by AJ Nuest
No, not her. A warm tear tumbled onto Charlie’s cheek. Xander.
Saving Ellis’ life… That was all him.
“Jesus, woman, you scared the shit out of me.”
She spun toward the doorway as he strode through, shoulders nearly grazing the jamb and head ducked so his forehead wouldn’t get nailed by the top rail.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Don’t you know disappearing like that is liable to give me a heart attack?” He glanced toward Trey, shifted a frown over the open car doors, and kept right on walking. “What are you doing in here?”
And with those few simple words, the immense relief shining in his eyes, Charlie knew. As much as he’d hoped to help a sick boy who lay dying in the hospital, what Xander had done for Ellis and Lydia had been just as much—if not more—for her.
“Let me call you back.” Her whisper rasped against the mouthpiece, barely there, and she lowered the phone as Xander strode up in front of her.
Concern leaked into his gaze, and any ideas she might have had to bawl him out for kissing her in front of everyone were tossed aside like yesterday’s news.
Dammit.
“What’s the matter?” He cupped her cheek, clearing her tear with his thumb.
Well, this was perfect, wasn’t it? How in the hell was she supposed to stay pissed at the man, when every impulse she owned shouted at her to leap into his arms? Smother him with kisses so she could get lost in the smooth, supple sweep of his mouth?
His other hand rose to her neck, fingers tangling in her hair. The ball of his thumb followed the edge of her jaw and propped her chin at just the right angle so she had no choice but to look him in the eye.
Geez, the guy had to have the most amazing eyelashes on the planet. Thick and long, the inner blond line sparkling in the bright light as if the sandman had come along and dusted them with gold. “What the hell happened? I swear to God if someone—”
“No.” She placed her hand on his chest, and then internally read herself the riot act for being so stupid. That was a moronic move, resting her palm over the steady beat of his heart. “That was Ellis’s mom on the phone.” A tight breath shot from her nose. “She called to thank me.”
“Oh.” His shoulders fell and, two heartbeats thumped under her hand before he chuckled. “Busted.”
And what was it about that hoarse whisper coming from those lips that always set her inner DVR to the porn channel? The way he could rev her body to an impatient purr with a single phrase just wasn’t fair.
A hint of mischief skipped though his eyes. His husky laugh vibrated down her arm as one shadowed cheek creased in that irritating—adorable—lop-sided grin. “Well shit, Chuck, that’s no big deal.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek and she bit her bottom lip, fighting the urge to lean into his touch. “And here I was all ready to Hulk out. God, woman, I thought something bad had happened.”
Time to call foul. Throw down the yellow flag and back out of his arms. No woman would be able to think straight with those large warm hands caressing her skin. Their bodies so close, his hard thighs kept bumping hers. “Xander, that was… You are…”
Shit, she was drawing a blank. Big shocker there.
Her hand left his chest but, instead of lowering to her side like she told it to, the dumb thing rose to her face and held his palm against her cheek. And still, not one syllable formed on her tongue.
Maybe because he’d gotten it right the first time.
Something bad had happened.
Lowering her lashes, she focused on the top button of his vest. It wasn’t right, letting him get involved this way. Playing dumb while he got mixed up in her mess. Xander didn’t have the first clue why she’d wanted to help Ellis.
To alleviate the hurt and guilt. To get even with Ryan by stealing that stupid laptop that had begun to weigh like an anchor around her neck.
And now…with what Xander had done. Because of her. She shook her head. Somehow everything had gotten stirred together. There was no defining where her efforts ended and his began.
Yes, she was thankful. And what’s worse, there was no way she could ask him to take it all back. Without his help, she could be handing Ellis a death sentence. But he’d recalibrated everything. Had somehow rigged the tumblers so he could be the one guy who held the key to her heart.
Wonderful. She rolled her eyes. He’d given her such a bad case of the bed spins, now she was waxing poetic.
“Listen, I’ll pay you back.” Regardless of where this led them, bottom line was, she’d caused her own trouble, and whatever cleaning up needed to be done was her responsibility. “Somehow, I’ll figure out a way to—”
“Now hold on a damn second.” He eased her head back and her breath caught over the sharp edge his gaze. One she’d butted her toes against, and would most likely step over if she didn’t choose her next words very carefully. “Is that what you think this is? That I helped Ellis so you could feel like you owe me?”
“Of course not, Xander.” She understood why he’d done it. That was exactly the point. She stole a peek at Trey and breathed a little easier to find him sunny side up on a rolling mechanic’s board, legs sprawled between the front tires of a Bugatti. “But there are things you don’t know, okay? Things I haven’t told anyone.”
Xander squinted. “And you think I won’t understand?”
“No, that’s not it, I…” God, this was a nightmare. A complete and total nightmare. She never should’ve agreed to let him help her. If she truly cared about the guy, she should’ve put a stop to his involvement the second he’d figured out someone was tracking her movements.
“And then what, Xander?” Honestly, where did he think this would lead them? He could sweep her off her feet and all her troubles would magically disappear? He could ride in and save the penniless cinder girl like they were playing out some ridiculous fairy tale? “Seriously, what then?”
His shoulders bunched near his ears. A muscle ticked in his temple at the same tempo a raised vein pulsed near the gap in his collar.
But he didn’t speak, and a cold satisfaction settled in the pit of her stomach as silence reigned.
Exactly. She wasn’t the fairy tale type and neither was he. And once it had ended…however and whatever this was between them had ended…they could kiss any chance at a decent friendship goodbye.
“Then this, Charlie.” His hand left her cheek and he yanked her to his chest, his arm a tight band of muscle around her hips. “Then us.”
His fingers sank into her hair, and she gasped as he swept in, capturing her lips, his tongue flicking and stroking the seam of her mouth. Her pulse leapt, racing out of control as he tilted her chin and brushed up and then over. Again and again. Begging her to open for him until the lights dimmed behind her closed eyelids and her lips parted on a sigh.
Dammit, he wasn’t supposed to kiss her this way. His low growl heated her skin as he buried his rough cheeks in her neck, skimmed his full bottom lip up the side of her throat. Arousal raced through her veins and her sex clenched, needy and wet as he tasted the tender skin under her ear. He wasn’t supposed to say things that made her believe in some stupid idea of happily ever after.
The sharp edge of his teeth nipped her earlobe and her knees gave. From now on she was putting her foot down. His palm clamped the back of her head, and a demanding throb moistened her panties as his minty breath heated her ear.
No more hand-holding.
He brought her flush against the rock-solid wall of his body and a thrill slid slick and warm down her inner thighs.
No more kissing or hugging.
Fingers cinching, he lifted her head and crushed his lips to hers.
As soon as he stopped, she was erecting a three-foot safe zone between her and the non-stop temptation of his mouth.
“Oh, gross!” A strangled cough echoed off the high ceiling, and Charlie jerked back mid-kiss to catch Trey clawing at his neck, stiff index finger ai
med at the back of throat, gagging and sputtering as he stumbled to the side. “You guys are sick. I’m outta here.”
He scampered between the cars and disappeared through the door at the same moment Eden entered from the hallway. “Whoa.” Raising her arms, she swung her hips to the side to avoid a head-on collision. “Slow it down, hot rod.”
“I thought sick was supposed to be a good thing.” The gravelly lust in Xander’s voice sent a shiver over her skin, and Charlie snapped her head back toward him.
For some dumb reason, he still had her trapped against his hips—she scowled—and when the hell had she slung her arms around his neck?
One by one, she extracted her fingers from his hair, slid her hands down his chest and shoved. The last thing she needed was Eden getting any more wise ideas.
But Xander didn’t get the hint and, as a result, the two of them ended up hop-skipping to the side in some off-kilter version of a foxtrot. Chuckling quietly, he righted their balance, lifting her off her toes and setting her back on her feet…as if that were easy.
“Hey, you two.” Eden shifted a bright smile between them. “Sorry to bust in and ruin the mood.” Her gaze finally settled on Xander, and he gave a minimal shake of his head.
Oh-h-h, no. Charlie narrowed her eyes. No, no, no. Whatever that was about had trouble written all over it. And, by the way, hello! She was standing right here. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Eden raised her brows. “Other than Kelly and I are getting ready to take off. The thing is, we actually have a flight to catch. I promised him a few days away once the funeral was over. Just the two of us. Sort of a mini-vacation. We’re returning this weekend since neither of us wants to be away from Trey very long, but I feel like shit the three of us didn’t get the chance to catch up.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t suppose there’s any way I could convince you to stay until we get back. Maybe, I don’t know, go through the house a little? See if there’s anything you want to keep or possibly donate? I went ahead and had two of the guest rooms made up, and since X holds the largest share in the property, I guess I just wanted to run the idea past you and see what you thought.”
Wait, Xander owned the house? Charlie slowly shifted her eyes back to him. The guy had just become a bazillionaire.
And yet, another bullet point on the long list of vast differences between them.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly raised his hands in surrender. “I only found out a few minutes ago, I swear. This has nothing to do with what I did on the plane.” A tip of his head, and he ran his palms down her arms, twining her fingers through his. “But I gotta say, staying a few extra days sounds like a great idea to me. Whaddaya say, Chuck? Can we extend our trip?”
Like they had a choice? Heading back to New York was out of the question, and unless he owned some private island she didn’t know about, wasn’t Smith Manor the best—and safest—place for them to be?
Eden innocently batted her lashes. Xander brought Charlie’s hands to his lips with a sly wink.
And she did her best to maintain an expressionless mask.
He hadn’t told Eden.
Charlie tightened her grip as he dotted a row of kisses across her knuckles. Eden didn’t have the first clue the danger they were in. If she did, she never would’ve agreed to leave town.
“Sure, we can stay.” But despite all the unanswered questions, one thing was definitely clear.
Xander had made the right call in keeping quiet. Exactly the same as Charlie should when it came to him.
Eden didn’t deserve to be dragged into her mess any more than he did.
There was too much at stake, and Charlie’s next move concerned more than just the three of them or whether or not she spent the next few days fighting Xander off with a stick.
“Have fun on your trip, E.” She smiled. “And don’t hurry back on our account. You can leave Xander and the house to me.”
Chapter 10
Hand resting on the doorknob, Xander parked his weight on one hip. An impatient sigh crept through his chest as Charlie and Mocha shared their goodbyes beside the front hallway stairs.
“There.” Mocha tapped his cell and deposited his phone in his over-sized bling-ified purse. “I just texted you my private number. Call any time.”
“Cool, thanks.” Charlie handed off his wool coat, then picked up the platter of leftover food she’d topped with a dome of tinfoil and balanced on the banister newel like a shrunken UFO. “Maybe we can do lunch at some point this next week.”
“Sounds great.” Smiling, Mocha shrugged his coat onto his shoulders, flipped his long weave out from under the fur collar and pulled a set of wadded, leather gloves from his pocket. “Let me know what day works for you, and I’m in.”
Good Christ Almighty. Xander dragged his palm down his face. Being polite was one thing, but at this rate he was apt to go the way of the dinosaur and fossilize right here in the front hall. Next thing he knew, Charlie was likely to suggest loaning Mocha a set of pjs so they could swap out this send-off for a slumber party.
As it was, she’d already kept the guy well over an hour past everyone else. Chatting Mocha up on the couch, insisting he get a complete tour of the house and asking after which snacks he liked best off the buffet.
Topped by how she’d repeatedly ignored Xander’s soft pitches they call it a night and, somehow, he’d been backed into the middle of a Saturday Night Live skit of The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave.
“Well, thanks for coming. And here, this is for you.” Charlie waited for Mocha to finish doing up his buttons before offering him whatever she’d stacked under the foil.
The aluminum rattled around the plate, and Xander frowned over the way her hands trembled as she cinched it back in place.
Now what was that about? Narrowing his gaze, he ran his tongue along the front of his teeth. The entire day she’d been off, but that was no big secret. And sure, she’d done an excellent job of faking it ever since they’d rejoined the wake, even if every time he’d met her eyes, she’d quickly looked away. Or God forbid, he get too close. Ask her what was wrong. The few times he’d tried, she’d panicked like he’d trapped her in a corner, and then skirted around him so damn fast she’d left skid marks on the floor.
But he hadn’t noticed her shaking until now.
So what was the problem? What had he done or not done to make her upse—?
His teeth met with enough force, the clack echoed like the snap of a tendon in his head.
Dammit. Way to go, Eden. Here, he’d taken her advice…or at least he’d tried to convince Charlie he wasn’t about to give up on her, and the only thing he’d accomplished was to push her farther away.
“How fabulous.” Hefting the snacks in one arm, Mocha snuggled the plate between the crook of his elbow and his hip. “Killing me softly with toast points and cream cheese is an awesome way to go.”
An anemic snort erupted from Charlie’s throat, and Xander zeroed in on the tight smirk vying to find the right angle on her face.
There it was again. The laugh that wasn’t really a laugh at all. The uncomfortable smile that came off phonier than a content spoof some newbie hacker had slapped up on a fraudulent website.
A muscle spasmed along his jaw, and he mentally tossed his hands in the air.
Eden’s fiancé had been right. Every woman in the Dirty Deeds franchise should come packaged with operating instructions printed in six different languages.
“Okay, bring it in.” Waving her forward, Mocha held his empty arm to the side. “Time for me to hit the road. Any longer, and Mr. Tall, Blond and Deadly over there is gonna wear through the enamel on his teeth.”
Charlie sputtered a laugh as Mocha rocked her side to side, and Xander took the cue to twist the knob and swing open the door. Mocha would get no argument there. Xander needed Charlie all to himself, if for no other reason than to get them back to square one. The last thing he wanted was her skitzing
out over the thought of being alone with him. As long as they got on the same page, he was happy to take things at whatever pace she wanted.
“I’ll call you later, sweet cheeks.” Mocha strolled toward Xander, his bank of perfume scenting the air with a hint of chocolate just like his name. “You two take care.” The corner of his mouth twitched as he patted Xander’s cheek. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Uh-huh. Way to bring on about a billion different scenarios, each one starring Charlie, and on all of which Xander would’ve gladly blown his entire inheritance to make a part of his reality. “Thanks for that.”
“My pleasure.” Twiddling his fingers, Mocha smiled and sashayed into the rainy night.
A hollow thump echoed through the front hall as Xander closed the door. The snick of the deadbolt, four beeps as he set the alarm, and he pushed aside the narrow curtain strung along the side pane to check the street.
The hint of a shadow fluttered in his peripheral vision and his grip tightened on the knob.
Shit. Across the street. Behind the trunk of a broad Elm.
Mocha’s sedan roared to life. The headlights flicked on, and Xander snagged the opportunity to scan the opposite sidewalk.
Nothing. He jiggled the handle to double-check the lock. Other than the eerie shift and sway of the tree’s bare branches in the wind.
Not that he was taking any chances. First thing in the morning, he was installing a full upgrade to the security cameras hidden around the property. And if he had to, he’d forgo another night’s sleep up until then.
Flicking off the front porch light, he turned just as Charlie disappeared through the swinging door into the kitchen, not so much as a how’s it going or even a kiss my sweet ass before leaving.
Muttering a curse, Xander followed behind, checking the living room and up the front hallway stairs to make sure everything was secure.