Branded (16 page)

She dug her fingers into his hair as though to
never let him go.

An aching urge to do more than kiss her ripped
through him, and he fought to keep his restraint.

He’d tasted her.  Now, he wanted to touch her.

When lack of oxygen finally broke them apart, she
released a breathless laugh.

“What’s so funny?”  From the look on her face, he
knew their kiss had seriously affected her, too, and he couldn’t figure out why
she’d laugh after such an intense kiss.

“Not laughing at you, at us.  Just…”  She held his
hand and twirled around.  “Everything is
so
perfect right now.  It’s a
beautiful night.  I love being here with you.  Stormy’s happy, and so is Apollo.”

Her delight was contagious and took the edge off
his apprehension.  “It is the perfect night.”  After regaining some semblance
of control over his emotions, he pulled her into his arms again.  Gave her a
quick kiss on the tip of her nose as though he hadn’t had ulterior motives
behind the whole weekend.  “But your nose is cold.”

A shiver rolled through her, making him shake as
well.  “I wasn’t cold until you said that.”

“I’d light a fire, but it’s pretty late to scour
the beach for wood.”

“Tomorrow?  After we cook clams?  Promise me we’ll
make a roaring bonfire and stay out late.”

“I promise.”

She grinned and kissed him again before releasing
a vocal shiver.  “If we’re going in, let’s go.  I really am getting cold now.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and headed
for the stairs to his house.  The dogs chased after them when they realized
their owners were leaving.  By the time he and Nicole reached the deck, the
dogs were waiting at the back door, panting with exertion and excitement.

“Good thing they like each other,” he said to
Nicole.

“I knew they would.”

Once inside, Xander watched her from the corner of
his eye as they both removed their outerwear.  Damn it.  His internal battle
with his instincts left him weary.  Everything inside him roared that Nicole
was innocent, that she couldn’t have committed such a cold and calculated
crime.  She didn’t have it in her.  Yet, Hunter and Sam had branded her a thief.

The minute he was home from the beach, he would
insist on sitting down with Sam and reviewing what the police had against her. 
Sam had no proof, and quite frankly, he was starting to wonder about the strength
of their circumstantial evidence.  Until then, he was going to lay off the
subtle interrogation.  If she was innocent, he sure as hell didn’t want to
treat her like a criminal.

It
was
possible she was an excellent
actress and totally had him fooled, but he couldn’t make himself believe it any
longer.

He took her coat and hung it in the closet near
the door.

“I’m going to head upstairs,” she said with a
cryptic look that set him on edge.  She would expect him to make a move on
her.  He was certain of it, and he had yet to figure out how to handle it if
she did.  Then again, if she was innocent, maybe he should give in to what they
both wanted.

He nodded.  “I’m going to check the doors, and I’ll
be up.”  God help him.

“Okay.”  A warm smile spread across her lips as
she headed for the stairs.  At the bottom of the staircase, she looked back at
him, a pink blush on her cheeks.  “I guess Stormy is going to wait for you.”

Xander looked to see her and Apollo both sharing
the large bowl of water he’d placed on the floor for them.

“Don’t take it personally.  She still loves you.”

She laughed and continued up the stairs.

When she was gone from sight, he closed his eyes
and cussed under his breath.  Her scent still hung in the air, her smile still
imprinted on his retinas.  She wanted to make love.  There was no doubt.  And
God knew he wanted her bad enough to sign away his soul.

*        *        *

Nicole’s nerves chattered inside her, a mass of
excited energy as she flipped on the light in her bedroom.  A soft glow
illuminated the cool sea green comforter covering the wrought iron bed and the
adjacent black nightstand.  Whatever weird thing that had transpired earlier
between Xander and her had disappeared.  Maybe she’d imagined the whole strange
awkwardness.  He’d been hesitant a few times, but he was definitely interested
in her.  Proof of his attraction had been more than evident when they’d kissed
on the beach.

She unzipped her suitcase, this time taking a few
minutes to remove her items and place them in the small black dresser or
closet.  Maybe he was being cautious.  Maybe he’d had his heart broke in the
past and was more careful now.  There were plenty of men who showed some
reserve before they jumped in bed.

She liked that about him.

Besides, he’d proven he was a man who got what he
wanted, and she was pretty sure he wanted her.  She just needed to chill and
let the man make his move.

 She took her travel bag and headed into the
adjoining bathroom to freshen up.  She brushed her teeth thinking about his perfect
smile.  Sometimes it took a few moments for him to show it, but once he did,
his smile had the wattage to light up a room.  It definitely lit up her heart.

She rolled her eyes at her silly, love-struck
thoughts as she spritzed on perfume.  She smiled as she reapplied her pink lip
gloss.  He’d managed to remove what she’d been wearing when he’d kissed her
earlier.  He’d probably make short work of what she’d just applied.

That was okay with her.  She wanted him to kiss
her again and again, and she didn’t care if he ever stopped.

Her nerves twittered as she ran a quick brush
through her hair and slipped back into the bedroom to retrieve her nightgown.  She
lifted the silky black sheath, hoping she hadn’t gone overboard.  She usually
slept in a tank and shorts, but she’d wanted their weekend to be special.  More
than that, she wanted to impress him enough he wouldn’t easily forget their
time together.  Janie had teased her when she’d packed it, but something deep
inside told her Xander wasn’t an ordinary boyfriend.  He had the potential to
make a running in the forever category, and she had every intention giving them
her best shot.

She slipped off her clothes, tingling as the
satiny black fabric slipped over her sensitized skin.  She was certain she
wouldn’t have it on for long anyway.

When she’d finished getting ready, she paused.

Now what?

Did she wait for him to come to her?  Did she go
to his room?

She’d heard the stairs creak a few minutes ago, so
she knew he’d joined her on the second floor.  Maybe he needed a couple of
minutes, too.

She’d wait in her room.  He was enough of an alpha
to want to make the first move.  She climbed beneath the covers, the soft
sheets cold against her skin.  A shiver raced through her, and she wished he
was there already to help warm the bed and make her forget about everything but
making love to him.

Five minutes went by and nothing.  She did her
best to be patient, but it was hard not to check the time on her cell phone
every few seconds.

When ten minutes had passed, the gnarly fingers of
uncertainty crept into her thoughts.  Maybe he wouldn’t come.  There
had
been those few awkward moments between them that she’d rationalized away. 
Maybe he was one of those people who was afraid of intimacy.

She widened her eyes.  That would be just awful.

No.  He was too much of a man to be like that. 
His kiss had been too passionate.

She waited another ten minutes, far past the time
when the house had become quiet.  She hesitated, wondering what to do.  It felt
like a rejection, but then why had he invited her away for the weekend?

The intelligent side of her won over her
questioning emotions, and she tossed back the blankets, her bare feet hitting
the cold wooden floors.  She crossed her room and opened the door.  Light from
her lamp illuminated the hall, and Stormy and Apollo jumped to their feet.

The door to Xander’s room was shut.  Hurt and
confusion threatened to gain control.  It felt like he’d closed the door on
her
. 
She gathered her strength, crossed the hall and knocked.

There was movement in the room, and a second
later, Xander opened the door. 

“Everything okay?”  He stood, his chest bare, the
rest of him covered by gray flannel pants.  She tried to remain focused on what
she intended to say, but it was difficult with all that hard, sexy flesh right
in front of her.

She cleared her throat and focused on his face.  He’d
glued his gaze to somewhere near her forehead.

“No.  It’s not okay.”

He dropped his gaze to her face for a brief
moment, then lower to the deep cleavage of her gown.  A quiet groan slipped
from his lips as he closed his eyes.  A second passed before he refocused on
her face, but she was certain she hadn’t mistaken the look of wanting in his
expression.

“I’m confused.  I thought you’d invited me here
because you wanted to spend time with me.”

“I do.”

“So…this
spending time together
does not
include sleeping in the same bed?”

His throat visibly worked through a swallow.  “You
don’t mince words, do you?”

“That’s not an answer.  Am I mistaken here?  I
thought you were interested in me, as in a man and a woman.  But maybe you’re only
looking for friendship?”

“No.  I’m interested in you.”

“Then I don’t understand.  We’re both adults, and
we’re here, alone, in a romantic setting.  You don’t seem like a shy person, so
what’s the problem?  Don’t you want me?”

He groaned outright this time as a look of pure
torture crossed his features.  “I want you, Nicole.”  Fire burned in his eyes,
and she knew in that moment he did want her.  She couldn’t possibly imagine why
he might be holding back.

“Then what’s the problem?”  She stepped closer to
him.

He widened his eyes, revealing a look of intrigued
disbelief that encouraged her.  “There’s not a problem.”

They stood at an impasse, him watching her with a badly-shielded
sizzling gaze, her wishing he’d make the first move.

Something
tethered him.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t a good enough reason
for her.  “Then you’re not going to care if I do this.”  She lifted a hand,
placing it on the hard contours of his chest.  A purr of satisfaction slipped
from her throat.  He was all hot and solid and made her insides liquefy.  “Or
this.”  She lifted his hand and held it to her breast.

He inhaled a sharp breath, and she closed her eyes
at the heavenly feel of him against her.  “Nicole.”  Her name came out
breathless and ragged, and she couldn’t imagine anything better.  “You’re going
to push this too far.”

That was
exactly
what she wanted.  “Touch
me, Xander.”  She moved his hand over the silky fabric covering her breast, her
nipple aching as it puckered, begging for his touch.

“Hell,” he whispered.  He cupped her heavy breast,
his face a mixture of agony and pleasure.

She couldn’t contain her moan.  He reacted to the
sound, pulling her through his doorway, her body colliding with his in a force
of desperate need.  He kissed her hard, pushing her until he had her trapped
against the wall.

Her breath was lost between his rough and
demanding kisses.  She wasn’t sure why he’d held back, but she’d definitely
released the beast now.  “Yes,” she whispered as his hot and greedy mouth found
a ripe nipple beneath her thin layer of silk.

A sharp current trembled through her.  She arched
forward, encouraging him to continue his assault.  The small release he’d given
her was far from enough.  She needed more.  So much more.

She ground her hips against him, hoping her
movements would draw his attention to that area.  He trapped her gaze with his
dark and dangerous eyes, his hands spanning, molding her bottom, pulling her
harder against his erection.

She raised her brows in a silent invitation.  He
gave a slight shake of his head as though to reprimand her for what she’d
started.  She grinned, knowing he couldn’t resist what she offered.

Spurred by his crumbling resistance, she slipped
her hands down his back beneath the waistband of his pants, her fingers coming
into contact with bare flesh.  He stiffened as she ran her fingertips over taut
skin and muscle, and she had to hold back her laugh.

He couldn’t hope he still had a chance to resist.

She pushed down the flannel, his pants stopping
when they caught on his erection.  Keeping her gaze pinned to his, she slowly
slid a hand between them.

He inhaled as she disengaged the fabric, and he
shook his head again as she encircled him.  “Nicole,” he warned.

“I want this,” she whispered.  “Don’t you?”  She
slid her hand up and down the silky steel of him.

She saw or maybe felt when the last piece of his
resistance collapsed.  His eyes widened, his nostrils flared, and for a half
second, she was afraid of what she’d done.

He took her hands, holding them against the wall
while he attacked her with savage kisses.  He nearly ripped her panties from
her hips before hiking up her nightgown.  Holding both her hands above her
head, he traced a rough finger between her wet folds, the friction nearly
undoing her.  “You like that?”

She nodded, knowing he was now the predator and
enjoying every second of it.  He pushed a finger into her, making her knees
weak.  She closed her eyes as another tremor rocked through her.

“Yes,” he whispered against her ear.  “I felt
that.”

His deep voice rumbling against the sensitive skin
of her neck forced her muscles to clench again.

Her body’s reaction to him seemed to steal his
control as well.  He bent, placing his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her
off her feet, trapping her between him and the wall.