Perception (25 page)

While he
increased his pace, thrusting harder, faster, over and over, he moved his
finger in small circles over her clit.

“Yes!
Xander! Please!”

“Come for
me, pet. Come for me. Scream my name when you do. I want to hear my name on
your lips.”

Focusing
solely on the amazing pleasure coursing through him, Xander pounded into her,
harder, faster, deeper. His thighs were screaming from the position, but he
didn’t care. His balls were drawing up close to his body, sweat popping out on
his arms, his legs, his chest. He was completely and totally consumed by this
woman.

“Ahh,
fuck,” he growled, unable to stop himself as he fucked her hard. “So good,
baby. So fucking good.”

Sliding
his thumb into her pussy, Xander fucked her ass and her pussy while he pressed
the vibrator to her clit.

“Oh,
shit! Oh, shit! I’m going to come, Xander. Yes! Don’t stop! Oh, God! Xander!”

Xander
gritted his teeth when her body clamped down around his cock. A rough sound
escaped his chest as he pounded harder, once, twice, three more times until he
couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Fuck
yes, Mercedes! I’m going to come deep in your ass. Fuck, baby.” And with that,
Xander let go completely.

Day
Four…

Sunday

Sunday
morning came way too early. By the time Mercedes forced her tired body out of
Xander’s bed at seven, she was once again alone. This time she was grateful for
a little time to herself though. She’d had that same dream, the one that had
been haunting her for days now, and she needed a moment to pull herself
together.

Making a
detour to the bathroom, she opted for a shower. Her body was still sore from
the night before and she hoped a little warm water would help to ease some of
the discomfort.

A full
hour had passed by the time she made her way downstairs. Rather than searching
for Xander, she headed to the kitchen, hoping he had made coffee again. When
she reached the brightly lit room, she found Xander sitting at the kitchen
table, his iPad in front of him.

“Good
morning,” he greeted as soon as she stepped through the arched doorway.

“Good
morning.” She didn’t slow as she headed for the coffee pot.

“We’re
taking a little trip today,” he informed her after she’d poured her coffee and
doctored it to her liking.

“Where?”
she asked as she lowered herself into the chair across from him.

“Ohio.”

If she
were right, the only thing in Ohio was his parents. Well, not the only thing,
but definitely the only thing Xander would need to go there for. “Is everything
all right?”

“As far
as I can tell,” he assured her as he glanced down at his iPad and then back up
to her. She didn’t want to think about what it meant when he pushed the tablet
away and focused on her. She didn’t dare to hope. “Come here.”

Ok, she
dared.

Making
her way to him, she held her coffee close to her chest, but then released it
when he reached for it first.

With the
cup on the table, Xander pulled her closer, but he didn’t try to get her to his
lap. Instead, the man shocked the hell out of her when he wrapped his arms
around her waist and rested his head against her belly.

Mercedes
did the only thing she knew to do. She held him back. Sliding her arms around
his head, she teased the hair at his nape gently. She didn’t even know what to
say.

For the
first time in all of her life, the man seemed… vulnerable.

Thankfully,
she didn’t have to come up with something to say because a minute later, he
pulled back and looked up at her. “The jet will be ready in an hour. I didn’t
know if you had anything you needed to do this morning.”

“I’ve got
a call to take, but I can do that from anywhere,” she told him, reaching for
her coffee cup again as she took a step back. “Do I need to pack anything?”

“No.
We’ll be coming back tonight. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning that I can’t
miss.”

Well,
then. “Ok.”

An hour
later, almost exactly, Carson was dropping them at a private airport where
Xander’s personal jet awaited them. She’d only been aboard this plane once
previously, and that had been when Xander took an interest in a property, in
New York of all places. He’d taken her along so they could check it out,
although her real estate license wasn’t instated there, he’d insisted that she
go with him.

But this
wasn’t a business trip. It was personal. Extremely personal because his parents
were involved. Which meant that Mercedes would be spending time with his mother
and father, probably in close quarters.

Until a
few days ago that prospect wouldn’t have bothered her. Now, it did. Mainly
because she had no idea what she was going to say to them. Would they realize
she had fallen in love with their son? Would they pick up on the tension that
radiated from Xander? She certainly had and she knew it hadn’t been there the
night before so she was all the more confused.

Rather
than bother him, she pretended to work and for whatever reason, he left her
alone.

For the
entire flight.

By the
time they stepped foot out of the plane onto Ohio soil, she was more or less to
the breaking point. Xander had been on the phone for much of the trip. And when
he wasn’t, he appeared contemplative as he spent his time staring out of the
small window. He hadn’t asked how she was doing, and she hadn’t interrupted him
once.

Now, as
they climbed into the limo that was waiting for them, Mercedes knew she had to
say something. Anything.

But she
couldn’t find her voice.

“We’re
going on a field trip today,” Xander informed her shortly after the door to the
limo closed behind them.

“Field
trip?”

“Yeah, my
dad wants us to check out the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Hmm. That
sounded… interactive.

And maybe
that was a good thing. That meant less time for Mercedes to stumble over her
words. Maybe.

“And then
we’ll have lunch.”

Lunch.
Ok. Lunch was good.

She
didn’t respond, just thumbed through her phone, glancing at her email although
she didn’t see any of the words on her screen.

What had
happened between last night and today? Why was Xander acting so strangely? Or
was he?

Maybe it
was her. Maybe she was the one acting strangely, and he was just adjusting to
her mood.

Crap.

Once the
limo was in motion, Mercedes took a moment to glance out the window. That was
when Xander reached for her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. She had to
fight the urge to look at him, but the relief she felt in her chest was
palpable.

When he
didn’t speak, she knew she had to, and the words finally tumbled right out of
her mouth. “Are you all right?”

“I will
be,” he answered, glancing down at their linked fingers.

“Is your
dad ok?” Mercedes knew he’d been worried about his father ever since he had
learned of the fall.

“My
mother is insisting that’s the case,” he told her as he looked sideways at her.
“She’s hiding something from me.”

Oh. Well,
that definitely explained his mood. “Did you talk to her today?”

“Yes. I
called her this morning to let her know we were flying in to see them. You
would’ve thought I was threatening to take them back home to Texas or something
with the way she clammed up all of a sudden.”

Mercedes
knew how close Xander was with his parents. He was always sharing stories about
his parents, his childhood. She knew he did it because he loved them, but also
because he had always hoped to get her to open up about her family.

Yeah,
well, Xander had soon learned that she hadn’t lived the Brady Bunch life and
had no desire to share the horror stories of growing up with her father.

“You
nervous?”

Mercedes
glanced down at his mouth, then up to meet his eyes once more. “Why would I be
nervous?”

“You’re
meeting my parents,” he told her with a smirk.

“I’ve already
met
your parents,” she retorted with a smile. “Many, many times.”

“But this
is different.”

“How so?”

“This
time you’re meeting them as my sub.”

That
statement got the tension ratcheting up another notch, her chest suddenly
feeling tight once more. “Since they don’t know you’re a Dom, I seriously doubt
you’ll tell them I’m your temporary sub.” She hoped he wouldn’t.

There was
a light that seemed to turn off in his eyes, but Xander tried to pretend he
wasn’t affected by whatever she’d said. “Maybe I’ll tell them all about it.”

Crap.
Temporary. That’s what she’d said that had bothered him. And she suddenly
wished she could take it back because she wanted to put a smile on his face.
Instead, she gave him a weak grin and said, “Maybe you won’t.”

What had started
as a who could top who double dare just a few days ago had quickly morphed into
something entirely unexpected, and Mercedes had to wonder whether he felt what
was transpiring between them the same way she did.

It was
more than just sex. A lot more.

At least
for her it was.

Before
Mercedes could question him, which she wasn’t even sure she wanted to do, the
limo came to a stop and Xander reached for the door. Once outside, he held out
his hand to her and she reached for it, taking comfort in the strength of his
hand against hers. Even when she was out of the car, he didn’t let go of her
hand and that simple gesture had more relief flooding her.

Yeah, it
was plain as day… she’d fallen for this man.

Head
first.

~*~*~*~

Xander
figured it would take something epic to shake him up. Today, it had been a
combination of things.

Ever
since he woke up at three o’clock that morning with a warm, soft woman curled
up to his side, he’d known. His life had been altered. Irrevocably.

Never did
he imagine one beautiful woman would be the reason he felt off center. Nor did
he ever expect that one single woman would could keep him together at a time he
thought he might just fall apart.

Ok, so
maybe he had anticipated that Mercedes Bryant held the power to make him feel
things he wasn’t used to. Thinking that and knowing that were two very
different things though. And the way she made him feel… well, it scared the
shit out of him.

No, he
wasn’t thinking about running and hiding in a closet and hoping she’d high tail
it out the same way she came in.

Actually,
he was feeling the exact opposite.

Xander
was ready to lay at her feet and reveal every single emotion she made him feel.
Starting with love.

Yes,
that’s correct. Love. The big “L” word that terrified most people.

It didn’t
terrify him, but he knew Mercedes would likely run for the hills if he did
confess as much to her. He had an overwhelming urge to tie this amazing,
beautiful woman to his bed and never let her go.

Only he
knew he had to keep his distance. They were only a few days into this, and he
knew without a doubt that Mercedes wasn’t as comfortable with her feelings as
he was with his. And wasn’t that a fucking shame because Xander had never in
his life felt what she made him feel when she was near.

“Have you
ever been here before?” Mercedes asked as they made their way up the steps
toward the building whose sign boasted the name and the glass windows gave them
a glimpse inside.

“Once,”
he told her. “With my father.”

“And he wants
to go again?” she asked with a grin.

“My
father would probably go every single day if we lived here.” It was true. Stan
Boone was a football fan. He was also Xander’s biggest fan. And it wasn’t just
because he’d played football in high school and then in college. His father
loved football, but Xander knew he loved him more.

“Has your
mother been here before?”

“Not that
I know of. You’ll both be Hall of Fame virgins.”

Mercedes
laughed, and Xander realized what he’d said. He couldn’t help it, he laughed as
well and tightened his grip on Mercedes’s fingers. He loved having her there
with him. Especially like this.

Once they
stepped through the main doors, Xander’s eyes attempted to focus on the
lighting change but before he could make out more than mere shadows of the
people standing inside, he heard her voice.

“Xander!”

It was
his mother.

Xander
released Mercedes’s hand as Stella approached, her smile making her entire face
light up. Unable to do anything more, he stood there with his arms open wide.
Stella walked right into them, and he hugged his mother, kissing her on the
cheek before taking a step back.

His
father did the same, and they shared a quick hug and a pounding slap on the
back – it was a guy thing.

“It is so
good to see you,” Stella said to Mercedes as she hugged her tightly before
taking her hand and leading her toward the exhibit on the other side of the
room.

“You look
great,” Mercedes told his mother as she glanced back at Xander and his father
who had fallen into step behind the women. “As do you, Mr. Boone.”

“I
definitely don’t mind when a beautiful young lady calls me Mr. Boone, but I
prefer Stan, Ms. Bryant.” Xander’s father teased Mercedes, making her blush.

“Stan,”
she tacked on, followed by, “How are you feeling?”

The four
of them came to a stop in front.

“Much
better,” he told her as Xander glanced over at his father. “Let’s get this show
on the road, shall we?” Stan redirected.

Mercedes
met Xander’s gaze, and she knew as much as he did that Stan had purposely avoided
saying more. Fine. He would give his father a brief reprieve for a few minutes,
but he fully intended to ask him for the details. The real details this time.

Xander
spent the next half hour following his mother and father and Mercedes through
the many exhibits that highlight football’s greats and the numerous details
about the history of the game. It was true, he had been there once before, but
even now, he felt a bit nostalgic.

No, he
didn’t miss his football days. Not in the least. He had moved on to bigger and
better things, and he didn’t have to worry about a potential life altering
injury changing the course of his career. He’d made that decision long before
that could happen.

“How
about some lunch?” Stella asked, turning around.

“I could
handle lunch,” Xander told her. He wasn’t starving, but he would get the chance
to talk directly to his father. And he knew his father was doing his best to
avoid Xander’s questions, which was why he’d been hearing all about football
for the last thirty minutes.

The café
they entered was nothing more than a snack bar with chairs and tables, but
Xander wasn’t picky. It didn’t hurt that they were the only people in the place
aside from the ragged looking guy behind the counter. Ok, so maybe he wasn’t
ragged, maybe he was just trying to stay awake because it was clear today was
not a day he was hustling to keep up.