by J. S. Scott
He grinned at me. “It wasn’t expensive.”
“You’re so lying to me,” I accused, but I wasn’t about to give something so wonderful and sentimental back to him.
He raised a teasing brow, and our eyes locked. Heat shimmered between us, and the rest of the world fell away as I melted from the heat in his gaze.
I stood. “Can you put it on? I’m ready to go,” I said hastily, knowing I couldn’t look at Xander for long without wanting to crawl right up his body.
Shoving the wrapping paper, bow, and box into the purse I had across my body, I let him take possession of the necklace as he rose from his chair.
“Turn,” he demanded.
I put my back to him as he reached around me and fastened the treasured piece of jewelry around my neck.
Later, I’d try to explain why I’d cried, why his thoughtfulness meant so much to me. It shouldn’t really have surprised me. I’d always connected to Xander’s song lyrics. He was creative and expressive. But nobody had ever touched my heart like this.
The weight of the jewelry was comforting, and I reached up and clasped my hand around the teardrop. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“You sure it doesn’t bother you?” he asked uncertainly, the warmth of his breath hitting the side of my neck.
“No. It’s a lovely symbol that will always remind me that my family is still in my heart, even though they’ve been gone a long time.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he muttered as he put his hand possessively on the small of my back when I moved in front of him to exit.
I sighed as I went to wait by the door as Xander settled the check at the register. My hand went automatically to my pendant.
Love never dies.
I was at the point in my life where the sentiment was warm and comforting. The symbol was real and solid, something I could always hang on to.
I stepped outside so I could get a breath of air, and walked lazily down the boardwalk, waiting for Xander to catch up with me. Crossing my arms in front of me, I stopped to take a deep breath of the salt air and listen to the waves hit the shore, enjoying a moment of warmth and happiness I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
My peace was suddenly disrupted as a heavy body slammed into my back, and a powerful arm wrapped around my neck, a person that I knew immediately wasn’t Xander.
I gasped for breath as the grip around my neck became tighter. “Come on, babe. Let’s party!”
The voice was young, very drunk, and I didn’t feel incredibly threatened as I kicked my leg back in the hope of hitting one of the guy’s knees so he would loosen his grip.
Drunk or not, he was strong.
“Let. Go,” I said in a strangled, breathless tone.
The grip loosened slightly. “Come on. I thought you wanted to have some fun.”
I was just starting to realize that my assaulter was suffering from a case of mistaken identity when I was suddenly completely free of him.
Turning quickly, I moved just in time to see Xander flying through the air with the big, younger man in his grasp and a totally murderous expression on his face.
CHAPTER 21
XANDER
“Did you really have to hurt the guy that bad? He’s in the hospital.”
I glared at my cousin Dante, the chief of police in Amesport, through the bars of my jail cell. I was pissed as hell that he’d arrived before I could kill the guy who was trying to drag Samantha to his car. “He deserved worse. He was trying to take her away.”
Dante shook his head. “He didn’t even know what he was doing, Xander. He was so drunk he thought she was his girlfriend.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” I growled. “He had his arms around her neck. She probably couldn’t even breathe.”
“I told you that she’s fine now.”
“I still don’t give a fuck.” I dropped onto the sleeping bunk, the only seat in the barred room. I’d wanted to kill the asshole who was hurting Sam the minute I saw him manhandling her. “Mistake or not, he was choking her out. Tell me you wouldn’t go ballistic if some guy did that to Sarah.”
“Believe me. I get it. Sarah was stalked by a crazy man, and he held her hostage. I know how it feels to be terrified for your woman’s safety. Hell, Xander, how come I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend?”
“She’s more than that,” I admitted, feeling bad that I hadn’t really communicated with my cousins much at all, and they lived right on the other side of town. “She’s saving my life, Dante.”
“She’s that important?”
I nodded, and I knew even in the dim light, he could see me. He was standing right outside my cell. “She is.”
“You doing okay? Every time I’ve come over to your place, you never answered the door.”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, hating the way I’d treated all my family. “My head was in a bad place. Getting clean wasn’t easy.”
“I know,” Dante replied. “Glad to see you’re rejoining the world. But I’m not happy that you assaulted a tourist during my watch.”
“The bastard touched Sam,” I rasped. “He could have hurt her.”
Dante looked me up and down. “You have a hell of a shiner. You okay otherwise?”
I glanced at him between the bars. “Yeah. I’m good. I just want to know that Samantha is okay. I want to know the asshole didn’t freak her out. She had a stalker once, too.”
I noticed that Dante was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Probably not the official dress for the chief of police, but Amesport was an unusual town.
Dante chuckled. “I think she’s a lot calmer than you are. And she’s worried about you, too.”
That made me feel a little bit better, but I still wanted the hell out of this cell.
I shuddered as I remembered the sight of some dude with his arm wrapped around Samantha’s neck. I’d snapped. I’d completely lost it. Did I regret it? Hell, no. Nobody laid a hand on my Sam. I’d go to jail for life if it meant she was going to be safe.
My only remorse was in the form of not hurting the asshole worse than I had. I’d heard his nasal bones crunch, and he might have needed some stiches, but I was pretty sure he’d be out of the hospital tomorrow. Dammit!
“Just so you know, your watch sucks if it means a woman can be assaulted right off Main Street,” I informed Dante unhappily.
My cousin’s booming laugh rang out in the small space, and I shot him another dirty look.
Barely recovered, Dante said, “Shit happens when we have this many tourists in town. It’s peak season. If it gives you any comfort, he was a college kid. I don’t think he was going to harm her. He was just wasted.”
“I saw her. She could barely breathe, and she was fighting back.”
Dante nodded. “I know. And I feel bad that anything happened to her here. Amesport gets crazy in the summer, but it’s mostly mischief calls.”
“You gonna let me outta here?” I was annoyed that I was even in jail.
“You put a guy in the hospital,” Dante reminded me.
“He assaulted Sam. He deserved it.”
Dante paused before answering, “You’re right. If somebody so much as laid a finger on Sarah, I’d want to kill the bastard. But this kid has influential parents.”
“Very few families have the pull that the Sinclairs have.”
Dante replied with a grin, “I know. That’s why I told his mommy and daddy that Sam wouldn’t press charges if they did the same. I don’t think they wanted the information out there that their drunken son tried to forcibly get a woman in his car.”
“I’d rather she pressed charges,” I answered stubbornly. I didn’t care if my ass rotted in jail.
“She won’t. She’s already said all she wants is for you to get out of here.”
I didn’t know whether to be pissed off at Samantha, or be grateful that she cared so much about my sorry ass. “I’ll talk to her,” I grumbled.
“Not happening,” Dante said. “Th
at was the deal. All charges are dropped and you both walk. Well, maybe the college boy won’t be out of bed for a few days, but I doubt he’ll ever grab any woman other than his girlfriend from now on.”
“Good. He’s a dickhead.”
Dante laughed again as he suddenly opened the cell door. “Nice to see you care about somebody or something. This woman has obviously gotten to you.”
I looked at him as I brushed by him while coming out of my confinement. “She’s has. I’m crazy about her.”
I didn’t mind telling Dante exactly how I felt.
“Stay out of trouble, cuz,” he warned.
“I will if you keep the creeps off the streets,” I rumbled.
“Xander?” Dante said in a low baritone.
I turned around impatiently. “Yeah?”
“Glad to see you better. We’ve all been worried. I didn’t want to invade your space, man. But I hope we get to see you more often.”
“You will,” I promised. “I’ve been feeling sorry for myself long enough.”
“I think this woman is good for you.”
“She’s actually way too good for me, but I can’t let her go.” Sam had become too damn important in my life. I needed her.
“Then fight for her,” Dante suggested.
“I plan on it,” I answered in a clipped tone. “Where is she?”
“In the lobby. I tried to send her home, but she insisted on waiting until I let you go.”
“Later,” I called over my back, moving eagerly toward the front of the large building.
It was a long walk of shame from the prison cells to the front entrance of the city building, but I was practically running by the time I reached the lobby.
I scanned the waiting room anxiously, wondering where in the hell Samantha had gone.
The main lobby was dark, nobody at the reception desk, and I was positive the doors were locked. No doubt Dante was the only cop in the building right now.
Finally, I caught a glimpse of the woman I needed to see. She was curled up on a small couch in the corner, blissfully asleep.
As I approached her carefully and crouched down, I could see the dried tears on her face, and her golden hair was everywhere. I pushed it away to study her. She looked so exhausted that I hated to wake her up.
“Sam?” I said gently.
She stirred, but she didn’t wake.
Fuck it! I carefully slid my arms under her shoulders and legs, then lifted her into my arms. I was getting her the hell out of here. She didn’t need to be sitting in a damn jail. It had to be two or three o’clock. Samantha should be home sleeping, warm and safe.
I turned to see Dante holding the exit door open for me, obviously having just unlocked it.
Nodding my head as I passed him, I just kept on going, holding the most precious thing I’d ever had in my arms.
I stopped as I realized that my car was still near the restaurant and I was downtown.
“Dammit!” I cursed in a low, irritated tone.
Then, my eyes landed on Julian and Micah, both of them leaning against my car in front of the jail. Julian was holding up his hand, letting my keys dangle.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, confused.
“Bringing you your car. We thought you might need it after having your ass hauled away in Dante’s car.”
“Can you open the door? Sam is asleep.”
Julian moved, quickly opening the door and letting me settle and belt Samantha in before he closed it up after me. “She okay?” he asked.
“Supposedly,” I replied. “I only stopped for a minute to settle the bill. It happened just that damn fast.”
Micah clapped me on the shoulder. “Go home and get some rest. From what Dante told me on the phone, Sam is fine. You’re both probably tired.”
“I’m not tired,” I replied as I moved to the driver’s side. “I’m pissed.”
“Can’t say as I blame you,” Julian answered. “If some guy nabbed Kristin like that, I’d want to hurt him, too. I know he was a drunk college kid, but you didn’t know that at the time. Love can fuck around pretty hard with a guy’s reasoning.”
Love? Is that what this was? Is that what I felt for Sam? The word seemed much too tame for the way I felt about her. “Am I in love with her?” I mused out loud.
“Yes!” Both Julian and Micah answered in tandem.
I nodded, accepting my fate. “I’m keeping her,” I informed both of them.
“Does she know that yet?” Micah asked casually.
“Probably not,” I admitted. “But she’ll find out soon enough.”
I put my foot into the fancy sports car that I rarely drove.
“Drive safe,” Micah requested. “We’ll be right behind you.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as I seated myself in my vehicle, not sure if my brothers had even heard me.
As I got the car in motion, I recognized the fact that my brothers had always been right behind me, just like they’d be now.
They never left me, even though they probably should have.
I’d only been alone in my own mind, and as I took a quick look at Sam sleeping in the passenger seat, my chest ached from knowing she truly was alone. I vowed right then and there that she’d never be lonely again.
She’d always have me. Now all I needed was to be the guy she deserved.
CHAPTER 22
JULIAN
“What in the hell got into Xander?” I asked Micah as I flopped onto his living-room couch.
Tessa had gone to bed, and I’d texted Kristin to tell her I was stopping at Micah’s for a short time before I made it home. I assumed my wife had probably gone to bed, too.
It was pretty damn late, but Micah and I were both still wide awake after our trip to town to help Xander.
Micah dropped into a chair. “Hell, I can’t really blame him for this one. If somebody tried to drag Tessa off, I’d probably want to kill the guy, too.”
“I get that,” I agreed, knowing I’d feel the same way if it was Kristin. “But since when has Xander shown enough emotion to get into a fight with a drunk?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Micah said with a smirk. “Xander might have the kindest heart in the Sinclair family, but he was always up for a fight if there was something wrong. Remember the time he was just getting into high school, and he beat the crap out of a guy who was bullying a nerd? He spent a lot of time in detention, and he was still pissed when Mom came to pick him up.”
I laughed, remembering the incident now that Micah had mentioned it. “Dad was actually proud of him. He could hardly keep a straight face when he was lecturing Xander about not getting into physical fights at school.” My father had talked to Xander after the incident, but I knew he never really faulted his son for fighting back against a bully.
“He’s never hesitated if he thought something was wrong,” Micah mused.
“It didn’t stop after he left high school, either,” I answered. “He stepped into physical fights between his band members or roadies. And I’ve seen him all beat up from trying to stop some guy from hitting a female. He was never afraid to fight against something he thought was wrong.” Xander and I had been in California at the same time, and even though I rarely saw him because of our schedules, I usually knew when something happened.
“This is the first time he’s actually gone to jail,” Micah pointed out.
I grinned. “And he was put there by his own cousin.”
“I think Dante just wanted Xander to cool off. He was pretty pissed.”
“Samantha’s good for him. I hope she sticks around,” I answered.
“You think she’s good for him because he busted some guy’s ass?” Micah asked in a confused voice.
“No. Because she’s able to reach places inside our brother that we can’t,” I said. “It’s not that I want to see him in jail, but in a way, I’m glad it happened. Xander cares, Micah. He’s starting to give a shit about things outside his own personal p
rison.”
My older brother nodded. “He’s changing. I could tell when we saw him at dinner the other night. I can’t believe that he blamed himself for Mom and Dad’s death for all these years. Jesus! Why didn’t we see that?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t want to talk about it. And our minds weren’t working the same way Xander’s was. It’s not something I could even imagine he’d think. I guess I get where he’s coming from now, but it sucks that he spent that long keeping himself closed up with guilt.”
“I just want him back, Julian,” Micah said huskily. “There were so many times I really thought he’d never recover. I felt sick every time I got a call about him.”
“Yeah . . . well . . . you could have shared some of that burden with me.” I still wasn’t over the fact that Micah had felt like he had to deal with Xander’s issues alone. We’d talked about it, but I still felt like shit that I had known very little about what was happening with my youngest brother when I was out on location shooting movies.
“I handled it,” Micah said gruffly. “And you went when I needed you.”
“I don’t want any of us to go through shit alone again.”
Micah nodded in agreement. “We won’t. You handled the situation with Sam almost on your own while I dealt with Tessa’s upcoming surgery. I appreciate that.”
“I never knew she lost her family like she did. No wonder Xander relates to her. She lost everyone. I did an extensive background check, but it never came up. But I wasn’t exactly looking for bad things that happened to her when she was barely out of high school. I was mostly looking for criminal records, job history, and educational history.”
“It’s almost like she was supposed to come here,” Micah mused.
I grinned. “Like Beatrice’s predicted fate?”
“I’m starting to wonder,” Micah grumbled. “Hell, how could she know about Samantha, and that she was on her way to us?”
“I’m not going to question it,” I said hurriedly. “She’s obviously helped him.”
“I know she said she wasn’t here to treat him, but are you sure you never hinted about it?” Micah asked curiously.
“She promised to try to be a companion and a confidante, but she told me straight out that she couldn’t make any promises, and he could never be an actual patient. She isn’t licensed in Maine, and after I dug into what happened, I get why she actually came here.”
