Bachelor Unleashed (5 page)

His words oozed liquid heat that sizzled along her nerve endings. She tilted her head to look up at him, and he stared back, watching her with an expression that turned the sizzle into a flame and sent shudders racing through her. How had he managed to do that with just a look?

She knew the answer before the question fully blossomed in her mind. It was there in the darkness of his gaze, a red-hot hunger that had the ability to strip her control, eradicate her resistance and make her crave the kind of pleasure that only Xavier Kane could deliver.

“Xavier.” She heard herself moan his name, unable to hold it back any longer. And while she continued to watch him, taking in how his lashes fanned over the intensity of his dark gaze and how his lips formed a curve like they always did right before he got ready to devour her mouth, she felt a deep need spiral between her thighs.

She was tumbling into forbidden territory and couldn’t stop herself. He was there, but he wouldn’t lift one finger to keep her from falling. She knew that. In fact, he was poised, ready to push her over the edge if he had to. But she couldn’t let that happen, not for her peace of mind and her survival.

However, what she could do and what she would allow was a way to satisfy them both for a little while. A kiss. They could even turn their kiss into a full makeout session. It would be a quick moment of satisfaction, but it would be well worth it, she told herself. No harm, right?

How could tangling her tongue with his cause any harm as long as it didn’t lead to anything? She convinced herself that it wouldn’t as she eased her body closer to his on the leather seat. She felt his finger move from her face to the back of her neck and begin stroking her there. Her body automatically responded to his touch.

When he lowered his head and met her lips, she heard herself groan in a way that only he could make her do. And she knew before it was over she would do more than moan.

Chapter 4

X
avier felt as if he’d come home the moment his tongue invaded Farrah’s mouth. It was as if he had been away from his favorite place and was returning to a hometown welcome of the most sensuous kind.

He relished the taste of her with a primitive longing and with an urgency he couldn’t deny. Not that he was thinking about denying it. He didn’t intend to leave any part of her mouth untouched, untapped or unstroked. He loved her taste. He had missed it. And he was damn near starving for it.

He was kissing her with an intensity he felt in every part of his body, including the erection that nearly burst his zipper. Only Farrah had the ability to make him want to toss caution to the wind, say the hell with it and take her as he pleased. There had been so many times he had ached to take her without wearing a condom, wanting the feel of her flesh clenching him instead of the latex separating them.

And now it wouldn’t take much for him to take her right here. His driver, Jules, had had the good sense to use the privacy shield and was probably driving around Manhattan at his leisure since he was certain they would have been back to Farrah’s hotel by now.

The backseat of the car was dark and intimate and had the scent of pure woman. She was kissing him back with an intensity that matched his own, and the way she was sucking deep on his tongue was bringing to life every erotic bone in his body. She tasted hot, untamed, and he knew they were both on the verge of unleashing sensations they had kept bottled up for too long.

She pulled her mouth away and drew in a deep breath, evidently needing to breathe. Personally, he needed more of her taste, but would give her a moment. He watched as she glanced out of the car window. Although they could see out of it, no one could see them inside because of the window’s darkened tint. “Where are we?” she asked.

Xavier smiled, refusing to remove his hand from her neck, liking the feel of the soft skin his fingertips were stroking. He curved his hand around her neck even more, making sure she didn’t try easing away from him. “Driving around the city.”

She glanced back at him and smiled. “On a sightseeing tour?”

He returned her smile. “If that’s what
Jules
wants to think, but I think we know better, don’t we?”

“Yes.”

And then he reached out and lifted her out of the seat and into his lap and captured her mouth once again.

Farrah wrapped her arms around Xavier’s neck while he continued to plunder her mouth with a hunger that had her moaning again. She wasn’t sure how long the ride would last, but she planned to take advantage of every tormenting and satisfying minute.

Even through his coat she could feel the hardness of his erection poking her in the backside, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she relished the feel and regretted that clothing separated their bodies.

Evidently he felt the same way when he released the back of her neck, and his fingers went to the buttons of her coat while his tongue was still inside her mouth. She wanted him so bad she was almost consumed by the mere idea of being here, in the backseat of a car in his lap while he kissed her senseless. His tongue was teasing and tormenting her into sweet oblivion, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing she wanted to do about it.

She felt him spread open her coat before his fingers went about tackling the buttons of her cardigan. She knew this was lust of the most potent kind, and it was probably time for her to rein him back in, but when he eased free a button and touched a spot above her bra, she could do nothing but moan.

He knew what touching her breasts did to her, and she had a feeling he was about to get downright naughty. And when he eased open the next button, she knew she was right.

She pulled her mouth away from his. “Xavier?”

“Umm?” he asked, taking the tip of his tongue and licking the area around her chin.

“What are you doing?” She knew it was a stupid question, but she asked it anyway. It was quite obvious that he was seducing her.

“Letting you know how much I’ve missed you.”

That was definitely the wrong answer because she knew, although she would never admit it, that she’d missed him, too.

“I think I’ve gotten the message,” she said in a soft tone when he released yet another button.

He tilted his head and met her gaze. “Not sure you have yet and not to the degree that I want you to know,” he said in a deep, husky voice. “By the time you get back to your hotel room tonight, there will be no doubt in your mind just how much I’ve truly missed you, Farrah.”

That meant he planned to torture her some more, probably a whole lot more, before it was all over. How far would he go? How far would she let him? Those questions slipped from her mind when her cardigan opened, exposing her lace bra to his view. She knew blue was his favorite color. Had she worn a blue bra for that reason tonight? And one with a front clasp?

He released the front hook, and her body began vibrating in pleasure when he lowered his head to take a hardened nipple into his mouth. “Xavier.” She whimpered his name on a breathless sigh and grabbed ahold of his head. Not to push him away but to keep his mouth right there to feast on her.

Shudders tore into her, touching every part of her body, tearing at nerve endings with every stroke of his tongue on her nipple. She tightened her legs, feeling a throb between them so deep she wanted to scream. She was on the verge of one hell of an explosion. She knew it, and from her past history, he had to know it as well.

It didn’t take penetration to make her come. Xavier’s mouth anywhere on her was known to do the trick. She had a feeling this would be one of those times, because tonight he was being generous
and
naughty, a combination that could cost her. At that moment, though, nothing seemed more important than having him suck her nipples like he was doing now.

Unless he decided he wanted to…

The thought of his tongue sliding between her womanly folds had her releasing a trembling breath, and when she felt his hand work its way under her skirt to touch a thigh, she couldn’t help but groan out loud. She needed to get laid and bad. The hot ache between her thighs was all but demanding it, and the mouth planted firmly on her breast seconded that motion.

“We’ve reached the Waldorf Astoria, Mr. Kane.”

The sound of the driver’s voice was a colder blast than the one she’d felt when they’d walked out of the restaurant. Why now, when she’d been so close to her body fragmenting in one sensuous explosion? Talk about lousy timing.

She looked up and met Xavier’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing. She also knew what else he was thinking…

Farrah drew in a deep breath and watched as he palmed delicately over her breasts before he began refastening her bra. “Circle the block one more time, Jules,” he said.

“Just one block, sir?”

“Yes.”

By the time the vehicle began moving again, a semblance of Farrah’s common sense had returned. But the part still lurking out there in Blissville had her worried because she was fully aware just what an orgasm at the hands and mouth of Xavier Kane could mean. She would sleep well tonight and wake up tomorrow probably craving even more.

She knew she had to regain control and not succumb to a weakness of the body nor a deep addiction for him. When he had buttoned her sweater and pulled the lapels of her coat together, he met her gaze. And then while she was still nestled snugly in his lap, he lowered his head and kissed her again.

This kiss had all the intensity of the last, probably more so, and she could only kiss him back while shudders shook her from head to toe. When he finally released her mouth moments later, it was on the tip of that same tongue he’d just ravished to ask him up to her room for a nightcap, although they would both know the true intent of the invitation.

But a part of her kept from doing so. It was the part that couldn’t forget or let go of the pain she’d felt the day Dustin had asked for a divorce to marry another woman.

“I got my bottle of wine and you have yours,” Xavier said softly close to her moist lips. “How about if we…”

“Drink them separately,” she finished for him.

He leaned back, lifted a brow and was probably as surprised as she that she wasn’t inviting him up to her room. She would probably hate herself later, and the area between her legs would probably protest something awful, but that area of her chest where her heart was planted would eventually thank her for sparing it from further damage. It had finally gotten repaired, and she refused to let it get broken again.

“You sure you want that, Farrah?”

She decided to answer him the only way she knew how. Honestly. “No, that’s not what I want, but I know that’s what I need to happen, Xavier. For my sake, you’re going to have to trust me on this.”

He opened his mouth to say something, and then as if he thought better of it, he clamped his mouth shut. He brought her hand to his face and gently rubbed against it. “Leaving you alone tonight isn’t going to be easy, Farrah,” he said in a low, sexy voice.

“And having you leave me alone won’t be easy, Xavier. But for my peace of mind, I don’t have a choice. Please say you understand, or please try to.”

He met her gaze and held it for a long moment. And then a slow smile of understanding tugged at his sensuous lips. “I’ll try, but only if you agree to see me again while you’re here.”

“What’s the point?” she couldn’t help but ask.

He cupped her chin in his hand. “To prove I’m not a bad guy.”

She shook her head. “I never thought you were a bad guy, Xavier. If I had thought that, you would not have shared my bed. In fact, I think you’re too good to be true and that’s what scares me.”

“Too good to be true?”

“Yes, both physically and emotionally. I could end up getting hurt. You wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but I could get hurt just the same and I can’t let that happen.”

She knew she had said too much, had let her feelings become raw and exposed, but he needed to understand and accept what she was saying. He was becoming the one weakness she had to do without.

When Jules opened the car door for them, he slid out, and before her leg could touch the sidewalk, he had whisked her into his arms again. “Xavier!”

Jules raced ahead to open the glass door to the hotel, and Xavier didn’t place her back on her feet until they stood in the hotel’s lobby.

“I need to get my items from the front desk,” he said. “But first I’ll walk you to the elevator.”

He tucked her hand in his and they walked toward the elevator. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Farrah. I’d like to take you to a Broadway play while you’re here.”

“Xavier, I—”

He placed a finger to her lips. “At least think about it. It will be just two friends going out. No big deal.”

She drew in a deep breath.
No big deal? Yeah, right.
She’d assumed going to dinner with him tonight would not be a big deal either, but it turned out to be one anyway. “I’ll see if I’m available.”

“All right.”

He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips when the elevator door opened. She stepped inside and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Good night, Xavier.”

“Good night, Farrah.”

And as the elevator carried her from the lobby up to her room, she couldn’t help wondering how she was going to turn him down when he called her tomorrow.

Chapter 5

“G
ood morning, Mr. Kane.”

“Good morning, Vicki. Hold my calls for a while. By the way, you look nice this morning.”

Xavier entered his office thinking his secretary’s attire, a beige pantsuit, looked more appropriate for the office than those sexy outfits she’d been wearing. He was glad she’d taken his advice.

He eased out of his jacket and then sat down in the chair behind his desk. He was ready to roll his sleeves up and get some work done. He hadn’t been sure he would ever get to sleep last night, but when he had finally done so, he had basically slept like a baby. But that hadn’t kept visions of a hot and ready Farrah out of his mind. At least that’s how she used to be. This overly cautious Farrah would take some getting used to.

His cell phone rang and he leaned forward to pull it off his belt. “Yes?”

“When are you returning to Charlotte, X?”

He smiled at the sound of Uriel Lassiter’s voice. Since he and his five godbrothers had been kids, they’d shortened each other’s names to just the first letter. “Why you want to know? You miss me, U?”

“No. It’s Ellie.”

Xavier chuckled. “Your wife misses me?”

“No, and stop being a smart ass. Ellie’s having a New Year’s Eve party and wants to make sure you’re coming, especially since no one knows your schedule for the holidays.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I still haven’t decided where I’ll be for Christmas but I’m game for New Year’s. And as far as when I’ll be returning to Charlotte, it will depend on how soon we can close the deal here. I hope to be back in Charlotte in a week.”

“And then you’re taking the rest of the month off, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Z is coming home.”

Xavier sat up straight in his chair, surprised. “He is?”

“Yes. I talked to him last night.” Uriel chuckled. “He couldn’t tell Ellie no, so he’ll be here for Christmas and New Year’s.”

Xavier nodded. Of his five godbrothers, Zion was the youngest, at twenty-eight, and the most well-known because of the jewelry he designed. And he was the one who at the moment was going through some major issues. Before she died four years ago, his mother had revealed to him that she wasn’t sure that the man Zion thought was his father really was since she’d taken a lover during the earlier part of her marriage.

It was Zion’s secret, one he’d only shared with his godbrothers. Xavier figured it would be an easy enough thing to prove or disprove, but Zion didn’t want to risk his father ever finding out that the woman he’d loved so much had once been unfaithful to him. So instead of hanging around and letting something slip, Zion had escaped to Rome and built a home and an empire there. Xavier couldn’t help wondering if Z had finally figured you can’t run away from your problems and was now thinking about moving back to the States.

Moments later, Xavier was hanging up the phone and pulling a file off the huge stack of papers on his desk. His thoughts, however, shifted to Farrah, and he couldn’t help but remember what she’d said about not wanting to get hurt again. He knew how she felt. Wasn’t that the same reason he’d avoided serious involvement with women?

What he needed to do was prove they could enjoy themselves without getting all that serious. They had done so for close to a year, so there was no reason they couldn’t continue. After such a long separation, he was certain if they rekindled their affair, they would be mindful of the mistakes they had begun making the last time by getting too attached.

The thought of them falling in love was scary stuff. He knew that better than anyone. But he was just as certain it wouldn’t happen. There wasn’t a woman alive he would give his heart to. He had no intention of getting great sex confused with any emotions of the heart. Things didn’t work that way for him, and he was sure things wouldn’t work that way for her either.

Her ex had damaged her emotionally on the institution of marriage, so what was the problem? Why couldn’t two people who only wanted to enjoy off-the-chain sex do so without worrying about their hearts getting in the way?

It would be up to him to convince her that they could resume their no-strings-attached affair with no entanglements, and he intended to do just that.

“Mrs. Byers and Ms. Shaw, we’re here to bring about an acceptable resolution to the case pending before Judge Lewis Braille. Hopefully, we’ll reach an agreeable resolution so that we can avoid a costly court battle and—”

“Not unless that woman gives my wife her fair share of what is due to her.”

Farrah frowned at Mr. Byers’s outburst. She’d known the moment he’d walked into the room with his wife that he was bad news. For some reason, he thought he was calling the shots. He might very well do so in his marriage, but she had no intention of letting him take control of these proceedings.

“Mr. Byers, I need you to refrain from speaking out of turn. Doing so will not get us anywhere.”

“Please calm down, Rudolph,” Lori Byers whispered to her husband in a calm voice. “Please let Ms. Langley do her job so we won’t have to go to court.”

Other than a roll of her eyes, Kerrie Shaw didn’t say anything, although it was evident she was angry at what Rudolph Byers had said.

When the parties had entered the room, Farrah’s keen sense of observation had picked up on several points. Even with all this legal mess going on, it was plain to see that the two women had shared a very close friendship at one time, and if given the chance, without any outside interference, that friendship could be restored.

It was also quite obvious they still cared for each other. That was probably the reason Kerrie Shaw had refrained from speaking her mind a few moments ago when Mr. Byers had spoken out of line. Farrah figured she’d kept her mouth closed to spare Lori Byers’s feelings. That meant during the time they’d been friends, Kerrie had had the role of protector, and Lori had been the one more vulnerable and easily swayed and misled.

Farrah glanced over at Rudolph and quickly decided that was exactly what was taking place now. Lori allowed the man she had fallen in love with to come between her and her friend. Their close relationship had started in high school and continued in college and through Lori’s first marriage and birth of her two little girls. Lori had even named Kerrie as godmother for her two girls.

Both women were now thirty-four. Kerrie was engaged to be married and Lori’s first husband had been killed in a car accident a few years ago. She had met Rudolph on the internet, which didn’t say a whole lot to some, but definitely spoke volumes to Farrah. Not that all pickups from cyberspace were bad, but the one Farrah had landed a couple of years ago, Alvin Cornell, had made her want to toss him right back. He’d been such a jerk. She could only wonder if Alvin had an older brother by the name of Rudolph.

How two women who had been such good friends could let a man come between them was beyond Farrah. She couldn’t imagine any man or woman coming in and destroying her and Natalie’s friendship, which had been in existence since high school as well. After her breakup with Dustin, it had been Natalie who’d been there for her, to help her get through the worst time in her life. Natalie had known she would wallow in self-pity her first Christmas as a divorced woman and had flown into Charlotte from New Jersey to spend time with her so she wouldn’t be alone, and to make her see there was life after divorce.

“Yes, let’s continue,” Farrah said in an authoritative voice, more so for Rudolph Byers’s benefit than for the two women. “As I was saying, my goal is to resolve the complaint and conflict informally. I’m impartial. I don’t know either of you, and have no ties, previous or present, to your company.”

Farrah paused and then looked back and forth at the women. “My concern is not who is right. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m here to work you through this, and in doing that you need to talk to me about why you think you were wronged and how we can resolve things and move forward. Are there any questions?”

“No,” both women said simultaneously.

Farrah noted Rudolph had clenched down on his lips to keep from answering, but the glare he gave her let her know he wanted to say something. Probably something he had no business saying.

“I hope we can work things out,” Lori said softly. “I don’t want anger between me and Kerrie.”

“Who cares if there’s anger between the two of you?” Rudolph butted in to say, evidently not able to keep quiet any longer. “I won’t let her sell that company without giving you every penny you deserve.”

Farrah drew in a deep breath and shifted her gaze to Kerrie. She could tell it was taking all Kerrie’s control to not lash out against Rudolph, and she knew why Kerrie was remaining silent. It was her way of protecting Lori’s feelings. These two women still cared for each other, and if Rudolph dropped off the face of the earth, Farrah had a feeling there would be no need for her services here today.

But Rudolph was alive and well and sitting across from her being a total jerk. Was greed the only factor motivating him? Farrah thought. Little did he know Farrah would be successful with this case because, whether they realized it or not, the two women’s friendship had always been solid as a rock. Now it was time for Farrah to remind them of that.

“So tell me, Ms. Byers. When did your friendship with Ms. Shaw begin?” Though the woman seemed surprised, Farrah knew why she’d asked the question. She intended to make them recall why they’d become friends in the first place, in hopes they’d realize their relationship was too important to give up.

Lori glanced over at Kerrie and smiled as if remembering. “It was my first year of high school. I was thirteen and the new kid in town since my parents had moved to the city over the summer. Kerrie lived on my block and invited me to walk home with her. We became best friends immediately, and—”

“Why are we rehashing all of that stuff?” Rudolph said in a snarl. “We need to be discussing the money and—”

“Rudolph, if you’re not happy with the way things are going here, you can leave!” Lori spoke up and said to her husband. It was apparent the man was surprised by his wife’s sharp statement, and like a spoiled child, he pushed his chair back and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Farrah waited a beat to see if Lori would run after him. Instead, the woman seemed to remain calm, and then after a few moments she continued the story of how she and Kerrie had met.

Farrah fought to hide her smile. Now she felt they would finally get somewhere.

Xavier glanced at his watch. It was close to three in the afternoon, and he hadn’t received a response yet from the text message he’d sent to Farrah earlier inviting her to a Broadway play tonight. He had decided against calling her since he hadn’t known the hours she would be tied up with the case she was mediating.

When his cell phone rang, he quickly picked it up and smiled when he saw the caller was Farrah. “Yes?”

“Xavier, it’s Farrah. Sorry I didn’t have time to text you back earlier, but I was in mediation sessions all day.”

“How did it go?”

“Rather well, actually. At least it did once the husband left. He was determined to cause problems. I spent most of the day reminding the two women why they became friends in the first place. I think another session will resolve things. That is if the wife doesn’t go home and let her husband’s manipulations undo all we’ve achieved today. He seems to have a lot of influence on her.”

Xavier nodded. “Are you still at work?”

“No, I just got back to the hotel and am about to take a long, leisurely bubble bath. I’m running the water as hot as I can stand it to unfreeze my bones. It’s still extremely cold outside.”

Xavier paused a moment and then asked, “Have you given any thought to joining me tonight for a Broadway play? The one I thought you’d enjoy is
Hair.
And I promise to keep you warm again if you do venture out.”

That’s what I’m afraid of,
Farrah thought, sitting on the edge of her bed. The only reason she hadn’t swooned each and every time she’d thought of the kiss they’d shared in the car last night was because it had taken all of her time and energy getting Kerrie and Lori to stroll back down memory lane.

“Umm, I’ve always wanted to see
Hair,
” she said softly.

“Here’s your chance.”

Yes, here was her chance. Should she take it or should she let the opportunity drift in the wind because she didn’t trust herself around one particular man? Would he try kissing her again? She drew in a deep breath knowing he would and knowing she would be disappointed if he didn’t.

She had gone to bed last night with that hot and sizzling kiss on her mind and too many warm, touchyfeely emotions stirring in her heart. And she knew why. During the year she and Xavier had been bed partners, he’d had a way of making her feel special and had taken whatever time was needed to bring her as much pleasure as any one woman could possibly handle. He had been more attentive to her in that one year than Dustin had been during the four years of their marriage. She had missed Xavier’s attentiveness, his presence, his lovemaking and every single thing about him.

Now he was back, not in her life on a routine basis but just for the period of time she would be here in New York. When they returned to Charlotte, things would go back to normal, with him having his life and her having hers. Their paths would rarely cross, and on those occasions when they might run into each other, she was satisfied they’d know they could never become lovers again.

Sharing a kiss wasn’t so bad, and the way he’d given attention to her breasts wasn’t a sin and a shame either. But she couldn’t share a bed with him. That would be her ultimate downfall. If he ever went inside her body again she would be tempted to never, ever let him out. She could possibly get hooked back on what it had taken six months to wean herself from.

Could she handle his presence, his closeness and his heat without temptation pushing her on her back with him on top of her? She nibbled on her bottom lip while thinking, yes, she would handle it, even if it almost killed her. All she would have to do was close her eyes and see Dustin’s face to remember why such a thing was necessary. “Farrah?”