As soon as my body succumbed to the pleasure he was giving, Xavier’s weight fell across my back forcing my knees to straighten. His fingers laced with mine as he lost his rhythm, fucking me wildly and uncontrollably. I shivered as he growled near my ear one last time.
After several moments, he exploded inside me. His teeth sank into the sensitive area between my neck and shoulder, setting off a smaller orgasm. I pressed my ass into his groin trying to savor the last remnants and smiled into the duvet.
My high was quickly interrupted by Xavier’s rough curse and his hasty retreat from my body. It left my mind hazy and confused.
“What’s going on?” I asked semi-sleepily as I rolled over and stretched my muscles. I was determined not to let the tension filling the room ruin my buzz. From where I laid, it seemed unwarranted.
“I fucking hurt you,” he called out from the bathroom where I could hear water running. Within seconds he was back with a warm washcloth and heading for me.
“No, you didn’t,” I protested and started to pull away from him.
“The fuck I didn’t. You’re bleeding.” His yell made me wince, startling me enough to let him dab the cloth on my neck where he had bit me. I couldn’t remember a time where he had ever directed his anger at me like that. Other people, sure. Me, never.
“Well shit,” I muttered when I saw the red stain on the white fabric. Now that I was aware of the wound, it began to throb.
“I told you we shouldn’t have done this. You had to provoke me, didn’t you? I told you I couldn’t be gentle.” He chastised, putting far more pressure than was necessary on my neck.
“Don’t even go there.” I drilled my finger into his chest to emphasize my point. “I’d let you bite me ten times over if it meant you gave me what you just did.” I grabbed the washcloth and threw it on the bed, taking his hands in mine and bringing them to my chest. “I needed you to be wild with me. I needed you to prove that I’m not breakable. Don’t you dare ruin what we just shared together.”
Realization dawned on his face, quickly replaced with a look of relief. He pulled me into a tight embrace and softly kissed the wound over and over again.
“You sure I didn’t hurt you?” His tone was contrite and guarded.
“I’m positive. Xavier, all I need is you. However that may be. Soft, gentle, hard, wild, it doesn’t matter as long as I have you.” I pulled back and leveled him with a hard look. “What I don’t need is you trying to protect me from you. These last few weeks have been hell with you not touching me.”
“If I had known—”
“You would have done nothing differently.” When he opened his mouth to protest, I silenced him with a finger on his lips. “I know I’m not the only one trying to figure things out. To get past what happened. Let’s just make a conscious effort to not shut one another out anymore.”
“Okay,” he readily agreed before arranging us under the covers. Using the remote on a side table, he turned the lights off and I snuggled into him.
Marx’s earlier comments had a confession about my dreams on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it down, not wanting to ruin the moment. There would always be time to tell him. He was here now and that was all that mattered.
It was on that thought, coupled with Xavier’s slow caresses on my back that I fell asleep.
Chapter Five
I awoke to soft lips trailing down my stomach. Strong hands urged my legs apart. A wet tongue circled my clit the moment it had access to it.
My body tensed for a moment, my mind briefly forgetting where I was. When my eyes flew open and took in the sight of a worried Xavier looking up at me from his perch between my legs, I immediately relaxed, willing the panic to recede.
“What the fuck was that?” He demanded to know.
“It was nothing, honey. You just caught me off guard.” My hands went to his head and put pressure there. “Don’t stop.”
Luckily, he let it go in favor of getting back to his task.
I relaxed further into the mattress as his tongue and teeth worked magic on me. Each swipe and nibble brought me further and further away from the bad place I was almost in, and closer and closer toward an orgasm. It had been so long since we went at it regularly that it didn’t take long for me to cry out his name in release.
Xavier moved up my body, a look of pure male satisfaction on his face, and positioned himself at my entrance.
“I want to taste you,” I whimpered.
“Next time,” he whispered and slammed into me.
God, it was good and right and utterly spectacular.
I tightened my hold on him and bit his earlobe to keep from screaming as he pounded into me even harder than he had the night before.
“Shit, Aurora.” Xavier cursed as he came inside me only minutes after starting. The quick draw was unlike him. When he raised his head to look at me, I gave him a questioning look.
“It happens.” He shrugged and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Not at the fact that he came so quickly, but at how he downplayed it. I loved lighthearted and easygoing Xavier.
“You think that’s funny?” He started to tickle my sides.
“No,” I gasped in between laughs. “I am definitely not complaining.”
“I made sure you came first,” he said with mock grievance.
“I know, honey.” I smoothed my hand over his hair and rolled into him where he had flopped back on the bed.
With my head on his chest and my arm around his waist, I decided it wasn’t the time to bring up my dreams. I hadn’t had one the night before and as long as he was here, then I didn’t need to worry about them plaguing me. But there was still something I needed to put out there.
“Don’t leave me.”
His arm stilled in its movement up and down my own, and I could feel his gaze on me.
“What does that mean?” His voice was calm but underneath me I heard his heart pick up speed.
“It means you better come back to me at night. I want you here. With us. Not out and about, staying wherever it is you’ve been staying.” I had always presumed he was staying in his room at The Den. I knew if he wasn’t, he would have told me then. His silence confirmed my suspicions.
“You’ve got to understand. I can’t let this go. I need to find Spinelli. I have to make a statement. No one hurts what’s mine and stays breathing. He isn’t my only enemy.” His words were laced with a thread of steel and I knew this was going to be a hard row. So I set about trying to talk some sense into him.
“I think what you did to Spencer and Cherry is statement enough.” I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what exactly he did to my nemesis, Cherry. The bits and pieces I did hear had me running to the toilet and losing my lunch. All I knew for sure was that she wasn’t walking this earth any longer. I just wish she hadn’t remained so loyal to the assholes she was working with before she left. It would have been nice to get some information out of her first.
“Not hardly.”
I propped myself up on my elbow and met his eyes so he could see how serious I was about this. “Look, Xavier. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and I’m deathly afraid I’m going to lose you. When you don’t come home, I don’t know if something bad has happened to you. I’ve lost everyone in my life that has ever mattered to me. I couldn’t bear to add you to that list.”
His face softened and his hand cupped my face. “You and I both know almost nothing in life lasts forever, Aurora. But if there is one thing I hope could be forever, it’s this right here.”
His words soothed me even though I knew they weren’t exactly a promise that we’d have forever. Regardless of that fact, it meant the world to me to know Xavier O’Brien felt that way about me. That even though we’d both been through hell, we were exactly what the other person needed. That we would do anything to keep that as long as we were lucky enough to have it.
“So you’ll come home tonight?” There was so much hope in my voice, I know he heard it.
“I’ll come home to you every night, Féileacán. Even if I need to claw my way through hell to get here, I’ll never leave you.” He placed a gentle kiss on my lips and pulled me back down so my head was resting on his chest again.
Tears pricked my eyes, not just from the term of endearment he bestowed upon me the first time he saw my butterfly tattoo, but also the unspoken words in his statement. I refused to think of losing him. The weight of it would crush me instantly if I did. Instead, I settled further into his embrace, wishing I could crawl inside him just to be a little closer to him.
With the brightness of the sun coming through the windows, I knew we didn’t have long before Sophie got up and demanded our attention, so I broached the next topic that I wanted to settle.
“The girls are asking about me. Trixie’s daughter took a turn for the worse and I know you could use me down at The Den.”
My heart broke for Trixie. Her daughter got an infection that they didn’t catch right away after her second surgery to remove the cancer. The doctors had her on a crazy concoction of drugs, attempting to battle it out of her system. I knew Xavier was helping to fund getting her well again. His care for the people around him was just another reason why I loved him so much.
“Not going to happen.”
My body tensed and I looked up at him. My face was one of disbelief. His was of determination.
“You said The Den was the only other place I was safe. I’m telling you I want to go there. That I need to go there. I’m going crazy being cooped up here all day, every day. And you need help there. Trixie shouldn’t have to worry about the girls and her daughter.”
I knew I had him. I could see the indecision playing out on his handsome face. Even Xavier O’Brien wasn’t immune to a guilt trip.
Trailing my hand down his chest, I did my best to look innocent. If I showed how victorious I felt at winning both arguments with him today, he would disagree just to spite me. The suspicious look he was giving me right then was quickly replaced with one of pleasure.
With my hand wrapped around his rapidly hardening cock, I gave it a few hard tugs. Xavier dropped his head to mine, our foreheads resting against one another.
“Are you trying to persuade me with a hand job?” His voice was gritty with arousal. I loved when he sounded like that.
“No,” I whispered before placing my lips against his.
He gave me a soft kiss then spoke against my lips, “Liar. Your hand is jacking me off and your mind is hoping I’ll say yes.”
“No,” I told him again. “You were going to say yes anyway.”
My hand twisted around the head before pumping back down his length. My grip increasing, knowing that was what he liked. This was a reward for him giving me what I wanted.
He groaned and shook his head.
“Tell me you weren’t going to say yes,” I pressed.
The faster I worked his length, the less likely I knew he’d be able to think clearly.
“Fuck,” he bit out. His hip thrust into my hand. “Yes.”
“I knew it. It’s why I love you.”
His eyes heated even more than they already were and the next thing I knew I was on my back and he was getting ready to drive his body into mine.
Just then, the door burst open and a blonde blur of curls jumped on the bed. Her laugh was infectious as she tackled us. Xavier pulled the sheets up over both of our naked bodies, his leg strategically propped up to hide the problem between his legs.
Of course, the laughter bubbling out of me was because the mighty Xavier O’Brien had just been cockblocked by my four-year-old daughter. If anyone ever knew that happened, he would never live it down.
“You’re home!” Sophie cried with elation as she jumped up and down on the mattress.
“Yeah, bug, I’m home,” Xavier grumbled even though he was giving her a warm and soft look.
“Can we go on the boat today?” She gave him the smile that always got her what she wanted with him.
“If that’s what you want,” he told her and she began jumping even faster as she screamed her excitement over the day’s plans.
“Don’t you have to go into work today?” I asked, surprised that he would take the day off after the schedule he’d been keeping.
“Nothing that can’t wait while I take my girls out on the lake.” I smiled at that, wanting so badly to make love to him right then and there just to show him my appreciation. My face must have showed my thoughts because his eyes heated and he mouthed later.
“Why don’t you sit down, Sophie?” Her jumping and screaming were beginning to drive me insane. I still hadn’t had my coffee yet.
“I’m going to go get dressed,” she shouted in return before repeatedly chanting, “We’re going on the yake.”
“It’s lake,” I corrected her.
She took off like a shot, ignoring me as she jumped off the bed and ran from the room. I stared after her wondering if there was a way to bottle her energy for myself.
“Little shit.” Xavier scrubbed his hands down his face and gave me a grin.
“You love her,” I teased.
He sobered and nodded. “Yeah I do.”
God, I don’t know what I did to deserve this man, but I sure as shit am going to keep him.
“Come on. We both need to shower.” I pulled the covers back and slipped into my robe. Stopping in the doorway to the bath, I turned and saw Xavier still in the bed, his eyes on me. “Lock the door and we can finish what we started.”
That got his attention. Before I knew it, he had me against the tiled wall in the shower, my leg hooked over his hip and his cock driving into me.
Once again, life was good.
* * *
The sun was setting as we moored the boat back at the house. Xavier tied us to the dock while Sophie and I grabbed the cooler and bags. It had been a wonderful afternoon on the water. With a light breeze and not a single cloud in the sky, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. Of course, seeing Xavier in his low-slung shorts and bare chest didn’t hurt either. Especially with the carefree smiles he gave us all day. Particularly, when Sophie and I tried tubing. It wasn’t something I wanted to do again, seeing as how he thought it would be fun to go faster than I wanted him to when it was just me out there. I lost hold of the tube and went flying when he made a sharp turn. When I finally got back in the boat, I had little cuts and bruises from where I bounced along the water. Xavier thought it was funny. Me? Not so much.
“You need a bath, little miss,” I told Sophie when we walked into the house and set everything down on the island in the kitchen.
“But, I don’t wanna,” she whined with a pout.
“I won’t say it again. Go pick out your pajamas and I’ll be right in.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it when I lifted my one eyebrow in censure. As she stomped away, my only thought was that I was in trouble when she got older.
Xavier joined me in the kitchen while I was emptying our tote bags. His arms went around my middle from behind and his chin rested on my shoulder. I leaned my head against his and enjoyed the feeling of security I had whenever we were together. It really had been a good day. It was just what I needed. I opened my mouth to thank him when the doorbell rang.
“Who could that be?” I asked as Xavier moved to look at the monitor.
“Fuck,” he cursed. “It’s Jake.”
“Who’s Jake?”
Xavier gave me a look as if to say are you kidding me?
“Seriously. Who is Jake?”
Instead of answering me, he went to the front door and let our guest in. It was the Mountain Man who had been with him the first time he came to my apartment. Man, that felt like so long ago.
Xavier walked past me, heading toward his office, with Mountain Man behind him. As he passed me, he mumbled “Jake” and pointed over his shoulder.
“Hey.” I gave a jaunty wave to Jake, feeling like a dolt for never finding out his name. He gave me a
small grin in return and followed Xavier down the hall.
Noting that the office door was closed on my way down the hall, I joined Sophie in her room, my curiosity piqued at the reason for the impromptu visit.
I let the water run in her bathtub and went in search of her favorite bubble bath while I waited for them to emerge. I had just gotten her in the sudsy water, when I looked over my shoulder to see Xavier standing in the doorway with a grim expression on his face.
“What is it?” I asked in a low voice, moving to stand in front of him as I dried my hands on a towel.
“We got a lead on Harrison,” he murmured under his breath so only I could hear him. At my worried expression, he pulled me to him and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry. When you wake up tomorrow it’ll be with me wrapped around you.”
I pulled back and stared into his eyes. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He kissed me lightly before letting me go. He knelt down next to Sophie in the tub and flicked the tip of her nose. “Take care of your mom, bug. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay,” she chirped and blew him a kiss, little bubbles flying around her face with the movement.
Xavier stood and kissed me again. The line of a gun tucked into his jeans was visible as I watched him leave her room.
Nerves a mess, I knew there was no way I was going to fall asleep without him beside me.
* * *
I looked at the clock when I heard shuffling on the side of the bed. It read just after three a.m.
The bed dipped and strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a warm body. Lips came to my ear and whispered, “I’m home.”
And just like that I fell asleep.
Chapter Six
Xavier
Xavier O’Brien whispered a quick goodbye to Aurora and set the phone down when his right-hand man walked into the room. His patience was thin. He had a lot to do before she arrived at The Den for her first day back to work. For when she got there, his attention was going to be on her and her alone.
Xavier O’Brien Page 4
