Branded (19 page)

“They’ll get over it.”  He pushed his head against
hers until she tilted her head, giving him access to her neck.

She gasped as his teeth grazed her skin.  His
breath was warm against her neck.  He twisted, wrapping an arm around her back,
lowering her to the blanket.  She ended up trapped beneath his strong body, one
of his legs snuggled between hers, the fire at his back.

“I keep forgetting to tell you my good news,” he whispered,
his enticing mouth merely an inch from hers.

She lifted, capturing his bottom lip with her
mouth, giving him a kiss as hot as the center of her core.  All he had to do
was look at her a certain way, and she wanted him.

“You keep doing that, and I’ll forget again.”

She smiled, loving that she affected him the same
way he did her.  “Tell me quick then because I want another taste of you.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as though
he struggled to control himself.  “I found a job for you, if you want it.”

The fiery haze that colored her world stepped
aside.  “What?  Really?  Where?”

The rumble of his laugh vibrated through her
chest, reminding her how close their bodies were.  “That job at my friend’s
bar.  He is still looking for someone, and he said he’d be happy to give you a
shot.”

“Does he…know about me?”  How did she describe the
scarlet letter that had been forced upon her?

“He does, but he trusts my judgment.  I vouched
for you, and that was good enough for him.”

She couldn’t contain the happiness that bubbled
from within.  She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him forward for a
big kiss.  “Thank you so much.  Knowing that you believe in me makes the rest
of this nightmare tolerable.”  She kissed him again.

“You’re welcome.”  He covered her lips in a slower
kiss that quickly caught fire.  He possessed her mouth with an expertise that
left her shaking.

“Xander,” she whispered.

“What?” he said against her lips.

“I shouldn’t want you this much, but I do.”

With slow, deliberate movements, he unzipped her
hoodie and slipped his hand beneath her t-shirt, trailing a heated path up her
stomach.  “Why not?”

A flood of warmth rushed to her core as his
fingers found first her bra, which he pushed aside, and then a puckered
nipple.  “Because.”  She searched through jumbled thoughts, trying to remember if
she actually had a reason.

He flicked her nipple with his thumb, sending a
tremble through her.  “Why not?” he asked again as he slid her shirt up her
belly, the rush of wind cool against her skin.

When she realized he’d exposed her breasts to
anyone who might pass, she opened her mouth to protest, but the second he
sucked a nipple into the warm recesses of his mouth, the words morphed into a
gasp.  He palmed her other breast, pinching her nipple, sending rushes of
shivers through her.

“We’re on a public beach, Xander,” she finally
managed to say.  The fire was bright enough people would see them if they got
too close.

“I know,” he whispered in her ear before he
nibbled on her lobe.

“Someone will see us.”  The sensible part of her
voiced her opinion, but she’d never admit there was a secret side that loved
the danger of possibly getting caught.

He lifted away, trapping her gaze in his.  “Are
you always such a good girl?”

“Yes.  No.  I don’t know.”

He dipped his head toward hers for another searing
kiss, and she fisted his hair, more turned on by their risky behavior.  He
pulled the edge of the large quilt over them, cocooning them in their own
little, warm world.

“No one’s going to come this far south on the
beach tonight.”

“No?” she whispered and bit his lip.

His kiss turned savage, leaving her gasping. 

“The fire is low,” he said when he let her breathe
again.  He slid his hand down to the button on her jeans and released it. 

She inhaled as he lowered her zipper. 

“And you are mine.”  He wrestled her jeans until
she was free of them.

Even though the blanket protected her from view,
her emotions ran like wild, untamed horses.

He quickly pushed her panties down her legs, and
then slowly trailed his fingers up her thighs.  “Your skin is very soft.”

She couldn’t answer.  She could barely breathe.

Her muscles tensed as he slid a finger between her
folds, and when he touched her sensitive bud, she jerked beneath him.

He hissed a breath.  “I don’t deserve you.”

How could he say that?  She pulled his face toward
hers for a searing kiss.  “Of course you do.  We do.  We deserve this.”

She undid his jeans, finding and stroking his
silky, hard length.  “I love this.  I love making love with you.”

“Me, too.”  He helped her remove his jeans,
fumbling with a condom from his wallet.  When it was in place, he settled his
weight on top of her, his thighs spreading hers until he was between them, the
length of him hard against her.

He pressed until he was an inch inside her, the
sensation of him slowly filling her an excruciating pleasure.  She inhaled,
wrapping her legs around him.  “You feel so good.”

He slid in farther, and she arched, desperate to
have all of him.  She gripped her nails into his backside.  “Don’t keep teasing
me.”

“I’m yours,” he whispered into her ear.

She couldn’t stop her cry of relief as he drove
into her, filling her until she thought she might explode.  She held the edge
of the quilt to keep it from slipping as he made love to her with the fervor of
a possessed man.

There was no tenderness tonight.  Only a wild,
violent need that had to be filled.  Hers and his.  Her mind blurred, and they
were no longer on a beach.  Her focus narrowed to the inferno where they became
as one.  Everything was heat and friction and need.

As her passion reached the summit, she gripped his
back, knowing her nails had buried into his skin, and cried his name against
his shoulder.  Fierce shudders tore through her, and all she could do was hold
on.

When the worst of the haze faded and she relaxed,
Xander’s deep voice rumbled in her ear.  “You’re so beautiful.”

Words would not form, so she kissed him instead,
and he slowly began to move inside her again.  Her soft, pliant muscles
accepted him with ease as hot, aching need rekindled.

When she’d climaxed two more times, and he’d
finally spent himself, he tried to roll off her.

She gripped him tightly, not letting him slip from
inside her.  “Don’t go.”

“It’s not exactly working any longer.”

“I don’t care.  I like feeling you there.”  She
loved the weight of his body, the sensation of him buried inside her.

He laughed and pulled away.  “Trust me.  There’s
plenty more of where that came from.  Just give me some time.”

She pouted, but allowed him to roll and pull her
to his chest.

“That was…”  He blew out a breath.  “One of a kind. 
You got over your public shyness pretty fast.”

She grinned, knowing he couldn’t see.  “You drove
me out of my sane mind.  It’s all your fault.”

“Uh-huh.  I think you enjoyed that as much as I
did.”

“It must be the ocean air then.”

“Excuse me, folks.”

The deep voice of a stranger immobilized her. 

Xander lowered the edge of the quilt, but she
refused to look at who had come upon them.

“Yes, sir?” Xander answered as a flashlight
flickered over their engaged bodies.

“You kids are out late, aren’t you?”

Nicole grimaced, recognizing the voice of
authority.  And they were anything but kids.

“Uh…”  Xander seemed at a loss on how to answer as
well.

“Xander?  Xander Secrist?  Is that you?”

Xander shifted, lifting a hand to shield his eyes
from the flashlight.  “Hugh?”  Xander laughed.  “God, it is you.”

“Shit.  I can’t believe I busted you—”

Xander cleared his throat, interrupting whatever
his acquaintance had been about to say.

“Sorry, miss.”

“It’s alright,” she mumbled against Xander’s
chest, wondering if the man had any social skills and could recognize how
awkward things were at the moment.

“I’m patrolling the area,” he said, his voice now
apologetic.  “The summer was full of kids with drugs at the beach.  Just making
sure we weren’t seeing the start of another outbreak.”

“Nope.  No drugs here,” Xander replied.

“I can see that now.”  He coughed.  “Uh, good to
see you, Xander.  I’ll just let you get back to…I’ll just go.  Stop by the
station and say hi when you’re not…busy.”  Humor echoed in his chuckle.  “Good
night.”

“Night, Hugh,” Xander replied, and Nicole pulled
the quilt over her head, sure she would die of mortification.

“He’s gone,” Xander told her after a minute.

She peeked out, glancing around the darkened
beach.  Then she punched his arm.  “I thought you said we wouldn’t get caught.”

He looked at her, his eyes full of apology.  “I’m
so sorry.”  His voice caught on the last syllable, and he quickly buried his
smile.

But it was too late.  Mirth bubbled inside her,
and a small laugh slipped out.

He expelled another half-laugh that busted through
her barely contained amusement.  Before she knew it, they were both laughing
hard enough to cause tears to stream her face.

“Stop,” she gasped, rolling over and pulling the
blanket with her.  “I can’t breathe.”

“I’m sorry” he said, still laughing as he gathered
her into his arms again.  “It’s just too funny.  I’d hang out with Hugh during
the summers when I was younger when my family came to the beach house on the
weekends.  He always thought he was such a ladies’ man.  Guess I showed him.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I guess you did.”  Men. 
Always needing to prove their prowess.  “And now that you’ve shown what a man
you are, I think we should head back to the house before we get caught again.”

“I don’t know.  There’s always the possibility
Steve Mulligan could come along.  I’d really like him to see the beauty I’m
with tonight.”  He grinned, and she shook her head, another laugh escaping her
lips.

“Okay, we’ll head back,” he said.  “You can have
the quilt, and I’ll carry our clothes.” 

“Are you kidding?  You’re going to run up the
beach naked?”  He was crazy.  But she loved it.

“Fine.  I’ll put on my shorts, but there’s no
sense us getting dressed when we’re far from finished.”

A sweet thrill zipped through her.

He quickly buried the fire with sand as she pulled
the quilt tight around her.  “I’m wearing my shoes.  Who knows what’s between
here and the house.”

He laughed, but allowed her the one concession. 
Together, they raced up the sand toward his house, the dogs barking as they
reached the deck.  All clothes and shoes were deposited inside the back door, and
they didn’t waste any time heading for Xander’s bed.

Nicole wasn’t sure how many hours had passed when
she and Xander finally settled in to sleep.  She lay on his chest for a long
while, listening to his even breathing, thinking about the wonderful things
that had come into her life since her arrest.  She couldn’t quite be thankful
for the event, but if it meant having Xander, she couldn’t regret it, either.

She closed her eyes, letting slumber come upon
her.  Before she’d fallen completely asleep, Xander shifted and kissed her
head.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She held still, keeping her breathing even, not
knowing what to do or say.  She was pretty sure he thought she was asleep.  She’d
thought he was, too.  And he’d whispered the words that made her heart burst
with happiness, which meant he cared, but he hadn’t meant for her to hear it
yet.

She couldn’t figure out his reasons for holding
back, but she’d keep his secret for now and treasure it.

When Xander woke the next morning with Nicole’s
silky strands spread across his chest, her breathing even as she slept
peacefully in his arms, he knew he’d do whatever it took to keep her there.

With him.  For the rest of their lives, if she’d
accept him.  He couldn’t reconcile what had taken place between their fathers,
but maybe that didn’t have to affect him and Nicole.

He also knew without a doubt that she was
innocent.  He’d seen her, the real Nicole, and there was no way she could
commit any kind of crime.  Hell, she’d been worried they might get caught on
the beach.

Which they had.

He grinned, suddenly in a hurry to get back to
Portland.

The first thing he had to do was arrange a meeting
with Hunter and Sam.  He couldn’t waste any more time before he convinced his
friends of the truth.  If nothing else, the surveillance video proved there was
someone besides Nicole on the floor at the time of the heist.  That alone was
enough to keep her from being convicted if it ever did go to trial.

He’d make damned sure things never got that far.

He let out a slow, easy breath, not ready to wake
his sleeping beauty yet.

After he finished with Sam, he’d sit down with
Nicole, lay out all the facts, and ask for her forgiveness.  If there was a god
in heaven, he prayed Nicole would understand and know how much he loved her.

*        *        *

“Do you mind if we stop at my aunt’s for a quick
moment,” Nicole asked Xander when they were a few miles outside of Portland.  “She
just texted and wondered if I could pick up some groceries she has for me.  She’s
worried I don’t have enough money for food.”

That spiked his concern.  She had been out of a
job for a few weeks.  “Do you?”

She waved away his worry.  “I’m fine.  Honestly, I
think she’s using it as an excuse to meet you.”

He swore he wasn’t going to have any contact with
Nicole’s family unless it was for investigative purposes, but things had
changed.  That was when he’d believed her to be guilty.  That was before he’d
fallen for her.  “Sure.  I’d like to meet her, too.”