Xandra

by Kiru Taye

  An electric shock spiked up her arm. His eyes widened, indicating he felt it too. He didn’t pull away. Something unspoken passed between them and the rest of the room seemed to fade.

  The man took her breath away. She understood physical attraction. But this?

  Xandra should assess all the ways she could take his life. He was her mark.

  Instead, she pictured him on top of her, stretching her as he filled her up, their sweat-slicked bodies sliding over each other in sync. Her nipples hardened, and her insides clenched.

  Damn.

  FIVE

  FOR A MOMENT, Ebuka stood stunned as he shook Allie’s hand. His heartbeats raced, tingles shooting up his arm.

  What in Hell?

  She had a firm grip, something he hadn’t expected from someone who appeared small and refined at first glance.

  However, this close to her, their eyes were almost at the same level.

  She was tall, considering she was in low-heeled boots. Her leanness masked her height when she’d been sitting, making her appear small and delicate.

  The direct and calculating way she stared at him would have made any other man shift uncomfortably.

  Heat flashed through Ebuka. Fighting not to show any outward sign of being ruffled, he withdrew his hand. The tingly sensation meant nothing.

  Yet, something about her unsettled him.

  She wasn’t from around here. And she wasn’t the rural sort.

  She looked the part if a fashion magazine had done a photo-shoot of what a farmer would look like, black polo shirt on skinny denim trousers. She was just too impeccable. There wasn’t even a scuff on her shiny knee-high leather boots. At least they were flat-heeled.

  Sleek brown hair in a low bun and a long fringe almost covered her tawny oval face, high cheekbones, button nose and round glossy lips.

  Why did she want a job on a farm? She didn’t look like the usual applicants who were from the surrounding small towns. And if the car outside was hers, then she was used to earning more than a labourer’s wage.

  Still, her kohl-lined amber eyes shone with steely determination. She was willing to prove him wrong.

  No time like the present.

  “Your trial can start immediately. One of the fences is broken, and some of the cattle got out. The other men are busy, so we’re going to round them up and mend the fence.” He didn’t wait for her response and headed to the door.

  “Yes, boss,” Allie replied.

  He detected sarcasm in her voice and turned with an eyebrow raised. “What was that?”

  “Just acknowledging your instructions.” She had an innocent expression as if she hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Ebuka frowned. “Don’t call me ‘boss’. It makes me sound like a gangster.”

  Across the room, Gigi broke into giggles. “Oh, you’re so paranoid. Anyway, you’re kind of bossy. Would you rather she addressed you as ‘Sir’?”

  “Of course not,” he griped.

  One look in Allie’s direction, and it looked like she was suppressing laughter. When did this stranger become a co-conspirator with his sister?

  He didn’t like the ease with which Gigi had taken to Allie.

  Their little portion of the world was secluded. He wasn’t usually suspicious of strangers.

  However, the past two years had been tough on the ranch. He’d shielded his sister from the problems and didn’t want to worry her. The problems were his responsibility.

  Perhaps he shouldn’t take out his stress on Allie too. She couldn’t be that much older than his sister.

  Sucking a deep breath, he held and exhaled it slowly. “Look, my name is Ebuka, so you can use it. No sir or boss or any other title.”

  “Got it.” Allie nodded.

  “Good. See you later, Gigi,” he said.

  “See you,” she replied and headed through the archway into the hall.

  Ebuka went for the kitchen door, leading outside to the terrace. The sun was high in the sky, and the air was heavy with humidity. It would likely rain later, so the sooner they rounded up the loose cattle, the better.

  Allie stayed behind him by a couple of steps. She didn’t say anything as they strode across to the storage barn which housed all the equipment, gravel crunching beneath their boots.

  “So where are you from?” he asked to distract from the prickly sensations on his nape. He took the toolbox from the shelf, checking it contained what he needed.

  “Jokogi,” she replied.

  “Big city,” he said, almost triumphantly. His instincts had been correct.

  She was a city dweller. Ebuka was a simple farmer.

  He remembered someone else who preferred the glamorous city lights to the mundane country life. His muscles tensed. He wasn’t going there.

  “It is.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

  He moved the box to one of the All-Terrain Vehicles and secured it. “What are you doing out here? This must be different from what you’re used to.”

  She shoved her hands into the back jeans’ pockets. “I’m here for a university program.”

  Her pushed-back shoulders, furrowed brows and alert gaze said she could handle whatever life threw at her. They’d soon find out since a storm was on the way.

  “Can you drive the ATV?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She nodded, swung her legs across it and started the engine without hesitation.

  “Good. You take that. I’m going to saddle up Chocho and meet you outside the paddock.”

  He met her gaze, and she nodded in response.

  He became aware of the strength of his heartbeats and his fingers tingled with the need to touch her.

  What was going on with him? Not only was it inappropriate, but he didn’t know much about her. Maybe he’d been without a woman for too long. He needed to get back on the saddle, go into town and find a willing woman, instead of ogling potential employees.

  Back stiffened, Ebuka walked out of the barn and focused on saddling up.

  The ATV was handy for carrying equipment and for covering distances quickly on the range. But he preferred to move cattle with a horse since it was less noisy and more comfortable to handle in certain situations.

  When he came out to the paddock, Allie waited with the idling ATV.

  “Follow me. Keep behind me at all times and make sure you don’t spook the animals,” he ordered and kicked the horse into a gallop.

  It didn’t take long to find the break in the fence. Discovering the straggling cattle proved harder. It took a while to reach and direct them toward the grassland. He worried they would go wild and stampede.

  To be fair to Allie, she did as instructed and didn’t spook the animals. The ATV buzzed like a motorised mosquito as she gently coaxed the cattle toward home.

  Once the animals settled in the field, he got off the horse and tied the reins to a post. Allie climbed off the ATV and started on fixing the fence.

  For a few seconds, he stood there watching her use the pliers to loop, twist and secure the wires. She looked like someone comfortable with working with her hands. She wasn’t even wearing the available protective gloves.

  Yet the hand Ebuka had shaken earlier had no calluses. The two things didn’t match.

  She was a ball of contradictions he couldn’t figure out. And he hated not knowing who or what she was.

  Striding up to the toolbox, he picked up a hammer and grabbed a fallen post, knocking it back into the earth before cutting off a length of galvanised wire.

  They worked together in silence. It wasn’t awkward. Repairs almost completed; the sky darkened.

  “You can head back to the house. I’ll finish off here.” He glanced at her, twisting another loop of wire.

  “No. If we both do it, then we’ll be done sooner.” She didn’t meet his gaze and carried on working.

  Ebuka gasped in surprise because she hadn’t taken the option of getting inside and avoiding the wet. He couldn’t think of any woman who would choose to st
ay in the rain. Ginika would have returned home as soon as the weather deteriorated.

  Still, he smiled and went back to work.

  They were on the last post when Heaven opened, and a downpour of stinging cold rain hit them.

  Allie didn’t complain as the hard shower pelted their skins through the fabrics.

  Done, she packed the box and returned it to the ATV.

  “The rain doesn’t look like it will let up anytime soon and the ATV is dangerous to handle in this weather, especially to drive all the way back to the house,” he yelled to be heard in the howling wind.

  “What else can we do?” she asked, hunched over, hands in jeans pockets.

  “There’s a clay hut not far from here. We use it when we have to work long days, and there isn’t enough light to return to the house.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She straddled the ATV. “Lead the way.”

  Ebuka nodded and climbed onto Chocho. The horse had a pleasant disposition so shouldn’t be a problem to handle. He turned to Allie.

  “Be careful on the ATV. Just go slow. I don’t want you breaking your neck on your first day here.”

  She flashed a grin full of white teeth. “Yes...I’ll go slowly.”

  It sounded as if she’d intended to say “Yes, boss” again before changing her mind.

  He hid the blooming smile by turning away as he nudged the horse forward.

  In the rain, it took longer than usual to reach the cabin.

  Ebuka kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure Allie was still following. The light on the ATV didn’t penetrate the sleet, and he couldn’t hear the buzz sometimes.

  He was soaked by the time they eventually got there. Allie parked the ATV in the shed as he settled Chocho into a stall and used the sweat scraper to get most of the wetness off while Allie piled the hay. Then he turned on the generator, ensuring they would have electricity.

  He headed for the porch and climbed the step. “You’re going to have to take your clothes off out here. Ginika will kill me if we drip water all over the clay floor inside. It only got resealed recently.”

  He said the words in a matter of fact tone as he sat on the stone stairs to pull boots off.

  “Okay,” Allie said and mirrored his actions.

  His pulse raced at the possibility of seeing her without clothes.

  What was wrong with him today?

  Shaking his head, he ignored his hardening dick. He turned his back to her and unbuttoned the soaked shirt, dropping it on the floor before undoing his fly. He tried to maintain nonchalance as he peeled the drenched denim down, making sure he couldn’t see Allie.

  Keeping the boxer-briefs on, he opened the door, switched on the overhead lamp and walked into the main room. He kindled the firewood under the stone tripod used for cooking. The fire sparked and crackled. Although the rain had been cold, the temperature inside the cabin remained mild. The heat from the fire would help to dry the clothes quickly.

  He lifted his head and froze to the spot.

  Allie stood in the living area, wearing a white chemise and panties.

  Air left his lungs. His lips parted, and the chill fled his body.

  The sodden clothes revealed more than they hid—slender breasts, bullet-tipped nipples, tight lean muscles, flat belly, curvy hips and long legs. Wet hair held in a band plastered around her face. Her expression had no shame or embarrassment.

  He’d never met a woman this brazen and unashamed of her near-nakedness.

  Her tongue traced the upper lip, enticing him.

  His gaze tracked its pink progress and his mouth moistened. What would she taste like?

  “Where do you want me to put these?” She held the soaked clothes.

  Her question jarred him into action. Cheeks heated, he grabbed an old wooden chair.

  “You can hang them over this,” he said in a gruff voice, shaken by the way she affected him. He was in trouble if he couldn’t control his libido. They had another twelve hours before daybreak.

  He went to the small bathroom cupboard, pulled out two grey towels, walked back and tossed one at her. “Cover your body.”

  SIX

  A SMILE curved Xandra’s lips as she grabbed the towel Ebuka chucked at her.

  Okay. This was new.

  Xandra was used to men who took what they wanted, when they wanted it, usually by any means necessary.

  So, to see Ebuka fighting the apparent attraction between them was surprising and kind of amusing.

  He’d gone back to wearing a stony, keep-away-from-me expression. But the bulge stretching his damp briefs proved there was more going on with him that just wariness of her. The notion of chastity and piety were not alien to her after being raised in a nunnery-orphanage. However, those things had no place in her life now.

  Having fun with watching his unease at their predicament, she didn’t cover up immediately. Instead, she used the towel to dry her body in a slow, seductive manner.

  His gaze followed the movement as if enraptured.

  As soon as she’d confirmed his identity earlier this morning, she should have returned to her car, grabbed her weapon, gone back into the house and shot him. That would have been messy because there was a witness. Ginika.

  Still, she could have left the ranch and ambushed him as he drove out or she could have come back later at night and completed the assignment.

  However, instinct told her there was more to this situation. Ebuka and Ginika did not look like the unscrupulous people in her circles. They looked innocent.

  If Ebuka was innocent, why was he on Xandra’s hit list? Curiosity meant she wanted to find the answer.

  In any case, pretending to be someone else that was freeing. Liberating. Probably the same with actors or actresses. Living as someone else, away from the constraints of their ordinary lives. Away from the expectations.

  She had come to Njoku Ranch for a specific job.

  Still, the minute she’d crossed the threshold into their house, her chest had tightened, and adrenaline had rushed through her body.

  The friendly reception from Ginika had awakened a different side of Xandra. A side she hadn’t realised she possessed, considerate and sympathetic. And then the other woman had teased her brother about his grouchiness, and Xandra had felt included for the first time in her life. She’d felt like she belonged with the two of them. Like she could have a fun and carefree life, with them.

  Being Xandra was a heavy cross she carried, and for the past few hours, she’d been able to put it down and rest.

  Not that she wanted to discard the cross totally. She would pick it up again. It was hers to carry forever.

  For now, she would make the best of being someone else. Someone who could live in the moment. Someone who could be considerate and sympathetic, fun and carefree.

  Not much else she could do, anyway. A storm raged outside, and she was stuck in the hut with Ebuka.

  His quiet and reserved demeanour was deceiving.

  She’d seen something in his eyes when they’d shaken hands. Latent power waiting to be unleashed. The kind she craved.

  Her breath caught as she watched him.

  He wrapped a towel over his hips, abdominal and bicep muscles rippling. He was broad and sturdy. Caramel skin wrapped around sinews sculpted through hard outdoor work on the farm and a V-trail of short dark hairs disappeared below the towel.

  A thrill raced down her spine, and her pussy throbbed. She yearned to feel those muscles pressing against her, pinning her down. To explore this lust between them because that was what it had to be. She hadn’t had sex for four months. The kind of work she did didn’t mesh with her cravings, so she always waited for the encounters with Osagie to finally let go.

  She hadn’t achieved release from the last meeting with Osagie. And she wasn’t sure if she could find someone who would play the role he’d done so well.

  She wouldn’t let this temporary opportunity with Ebuka slip by. No reason she couldn’t fuck him now and kill hi
m later. One had nothing to do with the other.

  Ebuka strode across the room, snatched the towel from her hand and looped it around her chest. “I told you to cover up.”

  His fingers grazed her skin.

  Her clit throbbed, her pulse racing.

  His scent intoxicated her—the smell of man and the outdoors on a rainy day.

  Unable or somewhat unwilling to censure herself, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his firm ones.

  He jerked back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  His thunderous expression couldn’t mask the layer of heated lust that sparkled in his dark eyes.

  Gaze fixed on his mouth, she stroked her tongue around hers, relishing the brief contact. “I couldn’t resist. You taste good.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell are you? Did Nweke send you to set me up? Is there a video camera in here?”

  Shit! Her chest tightened. His words were close to the truth. She forced a smile to stay on her face. “What are you talking about?”

  Ignoring her question, his gaze swept the large space, and he moved the furniture around as if searching for hidden recording equipment. After a while, he huffed and walked to the small kitchen at the other end. He filled a kettle with water and set it on the stone tripod to boil. Then he opened a cupboard and took out some cans and sachets of food.

  Xandra wanted to help, but he looked like he needed to be alone. Good idea to give him some breathing space since he was jumpy about Commissioner Nweke. He couldn’t find out she knew Nweke or that she had links to the man.

  She washed her hands in the sink and then focused on spreading out the damp clothes on the wooden chairs. With the towel around her body, she removed the chemise and panties.

  The heat from the fire warmed the room. The world outside seemed distant except for the pitter-patter of rain on the thatched roof, lightning flashes and thunder cracks.

  The cabin was built from clay, stone and wood and had a studio feel. A reclaimed wooden three-seater acted like a divider, separating the sitting area at the front from the kitchenette at the back. Wooden shuttered windows were on opposing sidewalls.