Wicked Lovers 07 Ours to Love (7 page)

“Good girl,
belleza
. I’m not going to hurt you. Relax.”

Again, she found herself doing as he bid and being oddly happy that he’d praised her.
Almost proud. God, was she so thirsty for something good in her life that she’d fall
for kind words from a potential ax murderer?

“Nothing to worry about,” he promised. “I’m a friend of Alyssa Traverson, the owner.”

That raised her hackles. He should have stuck to the truth and said he was simply
a customer. “I know most of her friends. I don’t know you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Xander.”

The
Xander? Logan’s billionaire playboy pal? He was dressed expensively. Though Xander’s
eyes appeared hazel, rather than blue like his brother’s, he looked enough like Javier
otherwise—ungodly handsome—to convince her she’d guessed right.

The good news was, if he was a friend of Logan’s, he wasn’t an ax murderer or a rapist.
In fact, she’d heard the stories about the ways in which Xander had helped both Logan
and Tyler save their wives from some really dangerous situations. From everything
she could tell, both of those men had great creep radars, so Xander wasn’t a psycho.

But he was unnerving. She’d read about men who could make a woman’s heart skip a bit,
but London had believed it was all crap until recently. Xander and Javier were both
lip-bitingly hot.

“What’s your name?” Xander asked.

“L-London.”

“Like the city?” he smiled.

She nodded. Hell, his gaze was so fixed on her that her brain shut down. When he looked
at her like that, she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Have you ever been there?”

“No.” She tried to smile. “Someday.”

“You should see it.” He smiled. “It’s unique. And beautiful, just like you,
belleza
.”

“What does that mean?”

“Beauty.”

Exactly what his brother had murmured to her in his stupor.

“Don’t frown at me. You looked gorgeous onstage. Do you dance here?”

Was he kidding? In the thong she was still wearing—with little else to cover her—she
scrambled back to find her clothes, grabbing her blouse first and holding it up over
her torso. She’d been so startled, then blinded by his gorgeousness, she’d forgotten
that she was damn-near naked.

He laughed. “Hmm, covered or not, you’re still sexy. You have the most tempting sugary
pink nipples.”

London spread her shirt across her breasts even as she felt heat crawl up her cheeks.
“You can’t see that. I’m wearing a bra.”

“Made of peekaboo lace.”

A quick glace down proved him right, and since her thong was made out of the same
fabric, the chances were that he could see pretty much everything down there, too.
Mortification swept over her in a hot wave. It shouldn’t bother her, really. So many
doctors and medical professionals over the years had seen her mostly naked, but those
people had looked at her like a specimen. Xander stared at her like a predator sizing
up a meal. Hungry. Intense. His gaze heated. Desire simmered. And she couldn’t help
but respond. Yes, she was flattered, but more, she felt an answering flutter between
her legs.

“Could you . . .” She bit her lip, then forced her words out. “Could you be a gentleman
and turn around so I can get dressed?”

He shrugged, but quirked a smile in her direction that said he’d be working to get
her out of all those garments again soon. “Sure.”

“Thank you,” she said stiffly as he turned away.

She struggled into her clothes, tugging up her cargo capri pants, shrugging into her
floral blouse with shaking fingers. This was the prudent thing, walking away from
a womanizer already eyeing her. She had no experience with that kind of man—or any
kind, for that matter.

But wasn’t that why she’d left her mom’s house and moved here, to break away from
the shadow of her illness and go to a place where no one knew or remembered the tragedy
of her adolescence? So she could finally experience life. So she could truly
live
.

Absolutely.

So Xander wasn’t going to win any husband-of-the-year awards. London wasn’t looking
to get married. Sure, she’d like to have a boyfriend someday. Right now, all she wanted
to do was meet people, date, and okay, maybe have a little sex. Or a lot. She had
as much libido as the next girl, maybe more since she didn’t exactly know what she
was missing. But books and movies provided tantalizing glimpses. Even if it wasn’t
like all the glorified fictional accounts, well . . . then she’d know, right? She
could finally say she’d experienced something—with a man who knew what the hell he
was doing. If Xander had slept with that many women, why would he mind one more? She
doubted that her virginity or her past would even matter to him.

Decision made, London loosened her top button and pulled aside the edges of her blouse
so he’d get a good glimpse at her cleavage. “You can turn around now.”

He did, appreciation lighting his eyes instantly. “Lovely. I didn’t mean to scare
you or peek uninvited. The door was open, I walked in, and you looked so beautiful
that I simply couldn’t stop you. So glad I didn’t.”

Xander reached out slowly, seeming to give her plenty of opportunity to back away.
Heat rushed up her body. Her heart chugged and pulsed violently, but she refused to
give in to the urge to scamper away.

With a reassuring smile, he helped her off the stage, then curled his fingers around
her elbow with a proprietary grip, using it to draw her closer. “Come with me. Sit
and talk.” The words were half-request, half-command. He gestured to the club’s dark
bar. London didn’t see the harm.

“All right.”

“Excellent. I can’t promise that I won’t try to proposition you, but you’re always
free to say no.” He sent her a disarming grin. “I’d like to get to know you. For now,
I’ll keep my hands to myself,” he promised. “Mostly. Until you tell me otherwise.”

London hesitated, trying to think things through, but it was damn difficult with him
so near. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Not when I want something.”

With a very charming and no doubt well-practiced smile, he led her to the bar and
eased her into a booth in the corner. It didn’t escape her notice that he situated
himself squarely between her and the exit.

Staring at him from under her lashes, London settled herself into the seat he’d indicated,
peeking at his chiseled face, lingering on the sensual curve of his lips, then trailing
down to his bulging shoulders and broad chest. When she realized she was flat-out
staring, she jerked her gaze back up to his face. He flashed her a
gotcha
smile with lots of white teeth and cockiness. He’d seen her mostly naked and was
still flirting. That was a good sign.

“How long had you been, um . . . watching me?” she asked.

“I was going to call out to you as you fired up the music, but once you started dancing,
I couldn’t stop someone that sexy. Besides, you looked like you were having fun.”

Her mother called men like him incorrigible. He was definitely the sort to ask forgiveness,
not permission. “I was, but no one was supposed to see that. Any chance you’ll forget
about it?”

“Not even a remote one.” Xander’s grin widened as he leaned over the table and stared
intently. “Tell me something about you, sexy London.”

“I’m twenty-five and I just moved here. And . . .” She had nothing else interesting
to say. “What about you?”

“I’m thirty, I’m here for a few weeks, and . . .” He grabbed her hand and folded it
between both of his, surrounding her with strong fingers. “I’m wondering why you go
a little tense every time I say you’re sexy.”

He’d noticed? “It’s a great pickup line, but . . .”

“You don’t believe that I’m going to put your striptease in my spank bank?” He winked.
“We’ll chat for a bit. In, say, ten minutes, I’ll tell you that you’re sexy again
and hope it will feel better to you. Deal?”

That sounded great, but she was hardly a size four. “Are you teasing me?”

“Why would you think that,
belleza
?”

His subtle challenge made her doubt it, but insecurity didn’t go away that simply.
“I’m sure I looked about as coordinated as an elephant on roller skates out there.
And almost as big as one, too.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Who told you that you’re less than beautiful?”

“No one, but I’m not blind.” She shook her head, flustered. “Look, I appreciate your
kind words, but—”

“No buts. I find you attractive, and I see no reason to lie about it. You aren’t beautiful
in the way I typically see.” When she stiffened, he went on. “That’s a good thing,
belleza
. You’re not wearing five pounds of makeup, haven’t slathered on false eyelashes,
or had your teeth bleached. Your nails aren’t covered by acrylic talons and your toenails
aren’t dotted with daisies or glitter . . . or whatever the trend of the moment is.
You’re not wearing a skirt so short that I can see whether you’re waxed or shaved.
Your gorgeous breasts aren’t silicone, and you haven’t been on some stupid starvation
diet that makes you look as if you’ve barely survived Auschwitz. You look good in
your own skin. Natural. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen a woman like
that?”

She frowned. “Since when do men like women less than perfect?”

“I can’t speak for all men. There are a ton of douche bags out there who don’t care
how fake a girl is as long as she looks hot. I know because I used to be one of them.”
He shrugged. “But I’ve gotten to a point in life where I prefer what’s real.”

London blinked at him, head cocked, and peered at him intently. “I don’t know how
to take you.”

“Are you always this suspicious?”

With a little flush, she sat back, casting her gaze slightly down and wincing. She
should stop annoying Xander and let him do his worst, which would undoubtedly be the
best thing that had ever happened in her admittedly dull life. “It’s just that . . .
I don’t have a lot of experience. I’m guessing you do.”

“A great deal. I won’t lie about that. But that also means I know what I like.”

“So you’re not kidding?”

Xander dragged her to her feet, captured her waist, and brought her back to his chest.
“
Belleza
, does this feel like I’m kidding?” He rolled his hips against her ass and pressed
his hard cock into her. “Like I thought you didn’t look incredible and I wasn’t desperate
to touch you?”

London froze, and Xander pressed a lingering kiss to her neck that made her shiver,
her breath catch.

“You don’t have to flatter me. I know how I look.”

“You have no idea how you look to
me
.” His voice dropped, going both husky and hard. “You’re sweet.” He dragged his lips
across her neck again. His tongue slipped out and he tasted her skin. “Soft.” He caressed
his way across the slight bulge of her abdomen, over the curve of her hip, then down
her slightly parted thighs.

London gasped at the tingles spreading across her skin as Xander skimmed across her
thigh, planted his palm on the extra-soft skin just inside . . . then began to work
his way back up. “So supple.”

When his thumb crept just inches shy of her moistening secrets, she began to tremble
all over. “I want to touch you,
belleza
. Tear your clothes off and feel just how wet I can make you. I want to show you how
much pleasure I can give you.”

And wouldn’t she like that, too?

“Don’t.” Her voice trembled.

He removed his hands and took a half-step back. “Don’t what, touch you? Compliment
you? Want you?”

“No.” London drew in a shaking breath. “Don’t stop.”

Chapter Four

S
HOCK
pinged through Xander’s system. The girl who wanted him to turn around so she could
dress in privacy now wanted him to seduce her? That would absolutely be his pleasure.
And, very shortly, hers, too. Mentally, he calculated how long it would take him to
get her naked and under him. Ten minutes, tops. He’d shoot for five since he was so
fucking eager to brush his lips over every inch of her skin, drag his tongue across
her nipples, then slide his cock slowly and deeply inside that undoubtedly sweet pussy.

Dropping his face back to the fragrant curve between her neck and shoulder, he swept
kisses across her skin. So fucking soft—everywhere, every inch. Jesus, he could touch
her all damn day and not be bored. And she smelled so luscious, a bit citrusy in the
first breath, but then jasmine and vanilla came along and flirted with his sense of
smell, luring him even closer.

More.
He definitely needed more of her. Granted, it never took his cock long to stand up
and salute beauty, but this one might have set a record, even for him. Lovely, pale,
and so naturally submissive. And real. She was everything he prized. Everything he
craved. Everything he’d been missing in life.

He glanced down to see her lush ass covered in ugly beige cargo pants. If he got his
hands on her, he’d rip those off. He’d love to dress her in little skirts that would
give him easy access to every one of her soft secrets. When they were alone, panties
would definitely be forbidden, along with anything that obstructed him from all the
slick softness he desperately wanted to see, touch . . . taste. He was going to have
to ask Alyssa where and why she’d been hiding this delicious indulgence.

With an expectant grin, he braced his hands on London’s waist and turned her to face
him. An even row of little white teeth emerged to chew on that plump lower lip uncertainly.
Her body shook with obvious nerves.

Frowning, Xander braced a finger under her chin and lifted gently. “Look at me.”

Her thick lashes fluttered open over eyes so blue they punched him in the gut. It
wasn’t just with their beautiful color; it was everything about her. He’d fucked some
of the most physically beautiful women in the world, on every continent except Antarctica.
He’d skipped that one; nothing to see there, and he hated cold. But he’d joined the
mile-high club at seventeen, so that evened things out. But all those memories faded
as he looked at London.

What jabbed him now was her expressiveness. Every thought in her head was all over
her face. Fear. Anxiety. Curiosity. And the shyest desire. She looked at him like
a penniless kid peeking in a candy store’s window. But she didn’t make a single move
toward him.

He’d come here to find a convenient girl to spend the afternoon with and work out
some of his tension. Xander couldn’t escape the feeling that he’d found much more.
They’d barely exchanged more than a handful of words, but she already presented him
so many intriguing contradictions. A beauty whose striptease had him needing to adjust
himself in his way-too-tight pants so unsure of her own appeal. She never had answered
his question about whether she danced here, and now he was inclined to think that
she not only didn’t work for Alyssa, she’d never taken her clothes off in public.
Which begged the question . . . why was London onstage stripping when she hadn’t expected
an audience?

Her chest rose enticingly with a deep breath, and Xander couldn’t fail to notice that
the top button popped open above her luscious breasts and gave him a sinful shot of
her cleavage. Before the sight short-circuited his brain altogether and he abandoned
his finessed seduction, he met her stare.

London’s eyes were definitely the windows to her soul. Inside, he saw a woman so kind
and gentle. But he sensed a wildness, an impatience. Need.

“You want me to kiss you?” he murmured against her mouth.

She drew in a little breath, lips parted. “Yes.”

London breathed the word, and it went straight to his cock. “You want me to take off
your clothes, taste your body, then fuck you deep and swallow your cries of pleasure
with my lips?”

Parting her glossy lips, she blinked at him again, hesitating. She swayed on her feet,
digging her fingers into his shoulders to steady herself. “Yes.”

Fuck, yes
. Right here. Right now. They were alone. But something about this girl . . . He wouldn’t
be satisfied with a quickie on the rickety little table, bracing her back against
the wall as he shoved his cock into her. She needed more care. Why else would he call
her a beauty in his ancestors’ language when “babe” worked for nearly every other
conquest? Xander deeply suspected that unleashing all his desire burning for London
by spreading her legs right here would scare her. This one was a project. He had hours
to kill. Hell, days and weeks. He could devote time to this beauty’s seduction.

“That’s what I want, too,
belleza
. But not here.”

And now that he’d promised to leave the rental house to Javier, he couldn’t take London
there. He also wasn’t keen on bringing her to the scene of his debauched antics with
Megan, Shelby and . . . what was her name? Alexis. Yeah, London didn’t belong there.

“Is your place nearby?”

She looked slightly panicked. “No. I mean, yes, I live nearby, but we can’t go there.
I’m staying with family. My cousin . . .”

“Might walk in on us?”

“Exactly.”

He remembered seeing a hotel not far from here. It wasn’t a five-star establishment,
but it would have to do. Xander took her hand. “I’ve got an idea, if you’ll come with
me.”

At that moment, the phone in her pants pocket dinged with a text message. She took
it out, read, frowned, then tapped out a reply before pocketing her phone again and
drawing in a deep breath. “I think I’ve got a better idea. Come with me?”

He smiled, anticipation exploding through his body, flooding his eager cock even more
painfully. “Lead the way,
belleza
.”

London squeezed past him, and he palmed her ass as she did. At her indrawn breath,
he flashed her a grin. Then she made her way to the front door and locked it. The
decisive metallic
clink
resounded through the empty space. Now they were totally alone. Oh, yeah. This was
going to be good.

Once they cleared the bar, Xander snagged her hand, clasping it tightly in his, then
followed her across the concrete floor, up the stairs at the back of the club. She
opened the door at the top. Once inside, a four-posted bed filled the space. Man,
what he couldn’t do here with London and a nice, long length of nylon restraints.
The thought had him shoving back a groan.

Inside, sharp, artsy black-and-white photographs, mostly landscapes, hung on the walls.
The white comforter looked downy and inviting as sunlight streamed in across the bed.

Xander closed the door behind them. “Excellent. No one will disturb us?”

She licked her lips nervously. “Not for a few hours.”

“Oh,
belleza
 . . . You are in so much trouble. God, you don’t even know how thoroughly I’m going
to fuck you.”

She swallowed, then blinked up at him with those blue eyes. “Then . . . you’ll have
to show me.”

Her sweet little voice sounded breathless, and he saw the pulse pounding at the base
of her neck. London was more than a little nervous. He’d calm her down and jack her
up on pleasure, then she’d stop overthinking it.

“That’s my plan.” He drew her closer, flush against him. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

She tried to nod, but he tangled his hands in her hair so she couldn’t move. He didn’t
quite have her where he wanted her, but soon.

Nudging her back, he laid her across the bed, following her down into the cloud of
soft white bedding. She looked gorgeous with her pale hair spread all around and her
soft face just beneath him, her heavy-lidded eyes more than a bit aroused. This one
would be responsive, and despite last night’s depravity, Xander couldn’t wait. Something
about her was new and fresh. Different. Almost pure.

Covering her body with his own, he hissed at the feel of her curves melding against
him. Then he cupped her cheek in his hand. Beautiful. She blinked up at him, her fair
skin glowing rosy. Already, he felt like one lucky son of a bitch.

“Y-you’re staring.”

“I’m contemplating all the ways I’m going to make you come for me.” Her breath caught
and her cheeks flushed. Xander simply smiled. “Shy,
belleza
?”

“A little.”

Clearly more than a little, but he let the white lie slide for now. Rather than using
his lips to berate her, he’d ten times rather kiss her.

Xander leaned in, giving her time to object. But she didn’t. He brushed his lips over
hers softly, seeking and testing. She opened beneath him like a butterfly, tentatively
at first before her lips finally parted. She let him in, gasping as he entered her
mouth, his tongue sliding against hers in a slow, sexy tango.

London gripped his shoulders, almost frozen beneath him. She panted hard. He could
feel her heart racing against his chest.

“Relax. It’s okay. I’ll make you feel good.”

At his whisper, London nodded. She was doing her best to trust him, and for now it
would have to be enough. He’d prove his point soon. Until he could, Xander slipped
a hand behind her nape, slanted his mouth over hers, and feasted.

The sweetness he’d tasted on her tongue the first time now exploded across his senses.
She surrendered to the kiss, her body turning soft beneath him as she grabbed him
like she’d never let go.

With a groan, he thrust deeper between her lips. She arched up under him, opening
wider to admit every thrust of his tongue. The kiss turned hungrier, and Xander ate
at her ruthlessly, losing himself inside her mouth. Fuck, he could drown here, forget
all his problems. He didn’t need one of Alyssa’s strippers; he needed this girl. Later—much
later—he’d figure out why she’d been taking her clothes off on Sexy Sirens’ stage
without an audience.

Right now, he just wanted to get inside her in every way he could.

He seized her lips again, sinking down and easing to her side. She turned to him,
slinging her thigh over his hip in silent protest. Very soon, he’d take advantage
of that. For now, he gently pushed her back to the bed, then turned his attention
to the buttons of her blouse. One after the other, he slipped them through their moorings
like a hot knife through butter.

In moments, he was prying the fabric apart and tapering off the hot kiss to look down
at her. Holy fucking jackpot. Those breasts spilled above the white lace of her bra.
They were works of art, round and pale and soft. And so real. Xander couldn’t wait
to get his hands on them, his lips. To cup them, graze her nipples with his fingers,
and listen to her gasp, then see her eyes flutter closed. He’d tear off that damn
bra and suck her nipples until they swelled red.

Through the lace now, he could see they were sweet pink nubs, standing up straight,
begging for attention.

“I need that bra gone. And the shirt. Strip them off for me.”

London didn’t move. “Um . . . can we close the blinds first?”

And ruin what he was sure would be one of the best views he’d had in a very long while?
“No,
belleza
. I’m going to be an indulgent lover. I’m going to make sure you come well and often.
But no one can see in this window, and I’m not going to let you hide from me.”

She flushed again, pausing to process his words. A bit of panic tightened her face,
but she forged on. “I’d be more relaxed if the room was dark.”

He shook his head. “You’d stay buried in your comfort zone and not really surrender
everything to me. That’s not how I roll. Blinds open. Take off your blouse,
belleza
.” He’d work the bra off himself. In fact, that would be fun.

London hesitated. She sat up, watching him with wide eyes, then looked down at herself,
frowning. Displeasure crossed her face. Quickly, she laid flat again and wriggled
out of the blouse. Xander didn’t like the suspicions careening through his head. London
didn’t like her body? Because she was a woman and not a twig? Because she was curvaceous,
rather than built like a boy?

Before he could get angry on her behalf, she tossed the blouse aside, then tucked
her arms awkwardly behind her, clearly reaching for her bra strap. “This, too?”

He raised a brow at her. Everything about her expression told him that she was fighting
her self-consciousness, and he gave her credit for trying. But she was trying to be
in control of this situation, and that wouldn’t do.

“On second thought,
belleza
, that will be my pleasure. I want to unwrap you slowly, at my leisure. For my pleasure.”

London gnawed at her lip, as if that answer bothered her for some reason, then she
sighed. “Look, I’m more than a little self-conscious. I’m sure you’ve been with prettier
women, and you probably won’t like—”

“You finishing that sentence, so don’t. Stop worrying about what you think I’ll like
and give me what I ask for. We’ll get along fine.”

“You’re bossy.”

If she only knew
 . . . Xander smiled. “It’s not the first time someone’s said that. I doubt very much
it will be the last.”

Before she could comment on that and stall again, he laid across her body, edging
her legs apart with his own and pressing his throbbing cock against her soft, sweltering
pussy. He grabbed her hips and, fully clothed, he pushed up against her with a long
groan. Yeah, they’d get naked and busy. He was going to have to exercise patience
first and figure out her odd reticence.

Xander captured her mouth again. He’d never get tired of kissing her. She didn’t do
it expertly. In fact, he’d guess that she hadn’t been kissed a lot or had endured
a string of boyfriends who didn’t worship this lush mouth properly. Either way, he’d
rectify that.