Branded by Cindy Stark

considered what
might have actually taken place that night.  But you’re right.  No sense
worrying about what didn’t happen.”
    He pulled into a parking space not far from her
building.  “Is this your house?”
    “Yes.  I’m surprised you found it so easily.”  She’d
only given him her address and had then become distracted by her thoughts and
hadn’t realized they’d arrived.
    He shrugged.  “I used to work not too far from
here.  I know the streets pretty well.  Let me get your door,” he said as he
exited, the rain still spitting from the sky.
    He opened her door, letting Stormy out and
extended a hand to her.  She stepped into the drizzling weather.  Her dog
lowered her ears as the water pelted her, and she ran for the covered entrance
to her building.
    “Let’s make a run for it.  I don’t want you
getting too wet.”  He held her hand as they dashed across the sidewalk.  The
feel of his hand around hers comforted her and excited her at the same time.
    They stopped under the awning shading her
doorstep, both breathing a little heavier from their sprint.  She tilted her
head up to his and laughed.  Sprinkles of rain covered his hair and cheeks.
    He grinned and wiped a droplet from her nose.
    “You didn’t have to walk me to my door in this
weather.”
    “I wanted to.”  Attraction glimmered in his eyes.
    “I’m not going to invite you up, you know.”
    His smile grew wider.  “I figured you’d say that,
but a guy can hope.”
    There was something about this man she really
adored.  “I’ll see you in the morning?”
    “About ten?”
    “Ten, it is.”  Compelling currents of attraction
raced through her, and she wished she dared to invite him to spend the night
with her.  But she didn’t want him to get the wrong impression and think that
was something she did often.  “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”  She slid
her arms around his neck, moving in for a hug, but he kept his eyes pinned to
hers, and she found herself drawn to his face.  She moved closer, and the next
thing she knew, she’d placed her lips on his.
    Dangerous longing slammed into her, and she couldn’t
resist sliding her lips over his and deepening their kiss.  He responded by
crushing her against him.  Her tongue found his, and she slipped her fingers
into his rain-soaked hair.
    Far too quickly, he pulled back, ending their
kiss.  A sigh of satisfaction escaped her before she could stop it.
    She met his darkened gaze with wide eyes.  Had the
intensity of their kiss surprised him as well?  She shook off the awkwardness
with a small laugh.  “With that, I think I’ll say good night.”
    He studied her with an unreadable expression, and
she quickly turned, removing her keys from her purse and unlocking the front
door.  She let Stormy into the main foyer, but commanded her to stay before she
dashed up the stairs alone to their apartment.  One of her neighbors always
freaked out if he saw Stormy without her leash.  If her neighbor and her dog
came face to face without Nicole present, who knew what might happen.
    She turned to Xander, still unable to decipher his
thoughts from viewing his expression.  “See you in the morning.”
    “Sweet dreams, Nicole.”  A hint of a pleased smile
curved his lips before he turned and sprinted back through the rain to his car.
    She stayed where she was, watching his form
disappear into the misty rain, waiting until his brake lights flared in the
night.  The sound of his powerful engine rumbled into the darkness, and she put
a hand against her wildly beating heart.
    Dear Lord, what had she gotten herself into?
    *        *        *
    At a red light, Xander punched in Sam’s cell phone
number and switched it to speaker phone.  It rang a couple of times, and Sam
answered as the light turned green.
    “Hey bud,” he greeted his friend.  “I just dropped
off Nicole after spending the evening with her.”
    “Really?  And when you say you