Xandra

by Kiru Taye

  He’d never seen her like this, looking distraught. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She shoved his chest, but he didn’t budge.

  “Do you know how hard it is to talk about what happened? When you look at me like I’m a stranger? Like you’ve never held me close, or kissed me in the rain or held me in your arms until I fell asleep?” She squeezed her eyes shut, and a tear dropped onto her cheek. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with me. I’ve never been this jittery about anything before. Why the fuck can’t I talk about what happened without feeling as if the world is going to implode. I need to get over this shit. I need another drink.”

  Damn. It sounded as though asking her to talk about how they met had been a kind of trigger that unlocked her trauma.

  He pressed his body into hers, caging her against the counter. “Slow down. Let me hold you for a minute.”

  He wrapped his arms around her.

  “No. I just need a drink.” She stood stiffly, hands trembling.

  He didn’t let go. Eventually, she sighed and relaxed against him, head on his shoulder, arms around him. Her panting breaths evened out.

  He kept holding her, though. “I like having you in my arms.”

  She grunted, and her grip around him tightened.

  A smile curled his lips, and he leaned back, looking at her face. “I kissed you in the rain?”

  “You did more than kiss me in the rain,” she mumbled against his shoulder.

  “Uh-oh. That sounds interesting. Did I fuck you in the rain?”

  She lifted her head, and her eyes sparkled with warmth. A smile lit up her pretty face, making his chest squeeze tight. “Yes.”

  “Where? Outside the house?” Where were Ginika and Mama at the time?

  “No. Outside the remote cabin at the range. You held me down by the stone steps in front of the veranda and took me from behind while the rain pelted our naked bodies. You were a fucking god that night.”

  Her description was accurate.

  She’d been to the farm. She knew him.

  More to the point, the imagery made him as hard as a rock. “Jeez. You’re killing me, woman.”

  Giggling, she tipped her head, looking at the tent in his shorts. “I can help you with that.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  XANDRA DIDN’T know what happened to her.

  One minute she was discussing her next contract kill. Then Ebuka had asked about how they’d met, and a big ball of emotions she couldn’t decipher had knotted her throat, chest and belly.

  She had been overwhelmed, unable to breathe, unable to think.

  Until Ebuka had hugged her and after a few minutes the world had righted itself.

  Perhaps it was his musk in her nostrils or the strength of his arms around her and his soothing voice. Maybe it was just having his warmth cocooning her.

  Whatever it was, it had returned some of her sanity. She still couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.

  She was never the clingy sort, never got emotional. Always dealt with issues with detachment.

  Not since she brought Ebuka to the island, though.

  It was almost as if her mind had decided that Ebuka was her safety net and she could break down safely.

  She couldn’t afford to fall apart.

  People were relying on her to do her job.

  After the incident with Norbert, she hadn’t been offered any jobs.

  So, fulfilling the new contract would be her way of telling the world that she was still Xandra. Unbeatable. Indomitable.

  She needed to start by proving to Ebuka that she was strong. That she wasn’t a weakling.

  That he didn’t have to console or comfort her.

  She covered the bulge in his shorts with her hand and traced his erection. “Use me.” He groaned, closing his eyes. “That is tempting.”

  Sighing, he gripped her arm. “I have something better in mind.”

  He grabbed her hips, lifted and swivelled her, then sat her on the kitchen table. Growling, he crushed her lips with his.

  Her breath hitched as if someone had punched her lungs. For the second time this evening, her world spun.

  Ebuka kissed like a champion. His lips were perfect, rough and soft all at once. He held her as if she belonged in his arms.

  Her pulse skipped, and her bare toes curled against the wooden posts. Her core heated, clenched.

  She forgot the fight to prove her strength. When he held her like this, she melted. Became all woman. His woman.

  Her body was on fire after the week of seeing him and physically craving him.

  It was as if all those months they were separated had vanished, as if he knew her, remembered her, wanted her on the same deep level they had shared.

  She clutched his shirt, tugged him close, returning the kiss.

  He cupped her face, his touch tender, possessive, the other hand on the small of her back. He made another growling sound and pulled back a few inches. His eyes burned hotter than they’d been since his arrival.

  “I’m going to take you to the bedroom,” his voice rumbled.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.”

  “In there, I’m going to take your clothes off. Then I’m going to spread you on the bed, settle myself between your wide legs, and eat your pretty pussy until you start screaming.”

  Jeez.

  With his dirty talking, she would start screaming right here on the kitchen table. Her knickers were soaked, and her pulse raced. Her nipples hardened, and her body ached for him.

  What was it about Ebuka?

  Where was the Xandra who would baulk at this level of intimacy? Who wouldn’t allow this to happen? Should she step away? End this?

  She didn’t move. Right here was where she wanted to be. Miles away from anyone else, with Ebuka all to herself.

  “I want everything on offer,” she whispered in a husky voice.

  His lips curled into a hungry grin, and he scooped her into his arms and strode down the hall into the bedroom he slept. Then he lowered her onto the mattress and covered her body with his before his mouth descended on hers.

  She moaned, tasting him—wine and Ebuka—swirling her tongue in his mouth.

  His hands touching her body made her tingle and throb, and he groaned into her. He tangled fingers in her short hair, pulled her tight, while the hand on her thigh was rough.

  Lord, she wanted him.

  She tugged at his clothes, forgetting the sensual promise he’d made in the kitchen, wanting to feel him skin to skin.

  He lifted his head, looking down at her. His expression was full of heat and raw intensity.

  He looked like he finally saw her, saw Xandra and Allie, and still wanted her. Like she was all he wanted.

  “You are amazing,” he said, his voice filled with awe.

  He sat on his haunches and tugged the hem of her top. She lifted her arms so he could pull it over her head.

  Although she never had a problem undressing in front of a man before. This time felt different. Her heart raced.

  Perhaps because he was the one undressing her. Probably because her burn scars would be visible to him. She still wasn’t used to showing those off.

  She was happy to wear a cane welt as a badge of honour. But the burn marks made her feel ugly and undesirable.

  Ebuka didn’t seem to care as he lowered the zip of her skirt and pulled it down along with her knickers.

  “Roll over,” he demanded. She flipped onto her stomach.

  He grabbed her hips and tugged her to her knees, body and ass bare to his gaze. He would see how wet she was for him.

  “Xan, fuck.” A sharp intake of breath, and then he groaned.

  It was the first time he’d used the shortened form of her name, and it sounded good to hear him say it.

  He slid his palm down the dip of her back to her hips, squeezed her bum cheeks, cupped her. He rolled his hip against her. Something massive and hard throbbed against her bum. His erection.

  H
is hand returned to her thigh, travelled up and then stopped between her labia. One thick finger dragged over her slippery wetness.

  She moaned, clenching inside.

  His other hand gripped her tight, spreading her open for the other fingers to push into her hungry contracting slit.

  Her breath caught. Her body shivered in bliss.

  His finger curled inside her, stroking the sweet spot, making her clench and tremble. He settled closer, his breath on her bum, his fingers playing her inside and out. Then his tongue joined in, sliding over her pussy.

  She caught fire, gasping, clutching the sheets, arching her back as his mouth settled around her clit. The pleasure was a drug in her veins, sweeping her slowly to the edge as he

  fucked her with fingers and mouth. She rolled her hips shamelessly around his face, using him for her pleasure, thrusting against him, clenching tighter and tighter.

  For the first time in months, she felt desired. Truly desired.

  And he didn’t stop. Didn’t relent. He licked her labia, her clit, pushing with his tongue, rolling, sucking, while his fingers rammed and curled and gave her pleasure again and again.

  Then he upped the ante, sliding his tongue up her crack, his mouth teasing her tight forbidden hole.

  “Boss?” she cried, the title slipping out easily, forgetting he’d rejected it the last time she used it.

  “Yes,” he replied against her skin. He didn’t seem to mind. His tongue swiped her hole. “Did I fuck you here?”

  She gasped, moaning loudly, head to the sheet. “No.”

  He licked her again. One hand spread her open. The other between her thighs, wreaking havoc, thumb on her clit, fingers in her slit.

  “No part of you is out of bounds to me, Xan. Did I tell you that already?”

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly as pleasure frazzled her brain. “On our first night together.” “Good. Then you know that I’m going to claim every available hole in your body. I look forward to the day when I plug your pussy with a vibrating dildo and ride your ass for as long as I want.” He bit her bum cheek hard.

  The pain was just what she needed, and she hurtled towards an orgasm. “Boss, please.”

  “I know you want to come. I want to taste your sweet cum.” His tongue returned to her pussy, his mouth sucking her clit while his fingers rubbed her g-spot.

  She trembled and clenched, fire building in the pit of her belly and spreading until it erupted at her extremities.

  He sucked her hard, and she let go, screaming in pleasure at the climax that slammed into her. Wave and wave of pleasure crashed over her until he released her.

  She collapsed onto the bed, a quivering mess, his body around her a cocoon of blissful warmth and comfort.

  TWENTY-THREE

  “STAY THERE,” Ebuka said, getting off the bed.

  “Yes, Boss.” Xandra stretched languorously as he covered her with a light sheet. In the relaxed state, she looked young and vulnerable.

  His heart clutched. He felt connected to her even when he couldn’t remember everything about their first meeting. Like they truly belonged together. But there were so many unanswered questions that left him uneasy about trusting her.

  Shoving the heavy thoughts out of his mind, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before going to lock up.

  The location was remote, and there was little chance of anyone walking in the front door. However, there were wild animals and birds, so the door had to be locked properly. Mesh sheets across the windows excluded flies and mosquitoes.

  The house was powered by solar energy via panels affixed to the roof, making it possible to live here without interference from the outside world.

  He returned to the room with a glass of water. “Have a drink.”

  She leaned on her elbow and took the tumbler. When she finished, he put it on the nightstand and joined her in bed, naked.

  They were curled up with arms around each other when she started talking. “I was sent to kill you. That’s how we met.”

  She said the words without emotion. Simply. Like she was reading the weather forecast. A chill slithered down his spine. He froze in place.

  Suspicious, he had wondered how his path could have crossed with an assassin’s considering the quiet life he’d led. Hearing the truth was like smashing through a brick wall that had kept him imprisoned. Rage simmered in the pit of his gut.

  He shifted, leaving her warm and sitting on the edge of the bed, feet on the cold floor, back to her. “When?”

  “About six months ago.”

  He waited for her to continue. She didn’t.

  Her silence fuelled his anger. This wasn’t the time for her to become mute. He wanted to know everything. Who? Why? What?

  He grabbed the shorts he had discarded, shoved his feet in and stood. Reaching for the wall, he flicked the switch and bathed the room in an orange glow. Finally, he turned to face her.

  She lay on her side, head on a pillow, arm tucked beneath. Her eyes were closed.

  Was she sleeping? She couldn’t have delivered such troubling news and fallen asleep.

  She was that cold-hearted, was she?

  Her breathing pattern hadn’t evened out. She was awake.

  Still, how could she look calm when he wanted to rage? Smash. Kill. Make someone pay.

  His months-long captivity had become a poison in his vein, tainting everything. Tainting his mind. Although a part of him warned against blaming her, against lashing out, he couldn’t absolve her. Couldn’t release her from the urge to avenge his circumstances.

  “Is that why you brought me here? You decided to keep me as your pet instead of killing me? Am I supposed to be grateful?”

  Her dark lashes fluttered, and she met his gaze with deadly scrutiny, her eyes cold as ice and sharp as knives.

  Tension rippled the air. She shuffled out of bed, tugged the discarded shirt over her head. The hem dropped to cover her bum, just about. It showed off her long slender legs. The legs that led to the treasure hidden beneath the top. For a second, he forgot his anger and recalled her flavour. Her sweetness. How he’d nearly come in his shorts as he’d eaten her pussy. How she’d trembled and begged, crying out and gushing as she’d climaxed. How he wanted to bury himself in her lush wet heat. His dick jerked, hardened.

  “Taming a wild lion would have been more fun if I’d wanted a pet.”

  Her words yanked him from his thoughts to the present. The comparison to a lion would have made him smirk if he wasn’t already wound tight. However, his expression turned to a grimace as she stalked to him and stabbed his chest with fingers.

  “You know what? You should be grateful that I didn’t kill you. Okay? I had many opportunities to end your life. But stupid me, I worried about how your death would affect your family. I worried about leaving Ginika in Nweke’s clutches.”

  His stomach rolled, and he narrowed his eyes. “What has Nweke got to do with this?”

  She glared at him, dropping her hand. “He’s the one who took a contract out on you.”

  He staggered back, stunned by the revelation. “Ralph Nweke sent you to kill me?”

  Although he asked a question, he believed her. His former best friend had been trying him for years. Pushing to see how much Ebuka would tolerate. However, when did their disagreement degenerate to Ralph wanting him dead? He’d once trusted that man with his life. He was now paying for the folly.

  “Yes. At first, it was an exclusive contract, and I was the primary. But when I didn’t kill you within a week, he extended the contract to others and made it non-exclusive. Other assassins showed up. One nearly blew you up outside a hotel in Bakili. We had to send Ginika to your mother and aunt in Iguocha for her protection. But when we got back to the ranch, more assassins came.”

  She stopped talking and stormed out of the room.

  Assassins in his home? His heart slammed into his chest. Thankfully, they had protected his family. What about his employees, the livestock? Did they survive the
attack?

  He followed Xandra. He needed to know what happened. To fill in the blanks.

  Maybe something would trigger his memories to return.

  He caught up with her on the veranda which ran the length of the back wall. The lights automatically came on when the sensors detected body heat and motion. The sounds from the waves mixed with the chirping of the night creatures.

  “Tell me what happened when the assassins came.”

  She stood by the low wall looking out into the darkness beyond the lit garden of edible and flowering plants.

  “You were shot, okay. And you had a head injury. You were slipping in and out of consciousness.” She swirled and jabbed her hand against his thigh, where he had a recently healed scar. “I couldn’t take you to the hospital. I had to dig the bullet out of your leg. And suture your injuries. I was out of options and had to take you to a safehouse in Lori Osa to hide you while you healed so I could deal with Nweke. But then this happened.” She pointed at the burn welts on her legs. “I couldn’t go back to get you until it was too late. Fine. Get angry with me because you ended up in Madaki’s slave house. But I have no regrets about keeping you alive.”

  “Oh.” The realisation hit him. She cared about him. He heard it in the huskiness of her voice and the passion blazing in her eyes.

  His heart squeezed tight. Some of his anger dissipated. Sighing, he placed hands on her shoulders and said in a gentle tone. “You saved my life.”

  She turned her head away and didn’t respond.

  He sighed again, wrapped arms around her, pulling her softness into his hardness, her tank top rubbing his bare chest. Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered against her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m grateful you didn’t kill me. I can’t imagine the heat you must have taken on my behalf. Thank you.”

  She jerked back, looking into his eyes. “But don’t you get it. If you go back to the mainland. Nweke and Himba will know you are still alive.”

  He saw what she didn’t say in the depths of her eyes. Fear. She was scared he would be killed. That was why she’d brought him here for his protection.