His Challenging Lover (14 page)

Then her stomach growled and she knew she should focus on getting some food inside of her before anything else. “Right,” she said out loud and padded barefoot out of her bedroom.

Xander watched her move, walking behind her so he could enjoy her from the back. “What are you making me for dinner?” he asked as they descended the stairs to the kitchen.

She snorted. “How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” she suggested and opened the fridge.

He was looking in the pantry. “How about pasta?” he suggested and grabbed the jar of sauce and dried pasta. “You get the water boiling, I’ll do the rest.”

Her eyebrows went up with that. “I’ll make the garlic toast,” she offered and went into her freezer for the last half of the crusty bread she’d bought a while ago but hadn’t used. There was a bit of cheese, fresh garlic and plenty of butter in the freezer which she kept on hand for when the mood struck to bake something yummy and decadent.

“You’re on,” he told her and reached around her to grab the vegetables that were in her fridge. “Stand back, woman,” he said and started opening cabinets in search of the items he would need to make pasta.

For the next hour, they laughed and nibbled on vegetables while they cooked their dinner together. After they’d filled their stomachs with rich, cheese laden pasta, Xander pulled her back into his arms and made love to her once more before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

That started the pattern for the next several days. After work, they would meet at either his place or hers, they would cook, eat and laugh, enjoy each other’s company and relax until he took her into his arms and made her so crazy with his touch and his kisses that she was begging him to take her. She had no idea if this kind of passion for another person was normal, but she suspected it wasn’t. She’d heard others talk about sex with their spouses in the kitchen and what she was experiencing with Xander didn’t have any resemblance to what others discussed. It was like apples and asparagus.

She was walking into the office, feeling happier than she ever had. Until she came face to face with her reality. “He said he had to work last night,” a woman draped in a black dress was saying to Diane.

Autumn was about to walk by when something inside her told her to stop and linger for a moment.

“I don’t know if he was working late last night, ma’am. But he hasn’t come in yet today. Would you like to leave a message?” Diane asked in her kindest voice, which told Autumn that the black clad woman had already been her for a while and was making a stink about something.

“Can I help you?” Autumn asked, stepping forward to help Diane out of the situation.

The woman turned around, swinging her silky black hair in an arc to face the new voice. The woman looked Autumn up and down, dismissing her as unimportant. “I’m looking for Xander Thorpe,” the woman explained. “I’m Marcy Duprey.”

Autumn waited, expecting the woman to continue. When she finished with just her name, as if that were supposed to mean something, Autumn plastered her ‘office manager’ smile onto her face. “Do you have an appointment with Mr. Thorpe?” Autumn asked, her stomach starting to twist into knots. She knew exactly where this was going. Had known it would happen but wished it had taken more time.

“I don’t need an appointment,” the woman stated, preening slightly with a superior expression on her beautiful features. “And I’m just here to hear from him if the rumors are true.”

Autumn swallowed, painfully aware that this woman might not be exaggerating. She’d left Xander’s house only an hour ago but already she felt cold and rejected. “Mr. Thorpe isn’t in the office at the moment. If you’d like to sit down and wait, I can bring you a cup of coffee. Or I can make an appointment for later in the day?” she offered, trying to sound normal and professional, but she suspected she was coming across as brittle and vulnerable, which is how she felt.

The woman waved the option away. “No need. I just need a moment of his time.”

“Then you’re going to wait?” Autumn asked.

Marcy laughed. “Goodness no. I’ve been waiting enough for that man. I’m not waiting any more. Besides, if what I read was true, then he has a lot to explain!” She slung her hair over her shoulder and walked out. With one hand on the door, she turned back. “Tell him to call me the moment he gets in,” she ordered as if Autumn and Diane were her underlings, here to follow her commands.

Diane blew out her breath and slumped into the back of her chair. “That woman did not look happy.”

Autumn knew the feeling. She’d been on top of the world only five minutes ago. The presence of that horrible woman had ruined that wonderful feeling she’d left the house with earlier.

Walking into her office, she had to control the urge to slam the door. She walked carefully and precisely to her desk and dove into the work. She pushed herself harder than ever that day, needing to push the image of that woman out of her mind.

“Did you hear?” Diane stepped into her office, excitement obvious in her eyes.

“Hear what?” Autumn asked, pulling the report off of the printer, her eyes scanning the details to ensure their accuracy.

“Mia Paulson is free! The police were even here to re-arrest her on embezzlement charges but some woman with Ryker recognized the alleged victim.”

“You’re kidding!” Autumn demanded, standing up and moving out of her office. “Where is she?”

“Down in Ash’s office,” Diane called back to her.

Autumn didn’t wait any longer, running down the stairs to Ash’s area. She was so excited for her friend. This was amazing news and it occurred to her that she hadn’t even contacted her friend in the past several days. Of all the times when Mia needed a friend, Autumn had been too wrapped up in her own world lately and she was ashamed.

“Where’s Mia?” she asked Jean, Ash’s administrative assistant.

“She’s in Ash’s office.”

Autumn rushed through the doors, eager to see her friend. It was also a convenient excuse to avoid Xander today, made better by the fact that it was true.

“I just heard the news!” she screamed and grabbed Mia into a huge hug. “I’m so relieved. I told you Ash could get you out of this mess!” she said, rocking back and forth with her arms around Mia’s shoulders.

Mia laughed and tried to nod her head, but Autumn’s grip was too tight. “You were right. He got everything all cleared up. I can’t believe it’s actually over!”

Autumn laughed, delighted. “We have to go out and celebrate!” she exclaimed. “Let’s go do Durango’s!”

“Yes!” Mia agreed, knowing that a margarita was exactly what she needed right now. “I’m totally in!”

They walked out, arm in arm, to the elevators, laughing and giggling as the relief over the past few weeks eked out of Mia’s mind.

“Men!” a blond woman grumbled as she pressed the elevator call button over and over.

Mia smiled at the woman with genuine appreciation. “You’re the woman who just helped me stay out of jail,” Mia said. “Are you okay?”

Cricket Fairchild spun around and noticed the two lovely women behind her. “I’m sorry,” she said and took a deep breath while closing her eyes. “Nothing a good martini can’t fix,” she said, trying to calm down. “Men are just so confusing!” she snapped, the calming breath obviously not working too well.

Mia knew the feeling. “Why don’t you come with us? I don’t know about the martinis,” she cautioned, “but the margaritas at Durango’s are perfect for anything that ails you.”

“I’m not sure I should be around humanity right now,” she came back.

Mia laughed. “That’s exactly where I am. I’m Mia Paulson,” she said. “And we’re heading out to celebrate me not being in jail for the rest of my life.”

Cricket smiled back, taking Mia’s hand in hers. “That sounds like a perfect start to the weekend. I think I’ll join you after all.”

As they walked down the street to the bar, Autumn could feel the tension in her shoulders start to dissipate. It wouldn’t completely go away, but at least she was out of the office and could avoid Xander for the rest of the day. If he found out she’d left, he would follow her and ask her what was going on. Right now, she couldn’t handle a conversation with him. She was too vulnerable and too desperate to ignore the fact that her affair needed to be over with Xander. It had been so amazing, so wonderful and shockingly perfect. But she wasn’t the kind of woman who could ignore other women in his life. Nor could she continue to delude herself that she could have an affair with a man who she knew would eventually move on to another woman.

Now that she knew the real man, she also knew that her love for him was stronger than she would like to admit.

She was in love with him. Plain and simple, she loved him with every particle of her being.

Unfortunately, she had to protect her self-esteem and leave before he broke her.

“Wait!” Mia exclaimed and Autumn blinked, about to drown her sorrows in the margarita. Turning around, she watched as Mia walked over to another table and spoke to a woman sitting alone. This was odd, Autumn thought. Mia was talking with one of the newest lawyers on Ash’s team.

When the pretty woman came over and sat down with them, Autumn instantly knew that she was going to like this woman. Kiera Ward had a sadness in her eyes that indicated there was much more to her than just a dynamo criminal defense lawyer.

They laughed and drank margaritas, nibbled on the salty chips which just made them drink more. It was a vicious, ingenious cycle, Autumn thought as the conversation swirled around her. This was exactly what she needed. Women who were obviously in the same position she was in. Autumn listened and watched, noticing that Kiera had the same, sad look in her eyes that Autumn did, Mia was furious with Ash, which Autumn suspected was a defense mechanism for the feelings she was fighting and Cricket, the only blond at the table, was furious about something that was happening with Ryker.

The four women here were all victims of the Thorpe brothers’ charm. Was there any way to avoid their power? It was shocking that four intelligent, strong women could fall so hard for men who obviously were eager to avoid any kind of commitment.

Xander sat with his brothers at the bar, listening to the four stunningly gorgeous women tear up all of his brothers, himself included. The blond was cute, but really had it in for his oldest brother. Kiera was going on and on about what a ridiculous division Axel headed up and Mia was slamming down the drinks but that was probably okay since she’d just been freed from a murder charge. Embezzlement charges had been pending today, but the whole thing had been dismissed when Cricket, the cute blond, recognized the assumed murder victim. Hard to prosecute a person for murder when the man showed up for meetings designed to commit fraud! What an idiot, Xander thought.

And then his eyes moved over to Autumn. She’d left the office earlier this afternoon. Initially, he’d been worried, but when he’d heard that she’d just gone out to celebrate her best friend’s freedom, he took it all in stride. Autumn deserved to get out and have fun. She’d been working extremely hard lately, trying to not let anything slide just in case someone discovered their relationship.

“Should we say something?” Axel asked, leaning back, not looking like he was in the mood to stop any of the conversation. Who would? It was too revealing! These four women were revealing all their deep, dark secrets about the men in their hearts.

“I say we send them another pitcher,” Ash said with a chuckle as Mia told the other three women what an obnoxious, untrusting, cynical man he was.

Xander watched Autumn take a long sip of the margarita, his body on fire as he looked at her sexy neck. He loved that neck, he told himself.

“They’re going to feel this in the morning,” Ryker said with a chuckle.

Ash chuckled as well, pretending to be wounded. “It will be their punishment for all the mean things they’re saying about us.”

Axel rolled his eyes. “Speak for yourself,” he punched his younger brother. “Those ladies might be evil when they’re hung-over.”

Xander couldn’t handle looking at Autumn any longer. He had to have her in his arms. “I think it’s time to crash this party. Don’t you gentlemen?” he asked and placed his half-finished beer behind him on the bar.

He didn’t wait for them to agree, wanting to feel Autumn’s softness against him too intensely. “Time to go, love,” he said into Autumn’s ear.

She turned around, startled to see him so close. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said and picked up her drink, taking a long swallow.

“Why not?” he asked, pushing her drink away as soon as she put it back down on the table.

“Because Mia, Cricket and Kiera don’t go around dating other women all the time. They’re nice and fun and we understand each other.”

Xander looked at his brothers, all of them trying to figure out how to get the women out of the bar. Ash had the best approach. He simply picked Mia up in his arms and carried her out. He heard her saying something about Ash being an obnoxious brute, but then she put her head on his shoulder and sighed with what sounded like happiness.

He didn’t think Autumn would be as amenable to that solution. “How about if we go back to my place and talk about it?”

She snorted and shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?” he asked, pulling her chair back and considering the best way to lift her into his arms.

“Don’t even think about it,” Autumn snapped at him. “Why don’t you go find one of those women you’ve messed around with over the past few months?”

Ryker snorted at that comment. “He wishes!”

Xander glared at his older brother, not wanting his celibacy over the past…who knows how long…to become common knowledge.

Autumn picked up on the statement anyway. “What does he mean by that?” she asked.

“Nothing, love. Let’s go.”

“No. Because you’re going to try and take my clothes off as soon as we get out of here.”

He ignored his other brothers’ laughter at her comment. “Yes, I am,” he confirmed, taking her hands and pulling her up and into his arms. “Any objections?”