“You got more of those?” he asked, looking pointedly at the red-and-black-smeared wipe.
“Sure. Come on back.” Rose led him to the other side of the apartment, where her bedroom and bath were. He followed her into the bathroom, where she plucked another wipe from the box and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
She took another and made quick work of the butterfly paint. When she was done, she noticed Xander still had a good bit that he’d missed.
“Let me help,” she said, reaching up to caress his face.
The minute she touched him, she could feel the energy in the room change. Xander’s hand reached up to cover her own and his eyes closed as he savored the contact.
“Rose,” he whispered.
The word traveled like a caress down her spine. Every nerve in her body came alive in an instant. His other hand moved to her waist, his fingertips grazing over her through the silky fabric of her top. Her blood suddenly seemed warmer in her veins. Her cheeks felt flush. Her breasts felt painfully confined by her bra. Modesty be damned—she wanted to strip off all her clothes to let the cool air-conditioning and his sizzling touch combine across her bare skin.
Xander leaned down and his lips met hers. She melted into him, pressing every soft curve of her body into every hard ridge of his. As he tasted her and let his tongue leisurely explore, she could feel his fingertips gathering her blouse at the waist of her jeans. She put her arms over her head and he broke away from the kiss long enough to pull the top off.
His eyes raked over her with blatant approval. The extra curves she’d picked up over the years didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, they seemed to stoke the fires inside of him like never before. It made Rose bold enough to reach behind her and unclasp her strapless bra. Her pale breasts spilled free, the tight pink tips reaching out for his touch.
Xander groaned softly at the sight, but he didn’t reach for her. Not yet. He ripped his own shirt over his head and threw it to the ground first. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He, too, had changed since she’d seen him last. Her lean baseball player had bulked up over the years. He seemed broader, stronger, more powerful now. His bare chest was like a wall, the muscles etched into stone. A sprinkling of light brown chest hair sprawled across his pecs and then traveled down his stomach. It darkened as it disappeared into his waistband, making her palms itch to reach out and unbutton his fly.
Before she could, he stepped forward, his hulking figure nearly overwhelming her own as he pressed his bare skin against hers. His hands gripped each side of her face and drew her mouth back to his. Rose wrapped her arms around him and tugged him closer until her breasts were crushing against his chest.
Xander growled against her mouth. He moved his hands down her sides and over her hips and caressed the curve of her rear through her jeans. Then she felt his fingertips press against the backs of her thighs and before she knew it, he’d lifted her up. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist so she wouldn’t lose contact with his lips.
He carried her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, where he sat her on the edge of the mattress. Crouching down in front of her, he unfastened and slipped her jeans down her thighs. He pulled off her shoes and tossed her clothes out of his way before he guided his hands back up her bare legs to the lace edging of her panties.
Rose was propped on her elbows, watching his exploration with anxiety. The closer his hot breath got to her aching core, the harder it was for her to breathe. He wrapped his fingertips around the lace and tugged gently until they, too, were gone. Then he pressed against the insides of her knees, opening her thighs to him.
The moment his tongue made contact with her skin, she could no longer watch. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head dropped back. She swallowed one gasp of pleasure, then another, as his mouth moved over her slick skin. One hand closed over her left breast, teasing and pinching gently at her nipple until her hips bucked involuntarily against his tongue.
Even after all this time, he knew just how to touch her. In only a few moments’ time, she was on the edge, threatening to go over. “Z...” she panted. “Oh yes, Z.”
Her encouragement spurred him on. He moved over her sensitive flesh with renewed enthusiasm and before she could catch her breath, she was gasping and writhing against the mattress. Her release hit her hard, his relentless caresses giving her body no escape from the intensity of it.
He waited until she stilled and then whispered against her stomach. “I love it when you call me that.”
Rose watched through hooded eyes as he stood up, slid out of his jeans, then slipped into the condom he’d brought with him. She rolled onto her stomach, inching higher onto the bed, but before she could turn over, she felt the heat of his body pressed along her entire back. The weight flattened her against the mattress. She could feel the firm heat pressing insistently at the back of her thigh and his warm breath at her neck.
With a shiver of desire running through her, she parted her legs, allowing him to slip between them. Rose propped herself up onto her elbows, arching her spine and raising her backside up to him.
Nearly every inch of her body was in contact with his as he moved forward and buried himself inside her. “Oh, Rose,” he whispered, his voice wavering in her ear. He placed a searing kiss against her earlobe, then another down her neck and another on the bare curve of her shoulder. On his elbows, he reached beneath her and cupped both breasts in his hands.
A surge of pleasure rushed through Rose’s body, her muscles tightening around the length of him. Xander trembled and swore against her shoulder, then moved in her again.
Although Rose faced away from him, she’d never felt closer. She could feel every twitch of his muscles against her skin. Every whisper and prayer that passed his lips danced across her neck. It was like being wrapped in a blanket of him, secure, safe and warm.
And then he started moving faster. Rose gripped frantically at the sheets, pressing back and into his every thrust as she felt the coil of need in her belly grow tighter with each passing moment. She had waited so long to have Xander here, in her bed, in her body, again. It was almost hard to believe this was really happening. Xander. Here. Wanting her as badly as he had before.
That thought was enough for her to finally lose control. The rush of heat and pleasure surged through her veins, her inner core throbbing and pulsating around him.
Rose gasped into her pillowcase, her soft cries soon mingling with the low groans of Xander’s release.
After a few minutes of ragged breathing, Xander dropped over to her side and collapsed onto the mattress. Rose rolled back and curled against him. It was such a calm, peaceful moment she could almost fall asleep in his arms just like this.
Then a funny thought struck her. “You know, Lois Walters would have a fit if she found out about this.”
Xander propped himself up onto one elbow and looked down at her. “Why, of all the things you could talk about in this moment, are we discussing the mayor’s wife?”
“It just occurred to me, inappropriate timing or no, that she would be furious if she knew.”
Xander sighed and brushed the damp strands of hair from her face. “Knew what?”
Rose cracked her most wicked of grins. “If she knew that I was sleeping with a judge.”
Seven
The light was just beginning to shine dimly through the windows when Xander spoke. “I should go.”
Rose groaned in protest and rolled onto her side to look at him. Her hair was tousled and sexy, her dark eyes still slightly glazed with sleep. “You don’t have to.”
Xander placed a kiss on the end of her nose and swung his legs out of bed. “I know, but I was thinking I needed to be gone before Joey woke up.”
Before he could press his feet against the carpeting, the rumble of voices sounded from the living room.
“Too late,” Rose said. She lay back against the mattress, stretching long like a cat and yawning loudly.
“Joey is an early riser. Thank goodness he’s finally old enough to make himself cereal and watch television until I wake up.”
“Now what?” Xander asked.
Rose sat up and tucked the sheets under her arms. “We get up, get dressed and have breakfast, I suppose. If we don’t act like it’s a big deal, he won’t think it’s a big deal.”
“Is he, uh, used to you having men stay overnight?”
Rose’s mouth fell open in shock. “No,” she said, her tone sharp. “I’ve never had a man over before.”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings,” Xander said, reaching his arm across the bed to grip her foot through the blanket. “I don’t know how much you’ve dated while we’ve been apart or how serious it was. I have no room to talk because I assure you it isn’t as many people as I’ve dated.”
She frowned and slipped out of the bed. “Glad to know you haven’t been pining away for me all these years.” Rose pulled on a robe and disappeared into the bathroom.
Xander just shook his head. He always knew just what to say, unless he was around Rose. Then, somehow, his filter short-circuited and he ended up saying things that ranged from rude to tacky to downright insulting. He started pulling on his clothes instead and was dressed when Rose came out of the bathroom.
“I’m going to make some coffee,” she said.
They went out together, following the sound of cartoon chaos as they neared the living room.
“Morning, baby,” Rose greeted their son.
Joey turned away from the television to glance at them, and then he smiled when he noticed Xander was there. “Morning. Hi, Xander! You want one of my Pop-Tarts? They’re s’mores flavored.”
“Hey, kiddo,” Xander said. “I’ll pass on the breakfast, but thanks for the offer. You save those for you.”
Joey shrugged and returned to watching the cartoons on the television.
“That was quite the offer,” Rose noted quietly. “Are you sure you want to turn it down? Joey won’t share his Pop-Tarts with just anyone. Not even Craig. You must be special.”
“I’m honored. I’m just not interested in chocolate-and-marshmallow sludge this early in the morning.”
“How about coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Rose poured two mugs of hot coffee and passed one over to him. “Joey,” she said, “could you turn it over to the news? I want to see what time the parade is supposed to start.”
Joey pouted for a moment and then flipped the channel from cartoons to news. The local guy was talking about the weather, and then the woman gave an update on the festival and parade route. It looked as if it would begin at eleven.
“I know they’re announcing the bake-off winners at ten,” Xander added, “so we should get down there earlier. I have to go by the farm and change first. I probably need to be there by nine-thirty since I’m helping hand out the awards.”
“We’ll meet you at the winners’ ceremony,” Rose said.
Xander had turned away from the television once he had the information he needed about the parade, but the woman’s voice caught his attention again.
“...sketch to help the local authorities identify the body found at the Bridgeton Properties site last December.”
His face jerked back toward the TV in time for the long-awaited sketch to flash up on the screen. Xander’s stomach sank, the coffee turning bitter on his tongue. It had finally happened. The artist’s re-creation was looking back at him. All hell was about to break loose.
The woman on the news continued to talk while it was displayed. “The coroner’s office reported last year that the victim was a young Caucasian male, approximately age sixteen to twenty-four. Cause of death was believed to be blunt-force trauma to the head. If you have any information about this crime or recognize the person in the sketch, please call the local sheriff’s office.” A number flashed onto the screen.
“That’s just awful,” Rose said.
Yeah, that was about what he was thinking. Once the Strawberry Days stuff wrapped up today, he needed to get back to the farm to start running interference.
“You never expect something like that to happen where you live,” he commented, and it was true. You certainly never expected it to happen to you, either.
“I don’t recognize the sketch. Do you?”
“Nope,” he said without turning to look again. And honestly, it didn’t look that much like Tommy. If he hadn’t known for a fact that the dead guy was his former bunkhouse-mate, he wouldn’t have connected the dots himself.
“Does it freak you out to know that someone died on your parents’ property while you were there?”
Xander shrugged. “Not really. The farm is huge. Any number of things could’ve happened out there and no one would know it. Besides, it might’ve happened before Heath and I came there. The timeline window they’ve given is pretty broad.”
“That would creep me out. It’s bad enough knowing that there’s a murderer running around Cornwall somewhere,” she said quietly so Joey wouldn’t hear. “What if it’s someone I know? Someone I trust?” Rose shivered into her robe, pulling the plush fabric tighter around her.
He had been right, he thought drily. Rose would not understand. There would be no explaining it to her, only rationalizing away her argument. “It was a long time ago. Anyone could’ve stumbled onto the property and no one would know it. Two guys hiking through the area might’ve gotten into an argument in the woods and one could’ve offed the other. It could be two people we’ve never met in our life,” he added.
“I suppose,” Rose agreed. “Are you hungry?”
“A little. I’d be happy to eat anything without strawberries,” he said. There would be plenty of strawberry foods today at the parade. He didn’t need more here.
Rose nodded and turned away to the refrigerator. As she opened the door, Xander noticed a flyer that read Scout Camp in big letters at the top.
“Is Joey going to scout camp?” he asked. He’d gone at Joey’s age and had loved it. He’d learned how to shoot a bow and arrow, tie a million knots, ride a horse and make art out of macaroni.
Rose raised her finger to her lips to quiet him. They both glanced over at Joey, but he had switched back to cartoons and was paying them no attention. “No. He wanted to go, but I couldn’t afford it.”
“When is it?”
“It starts on Monday. With his arm, even if I could afford it, they probably wouldn’t take him.”
Xander could specifically recall seeing a boy with a broken arm when he went to camp. If Troy Williams was still the local scoutmaster, maybe Joey could go. Troy had contributed heavily to Xander’s campaign. He could give him a call. Joey would have a good time. And given that the sketch just went public, it might be the best solution. Xander wouldn’t be torn between spending time with his son and fielding the press. “They might. We should ask. It might make up for missing out on baseball.”
Rose frowned. “Xander, I told you that I can’t af—”
“And I told you I was going to help,” he interrupted. “And he wants to go. If I can get the scoutmaster to agree to let him go, will you let me take care of it?”
Her lips twisted with thought but she didn’t answer.
“Seven full days,” Xander added, “without a child underfoot. We could each do what we needed to during the day, then I could come over here after work. Imagine how much trouble we could get into. Imagine how loud you could be,” he said with emphasis.
Rose’s dark eyes met his, the bright flame of desire burning in their depths again. He hated that it would be an eternity before he could touch her again. It would be a welcome distraction with everything that was about to happen. She didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to.
“I’ll call Troy on my way home and see what he has to say. If we can’t, we can’t. But if Joey can go, I want to take care of it.”
* * *
Rose kept her distance from Xander at the bake-off celebration. The dishes we
re anonymous, but if she seemed too friendly with Xander, she had no doubt someone would call foul. She’d never won any of the categories before, so she’d hate to sully it, and Daisy’s reputation, by getting embroiled in a small-town baking scandal.
Despite that, she could just picture the look on Lois Walters’s face if she did win. Scandal or no, it would be worth it.
She currently sat in the back row with a very bored Joey. He was more interested in the parade and food vendors outside since she’d forced him to leave his handheld game system at home. Fortunately, it was going pretty quickly. Edith Andrews took best-dessert open for her strawberry pretzel salad. A beaming Molly Eden defeated her competitors in the jams-and-preserves category for her spicy strawberry-jalapeño jelly. Then Lois Walters won first place for her strawberry pie, surprise, surprise. Rose had to admit it was a very good pie, but she was over the smug, pudgy woman’s face gloating about it all the time.
Last was cakes, Rose’s category. She had gotten second and third place before, but when her name wasn’t called for either, she felt the twinge of disappointment. Sleeping with a judge hadn’t helped at all, she thought with a wry grin just touching her lips and lifting her spirits.
“First place goes to the strawberry cloud cake by Rose Pierce.”
At first she didn’t react. Had she heard that right? Then Joey nudged her and she leaped up from her seat. The crowd applauded as she made her way up to the stage and was presented with a ribbon by the contest coordinator, Mrs. Shipley.
“Please stay on stage, dear. We’re bringing up all the winners for the best-in-show presentation.”
Rose nodded and stepped to the side. On the table behind them was a trophy for best strawberry dish of the year. She heard Lois had to have a cabinet built for all her trophies, so she didn’t hold her breath. Lois, Edith and Molly joined her on stage for the announcement.
“And the winner of best in show is...Lois Walters and her Berrilicious Strawberry Pie!”
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