Authors: Ella Celestine
Chapter Two
Xander sat in the kitchen sipping his coffee and pretending to read the newspaper, trying to make sense of the strange conversation with Brandi. She thought he didn’t like her, yet she’d ordered enough Thai food for both of them. He had no idea there was even a Thai place that delivered because he kept a chef on staff during the week. They ate in comfortable silence, well mostly comfortable. The woman enjoyed her food entirely too much. So much, he stayed seated an extra fifteen minutes just to get his body under control.
“Morning,” Brandi chirped when she came in through the outside door, glistening with sweat and chest heaving.
When he looked up, Xander choked on his coffee. Damn she was a stunning woman, even fresh from a morning run. Her light pink sports bra and shorts sculpted her body, giving him the perfect view of her lithe figure with curves in all the right places. “Uh, good morning. Good workout?”
She nodded and bent inside the fridge for a bottle of water. “Yep. There’s a great circuit overlooking the ocean.”
He watched, riveted, as one particular bead of sweat trickled down her throat as she drank before disappearing between a pair of firm and rather large breasts. “I know it.”
Her surprise showed. “Maybe we could run together sometime?”
Xander didn’t like the hesitation in her voice. She really must think he disliked her. Last night he wasn’t sure if she’d been fishing for compliments or flirting. Now he knew.
“Or not. I just thought I’d ask. Anyway, I’m going…upstairs.”
Dammit.
“Brandi, wait. Please.”
She stopped and turned, curiosity gleaming in her gold-flecked chocolate eyes. “It’s fine. I thought it would ease the tension between us.”
He barked out a laugh. “I don’t think a run will help.”
“Oh. Okay.” She turned again, but this Xander grasped her slick bicep and turned her to him.
“No, it’s not okay. None of it is okay, dammit.”
Her brows furrowed and her own anger began to rise. “I don’t know what your problem is.”
“You! My problem is you, Brandi. Ever since you walked in here, looking like a damn brown sugar Barbie!” He didn’t let her say another word because his lips were on hers, hard and insistent. Hands flew to her hips, holding on for dear life while his lips massaged hers, his tongue tangled with hers and explored the depths of the sweet heat of her mouth. What had begun as a wildly hot kiss meant to satisfy surface desire had quickly spiraled to more. Xander’s hand flew to her breasts, and Brandi’s hands speared through his mahogany waves.
Brandi didn’t know how they got from whatever the hell they were doing before the kiss, to kissing the hell out of each other in the middle of the kitchen. But she really didn’t want to stop. His lips were soft and strong, insistent and oh so delicious. Hands on his chest she gave him a gentle shove. “Wow.”
Xander’s mouth curved up on one side. “Exactly.” That kiss had been so much more than he expected. And now he wanted more.
She couldn’t stop the smile that matched his. “That was amazing, but I’m not sure we should do that again.”
His smiled faltered. “Why? It was fantastic!”
“It was, but I think it might complicate things.”
Xander nodded. “I understand, and I also reserve the right to try and change your mind.” He tilted her chin up, gave her another kiss and disappeared down the hall and into his office.
~
Things had been tense between Brandi and Xander since that Saturday in the kitchen. Not a strange, awkward kind of tension but one filled with unspoken desire. Shared looks and brief touches in the hallway were making it really hard to sleep at night. And now, while they walked the maze of a nearby museum for Kylie’s lesson, the tension had reached a fever pitch.
While Brandi tried to keep Kylie between them as a buffer, Xander spent the entire afternoon brushing his fingers against hers, standing so close his body heat made her shiver and whispering sweet words in her ear. It was absolute torture. And she loved it.
“Brandi, can you help me find the bathroom?”
If she was confused by the request, she didn’t show it. “Sure kiddo. This will be one of your life lessons. We women often go to the bathroom in groups.”
“Why?” Silver eyes searched for an answer.
“I have no idea. It’s just something we do. Come on.” It took nearly ten minutes to find a bathroom. She waited by the sink for Kylie, who rushed out a moment later.
“Why did Uncle Xander come?”
“He asked and I figured he wanted to spend some time with you. Did you not want him here?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”
“Of course, he does, sweetie. He loves you.” She wrapped her arms around the little girl. “How could he not?”
Wide silver eyes turned up to her. “Do you love me?”
She smiled at Kylie. Her favorite part of working with gifted children was watching them develop into emotionally mature young people. “Of course, I do. You’ve wormed your way into my heart.” She stood and brushed a hand across her ponytail. “Now let’s go. I understand there’s a Renaissance exhibit on the third floor.”
She gasped in shock. “Come on then, slow poke!”
Brandi laughed and let herself be pulled by the tiny blonde. She made a note to talk to Xander about how to deal with an emotionally fragile young girl.
“Where’s the fire?” Xander looked between both females and grinned.
“She’s very excited about the Renaissance exhibit upstairs.” She looked down at an overexcited Kylie. “Don’t go too far ahead. Remember,” she began, but Kylie finished for her.
“If I can’t see you then you can’t see me. Go it,” she said and took off up the stairs.
“You’ve done well with her this past month.”
She nodded. “I think we should do more outings with you involved.”
Xander smiled. “Can’t get enough of me?”
“I’m serious, Mr. Northrop.”
“Call me Xander.”
“Fine. Xander. She thinks you don’t like her and don’t want her.”
His brows dipped into a deep vee. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She sighed and looked up at him, frustration burning her dark eyes. “She told me. In those exact words, which means you’re not doing your job.”
“You should be more worried about your job.”
“Well, I’m actually more worried about Kylie. She’s a wonderful little girl who has lost the two most important people to her, and now she thinks she’s stuck with someone who dislikes her. Imagine how painful that feels for her.”
Chapter Three
Xander had given a lot of thought to what Brandi said to him in the museum. Truthfully he hadn’t been able to think of much else. God, the idea of Kylie in more pain because of him, was unbearable. He liked the little girl, and before he’d lost his last remaining family member, he would’ve confidently said he loved her. Now, though, that was an emotion he no longer had the luxury for. She would never want for anything in this world as long as he was alive. But he could not promise love.
But he had promised Brandi he would try, which was why he was elbow deep in a giant ball of sticky dough and Margaret the housekeeper, was reclining in the cottage house at the edge of the property. He was making pizza for dinner. Well, he was making the dough, and Margaret had purchased a ton of toppings so they could all make them together.
Family time.
If it would help Kylie and make her feel better about her place in his life, he would do it.
Feminine whispers and laughter wafted down the stairs, and Xander shook his head and smiled. Brandi and Kylie got along great. They were more like mother and daughter than teacher and student. What he lacked in affection and attention, she more than made up for and he was grateful for it. Kylie was happier than she’d been since the death of her parents. That’s what mattered to him.
“Hey, you’re just in time,” he smiled at Kylie when as she entered the kitchen, Brandi trailing behind.
“To watch it rise? This is so cool! The carbon dioxide and alcohol combine as the sugars in the dough and yeast metabolize, making the dough expand.”
Brandi gave a proud pat on her shoulder. “Very good, Kylie. But you know it’s a slow process that takes a couple hours, right?”
She looked up at Brandi adoringly. “Yep and I got the best seat in the kitchen!”
Xander was surprised when Brandi gifted him with a smile and a wink. “While you do that, I’m going to read your latest creation and see if I can decipher it. You should tell your uncle about it, Kylie. Did you know he started out as a scientist like you?”
His heart skipped a beat when that familiar silver gaze slanted up at him. “You were? I thought you were a businessman?”
“I am now, but that happened accidentally.” He told her about the garden and as her eyes lit up with excitement, Xander felt the ice around his heart thaw just a little.
“Did you choose a business because it is more profitable?”
“In a way, yes, but I would have liked to remain solely a scientist. Unfortunately working for a giant pharmaceutical company was something I wanted to do. This was a better path.”
“Don’t pharmaceutical companies help people?”
Daniel smiled and gave a gentle nod. Kylie was so intelligent he often forgot she was just a child. “Most of the time they do. But in some instances, they could cure an illness and they simply choose to treat it.”
Her button nose crinkled adorably. “But, why?”
“Ah, the one thing your keen intelligence has not prepared you for Kylie is cynicism. They do it for money. If you’re sick for 30 years and buying their medicine the entire time, they make far more money than a one or even a ten-time cure.” He watched intelligent silver eyes absorb his words and then fall in disappointment.
“So people could be cured but are not, and for money?”
“That about sums it up.”
“I’d like to help cure diseases but not for them.”
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, I think you have the mind for it. The question is, where will you attend college?” Oddly enough, Xander found that he liked talking to the child. She was smart and easy to talk to.
“Brandi says I could go anywhere I want. Harvard or Stanford. Yale or Princeton. Even Oxford.”
He laughed. “Then I guess it is a good thing you are a genius.”
“With the best teacher in the world!” She turned her attention back to the rising dough, whipping out measuring tape to see if she’d missed anything.
“Can’t argue with that.”
~
“You and your uncle seem to be getting along better.” Brandi was glad to see them talking and smiling together, just as uncle and niece should. Xander seemed to have found room in his life, if not yet his heart, for little Kylie.
She nodded with a sad smile. “We have a lot in common, but I think I am an obligation to him.”
That broke Brandi’s heart. A child should never feel that way, and she would have to speak with Xander again. “We are all obligated to care for the children of the world. You’re no relative of mine, but I love and care for you as if you were.”
“You are like my mom. She was sweet and kind, happy but she was also smart. Like you.”
She wrapped an arm around Kylie. “You’re too sweet, but if you think you can butter me up to get out of our lesson today, think again little girl.”
Kylie giggled. “But I already know the U.S. Constitution inside out,” she pouted.
“And now you need to have a solid understanding of all of the civics. For example, if you get arrested, do you know your rights?”
“I’m a good girl,” she smiled arrogantly, “I won’t get arrested.”
“Okay, falsely arrested then.”
“They can’t do that!”
Brandi smiled. “Of course, they can, which is why you need to know what rights you have to protect yourself.” Kylie’s shoulders slumped, but she opened the book with a reluctant smile.
“Can we go see a murder case? That’s the best way to get a true sense of the justice system!”
Golden brown eyes rolled. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, but if your uncle says it's alright I’ll take you. And have awful nightmares for the next few weeks.”
Kylie giggled, wrapped her lanky arms around Brandi’s waist and then ran from the room, calling for her Uncle Xander.
The little girl was both a genius and a little girl, and Brandi figured with a bit of her uncle’s love she could be one of the most well adjusted little geniuses in the world. Thanks to several siblings on her mother’s side of the family, Kylie was exposed to life with regular children and took pleasure in typical things like a game of tag and especially, video games. In nine months, when her contract was up, she was confident Kylie would be more than alright.
She heard footsteps, but they were slow, heavy and deliberate, not those of an exuberant young girl. When his disgruntled voice broke the silence behind her, she could not stop the smile. “Are you out of your mind? A murder trial!”
“My mind is sharp as a tack, thanks for asking.” It wouldn’t do to poke the bear, she knew, but riling him up was irresistible.
“You told Kylie to ask me if she could attend a murder trial! A murder trial? You must have gone crazy Brandi, it’s the only explanation.”
She sighed and leaned back, crossing her legs as she did so. “I told her I didn’t think it was a good idea. She thought it would be helpful for her understanding of civics, so I told her that I would deal with the nightmares if you were alright with it.”
“Why would I be alright with it?”
When she spoke, Brandi infused every bit of calm she had in her reserves into her voice. “What is the harm in asking? She needs to know that the harm isn’t in asking.” She knew he had no reply for that.
Xander raked one hand and then the other through his mahogany hair in exasperation. “For god sakes Brandi, a murder trial?”
She shrugged. “This was Kylie’s idea. A simple yes or no would suffice.”
Xander seethed at her cool demeanor. “Why on earth would I say yes?”
“So you told Kylie that we couldn’t go?”
“I didn’t say a damn thing to her! I came up here to talk to you because you’re supposed to be the adult.”
Her eyes grew round in surprise. “You just walked out on her?” She stood and brushed by Xander, ignoring his earthy scent and the warmth radiating off his body. “God Xander, she already thinks you don’t like her, and you don’t even give her the courtesy of an answer?” She stomped down the stairs, muttering to herself, “and I’m the one who’s lost her mind!”
“Dammit Brandi, wait!”
“I don’t think so.” She continued on her path to find Kylie. “Kylie, where are you, sweetie?”
“In here,” she said with a sigh of resignation.
Brandi glared over her shoulder at him. “Great going,
Uncle Xander
,” she sneered. She stopped abruptly outside the library rather than the office. “How’s it going, kiddo?”
Kylie shrugged. “I don’t think we’re going to the courthouse today, or any day,” she pouted.
“Probably not,” she told the girl, soothing her by rubbing little circles on her back. “But we could do something else. How about a girls’ day, just for us?”
Kylie smiled. “What’s that?”
“Why don’t I show you? This is an essential part of being a woman. Come on.”
~
“It’s called ‘P’ is for Passion, Uncle Xander.”
Xander listened, over dinner, as his niece told him every little detail of her girls’ day with Brandi. Apparently they’d gotten manicures and pedicures, facials and they’d both come back with new hairstyles. “Aren’t you a little young for passion?”
Kylie gifted him with a stoic expression and then her girlish giggles bounced off the dining room walls. She’d insisted they all dress for dinner to celebrate her first girls’ day. “It doesn’t have to be sexual passion, Uncle Xander.”
He spits out his wine at her words, silver eyes glaring between the women. “What do you know of sexual passion? You’re a child.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I know there are all types of passion. Brandi said I have a passion for science and learning. She has a passion for shoes and books.”
The smile Kylie sent Brandi had another shard of ice falling and leaving his heart more exposed. The connection they’d formed of the past few months was incredible, and Xander was grateful. He couldn’t give her love, but he was glad she had it. “And what about me, have I no passion?”
She laughed at his mock outrage and tapped her chin in thought. “Yes, you are passionate about your business.”
Ouch.
Is that how he seemed? Uncaring unless it had to do with his billion dollar business? “I am, but I am also passionate about history,” he stuck his tongue out, surprised he felt so pleased by her laughter. “In that spirit, we are all going to the nation’s capital.”
Kylie froze, stormy gray eyes darting from Brandi to Xander and back to Brandi. “Are we really?” Brandi nodded, giving her the indulgent smile of a mother. “Cool! Did you know Brandi? Was this all a prank?”
“Nope, I had no clue. This was all your Uncle Xander.”
He sent her a grateful smile. “You better go pack because we’re leaving early tomorrow morning.”
She hopped from the chair. “I’ll bring some of my new outfits! Should I Brandi?”
She nodded, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “You should definitely bring the green dress. I’ll treat you to a proper grown up meal.”
“Oh boy, this is so exciting!” She practically skipped from the dining room.
“You did well, Xander. Congratulations, you’re now acting like a parent.”
He smiled, proud of himself but also that he’d made her proud of him. “Thank you, Brandi. You were right, you know.”
“I know.”
“So modest,” he grumbled.
Brandi ignored him and lifted her glass. “To correcting our mistakes.”
His glass touched hers, and before he took a sip, Xander leaned forward, “There’s another mistake I plan to correct. Very soon.” He laughed when she visibly shivered.
“Heaven helps me,” she groaned.
Xander laughed into his glass, savoring the heated gaze she tossed his way.