The second week started out much the same as the first. The couple were going to visit Mount Etna and Cefalù, which Xander had proposed doing during their initial dinner together. He would tell Indi no more than that they were taking a tour of Etna and some of the towns at the base of the mountain. She wanted to purchase some rustic gifts for her sisters.
“Why are we turning off here?” Indi asked Xander as they sat in the back of the car being driven by one of his bodyguards. The vehicle had suddenly veered off on to a dirt track. “Shouldn’t we have continued on the main road for some more miles?”
“I’ve arranged an alternative method of transport for us, for the rest of the way to Etna.”
“Alternative?”
“I think you will receive your answer if you look out the window when we reach the corner in front,” he said, indicating a collection of farm-like buildings up ahead, around which the dirt road veered off to the left to circumvent them.
Horses of varying size and colour stood outside their stalls, where bags of hay were ready for munching, while their manes and coats were brushed down by several stable hands. A look of astonishment spread over Indi’s face as it dawned on her what the alternative transport would be. “You mean we’re going trekking up Etna on a horse?” she asked with uncertainty, not realising such a thing was even possible.
He grinned. “Yes, or some of the way at least. There is a lot of scenic farmland, with olive groves and vineyards. A week of riding would do it more justice, but I thought you would enjoy a taste of the experience since you said you’d ridden well since you were a child.”
Indi reached over and squeezed Xander’s hand. “Thank you, this is fabulous,” she said, extremely touched by the gesture. This man was continually surprising her with his thoughtfulness regarding what she would like to do each day, and she was unable to stop herself from opening up her heart to him more and more.
Every time he made such a gesture, Indi had to stop and remind herself that this was just a holiday romance with a rock star she’d worshipped for years. Even now, a week into whatever the hell this thing was, she still could not believe she was involved with him. Xander had a way of making her feel so remarkable that she hadn’t even given any thought to the eventual pain he would leave behind.
The trail they were taking would cover the craters formed by old lava flows from a 1980 eruption, passing through a wooded area of pine and larch in the territory of Castiglione di Sicilia, and then on to the northern slopes of the volcano, giving spectacular views of the Alcantara valley.
As the couple both had long legs and tall frames, each of them was given a sixteen-hand Sicilian and Arab crossbreed. It was to be a private party of four plus their guide. The group rode with the leader in front, followed by Xander and Indi side by side, and Adam and Hayden hanging back slightly to give them some privacy, while still keeping their employer safe from all potential security breaches.
The first part of the ride had lasted for three hours when they stopped for a swift picnic lunch, provided by the horse-riding company. Indi took the opportunity to take a barrage of photos with her film SLR camera. She preferred the ability to develop her own pictures the old-fashioned way, rather than digitally on a memory card, although she did use a digital camera as a backup on occasion.
After their break, the group spent another two hours passing through fragrant pine and oak woodland until they reached a boutique chalet hotel, where they would spend the night. Indi was disconcerted by this part of the trip as she had not brought any nightclothes with her, originally thinking they would be only gone for the day.
“I’ve nothing with me,” Indi mumbled uncomfortably to Xander as they stood in the reception area, waiting to check in. Her beautiful face was horror stricken; the idea of wearing the same clothes two days in a row was incomprehensible to her girlish sensibilities.
“Don’t worry. I planned ahead for you,” Xander replied, beaming devilishly as he pointed to two overnight bags.
Indi curiously opened one and recognised several items of clothing belonging to her. “H-how d-did you get these?” she stammered.
“I had your maid gather them together yesterday when you went out shopping. I knew you would want some of your items with you if we were going to be staying overnight, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
“No, you’re right. I’d hate not to have a change of clothing.” Indi allowed herself to relax slightly and kissed Xander on the lips as she leant into his embrace. “You have booked us a double, I presume?”
“I hope I didn’t presume too much, but they didn’t have many rooms left,” he replied as his eyes searched hers.
She smiled and nodded her acceptance.
“Let me go and get us all checked in,” said Xander, half speaking to Indi, as well as to Adam and Hayden, who were standing off to one side. Moving away, he went to claim their room keys; a double for Indi and himself, and two singles for each of his security team. A member of staff assisted them up to their rooms.
Once in their room, Indi disappeared into the en-suite bathroom first, where she rubbed the complimentary lotions on her damp skin after a shower to wash away the dust from the ride. Slipping on her lace negligee, she brushed her hair loose so that it fell over her shoulders and beyond. Normally, she tied it back when she was sleeping alone, but Xander seemed to enjoy running his hands through it.
Walking out of the bathroom, Indi found that Xander had ordered them some light food and drinks from room service. Picking at the selection, she poured two glasses of wine while she waited for him to finish showering. By the time he emerged, Indi had taken several large gulps of her drink.
Xander walked out wearing just his drawstring bottoms. Indi felt a nervous excitement rise and flip over in her stomach at the sight of his rippling chest and stomach muscles, all glistening in their full glory. His skin was still slightly damp, causing the dark hair just above his waistband to curl tightly.
Indi let her eyes drift over him from head to toe, lingering slightly too long on his groin area as she thought back to the delights that his body had shown hers the night before. “I’ve poured you some wine,” she said, trying to keep her voice level and reduce her yearning for him.
“Thanks, sweetness,” he replied, grabbing the full glass and moving to sit beside her on the sofa beside the massive bed that was in the centre of the room. “How do you feel after all that riding?”
“Slightly stiff, but bearable otherwise.”
“I could massage your tired muscles for you,” Xander offered with a roguish smile as he gazed down the length of her body.
Indi returned his smile, blushing. “Hmm, that could work,” she agreed. Even after a week of them being together, she still became shy under his probing gaze, admiring her body, whenever they shared an intimate moment.
With a confident air, Xander took the wine glass from Indi’s hand and placed it on the coffee table in front of them, where he’d previously placed his own. “Okay, turn your back to me, and I’ll work on your neck and shoulders first.”
Once she’d done as he asked, Xander slipped his strong hands over her shoulder blades and began to knead away any tension lingering in her muscles. Moving her hair to one side, he then worked slowly on her neck before lightly kissing the area behind the ear and all the way down to her collarbone.
Indi sighed loudly as she enjoyed the delicate caress of his lips brushing against her skin, causing shudders of enjoyment to ripple through her body. Xander moved his hands further over her back, rubbing the tension from either side of the spine as he progressed down the small of her back and to the top of the curve of her bottom.
“Does that feel better?” he whispered as his mouth nibbled Indi’s ear. As he leant forward, she could feel his hard chest pressing against her back. His hands caressed the sides of her waist as he pulled her closer to him.
“Oh, yes,” Indi moaned softly as Xander’s hands glided upwards from her waist to her bust; the small
straps of the negligée sliding down her arm as she arched her back against him, fully exposing her breasts to his touch. He continued to rub his fingers and palms roughly over the sensitive buds, making them harden. His lips and tongue continued to tease her ear and neck as his hands continued their assault on her bare breasts. Indi writhed against him as gasps of breath escaped her throat.
Xander lifted her up from the sofa and placed her on the bed with ease. Leaving the top of her negligée still bunched up at her waist, he turned away to retrieve something from the sideboard. As he turned back with a naughty expression lingering on his face, Indi noted some melted chocolate sauce in the dish he now held, which was intended for the strawberries that had also been served.
Sitting back on the bed, Xander helped her to remove the nightdress, leaving her naked to his admiring gaze, and causing the bulge of his cock to harden and expand beneath his pyjamas bottoms. Stroking her nakedness, he captured her mouth passionately, nipping at the bottom lip to allow the entry of his tongue as the kiss deepened. Indi’s hands wandered heatedly over his neck and back until they finally parted for air.
“You’re so beautiful,” Xander said as he stared down into her green pools, his warm breath lightly tickling her skin.
Indi blushed as it still seemed strange to have such a superstar find her attractive. Her mother had dealt repeated blows to her self-esteem over the years, which always resurfaced in the back of her mind whenever she felt exposed to someone else’s eyes like this.
He sat up slightly, dipped his fingers in some of the chocolate he’d placed on the bedside cabinet, and dripped it provocatively over Indi’s breasts and stomach. She gasped at the sudden coldness of the liquid on her skin. In return he gave her a wicked smile before leaning down and beginning to lick the sauce away from around her erect nipples. As each flick of his tongue progressed nearer to its targets, she would arch her back, silently urging him to take them into his mouth and end the exquisite torture of their hardness.
Finally, when no chocolate remained on her breasts or stomach, Xander slipped each of her nipples into his mouth, sucking and nibbling at them gently. Indi spoke his name loudly as he did so, her hands sliding frantically through his hair as his teasing mouth heightened the burning heat between her legs. She could feel his bulging hardness pressing against her outer thigh as he laid half on her.
As Xander’s mouth trailed down Indi’s stomach towards her hips, his lowering body forced her shapely legs apart, allowing him further access between them. His lips delved between the soft folds that guided the way into her core and his tongue dipped further still to taste her sweetness repeatedly. While his fingers worked on her clit to heighten her need for him, he slipped two more deep inside her, in a thrusting motion, as Indi moaned her gasps of pleasure, lifting her hips instinctively to meet them. Her inner muscles tightened around his inserted fingers, urging him to quicken the rhythm of the thrusts.
“Oh, Xander,” she panted, as her crescendo took hold and jolted through her entire body.
Xander moved up her body and captured her mouth again. “Do you want to feel me inside you?” he whispered huskily against her mouth as he lifted himself off the bed slightly, to free his erection from his pyjamas bottoms.
“Oh, yes, I do…” Indi paused as she reached to touch his now exposed, thick manhood with her hands. “But I want to taste you first.”
Xander moved off the bed and stood in all his glory before her as she perched on the edge of the mattress, allowing her delicate fingers to wind tightly around his girth. She began to stroke it rhythmically, her hand gliding from the base to the tip repeatedly as he grunted with exhilaration at her touch. “Oh, fuck, that feels so good,” he murmured.
Indi leaned forward to bring the tip of his cock into her mouth, simultaneously sliding her hand up and down its length. Xander moaned her name as his erection slowly slipped inch by inch into her mouth until she was full of him. Indi revelled in the noises he was creating, which filled the air, enjoying the power of having a man she was so attracted to call out her name repeatedly as she brought him to his knees with her mouth. On top of that, he was a guy with whom she could easily fall in love and that took her to a new, dizzy height of passion.
Shit, you’ve gotta be kidding! Don’t even think about getting too attached to him when he’s obviously going to dump your arse as soon as this holiday is over. Indi lost concentration as the thought hit her like a reality check.
“Oh, baby, don’t stop now,” Xander grumbled at the interruption of her rhythmic oral motions.
Focus! You’re sucking off your idol, so just enjoy it while it lasts. Indi recovered her pace fluidly as the man’s hips began to move in and out against her mouth with increasing vigour while her tongue sucked and licked at the exposed flesh. His hands rested lightly on her hair, gently holding her head in place, as he rocked against her, his eyes closed, “Oh god, I’m so close.” His breaths were coming in ragged pants now.
Feeling his strokes lessen, Indi determined that Xander was getting ready to pull out of her mouth, but she did not want him to think she was one of those girls who were not prepared to swallow. Gazing upwards, she met his glazed expression as she continued to resist his withdrawal until she was sure he’d got the message that she wasn’t finished with him.
Xander allowed Indi to conduct the pace as she continued to torment him with her tongue, wrapping it around his tip while her mouth and hand continued to stroke his length. His hands reached out to massage her breasts as he grunted and groaned his appreciation until he finally released himself into her throat. Resisting the urge to gag, she swallowed the stream of fluid until she milked him dry of every drop.
Sighing in contentment, Xander pulled out of her mouth just as his legs buckled from under him, causing him to fall sideways on to the bed. In the process, he tugged her from her perched position to lie down, partially on top of him. The unexpected change of position raised a squeal from her throat as his hands caressed the bare flesh in the spot where he’d learned she was most ticklish.
Lifting his head, Xander trailed light kisses down her neck and collarbone. “Fuck, baby, that was so good,” he murmured against her skin as he pulled her further up his body and into his strong arms, his naked skin against hers.
Indi’s mind and pulse raced at his use of such a term of endearment. Was he feeling their connection as deeply as she was?
“I love the feel of you against me,” he continued while stroking the small of her back and nuzzling her neck. Her own arms rested above his head, levering her upper body off of him slightly as she tilted her neck into his nuzzling mouth to enjoy the thrill of his touch. They lay like that for quite a while, just kissing and cuddling quietly, until they finally separated to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Six: Passion
Xander
Xander awoke the next morning, bright and early, wrapped in Indi’s arms. After showering and indulging in a delicious breakfast made for them by the hotel kitchen, they headed off to prepare their horses for a trek across the farmland.
The two of them were just finishing tacking up their horses with the rest of the riding group when Xander’s mobile started buzzing. Pulling it from his pocket, he pulled a face as he looked down at the screen. As he put it to his ear, he continued attending to the horse while he waited for the caller to speak.
“I received your voicemail,” John Keats stated matter-of-factly.
“And?” Xander’s voice was tense as he couldn’t help but be reminded of the life he would be going back to as he heard his father’s tones.
“Why are you always determined to think the worse of me?”
“Perhaps because you always seem to go out of your way to do things that you know will make me see you in that light.” The sharpness with which he spoke caused Indi to look over at him with a quizzical expression.
“I only do things out of necessity to protect our family’s reputation and provide for you kids.”
“So
you admit it was you who leaked the details?” asked Xander as his voice rose several octaves. The last thing he wanted was the papers getting hold of the engagement story when he wanted to break it off as soon as he got home.
“Why would I need to do that? You’ve already signed the papers. I had nothing further to gain by making it public knowledge.”
“Well, if it wasn’t you then it must have been one of your minions, because the people who work for me can be trusted not to divulge my secrets whereas yours seem not to have the same morals.” Xander flexed his fists in exasperation as he tried to contain his temper, becoming aware of several other people looking in his direction. He was not convinced that his father hadn’t had a hand in his privacy being invaded.
“I’ve already put the necessary enquiries in motion to find out who did this. You may think the worst of me for forcing your hand in this marriage, but I never wanted our family business plastered over some gossip rag.”
Xander sighed, noting that everyone in the group was now waiting for him to finish the conversation so they could get going. “Look, we will discuss this further when I get back, but I’ve got to cut this short now.”
Meeting the inquisitive gazes of both his bodyguards, Xander shook his head in warning for them not to ask any questions about the conversation. Then he looked apologetically in the general direction of Indi and their guide and said, “Sorry about the hold-up. I’m ready now.”
Xander and Indi spent the remainder of the morning riding in the direction of the northeastern slopes of the volcano for his second planned excursion, accompanied by Hayden. As they were not able to make the whole journey by horse in the time they had, Adam picked them up in his car at a pre-arranged point.
Xander had promised his sister, Livvie, he would check out a vineyard she wanted to buy, with the aim of adding it to their growing wine-property portfolio. He had looked into purchasing the place on a previous trip, but the asking price had never been right. His assistant, Sam, had therefore prearranged for them to be greeted by the vineyard’s owner, Pepe.
Starstruck (Fusion #1) Page 5
