The Affair with Mr. X: Part I / The Affair with Mr. X (ePub)

"And who's this gorgeous creature?" Xavier asked.

"This is Lenae, Tara's best friend … Tara's best married friend," Gideon said as he introduced Lenae to his brother. "Lenae, this is Xavier, my brother."

"Well now, that's too too bad. Your husband is a lucky man, Lenae. May I call you by your first name? I don't want to offend," Xavier said, extending his hand.

The lyrical tenor of his Louisiana drawl floated over Lenae as he took her hand. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his deep, chocolate-brown ones.

"Yes. Yes you may," Lenae said, offering her hand to him. Inexplicably, she couldn't wait for him to touch her. She tried to pull her hand out of his immediately, instinctively knowing it was dangerous to let it rest in the warm center of his roughened palm.

Xavier held Lenae's gaze, tightening his hand slightly on hers to keep it from escaping his. His eyes never left hers. Taking one step forward, he said, "You can call me X."

"N-no, I don't think I can," Lenae answered, aware that her hand was still nestled in the palm of his.

He smiled slowly.

"Why not?" he asked.

Lenae's tongue unglued itself from the roof of her mouth. She swallowed and his eyes moved to the subtle movement on the smooth skin of her throat.

"Why not Lenae? Why won't you call me X? I assure you, it's fine. Everyone calls me that."

"Beca … because," Lenae tried speaking again, willing an explanation to spill forth.

The smile on his lips matched the smile in his eyes. Right behind that though was something else … desire.###

Lenae open fully to him - blissful murmurings becoming urgent demands for him to take her; to release her from the prison of pleasure he'd entombed her in. He reveled in the mastery his hands had over her heated body, resisting the urge to take her, even though she was begging.

Tears of pure ecstasy streamed back into her hairline as her hips rode the chasms of pleasure that rocked her body.

Xavier rolled off of her, pulling her to him and kissing the nape of her neck as he did so. "I tried to keep my distance from you. But I knew that it was a losing battle and that eventually, we were going to end up here."

"I know. Me too," she said simply.###

Xavier banged his fist on the steering wheel. She was married. He knew this going in.

But the chemistry they shared; the way she gave herself so freely to him. Their involvement - their affair - had implications far beyond just the two of them.

How would his brother found out? Would it cause a rift between them? Would it cause a rift between Gideon and Tara, his fiance? After all, he and Gideon were brothers, and Lenae was Tara's best friend. Would Tara blame him for taking advantage of her best friend?

In spite of all of this, one thing became very clear to him -- he didn't regret making love to Lenae. If the truth be told, he didn't know how he was going to stop making love to her. He wanted her now more than ever ... even if she was still married.