Xavier: (Indestructible) (10 page)

He grunted in discomfort.

“X? Are you okay?” She wrapped her arms around his waist, rose
up on the tips of her toes, and pressed soothing kisses to his face. “X?” she
whispered.

“Cass, I need to let you go now,” he said softly but continued
to hold onto her, pulling her closer to his frame.

“That’s fine,” she mumbled before covering his mouth with hers,
not waiting on his response.

The taste of her and the imprint of her almost naked, hard
nipples on the wall of his chest ratcheted up his lust to an unbearable
proportion. “Bloody hell,” he muttered before twirling his tongue around hers.
He deepened the kiss and clutched her tighter as raw, uncompromising need
consumed him. Xavier groaned, his monster erection pressing hard against the
stiff material of his jeans. He closed his eyes, fighting for control, trying
to rein in his need to consume her. She was his drug, his obsession. He wanted
to protect her from the monster he was, but having her here like this, trusting
him, offering him complete access…
God, she is so sweet.
He roamed his
palms feverishly over her lush curves, over her back, stomach, and her hips. Releasing
her lips, he trailed his lips along her cheek, her ear, her fragrant neck, and
along her collarbone and shoulder.  In mindless passion now, throwing all
caution to the wind, he dug his fingers into the lush roundness of her ass.

She ground her hips against his shaft.

Xavier groaned, feeling himself lengthen and harden even more
against her softness. He used his teeth to lower the straps of her dress. Her
breasts sprang free, bouncing before settling high on her chest, the dark brown
nipples beading to plump berries.

Cassandra stepped away from him. Meeting his steady gaze, she
shimmied out of the dress, rolling it down her hips and thighs until it pooled
at her feet.

“Good God,” Xavier growled, stunned almost breathless with awe
over the perfection standing in front of him with only a black G-string on.
Damn,
I knew she was going to be beautiful, but how can I withstand this?
She had
a sleek, lean, muscle-toned physique with soft feminine angles.

“You have on too many clothes,” she teased. She started
releasing the buttons on his shirt.

“This is not a good idea,” he said but did nothing to stop her
fast-moving fingers. His gaze remained transfixed on her spectacular body. He
wondered again about his worthiness to even touch someone who was the
embodiment of any man’s wet dream.

She pushed his shirt from his shoulder and gasped as his chest
was revealed. Her eyes widened at the sight of his naked body.

Xavier knew he was a big man. He was built to withstand any
threat, to be a formidable foe. His broad, muscular chest and six-pack stomach
were marred with past bullet and knife wounds. His body was a testament to his
violent, brutal past. However, his tattoo of a phoenix, which covered the left
side of his shoulder and upper chest, reminded him daily that he had survived
it all. Every wound, every setback, and every devastating lost, he had risen
above. The tattooed words on his back,
De Oppresso Liber
, were to remind
him of his responsibility to protect and to always be vigilant.

“How you must have suffered,” she whispered, her eyes glistening
with compassion. She gently ran her fingers over the hard ridges of his chest
and stomach. Her gaze devoured him. “My God, X, you are so beautiful.”

God, is she blind?
Her tenderness and obvious adoration
did things to him, made his heart feel as though it would leap out of his chest
with emotion. “Cassandra,” he voiced hoarsely. Her effect on him was far beyond
anything he had experience with any other woman.

“Beautiful, hard chocolate,” she whispered, and the teasing
grin she usually wore was nowhere in sight.

He kept looking into her face for any sign of revulsion as she
pushed his wet shirt from his massive shoulders. He saw only admiration. The
breath he exhaled was a sigh of relief. He was slowly beginning to believe she
might come to like him even a fraction of what he felt for her.

The water continued cascading around them.

He pulled her into his arms, hugging her close, hoping to
regain some semblance of control. But she started caressing him wherever she
could reach, her palms reverently roaming over the contours of his body.

“Ah, baby, you’re killing me,” Xavier said hoarsely before
swooping down and capturing her soft lips in a ravenous kiss. He lifted her off
her feet, bringing her closer to give him better access. Thrusting his tongue
into her mouth, he deepened the kiss further, making her tremble hard against
him.

Cassandra wound her legs around his waist and held on for dear
life. She returned his hungry kiss for hungry kiss, easily matching his desire
for her. He released her lips to trail kisses to her neck, her shoulders, her
chest, and lifting her higher so he could latch onto her puckered berry tips.
She cried out in ecstasy, holding his head to her breast. The erotic sight of
his lips wrapped around her nipple and the exquisite sensation of his sucking
the hard bud on his tongue made her shudder in tiny ripples of sexual
satisfaction.

Xavier raised his head, her nipple popping from his mouth. The
cool air proved to be an excruciating stimulant to her naked flesh, causing her
to writhe against him in agitation.

“I want you in my bed like I want my next breath,” he
whispered, “but God, you’re too perfect, too beautiful.”

“X—”

“No, I know you deserve better than me. You need to know and
understand who I am first before we do this. You have to know what you’re
getting into.” He gazed down on her, a slight sadness and hopelessness evident
in his dark eyes.

“X, please. I want you. Trust that I know all I need to know about
you,” she coaxed.

“No you don’t. I have to protect you from you and from me.” He
put her away from him and walked into the nearby poolroom.

Cassandra watched him walk away in blatant naked splendor, the chiseled
contours of his back, buttocks, and long legs on stark display with each step
he took. She covered her breasts and her sex with her arms, now feeling vulnerable
and exposed.

 Xavier soon came back in view with a huge towel in his hand.
He wrapped her in the towel and lifted her in his arms.

Cassandra hung her head and hid her face against his chest as
her eyes pooled with tears.

He took her into the house, passing through French doors into a
large spacious kitchen, then through an adjacent dining room, and into a
hallway that lead to a stairway. However, Xavier walked past the stairway and
took her into the living room, placing her on the large sofa there.

Cassandra kept her head down, unwilling to let him see her distress.

“Let me get you something to wear,” Xavier told her as he stood
and exited the room.

She hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks, but then she
couldn’t stop the flow. The tears just kept coming.
I have no idea why I’m
crying. I’ve never been this emotional in my life. Who the hell cries because a
guy doesn’t want you?
She was furious now and angrily mopped up the tears
with the edge of the towel.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Xavier came back into the
room without her noticing him; concern was etched in every line of his face.

“I’m fine,” Cassandra muttered, furiously wiping her face with
her palms.

He placed two fingers under her chin and gently lifted her
head.

She met his gaze through watery lens. “I’m not crying! I have
something in my eye.”

Xavier chuckled.

Her anger spiked at his short bark of laughter. She turned her
head, dislodging his light hold on her. “I hate you,” she whispered, and to her
horror, more tears poured down her cheeks.

“That’s a shame,” he said softly, “because I absolutely adore
you.”

Her gaze flew to his, uncertain if she’d heard him correctly.
“No, you don’t.” Her voice was clogged with tears.

He smiled tenderly. “Yes, I do. I adore everything about you,
your strength, your generosity, your care for your family, your dedication to
your career, and, of course, I love your beautiful body.”

“No, you don’t,” she repeated inanely.

He laughed softly. “Yeah, I do,” he whispered. “I especially
love your hair, your brown eyes, your lips…” He cupped her breasts. “I love
these beauties, and how can I not love that awe-inspiring ass?”

“You don’t want me,” she whispered, unable to hide the tearful
break in her voice.

His eyes darkened with regret, and he folded her in his arms,
holding her tight against his chest. “Damn, sweetheart, I want you too much. How
can you doubt that? I’ve been in a constant state of arousal ever since I saw
you weeks ago. And I probably have permanent blue balls after last night.”

“But you can so easily stop making loving when I’m hurting with
need for you,” she argued.

He laughed bitterly. “Believe me, you have no idea what pain is.”

“But…”

“No. My walking away from you has nothing to do with how much I
want you. I want you, baby. However, I want what’s best for you too. I’m not
certain of my place in your life. I’m not certain that I’m worthy of you. God,
you’re so beautiful, so sweet. How could I possibly spoil that? How can I trust
that you’ve had enough time to settle for life on me? Make no mistake, Cass, when
we make love, there will be no turning back for either of us. I need you to be
absolutely certain of the decision you’re making. We’ve known each other for a
few days, and I’m not sure you’re there with me yet.”

Cassandra wound her arms around his neck and closed her eyes in
bliss as she absorbed his warmth. His arms tightened around her, and she
shivered with need against him.  “Xavier, I adore you too. I’ve waited all of
my life for you, waited for you to come for me. Now that you’re here, I just want
to be with you and want to love you. I feel that we’re meant to be together.
How can you not feel that or know that? Whether you make love to me today,
tomorrow, or next year, that’s not going to change what we are to each other. I
don’t want to wait to express how much I love you.”

“I want the same, Cass. I’m thirty-four years old, and I’ve never
felt like this about any other woman. Let me take care of you and do this at the
right pace for us. There are things you need to know before you settle on me.”

She sighed in resignation, realizing that she wasn’t going to
sway him from his determined course. “I promised my sister I would be home for
dinner tonight. Would you take me back, please?”

“I don’t trust that Qin will leave you alone, Cass. I need you
to be careful.”

She sighed again. “Yes, I’ll be careful.”

“Here, I brought you a change of clothes. There’s a bathroom
through there.” He pointed to a door leading off the hallway. “I’ll get dressed
and drive you back.”

Cassandra knew within ten minutes of stepping out onto the
back patio for the family dinner that it had been a mistake to let her sister
talk her into this. Not only were her brothers there with their “baby mama”
girlfriends her sisters’ current boyfriends were also there, and Jordan, who
seemed to think she was his date, was there as well.

Although Xavier had yet to leave her side, Jordan hadn’t moved
either. Xavier stood to her left, and Jordan stood on her right side. Jordan
gazed down at her as thought he was a lovesick teenager. He made her feel naked
in the spaghetti-strapped floral-print dress she had slipped on when she had
arrived back at the house. She had taken a quick shower and washed and
blow-dried her hair. Her hair, when blow-dried, fell almost to her hips. The
silk tresses made her look exotic, a perfect blend of her African and European
ancestors. She’d moisturized her skin with her favorite Chanel No. 5 body
cream.

When Xavier had seen her for the first time with her hair worn
straight, he had wordlessly stared at her, his face carved in an unreadable
expression. Cassandra knew he was again thinking that they couldn’t be
together.
I wish he would stop acting like I’m Beauty and he’s the Beast.
It’s ridiculous that someone who is absolute masculine perfection could
possibly think otherwise. While Jordan, the big creep, thinks he’s God’s gift
to women. He’s here grinning at me as if I’m his damn dentist.

Despite remaining by her side, their bodies almost touching,
Xavier didn’t contribute to the conversation going on around him. He had deliberately
ignored her brothers’ attempt to interrogate him while she showered and changed
and was now maintaining a watchful silence. Even when Jordan was being his most
annoying, Xavier tolerated him with stoic cool.

“I was telling your brothers that I would go up to Chapel Hill
in the fall to watch one of your games. We can go out to have dinner afterwards.”

“Jordan, how many times do I have to tell you that I don’t
think of you like that? Stay the hell away from me!”

“So I was thinking of the middle of November. Your team has a
game with Duke and Wake Forest during that time. I could come for the week and
probably take you shopping as well,” Jordan said with increased enthusiasm.

“I don’t want you to come visit me!” Cassandra glared at the
light-skinned black man who was barely inches taller than she was. She knew
Jordan had a high opinion of himself, but she could see that his recently
increased wealth had only made his mammoth ego even worse. He was too used to
throwing money at women and getting his way.

“Your team struggled to beat Duke last year. You’re going to
need all the support you can get. I may even pay for your sisters to come
along,” Jordan continued.

“That’s a great idea,” Keisha gushed.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “You
would
think so. You and
Monique get a free trip and I get this crazy person who doesn’t listen to a
word I say.”

“I listen. You’re just not saying anything I want to hear.”
Jordan smiled slyly at her. He then looked at Xavier from the corner of his eye,
clearly intimidated by the bigger man.

Cassandra knew that Jordan was confused by Xavier’s nonchalant
attitude. The big man hadn’t uttered a word. He simply looked on with an
unreadable expression. However, Xavier’s lack of response was giving Jordan
plenty of confidence to continue his pursuit.

 “You know how much I’m worth and what I can give you. When you
get over your summer fling, you’ll realize that I’m the right man for you.”

Xavier’s disinterested, stoic demeanor didn’t change.

“Come on, Cass, you have to admit Jordan has a lot to offer.
You won’t have to work another day in your life,” Monique piped in. “Not to
mention, you will have beautiful children, and you won’t have to worry about
some brute crushing you.” Monique let her gaze roam Xavier’s body from head to
foot in obvious distaste. “You have to admit that Jordan is the better option.”

“I’ll admit no such thing.” Cassandra frowned at her in
agitation. “In my eyes”—she gazed at Xavier warmly—“there’s no man more
beautiful than X.”

Everyone stared at her as if she had lost her mind, including
Xavier.

“Girl, I know you’re inexperienced when it comes to men, but
you’re also stupid too,” Monique muttered.

“Monique, I love you, but you and Keisha are the last women I
would take male advice from.”

“Listen, you ingrate, we’re looking out for your best interests,”
Keisha said impatiently.

 “Jordan is the best, Cass,” Duane said sternly. “You need to
stop wasting time with these punks before Jordan ain’t interested in your ass
anymore.” Duane smiled with supreme confidence that Jordan would soon be in
their family.

“She always think she better than the rest of us,” Rochelle,
Duane’s off-again, on-again girlfriend, muttered.

“Rochelle, shut the hell up! You have no right to talk about my
sister. The cockroaches in the kitchen better than you.” Keisha glared at the
other girl.

“You’re going to let her talk to me like that?” Rochelle asked
Duane.

“Cass, give Jordan a chance. He can do a lot to help us go
legit,” Duane said, trying to reason with her.

Jordan reached out to grab Cassandra.

Xavier wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against
him. “Talk all the shit you want, but don’t touch her,” Xavier said with a
quelling look at the other man.

Jordan took a step back. Everything in Xavier’s demeanor was
intimidating, dominant, and confident. Jordan seemed to shrink where he stood.

“Look, dude, she’s not yours yet. Qin can offer—” Dylan started
to confront Xavier, but it took only a steady look from Xavier’s dark eyes to
shut him up.

“X, it was a mistake our coming here tonight. Can we get a
pizza and head back to your place?”

“Wait…” Jordan started to protest.

Xavier didn’t wait around to hear what he had to say. He simply
grabbed her hand and acceded yet again to her wishes.

***

They devoured a large pizza between them while watching
Quentin Tarantino’s
The Hateful Eight
movie. Cassandra was laughing so
hard she had rolled off the sofa long ago. Xavier stretched out his long limbs
on the sofa and was watching her more than he was watching the movie.

“You do realize this is not a comedy, right?” Xavier asked, gazing
down at her with amused indulgence.

“I love and hate Quentin’s movies,” Cassandra said through her
giggles. “I mean his movies are gruesome, outrageous, and funny as hell, all at
the same time.”

Xavier grinned as she dissolved into another fit of laughter
when Samuel L Jackson blew another man’s head off. He lifted her from the floor
and pulled her up to lie on the sofa next to him. She buried her face in the
warm cavity of his neck and snuggled into him.

“Continue watching the movie,” he coaxed her huskily. “I just
can’t go another moment without holding you.”

Cassandra smiled but didn’t turn to watch the movie. Instead,
she delivered feather-light kisses to his neck, his chin, his jaw, and then to
his lips.

“What are you doing?” he asked gutturally.

She smiled again. “Well, if you don’t know, I must not be doing
it right.”

“You’re doing it right. But I thought we already had this
discussion.”

“I’m tired of talking, X,” she whispered before covering his
lips with hers and kissing him tenderly. He groaned under her assault and was
soon twirling his tongue around hers and returning her kiss. He kissed her with
all-consuming need, clutching her tighter as if he wanted to draw her into his
skin.

She pulled her lips away from his and held his dark gaze. “X, I
want you. I know who you are and what you are. I want you. Make love to me
please,” she said huskily.

“You don’t know what you’re asking.” He let his lips trail down
her neck. “The line between giving you a fair opportunity to make an informed
choice and having the one thing I want more than I want my next breath has
become infinitely blurred. I don’t know if I can stop myself from making love
to you.”

Cassandra let her head fall back in surrender, giving him
better access to her skin. When he readily gave into her invitation, she knew
that she had won. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. “Make love to
me, X, and let me make love to you.” She captured his lips again and kissed him
with all the consuming love she felt for him.

He trembled against her, his large hands covering the back of
her head and her ass, holding her in place for his dominance. He crushed her to
him, kissing her deeply, passionately.

Cassandra was out of her mind with lust for him and was only
mildly aware of him standing with her held high in his arms. She sighed in
contentment as he took a flight of carpeted stairs, walked down a hallway, and entered
a large masculine bedroom a few minutes later. The room was lit only with the
soft light of a night lamp. There were two large double windows dominating one
wall. The lightweight drapes billowed gently from the ocean breeze that filled
the room. The light-colored painted walls, natural wood, and numerous large
plants throughout the room only added to the tranquil island feel.

He stopped in front of the bed and lowered her to slide down
his body, letting her feel every hard inch of his big frame. He wrapped his
arms around her waist, holding her close to him.

“I may not be an expert at this, but don’t we have on too many
clothes?” She grinned up at him.

Xavier stared down at her as if he couldn’t believe she was
real. “You are so exquisite, Cass. Are you sure you want to settle on me?”
Touching her as though she was made of glass, he ran a finger gently over her
nose, her cheek, and then her lips. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Cassandra stepped away from him and pulled her dress over her
head and tossed the garment on a nearby armchair. “Does this answer your question?”
she asked huskily as she unhooked her strapless bra and shimmied out of the
matching lacy panty. Knowing how much he had admired her body earlier in
revealing daylight, she felt confident standing before him completely naked.

His smoldering gaze roamed over her with unadulterated hunger.
Her nipples tightened, and butterflies exploded in her stomach at his heated visual
caress. He moved slowly toward her, his gaze growing more molten and his
nostril flaring with fevered intent. When he stood mere inches in front of her,
he swooped down and covered her lips in a probing kiss. Heat coiled anew in her
pelvis and very quickly surged throughout her body. He raised his head only
when they both needed to breathe.

Xavier lifted her in his arms again and gently placed her on
the king-sized bed.

The sheet was cool on her naked back. He smoothed her dark hair
onto the pillow. “This is where you belong,” he said softly. Covering her lips
with his, he kissed her tenderly, reverently. As though she was made of fragile
glass, he trailed his lips over her cheek, her neck, down her body, worshipping
her skin wherever he kissed and touched.

She whimpered as his lips roamed her flat stomach, her hips,
bypassing her mons to caress her thighs and her legs. He turned her over and
started all over again, kissing every inch of her back, the indentation of her
waist, and her bottom. He sank his teeth into the smooth skin of her buttocks.

“Aahh!” Cassandra writhed beneath him, reveling in his infinite
tenderness, his adoration. His masculine scent swirled around her, making her
ache even more. Moisture gathered in her eyes. “Xavier, please,” she sobbed.
She was mindless with the need for his possession, desperate for the feel of
his hard body pressed against her, for the feel of his heat melding with hers.

He rolled to his feet beside the bed and started to unbutton
his shirt.

“No, let me,” Cassandra rasped out, needing to touch him. She
crawled from the bed and approached him without any inhibitions or hesitation.

His gaze darkened with desire as she drew closer to him, her
movements slow and seductive.

With fingers that were not in the least bit steady, she
unbuttoned his shirt and trailed her fingers over each inch of skin as she
pushed the garment from him. She slowly lowered to her knees, ensuring her
sensitive skin scraped against his to assuage some of her growing need. She
unzipped his jeans, letting her fingers lightly caress the massive bulge through
his underwear. His cock strained against the material, distending from his body
like a club snaking toward his chiseled abs. She curled her fingers around his
cock through the thin material.

He groaned gutturally, thrusting his hips forward and pushing
his cock deeper into her palm.

Cassandra pulsed between her thighs in helpless fascination.
Everything about his body intrigued her. The sight of him never failed to reach
deep inside of her and draw out the most desperate need to feel his solid frame
against her. He was hard all over. Pushing his jeans off his hips, she peeled
his underwear over his weighty erection. She couldn’t help the gasp that escaped
her lips as his length bounced free of its confines and landed in her greedy
hand. Her fingers tried to close around him without success, unable to
completely circle the broad width.

He growled low in his throat as she cupped him. Tightening her
grip around his thick phallus, she ran her palm up and down from the base of
his cock up the veiny length and to the round head. He suddenly pulled her to
her feet and into his arms, trapping her hand between them.

He pried her fingers from around his cock and stepped out of
his jeans and underwear.

As soon as he straightened, Cassandra palmed him again,
helplessly drawn to the power and virile beauty of his erection.

He pulled her to her feet and held her against him. “Do you
have any idea what you do to me?” His voice was gritty, as if forced from deep
in his throat. His arms tightened around her, his heat surrounding her.