Autumn and Summer (27 page)

“
First, I need to do this,” he growled softly.

The look he gave me
temporarily rendered me useless. I didn’t move as his eyes grazed my body hungrily, heating me to my core.  I’d never felt as sexy as I did in that moment when he looked me up and down.  His chest rose and fell faster as we watched each other. He was the first to break our trance.  Slowly walking the rest of the way toward me as if he were stalking his prey, he moved until his body was flush with mine. My breathing had become ragged as I gazed up at him, waiting—wanting.

And then with no words exchanged, he kissed m
e. It was hungry and passionate.  Every moment of built up sexual tension exploded when his lips connected with mine. But as soon as our tongues collided, the sparks, the dizziness, and the butterflies all made sense. He made sense. We made sense. But more than that, I felt an indescribable feeling that seemed to blend comfort with desire, want with need, and hope with fear. The indescribable feeling that Autumn believes in. The feeling that I swore I’d never allow myself to feel. I felt it.

And it feels
so good,
I thought as we slowly pulled apart breathlessly.

“I want you.
I have to have you,” he admitted huskily, with his hands around my neck and his thumbs stroking my cheeks. “You’re beautiful. You’re talented.  You’re ballsy. You don’t take shit from anyone—including me. And you have no idea who I am.”

“You forgot that we have great taste in music and alcoholic beverages,” I added flirtatiously.

He smiled and nodded. He licked his lips and my eyes automatically followed his tongue.

Snapping out of my trance, I looked him in his eyes and said, “You’re a good person. You said I have no idea who you are, but I know that you’re a good person.
And that’s all that I need to know.”

The slow smile that spread across his face made my heart constrict. “
Like I told you before, I don’t meet many genuine people.  I meet people who are more interested in what I could possibly do for them or their career than in who I am as a person.  But you’re different.”

He hesitated.
Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips against his. “What is it, Xavier?”

“Have you heard of
William Williams?”

“
Yeah, he’s that multimillionaire real estate tycoon,” I answered.

And Josh Jones Photography
had a consultation with his team about photographing his buildings before I left Charlotte,
I thought ruefully.

“
Yeah. He owns the Infinity building and a few of the businesses in it…along with some buildings up and down the East Coast.”

“
Oh okay. During my training for the magazine, I think I was told the Infinity Building was the first building he ever purchased.” I cocked my head to the side. Reading the hardened expression on his face, I asked, “Did something happen with him?”

“
Yeah…we don’t exactly get along because I don’t like the way he treats people.”

“I’m not surprised. Everything I’ve ever h
eard about him has been very...intense.” I wrapped my arms around his waist as I hoped to do more kissing and less talking. “But how do you even know him? I feel like you’re dragging this story out.”

“
William Williams is my father.”

“What?” I
yelped, my eyebrows shooting up. I let my arms fall from around him so I could get a better look at him.

What?
I repeated internally as my stomach dropped.
WHAT? William Williams is Xavier’s father?

“
Yeah. My mother kept her maiden name and when given the opportunity, I took it too.” He shook his head. “My father decided that he was going to run for office and because he’s a self-serving asshole, he has proposed two options. Either I become CEO of his most profitable business or he shuts the entire operation down.”

“
I remember you saying that your dad wanted you to run his company during our photo shoot. I thought you were going to be running the family restaurant or an auto body shop. Wow,” I said, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying.

“It’s a lot more complicated, but we need to go back inside. I just wanted you to hear it from me because after tonight, things are going to change and I’m not going to be able to fly under the radar anymore. But hopefully, it’ll be an easier transition because I’ll have you.”

My heart fluttered. He pulled me into his body, dipping his head to whisper, “T
he little time we’ve spent together, you’ve been exactly who you are and I’ve been exactly who I am and it just works. Every frustratingly sexy moment with you has only left me wanting more. I can’t shake the feeling that life keeps pushing us together for a reason.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” I quoted Autumn as I stared up at him.

Instead of the reckless abandon of our first kiss, Xavier kissed me softly. His mouth moved easily over mine as he took his time, tasting me. Enjoying the sensation, I whimpered when he pulled away.

The sound of polite clapping from the ballroom alerted us to how much time had passed.

“We missed dessert,” I pointed out as I gazed up at him.

Leaning down, he brought his lips to the shell of my ear. “I didn’t,” h
e whispered causing another contented sigh to escape me.  He grinned. “I have to get in there now. Can we please pick this back up later?”

“
Definitely. You go ahead. I need to cool off for a second. I’ll be right behind you.”

I watched Xavier stroll down the maze before turning onto the cobblestone and out of my sight.
I exhaled.
What is happening?
I wondered as I waited until my nipples were no longer hard before exiting the garden.

When I entered the ballroom, t
he vibe in the room was completely different compared to when I left. The rumble of partygoers talking and laughing mixed with the sounds of plates being removed and glasses clinking creating a low-energy buzz around the room. As the band eased into place, an older man took the microphone and blew in it. I hurriedly made my way through the crowd to my table.

They are seriously still talking about the donut place,
I thought as I slipped into my chair. It seemed as if only Max noticed.

“Hello? Good evening everyone! I’m
Dr. Dennis Bell with the Community Medical Center of DC and I will keep this short and sweet so we can enjoy the rest of this beautiful event.  First, I want to thank you all for being here tonight. As the President and interim CEO of CMC, I am proud to stand before you and let you know that we’ve surpassed our goal of five million dollars tonight. Please give yourselves a hand,” he enthused, eliciting a round of applause and whistles from the crowd.

“
On the first of July, Community Medical Center will change the face of medicine in Washington DC. And we wouldn’t be here celebrating our accomplishments and the money raised if it weren’t for this man. Four years ago, what started out as a passion project quickly turned into the first of many life-changing things he will do.  He has spent the last few years working as CEO of CMC. Now that he has returned to the U.S., he has taken the reigns as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Please give a warm welcome to the original CEO and mastermind behind Community Medical Center of DC and the new CEO of StratFord Consulting Firm, Mr. James Ford.”

Clapping p
olitely, I looked around and then froze.
Xavier?
I thought as I watched the man I just spent the last twenty minutes making out with walk to the microphone.
We just professed things to each other—things I wasn’t expecting or even wanting to feel—and somehow he neglected to tell me his real name is James?!

“Hello, I’m James Ford,” he started to a handful of catcalls.
“Thank you. As some of you already know, I’ve been transitioning into my new position with StratFord Consulting Firm. Please understand that this move is a difficult one for me because I’m used to a more hands on approach with Community Medical Center of DC. But to see how all of you have supported this endeavor and what it will do for this community has me feeling as if it CMC is in good hands.”

Forcing my eyes from Xavier, I looked at the couple on the other side of Max
as they talked about the announcement. They were saying something about Xavier I couldn’t quite hear. Bits and pieces of the conversation hit my ears and I felt myself getting worked up.

They aren’t even listening to what he has to say before they are speculating on his abilities to run StratFord,
I thought indignantly. I tried to shut them out to continue listening.

“…
CMC is committed to creating communities of healthy, hopeful, and well-adjusted individuals. This commitment is founded in our values, which teach us that each person needs to be taken care of wholly. How we organize our society directly affects the capacity of a person to grow, develop, and heal. There are many things that need to come together to create a healthy community, including access to quality health care, education, employment, affordable housing, public safety, and recreational and cultural opportunities. We are dedicated to changing lives. We are dedicated to helping people evolve. And with your generosity this evening, many lives will be changed and many people will evolve. So enjoy the rest of your night. All of us at CMC of DC thank you.”

The crowd applauded wildly
and he looked around the room. He winked and nodded when he made eye contact with me and my heart skipped a beat. And just like that, the butterflies were back with a vengeance.

Holy shit,
I thought in shock as I put my hand over my heart.
Did my heart just skip a beat?

The b
and started playing music and people began to move toward the dance floor.

“So, do you think it’s true that Williams is running for office?” Mr. Reed asked the table.

              “I don’t know, but James Ford is a little young to run a major corporation, isn’t he? He’s only thirty-one!” the man right beside Max said in response. “He couldn’t even hack it as the CEO of the medical center.”

“Yeah,” his date agreed
, shaking her head. “As soon as the medical center is close to being fully operational, he quickly jumps ship.”

             
“If in his twenties he was able to start a medical center in DC from somewhere in London, I’m sure he can handle taking over StratFord in his thirties,” I said sharply, almost defensively.

“Mrs. Reed, I’m going to have the first
couple of dances with Summer, and then I’m going to come back for you,” Max said, standing quickly.

“Sounds good to me!”
Mrs. Reed chirped.

Helping me out of my chair, Max escorted me to the dance floor. Once we started dancing, Max started with the questions.

“It was dark outside, but I’m pretty sure the James Ford who is hosting this event and taking over StratFord Consulting Firm is the same guy I saw you with earlier.”

“
Was it?” I scratched my temple with a finger and scrunched my face up theatrically.

“Not my business
,” he laughed and then proceeded to whisk me around the dance floor.

“So have you seen any ladies that you’d be interested in?” I asked Max as we swayed to the music.

“Since my date keeps leaving me with a drunken Mrs. Reed, I haven’t had the chance to scope the room.”

Thinking about why I le
ft Max at the table made me grin deliriously, but I was aware that I was being a horrible date. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Max,” I apologized truthfully.

“No
, you’re not. But it’s cool. It’s been interesting getting to know my coworkers with a few drinks in them,” Max said.

“I bet!”

Max stopped dancing and looked directly over my shoulder.  Curious, I turned around too.

“Hey!” I exclaimed a little awkwardly as I was face to
face with Xavier and Camilla.

“Max, would you mind if we switched dance partners for this song?” Xavier inquired.
He looked at me as he continued, “I’d like to dance with Summer.”

I looked from Xavier to Max to Camilla trying to suppress the grin that threatened to overtake my face.

“No, not at all,” Max said as he stared at Camilla, awestruck.

Camilla smiled sweetly at Max before looking at me. “
I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight! You look beautiful, Summer.” She gave me a quick hug before allowing Max to lead her a few feet away on the dance floor.

Wrapping his arms around me, Xavier pulled me in close.
With my face buried in his neck, I inhaled deeply and took in his cologne.
He smells delicious,
I thought as I allowed him to lead us around the dance floor. He moved skillfully, much like when he was boxing. He floated around and I merely held on and enjoyed the ride. We didn’t say anything the entire dance. We just existed in the moment together.

As the song came to an end, I stirred from my thoughts.