couldn’t tell her yet.  He didn’t want to
take the chance of ruining their weekend.  She deserved this break from life,
and he intended to make it as perfect as possible.  Besides, the more he
pampered her, the more likely she’d be to realize how much he’d come to care
for her, and the more likely she’d forgive him.

God, he prayed she’d forgive him.

A few hours later, Xander shared a blanket with
Nicole on the beach, a low fire crackling in front of them.  The sun mirrored
its golden opulence on the waters of the Pacific giving them a spectacular
sunset.  He hadn’t been able to shake the thought that he’d lose Nicole once he
confessed to her.

“A second night of your delicious cooking.  Those
fried clams were to die for.”  She slid her foot across the soft, white sand
and nudged his shoe.  “I have to admit, you’re much better than I gave you
credit for.”

He kept his head bowed toward the fire that
whipped with the ocean winds, but smiled.  “Told you so.”  He lifted his gaze
to her, his lips turning somber.  “Promise me you won’t forget that.”

“Of course, I won’t.  As long as you promise me it
won’t be the one and only time you cook clams for me.”

“Definitely not.”  He prayed she’d feel the same
later on.

She scooted closer to him on the sand, taking his
hand.  The feel of her fingers intertwined with his was a source of comfort and
fear.  He couldn’t lose her.  Not now.

The fire’s embers twinkled and glowed, with smoky
snaps and crackles.  She tilted her face toward his, capturing his gaze.  “Do
you realize you have this way of making everything sound like it’s so final,
like it’s the last time it will ever happen?”

He stilled, a quick flash of pain tearing through
him. 

Concern filled her eyes, and he was sure his
expression must have given him away.  “I’m sorry.  Did I say something wrong?”

He paused for a moment, studying her with a
discriminating gaze.  He wanted to open up, but it was so damn hard.  His
friends would call him insane for trusting her, but his heart told him otherwise. 
He had to go with his instincts.  “It’s an issue I’ve had since my father died.” 
He cleared his throat.  “Since he took his life.”

She widened her eyes in shock.  “Oh, God, Xander. 
I didn’t realize he’d died that way.”  She squeezed his hand.  “I can’t imagine
the pain you must have endured.  No wonder you have issues with him.  I’m so
sorry.”

“You lost your parents, too.”

“Not the same thing.  You loved your dad.”

He nodded, a deep ache cutting off his words.

She wrapped her arms around him, snuggling against
his chest.

“He was swindled out of a lot of money.  I guess
he couldn’t look himself in the eye after that.” 

“That’s terrible.  Why do people think it’s okay
to take advantage of others?  Can’t they see the damage they cause?”

Her reply eased his stress.  He’d known in his
heart she was a good person.  Talking to her about his dad also lessened the
weight of guilt he carried.  “I think he tried to tell me…before it happened. 
I always wonder if I could have stopped him if I’d been paying attention.”

Compassion flooded her features.  “No, Xander. 
No.”  She shook her head.  “You can’t think like that.  It will only hurt you,
and it won’t bring him back.”

He exhaled.  “It’s hard not to.”  He stroked his
fingers across the soft skin on the inside of her wrist.

“Go easy on yourself.  You’re a wonderful guy.  A
wonderful son, I’m sure.”  She turned, kissing him softly on the cheek.

*        *        *

Nicole and Xander snuggled for a while, listening
to the surf, watching the sun go down.  There was much more to him than she’d
first realized.  He always seemed to be there for her, giving, making sure she
was okay.  All the while, deep inside, he’d needed someone, too.  Someone to
love him, someone to tell him things would be okay.

No one got out of this world unscathed, it
seemed.  She’d certainly had her issues during her childhood, but life was
okay.  Good now that Xander was around.  Hopefully, she’d give him the same
comfort he brought to her.

She shifted, planting a warm kiss on his lips as a
way of saying thank you.

He trailed his fingers up her arm, finding the
sensitive area below her ear and caressing her.  He buried his nose in her
hair.

“I don’t know if Stormy and Apollo will forgive us
for going to the beach and leaving them locked in the house this long.”  She
tried to keep her voice steady as he kissed her ear.  Gone was the sadness they’d
shared earlier, burned away by the sparks he generated inside her.