Branded (12 page)

He mentally cursed, his body urging him to
respond.  He slipped his fingers through her silky hair and gripped the strands
as though holding on to them would help him hold on to his sanity.  He tilted
her chin, angling her head in order to deepen their kiss.

She might literally be the sweetest thing he’d
ever tasted.  Her berry lip gloss tickled his tongue as he claimed her mouth,
and he quickly hardened, as aching need consumed him.

She was the one to pull away this time, releasing
a breathy sigh as she did.  It was a good thing she’d ended their kiss because
he wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop.  She ran her tongue across her
bottom lip as though searching for another taste of him.  “Goodness.  That
was…more than I’d intended.”  She stepped back, away from the door, allowing
him to enter.  When he did, she closed the door behind him.

He cleared his throat.  “More than I’d intended,
too…but nice.  Definitely nice.”  He caught her gaze.  “I hope you don’t greet
all your guests that way.”

An attractive blush bloomed on her cheeks.  “Only
the lucky ones.”  She grinned before she turned, walking away from him like a
warm summer breeze that caressed his skin before disappearing into space.

He followed, an invisible string of attraction
tethering him to her.  He passed through an entryway and into a quaint kitchen
with light green walls and copper-bottomed pans hanging above the stove.  He’d
always done fairly well in the cooking department.  His mother had made sure of
that.  But the thought of watching a woman cook for him suddenly took on a
whole new meaning.  It was sweet, and…sexy.

Nicole grabbed two mitts from the counter and
opened the oven.  As she bent forward to retrieve whatever delicious thing she
had cooked for him, she presented a nice view of her ass.  He indulged,
allowing his gaze to trace the charming curves she displayed for him.  When she
stood, she glanced over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes in a reprimanding gaze
as though she hadn’t expected to catch him staring.

Uh-huh.  Right.  He grinned in return.  He shouldn’t
be flirting so much, but it was hard not to in her presence.  It must be the same
charm her father had owned.  But knowledge was power, and even though he enjoyed
talking with her, he wouldn’t get sucked in. “Something I can help you with?” 

Just as he asked the question, Stormy came
bounding into the kitchen with Apollo hot on her tail.  Stormy sat at Nicole’s
feet, her tail thumping.  Apollo followed her lead.

“You two will get something if you behave,” she
said to the dogs before she turned to him.  “Wine glasses.  In the cupboard
next to the fridge.”

He did as she requested and even went so far as to
uncork the bottle of Bordeaux with the corkscrew she’d left on the counter.  He
carried the glasses and bottle to the table as she transferred the meatloaf,
potatoes and carrots to serving dishes before following behind him.

Two stubby orange candles burned in the center of
the small wooden table next to a basket of crusty rolls.  They took seats
opposite each other, his knees bumping hers beneath the table.

“Sorry,” she said as she poured them each a glass
of wine.  “My house is a lot smaller than yours.”

He smiled.  “I prefer the term ‘cozier’.  Your
place has a nice feel to it.”  And definitely not what he’d expect from someone
who’d just made off with a ten million dollar heist.  Then again, the smart
ones knew better than to flaunt a score.  She probably figured it was best to
lie low until the heat cooled, and then she’d ditch this place for some exotic,
tropical locale.

Her eyes grew brighter as her lips curved.  “Thank
you.  It’s not much, but it’s mine.”

“How long have you lived here?”  He followed the
graceful movements of her hands as she dished the meatloaf and vegetables onto
their plates.

“A little over a year.”  She met his gaze over the
candles.  “I really hated to leave my aunt alone, but it was time.”

He nodded.  “I can understand that.  And you know,
once you leave, you can never really go back.”

“Don’t tell me that.”  She gave a laugh
underscored by worry.  “If I can’t find a job fairly soon, I’ll have nowhere
else to go but back to her house.”

Or to Tahiti.  “I didn’t know you’d been looking
for a job.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I’ve been trying, but these
days, it’s pretty hard to apply for something without a computer.  I did find,
though, if I wear a hat and no makeup, people don’t seem to notice me at the
library.”  A quick, sassy grin appeared on her lips, and then vanished too
soon.  “Even still, no bites so far, and I really have to wonder if I do make
it to the interview stage if anyone would seriously consider me until this
whole thing is sorted out.”

He wanted to feel sorry for her.  He could see how
desperate an innocent person caught in her same predicament might become.  “I
might know of a job.”

She stopped, wineglass in mid-air.  “Really? 
Where?”

“A friend of mine owns a bar.  He’s looking for a
part-time bookkeeper slash waitress.”  He wasn’t sure whether or not Christian
would go for it, but it would help keep her under the microscope for more hours
during the day.  “I’ll ask him if you like.  It wouldn’t be a ton of money, but
it would be some, and he might let you work extra hours cleaning or something.”

She blinked rapidly, and he worried she might
start crying.  “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for even suggesting it.  But
seriously, I doubt he’ll want someone suspected of grand larceny helping with
his books.”

“Christian’s not the type of guy to judge people
before he meets them.  If I put in a good word for you, explain your
circumstances, I think he’ll give you a shot.”  Or at least Xander hoped to
hell he would. 

He forked a bite of meatloaf and put it in his
mouth.  A delicious mix of flavors melted on his tongue.  “Damn, woman.  You
have some serious culinary skills.”

She smiled then, and a weight lifted off his
heart. 

He realized he wasn’t very adept at sorting out
which of her emotions and words were bullshit and which weren’t, but despite
the job he had to do, he liked it better when she smiled.  “From now on, you’re
doing the cooking.”

She snorted.  “Like you’ve even cooked.”

He started to speak, but she cut him off.

“Sandwiches do not constitute cooking.”

“Okay.  You’re right.  I owe you.”

“Big time.”  She sighed, and he could sense the
shift in her mood.  She broke a roll in half, focusing on it instead of him.  “I
keep putting off asking you because I don’t want to fill our evening with talk
of my problems, but I’m wondering if you’ve heard from your friend.”  She
lifted her gaze to his, worry evident in her eyes.

He hated that he wanted to ease her fears, but he
couldn’t help it.  “I spoke with him,” he said, choosing his words carefully.  “He’s
had a few casual conversations with your co-workers, but nothing that should
have drawn attention from the police.”  Especially since his friend
was
the police.  “Did your attorney happen to mention the name of the officer who
called him?”

She shook her head.  “No, but I can ask when he
returns my call.  He’s checking to see when I’ll have my computer returned to
me.”  A quizzical look crossed her face.  “I really can’t imagine why it’s
taking them so long.  There’s nothing even remotely illegal for them to find.”

Because she’d erased it?  “Maybe they’re
backlogged or something.”

She sighed again.  “Maybe so.  But I wish they’d
hurry and do whatever they’re going to do.  This waiting is hell.”

He studied her face, her expression, looking for
any sign of guilt.

Nothing.

She was either innocent or a damn good liar.  And
if Hunter’s information was correct, which it had always been before, she was
lying.

*        *        *

Nicole sipped her wine, letting the drowsy, content
feeling float over her as she gazed up at the twinkling stars in the night time
sky.  Despite her circumstances, she couldn’t believe how happy she was at that
moment.  She’d laughed when she’d heard others speak of finding a soul mate and
falling in love, but she now wondered if it could really happen.  For whatever
reason, Xander seemed to make her feel more whole than she had before.

He lounged in the wicker chair next to her, both dogs
at their feet, all of them cramped on her little balcony.  Once again, her
handsome rescuer insisted the small space didn’t bother him.  The nip of fall
hung in the air, but they’d tossed a warm blanket over them and held hands
beneath it.  It was nearly impossible to believe she’d stumbled upon such a gem
of a man.  The Fates had blessed her in this instance for sure.

“You know what I wish sometimes?”  Xander’s deep
voice broke the hushed two a.m. silence that cocooned her block of the city.

“What?” she murmured.

“Sometimes I wish I could run away from life.  Move
to the beach and start over there.  Keep things uncomplicated.”

She sighed.  “Uncomplicated sounds pretty good
right now.”

“If you really did have all that money—”

She inhaled sharply.  She didn’t want to think
about that.

He squeezed her hand.  “Legitimately.  If money
wasn’t an issue, what would you do?”

“Right now?  I’d move to another planet in order to
get away from all the accusing stares.  But before this happened?  I’m not sure. 
I love Portland, love living in the city.  My aunt’s here, and I even liked my
job pretty well.”

“You wouldn’t run off to Tahiti or somewhere?”

“Of course, I’d love to visit there, but no,
Portland’s my home.”  She gave him a sideways glance and laughed.  “Are you
trying to get me to make a run for it?”

He gave an awkward shrug.  “No.  Of course not.” 
He leaned his head against the back of the chair.  “Just making conversation.”

She smiled.  She was beginning to love every facet
about this man.  “So, you’d go to Tahiti?”

“Maybe.  Although I think I prefer the rougher
beaches like you find along the coast here or in Washington.  Don’t like my
sand crowded with too many half-naked people.”

She raised her brows and chuckled.  “You don’t
like watching bikini babes?” she teased.

He faced her.  “I’d like to see you in a bikini.”

An arrow of pure heat shot through her, and she
swallowed, trying to keep the atmosphere light-hearted instead of falling into
the dark seduction where her body wanted to go.  “Funny guy.”

“I wasn’t joking.”  He stroked his thumb over the
back of her hand, leaving shivers in its wake.  Then suddenly, he stood,
surprising her.  “It’s getting late.  I should go.”

She stood, too, not happy that their tranquility
had been shattered.  “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”  He pushed their chairs to the side,
opening her door to let the dogs in the house.  “Unless you’re inviting me to
stay the night?”

She tried to laugh off the intense excitement
building in her core.  “You wish.”

A serious look claimed his expression.  “I do.  I
wished on that star right…there.”  He pointed to a bright orb in the sky, his
demeanor switching back to flirtatious.  “But I’ll wait until you’re ready.” 
He gave her a quick, hard kiss on the lips before he headed inside.

Disappointment flooded her.  She’d been tempted to
say yes, but the moment seemed to have passed.  She waited while he gathered
Apollo’s leash and followed them to the door.

“Thank you for an amazing night.”  He tipped her
chin up, placing heated lips on hers.

Warmth soaked through her.  “You’re welcome,” she
said against his mouth.  When he tried to pull away, she locked her fingers at
the base of his skull, holding him tight.  “Wait,” she whispered.

He seemed to sense her level of need and hauled
her against him.  He held the sides of her face as his tongue tangled with hers
in a fierce dance of passion.  When he pulled away this time, she let him go,
her breath coming in ragged spurts.  Dark desire burned in his eyes, matching
the heat roaring inside her.

“This time, I intended for that to happen,” she
said, her voice breathless.

Fiery interest burned in his eyes.  “I’m thinking
about heading to Seaside this weekend.  I have a house along the beach I need
to check on.  I’d like to take Apollo and let him play on the beach.  You and
Stormy want to come?”

A shiver raced through her.  She might not have
him in her bed tonight, but if she said yes to the weekend, it would only be a
matter of time.  “We’d love to go.”

He traced a thumb across her bottom lip, searching
her eyes.  She wasn’t sure what, if anything, he was looking for.  He gave her
another quick peck before leaving.

Nicole shut the door behind him and then sagged
against it.  “Oh…wow.”  Things were definitely getting more complicated.

She found she liked it that way.

*        *        *

What the fuck had he gotten himself into?  Xander
slowly descended the stairs leading down from Nicole’s apartment despite Apollo’s
insistence that they hurry.  Xander had gone there with the intention of maintaining
the upper hand and earning her trust.  Instead, he’d stepped neck deep in her seductive
world.

He shook his head as though that would loosen her
grip on him.  He hadn’t realized her sexy smile and the adorable way she pushed
her bangs out of her eyes were really sharp claws viciously digging into his
heart.

Then again, connecting on an emotional level may
be exactly what he needed to break her.

He reached his car and let Apollo inside.  Instead
of climbing in the driver’s seat, he turned his gaze toward the heavens.  The
same stars he’d shared with Nicole only a few minutes before.  “I wished on
that star, right there,” he mimicked his previous words under his breath.  What
kind of idiot was he?