by Sam Crescent
He took a step toward her. She held her breath.
“I have often wondered what it would be like to find a woman who will like me for myself. Not for the life I can give her, or the money I can lavish her with. A woman who will look at me, see the real man, and like what they see.”
He was way too close.
She struggled not to flinch away from his touch as he stroked her cheek.
This was really bad.
She was all alone with a monster. Her days of waitressing came back to her, making her even more uncomfortable.
Xavier wouldn’t tell her the full extent of Dixon’s crimes, but she had a wild imagination and that was coming into full effect right fucking now.
The backs of his fingers ran down to her pulse, and then he cupped her cheek, his thumb running across her lip.
“This is really inappropriate,” she said.
“I think you need to reconsider the man you’re going to marry. Every chance he gets he dumps you, leaves you alone. I wouldn’t do that to you. You’d be treated as a queen with me.”
The space between them was getting less, and his lips were getting scarily bigger. She was panicking.
Her heart raced and not in a good way.
Everything inside her screamed to get away.
Would a woman scream in this instance? Yell at him?
Should she let him kiss her?
Xavier, when I see you, I’m totally kicking you in the balls and you’re going to deserve every second of it.
Dixon’s lips dropped on hers, and she felt her stomach recoil.
This man was not for her.
Chapter Seven
Alesha stumbled backwards, but Dixon kept her from falling. She hated his hands on her. Hated any man’s hands on her—except Xavier’s. This charade was proving more than she could handle. With so many gorgeous women to choose from, why was Dixon obsessed with her?
The sound of a person tutting came from behind him. Dixon turned to look, and Alesha peeked to the side to see if it was Xavier.
It was a woman.
She was stunning, with long black hair, smooth as glass. Her make-up was done to perfection, her ruby red lips slightly parted.
“Didn’t your mother teach you not to take without asking?” she asked.
Dixon scoffed, tossing up his hands. He turned to look at Alesha. “Can you believe this?”
She shrugged.
He turned back around. “I don’t remember you from my guest list,” he said.
She smiled, but it was almost evil. “Details.”
“You need to go.” He reached out to grab the woman’s arm, but she moved impossibly fast, twisting around and bringing a metallic blade to Dixon’s throat from behind.
She whispered in his ear, loud enough for Alesha to hear. “You have a harem of whores. Cut this one loose.”
The woman slid the blade along the side of his neck, a single bead of crimson blood escaping down into his collar. Then she twirled around, tucking the blade into a wide black garter on her thigh before leaving up the staircase. How could she move so gracefully in those sinfully high heels?
What the hell was going on?
Just before she disappeared from view, she looked down and made eye contact with Alesha. She froze until the woman was out of sight, then gasped for air, not realizing she’d been holding her breath.
Dixon pulled out his cell phone, talking to his security detail, then put it away. “I’m so sorry about that,” he said, blotting his neck with a cloth handkerchief. “The crazies just seem to come out of the woodwork these days.”
“Right,” she said, not sure what to say. Where was Xavier? “Maybe we should go where there are more people. She could have killed you.”
“I’m not afraid of her,” said Dixon. “My security team will have her rounded up within minutes.”
“Will they throw her overboard?” she asked to lighten the mood.
He laughed. “They should, but no, they’ll contact the coast guard and have her arrested.”
She nodded. “Good. Someone like that is definitely dangerous. I was too shocked to move.”
“I can protect you, Alesha.”
She almost scoffed out loud, coughing lightly instead. He couldn’t even protect himself from some socialite. Xavier was the only man capable of truly protecting her. Would he kill for her? Right now, he was too busy to think about her safety, but she was bait after all. Did Xavier expect her to go all the way with Dixon? Did she mean nothing to him?
Her mind raced as Dixon crept closer, coming for round two of his unwanted advance. Apparently, that woman’s warning had no effect on him. Alesha still couldn’t get those dark eyes out of her mind.
“I should check on Xavier.” She backed away.
“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can handle that weak stomach of his,” he said. “I suggest you keep an open mind. Trust me, one day you’ll realize Xavier will never have the stability I can offer.”
“What do you do for a living exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?” Small talk was better than kissing and touching.
“Imports, exports. I won’t bore you with the details.”
“And the dinner yesterday? That was for a charity, right?”
“A fundraiser. For the manatees.”
She narrowed her eyes. “The manatees?” Alesha walked to the portal windows and peered out, trying to look occupied. Xavier told her the charity dinner was a front for human trafficking. She doubted the manatees benefited from Dixon’s little soiree.
“It’s good to give back once in a while,” he said.
“Sure. Of course.”
“Does Xavier involve himself with any charities? I never thought of him as a philanthropist like myself, but I could be wrong.”
“Oh, he loves giving. Give here, give there. Whales, seals, manatees. I can’t keep up with him.” Oh shit. She hated these specific questions where she had no answers planned. It was one thing to act like herself, but another to lie on the spot. Quick wit didn’t come easy when her nerves were frayed thin.
“You’re a good woman caught up in something you can’t begin to imagine.” He tossed his handkerchief on the bar and backed her up against the porthole. Her entire body tensed. She wanted to tell him to fuck off, but wasn’t sure how far Xavier expected her to take this ruse.
He placed a hand on her hip, and all those years of being at the mercy of drunks and perverts when working at bars came rushing back—the helplessness, the shame, and anger. “No, I can’t do this.” She shoved him away, cursing herself for not keeping to the mission. “I love Xavier.”
“Wrong answer,” he said. His hand was around her neck the next second, squeezing hard enough to steal her breath. She clawed at his arm with both hands, gasping for air. His eyes were flat, and all traces of the gentleman he’d tried to portray had vanished. “Do you really think you’re my type? Did you believe the bullshit lines I fed you?” He chuckled. “Alesha Marie Sanders. It didn’t take long for my men to get a full work up on you. Too easy really. Xavier is getting sloppy.”
He knew who they were. It was all a trap. Did they have Xavier?
She felt herself drifting away, and she was helpless to fight it. Her vision blurred, the room growing darker. Was she going to die? Would he throw her overboard? Feed her to the sharks? A great shadow appeared behind Dixon, like a demon about to consume him, and an arm came around his neck. The hand around her throat dropped away, and she coughed, air rushing back into her lungs, the room coming alive with color and light.
“Trying to kill my fiancée?” Xavier had Dixon at his mercy. “You’re a terrible host. I think we’ll have to cancel the rest of our lunch date.”
Dixon held onto Xavier’s thick bicep, attempting to speak. “We’re on my yacht, in the middle of the ocean. Do you realize how many men I have upstairs? They’re all aware you work for Killer of Kings.”
Killer of Kings? So, Xavier did work for a group of assassins. Everything he’d s
aid when drunk was probably the truth. Alesha was still frozen in place, her hand on her neck.
“What men?” Xavier winked at her, and her heart did a little flutter even under the circumstances. “You’re the only one left, Dixon. Did you think my boss would send someone that unprofessional?”
“You used a civilian. I had her ID’d within an hour last night.”
“Actually, she’s where you went wrong. You should have kept your hands to yourself. I don’t like sharing.” Then a sickly crack made her stomach roil, and Dixon’s lifeless figure fell to the ground in a heap, his head at an unnatural angle. She stared down at the body.
“You broke his neck. Is he dead?”
“I certainly hope so.” Xavier stepped over the body as if he’d done this a thousand times. He probably had.
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through his messages as if she hadn’t almost died and her entire world wasn’t upside down. “Hello?” she said, trying to get his attention.
Xavier didn’t look up at her. “There was a woman. What happened?”
“I don’t know. She was protecting me, I think.” Alesha didn’t want them to run into that gorgeous woman. She would be too much of a distraction, and Alesha’s confidence was already taking a hit today. “I can’t believe you’re more worried about her. I could have died, Xavier. Do you realize that? Do you even care at all?”
This time he looked at her, returning his phone to his pocket. He stepped closer, cupped her face with both hands and held eye contact. “I just killed fourteen men, and no one at this luncheon is the wiser. I have you bugged, and heard your conversation with my mark the entire time. I wouldn’t have left you alone with him otherwise. As soon as you were in real danger, I was here.”
“This is crazy. I thought this was recon?” Her voice trailed off. She wasn’t able to process what was happening. Her world consisted of normal people things like grocery shopping, cooking, and worrying about bills. All this death, the chaos was something out of a movie.
“That was yesterday,” he said. Xavier’s ran his thumb across her cheek, a slow, sensual drag. “I did hear a lot in my earpiece that I wasn’t expecting. You love me?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I was playing the part. You told me to act.”
“No, I told you to be yourself.”
“Well, the real me would have kicked him in the nuts for touching me without asking. I was behaving so I didn’t ruin your mission.”
“Next time follow your instincts. No one’s allowed to touch you but me.” Xavier tilted her head back, examining her neck. He cursed, lightly touching the sore spots. She’d definitely have bruises tomorrow. “I should have come faster.”
“What happens now, Xavier? We’re on the ocean. There are dead bodies everywhere. Oh my God.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “They’ll put you in jail.”
“You’re too cute.” He kissed her on the forehead, no signs of concern on his face. His presence and confidence made her feel safe. “There’s nothing to worry about. A walk in the park.”
“Everything went so wrong. He said he knew who I was. The real me, not your fake fiancée.”
“It went exactly as planned, Alesha. I did what my boss asked, and now it’s time to go home.”
“Just like that?”
He took her hand, leading her to the stairs to the main deck of the yacht. “Do what I do every night. Turn it off. It’s a job, nothing more.”
“Easy for you to say.”
****
Alesha had showered and gone to bed hours ago. The events of the day had worn on her nerves. Xavier swore she’d fracture into a thousand pieces the way she carried on. He had to remind himself she’d never been subjected to the horrors he’d lived through, and murder wasn’t a part of her daily routine.
He sat behind his desk in the study, waiting for Maurice to get back on the line. He’d done his time in his gym, venting his frustrations. His feelings for his cleaner were messing with his head. That little part of his brain he so easily turned on and off to avoid feeling emotions was useless when it came to Alesha.
Xavier may have told Alesha everything had gone according to plan, but that was a little white lie. Dixon had found out who Alesha was, which meant others knew. He didn’t want her in danger or to be used against him. All the hitmen at Killer of Kings with women had that extra liability hanging over their heads. He didn’t want that responsibility. This lifestyle was his choice, and he didn’t want to drag an innocent woman down the same path.
He also couldn’t cut her loose, which led him back to his original predicament—he wanted something he couldn’t have.
“Facial recognition software,” said Maurice. “She applied to be bonded a few years ago for a cleaning job. Once her information’s on file, it’s easy to hack. They’d just need her picture or fingerprint to pull up the information.”
“Okay, we know how they got it. I want to know what they plan to do with it.”
“It’s anyone’s guess,” said Maurice. “The information could have died with Dixon. Or they could try to get their hands on Alesha to get back at you for killing their boss.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his temple. “This is exactly why I believe hitmen should be bachelors for life.”
“Did you break your rules?”
He exhaled. “Maybe. It’s complicated.” Maurice wasn’t exactly his friend, but they did communicate frequently for information exchange. He usually had good advice, but there was only so much Xavier was willing to share because he knew the hacker was loyal to Boss first and foremost. “Did you find out anything on the recording of that woman?”
“She’s not in any of my databases.”
“Alesha said she had Dixon at her mercy. What the fuck does that mean?”
“There are females in this business, Xavier. You know that. She could have been a hired gun.”
“Then why not kill him when she had the chance?”
“Maybe she was there for you.”
Xavier scoffed. “If she was any kind of professional, she’d know Alesha was my date and would have used her against me.”
“You’re right,” said Maurice. “Probably just a jilted lover he forgot about. She wanted her piece of revenge and got it.”
“If you hear anything else, give me a call.”
He put the phone away, and Xavier leaned back in his leather chair, his arms behind his head. Boss didn’t let on that he knew anything, but Xavier was certain his boss knew better. When he’d called to give him an update after leaving the yacht, Boss had congratulated him for completing the mission. Xavier had single-handedly taken out Dixon and his closest men. It was what he loved doing most—working with his hands. It beat recon any day.
But the mission wasn’t over yet. The trafficking ring went deeper, and Boss had a client willing to pay top dollar to root out the kingpin. Xavier had to team up with Killian and Bain tomorrow. Intel had their target at a factory by the city pier for a meeting in the morning. It was the perfect chance to take them all out. When the entire cell was gone, Alesha wouldn’t be in danger.
“You’re still up?”
He jolted to an upright position, looking towards his office door. Alesha stood there in a pink robe, hugging herself. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I know I’m not supposed to be in this part of the house, especially your office, but I figured things were different now. No need for secrets.”
Xavier stood up, forgetting he’d only slipped on a pair of black workout shorts after his shower. Her gaze traveled down the length of his body. The way she looked at him made his cock hard. Why did she have so much control over that appendage?
“This isn’t what I want, Alesha. Involving you was a mistake. We should try to go back to the way things were.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said. “The things I’ve seen aren’t things a person easily forgets.”
He stalked closer, hoping to instill a bit of healthy fear into her. “What you saw tod
ay was nothing. The things I’ve done with these hands, you have no fucking idea.” He held up his hands to punctuate his warning. “If you could see the things I’ve seen, you wouldn’t be so eager for more.”
Xavier whirled around, running a hand through his loose, damp hair.
“Your back.” Her hands were on him, smoothing along his skin. He jerked, not used to affection or coddling. If he had to imagine heaven, some place outside the darkness of his own mind, it would be the feel of her touching him. She was gentle. The concern in her voice confused him.
She traced the raised scars on his back, and then her lips kissed along the old wounds. Each burn and slash was a reminder of the hell he’d been through. From ten years old and onward, his life had been a battle. Before that, extreme poverty had stolen his childhood.
“You’ve seen it before, no?”
“I was more worried getting you to bed and dealing with the blood. What happened to you, Xavier?”
“Let’s not get into that,” he said. He turned back around and shackled both her wrists to keep her from touching him. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Where did you get all these scars?” she asked, not heeding his warning. Alesha was an enigma. His fearless little cleaner. He released one of her hands, and she reached for his neck.
He placed his hand over hers. “You think you want me, but you don’t. Trust me on that.”
These good girls flocked to bad boys like moths to a flame. Maybe they wanted excitement, domination, or whatever the fuck they didn’t get from daddy, but Xavier wasn’t a bad boy. He was her worst fucking nightmare. He wouldn’t be able to love her, just destroy her.
“You wanted me earlier. Or don’t you remember the way you touched me?”
He licked his lips. The scent of her strawberry shampoo, her swollen lips, the yearning in her eyes—she was a big problem.
“More mistakes. I can’t even count the number of women I’ve touched the same way.”
She narrowed her eyes and stepped back. “You’re an asshole. I keep thinking there’s something there, and then you do a one-eighty.”
“Now you’re getting it,” he said.