by Malone, Nana
"Oh." Yeah, Imani, real eloquent.
"The night we met, you rattled me. I was scared shitless of you. You’re the first woman I had kissed in a year. And then next thing I knew, we were caught in that firestorm and I was coming. And it felt bloody amazing. Freeing." He licked his lips. "I wondered if I was cured." His gaze slid away from her. “I considered trying with someone else, but you’re the only one I’ve even come close to wanting.”
A ball of sadness unfurled in her gut. He'd thought about trying to sleep with someone else? She swallowed hard. She had no right to him. He's not yours. "You came looking for me."
“Yeah. At first I thought it was because with you, I could—" He smiled sheepishly. "Well, you get the idea. But it was really because you're the first person I've actually connected to in a long time. So I've been trying to avoid touching you. Because I'm afraid of losing control. The last time I tried a relationship, I crashed and burned. I’m not really geared for it."
She gestured down to her sheet-clad body. "Now you tell me." She tightened her hold on the soft material. What happened in a few weeks when this was all over? She wanted him, but she had to be careful with her heart. She wanted to look back on this and know she'd enjoyed herself. Experimented. Had fun. Xander could be fun. He could help her erase the shadow of her past.
“I just know how I feel when I’m with you. And I’m tired of fighting it. It feels too good to touch you.”
#
She licked her lips and Xander bit back a groan. He could already feel it, his world tilting. And he felt powerless to do anything about it. She nuzzled closer and through a clenched jaw, he muttered, "Imani, you don't—" His plan was to tell her that he could hurt her. That this was dangerous for her. That he wasn’t a good guy. Except she leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on his pectoral muscle. Directly above his nipple. His skin blazed and he wanted her to kiss lower. To use her teeth on him just like he had with her.
Threading a hand into her silky, wild curls, he directed her to his nipple. He could feel her smile, right before she graced the puckered flesh with her teeth.
Oh fuck. Fuck. Yes. Her mouth was hot and warm and she smelled so sweet. While she kissed his chest, driving him crazy with her tongue, he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a condom, making quick work of the latex.
He pushed her away from his chest before she could make him come...again. Rolling her onto her back, he didn’t even check to see if she was ready. If she was sore. He just aligned his cock to her sweet center and pushed.
She stiffened in his arms and he immediately stilled. "Fuck. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He clamped his jaw tight and his brain gave the command for him to pull back. But he didn't want to. He wanted to drive forward, to lose himself in her.
But the angel prevailed by wresting the devil down and he slowly retreated. But Imani held on to his back. "No. Don’t leave."
He snapped his gaze to hers. "But—"
Imani shook her head. "No. I'm sore, that's all, and not quite ready."
"Fuck, I'm a wanker." He pulled all the way out until the tip of his cock just teased the entrance to her slick center. He kissed her jaw and neck until she softened in his arms again and made that little mewling sound at that the back of her throat.
It was only when she whimpered and rolled her hips into him that he slid all the way back inside.
Reaching for her breast, he teased the soft peak until it pebbled into a tight bud. All the while nuzzling the hollow behind her ear.
Her breathing became shallower and she milked him with the walls of her pussy, making his entry slightly easier.
Drawing his head back, he met her gaze and there was desire there. Dilated pupils, parted lips. But there was something else too. Softness. Trust. He wanted to say he hated to see it, but that wasn’t true. He loved that she trusted him. He wanted that. Wanted to be someone who could be trusted with her heart.
He hadn’t intended to kiss her again, but then her tongue peeked out, making him need to taste her again. Their lips met in a tangle of tongues and that connection he'd been avoiding for most of his life gave him easier passage.
Stroke for stoke she matched him until he felt the quiver inside as she clung to him. Imani cried out his name and his control snapped and he drove into her again and again, chasing his release. It didn’t surprise him as much this time. But it was just as intense. Made more so when she reached up and caressed his face. As he poured into her, he knew he was lying to himself. He would never be able to stop.
Twenty-One
Xander had it bad. He liked her. Which was saying a lot. She was smart, funny, and quick on her feet. And her body was electric. She also infuriated him. And half the time he couldn’t tell what the hell she was thinking. And lord knew she drove him nuts. But in just a little over a week, she’d wormed her way under his skin and he wasn’t in a real hurry to get rid of her.
That night, he dropped her off at rehearsal and they'd been so busy snogging she'd almost been late. Completely not his fault, though. But once he started touching her, it was impossible to stop. Just his luck, some of the paparazzi had caught them going at it like a pair of teenagers, so no doubt it would be in the papers tomorrow. It would strengthen his position with LeClerc, but that’s not why he wasn’t fussed. The more people who saw a photo of them all over each other, the more blokes who stayed away.
After parking his car he walked the few kilometers to the barge. He could see why Lex loved this place. There was something tranquil about it and the view of the South Bank couldn't be beat. As he walked up, he noticed the shadow on the deck."Oy, Lex. You waiting on me, mate? I'm bloody early for once. Dropped Imani off so—"
But it wasn't his brother on the deck. A black man about his height leaned against one of the posts.
Xander glanced around. If the guy was waiting on the deck, it meant Lex wasn’t answering. "Can I help you, mate?"
The guy looked him up and down. As Xander got closer he catalogued him like he did any subject he would photograph, crafting the picture in his mind before he actually took it. His complexion was a shade or two lighter than Imani and his skin was smooth. His goatee and beard were trimmed neat and precise. He wore a sweater, shielding him from the slight chill in the May air, and dark jeans. The mental image looked like one Xander would shoot for a high-end men's magazine with the lights of the South Bank as his backdrop.
The guy looked him up and down and pushed away from the pole. His movements were economical and smooth, like an athlete’s. "Are you him?" His American accent was cultured with deep bass undertones.
Xander's steps faltered. There was something about the guy that seemed like he should know him. Doing a mental scan of all the places he might know him from, his body instinctively went on alert. He’d done enough dirt in his lifetime to eventually have some jealous husband or boyfriend come looking for him.
"Am I who?" The other guy cocked his head and his gaze narrowed as he watched him. Already alert, Xander curled his hands into fists as he approached, assessing the threat.
"Are you the piece of shit that she's fucking?"
Damn. Notwithstanding his attempted hookup when he first met Imani, he hadn’t had a random tryst with anyone in over a year. He couldn't have fucked someone’s girlfriend. "Not sure what you’re on about, mate. Care to clarify?"
"I'm not your mate, you piece of shit." He pointed a finger at Xander. "Are you the one who's been doing her? You’re a fucking dead man."
Xander ran and used Muy Thai to keep himself agile. He more than knew how to handle himself in a fight. They might be the same height, but the guy had maybe twenty pounds on him. Bulkier. Like he pushed weights more often.
Still, if the tosser was drunk or on something, this could get bloody quickly if Xander didn't talk him down, and he was not in the mood. All he wanted was a Guinness and to talk to Lex. "Sorry, figure of speech. I think you've got the wrong bloke. No one's looking for a fight."
The other man scoff
ed. "No, I think I have the right asshole. Did you really think I would give her up so easily? She fucking belongs to me. I gave her time to come home on her own, but now she thinks she's going to marry you? Fuck that. If she won’t come willingly, I'm going to drag her ass back with me."
Imani? Fury flooded Xander's veins and he forced himself to take a deep breath. He had to stay in control. There was no way in hell he was letting this guy take Imani anywhere. She hadn’t mentioned an ex. Not like you've spent a lot of time talking about your pasts. That was a good point. But if she had a homicidal ex, that was probably a good thing to mention before they slept together. "I don’t know who you are, but I'm going to give you the chance to get the hell out of here. Imani isn't going anywhere with you. And if I see you around me or her again it's going to be unpleasant for you. Are we clear, mate?"
The guy’s brows drew down and his brow furrowed. "Who the fuck is Imani? Is that what you’re calling her now? Did she change her fucking name? I could give a shit. I'll call her what I like. And all we're clear on is I'm taking Abbie home."
Xander faltered. Abbie? He'd assumed said homicidal arsehole was looking for him. But no, he was lying in wait for his brother. And Abbie. Fuck. Abbie. This was her ex, Evan. She hadn't gone into detail with him about the guy, just that she'd had a rough go of it. Lex had filled him in on the guy's more violent tendencies.
"You have the wrong bloke. But I'll do you a solid. If you get out of here now, I won't call the Bill to come collect you."
More with the furrowed brow. "You think you can make me leave? I'm not going anywhere without her."
As Xander cautiously stepped onto the barge, Evan rushed at him, intent on taking him out at the legs. Rolling onto the balls of his feet, Xander shifted his leg out of the way while snapping a hand around Evan's arm and the other hand around the back of his neck and aggressively assisted him facedown to the deck. For good measure, he delivered a punch, feeling the crunch of Evan’s cheekbone under his knuckles.
Just like in training, he backed out of the way. "We don't have to do this." But the truth was he wanted to do this. This guy wanted to hurt Abbie. Wanted to hurt Lex. They were his fucking family. For once he wanted to be there for his brother.
Evan popped up and his fingers gingerly touched his cheek as he glared at Xander.
He moved like a fighter. Just Xander’s luck. Fine by him. It had been a while since he'd sparred and he could use the workout. Evan sprang forward again with a straight punch. Xander deflected it with his left hand, letting his hand slide up Evan’s right arm and off-lining the punch. But Evan was quicker than he looked, and his knuckles grazed Xander’s eye.
He counter struck with his right and Evan's head snapped back. With his throat exposed, Xander advanced with another punch to his throat. Evan went down with both hands clutching his throat. He could feel the tenuous strings of control snap.
He hauled Evan into a more advantageous position with his left hand, then delivered punch after punch after punch. "You're not so big and tough now, are you, when someone fights back. You prefer someone small and helpless?" He hit him again, the rage taking over.
In his mind's eyes, he could picture this guy taking his hand to Abbie. But in his mind Abbie was replaced with Imani. With a furious roar, he hit him again.
Eventually Evan stopped flailing. It was only after he fell with a thud onto the wooden floor of the deck that Xander staggered back. The other man lay in a whimpering, moaning heap on the ground. Adrenaline and anger coursed through his veins and his hands shook. He wanted to kill him. Could kill the guy. Nobody would miss him.
But if he did that, he'd never see Imani again. Or his brother. As it was, he'd probably gone too far, letting his emotions get the best of him.
Hands still shaking, he pulled his phone out and dialed 999. When the operator answered, he directed the police to the barge. Lex arrived just after Xander hung up. "Fuck me, Xan, don't tell me you were on time for once, the one time I was—" His brother cut himself off when he saw the man in a heap on the ground. "What the fuck?"
"Had a bit of a nasty surprise waiting when I got here."
"Jesus, Xan." Alexi gawked at him. "Is he alive?"
"Easy, baby brother. Don’t you hear him moaning? Bill's on their way."
Some of the tension rolled off Alexi's shoulders and he studied him closely. "And you? All right?"
Xander glanced down at his hands. "Nothing a bucket of ice and a pint can’t solve."
Lex narrowed his eyes. "He get you in the eye?"
Xander smirked. "Lucky hit."
"Who—"
Before his brother could finish asking, Xander cut him off. "That's Evan. I think he figured he could surprise you, or, even better, Abbie. He was of the mind he was taking her back home with him."
His brother's usually clam demeanor slipped and he saw something in Lex he hadn’t seen in years—the will and the intent to kill. Alexi lunged for the guy and Xander blocked his path. "Easy, Alexi. I took care of it. He's alive and the Bill is on their way. You have nothing to do here."
Lex shoved at his shoulders, but they were too evenly matched and Xander stood his ground. "Not going to happen, so relax."
Alexi tried once more to move past him but it was a half-hearted effort. "He would have killed her," he said, voice wavering.
"Then aren’t we all lucky that I was here instead? Abbie is safe and you didn’t have to dust off your rusty ass Krav Maga skills."
His brother sneered. "I'm not rusty."
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. If you had been here, he would be dead. Let me take care of you for once." Xander let the unspoken speak for itself. Alexi had killed once to protect him. There was no saying what he would do to protect the woman he loved.
The police came and took a statement. And an ambulance picked up what was left of a semi-conscious Evan as the police gave them an escort. All the while, Lex remained quiet, speaking only when someone asked him a question. He provided the police with the security tape. But when he saw Evan's face, what Xander had done to him, Alexi gasped.
When the police left, his brother asked him softly, "You wanted to kill him, didn’t you?"
Xander waited for the shame or guilt to wash through him, but it never came. "Yeah. But I didn't."
Alexi was quiet for a moment. "I'm grateful for what you did for her. When I think about what would have happened. If she had been here."
There was something that sounded like anguish in his voice and Xander turned to face him. "I didn't just do it for her, Alexi. If that had been you and he'd gotten the jump on you?"
Lex's next question was soft. "Do you still love her?"
A tight fist squeezed Xander's gut. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? "I do love her.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and winced at the sting of pain around his eye. “But not the way you think. She's family to me. Just like you are. No one touches my family without losing a pint or two." He shrugged. "If he had hurt Imani I would have done the same. Just like I know you would have."
Lex swallowed hard. "I-I'm grateful you were here."
"Me too."
#
Imani let herself into their place with her brass key and smiled. Careful now, it’s just pretend. Even if it was just pretend, she liked thinking of this as their place. Soon, she would go back to her normal life. She needed to call Felix tonight. He'd left for Ireland two days ago and he wouldn’t be back for another two days, so they were due for a catch-up. But she wouldn't be able to see him until the weekend if her rehearsal schedule kept up. With her rehearsal schedule she was way overbooked, but she’d find time. She missed her bestie.
When she let herself in, the lights in the kitchen were on low, but the living room was dark. Had she left them on? Had Xander turned them on for her remotely so she wouldn’t come home to a dark house? He knew she had no idea how to work the remote security app. He’d taken to doing things like that for her. She didn’t know what had changed, but afte
r the club last weekend, he’d been different.
As if some invisible barrier between them had been torn down by force. If she didn’t know better she'd say he was the perfect boyfriend. He'd said he was meeting Lex for a drink tonight, so she didn't expect him for a while. Maybe she’d have some time to shave and do the girl thing. As she slipped her shoes off, she tossed her keys on the table in the foyer.
But when she reached for the light switch in the living room, a deep voice halted her. "Leave the light off, Imani."
Her heart skipped, but she instantly quelled the panic. She knew that voice. "Xander? I thought you were hanging with Lex tonight. Why are you sitting in the dark?" She reached for the light switch again and his voice got even deeper. "I said, leave it off."
She stilled, then licked her lips nervously. "Is everything okay?"
She dropped her bag on the kitchen counter.
"Come here."
Something wasn’t right. Tentatively she stepped toward the shadow on the couch. "Okay. You want to tell me what’s going on?" When she reached the couch, she paused, unsure of what to do next.
"Closer."
Her gaze slid to the floor so she could avoid any obstacles in her way. "Xander? You’re freaking me out a little. What’s the matter? Talk to me.”
“What's the matter is I need you. Fuck now, Talk later.”
Instantly heat pooled in her core. The way he said that set her blood on fire. Like she was the only one who could give him what he wanted. What he needed. "Okay," she whispered, unsure of what he wanted from her exactly. "I'm here."
