Access Granted (4 page)

Chapter Four

Closing the distance between them rather quickly, Zander blocked her in until he was totally inside her personal space. He moved closer so his chest brushed over her breasts forcing her back against the door.

“What are you doing?” Sabrina whispered, glancing up into his eyes. “I think you should go now.”

Zander
knew
he was going to kiss her. The tension in the room was so thick that he almost couldn’t breath from it. As much as she tried to deny it, he knew Sabrina wanted the same thing by the way her body tensed.

She didn’t look away from him...and he couldn’t look away from her exquisite face either. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside and she was all his. Just the thought of how he would spend the rest of his life with her made his cock even harder.

Placing his hand by Sabrina’s hip, Zander lowered his head breathing in her sweet scent...the fragrance he knew would be in his dreams tonight.

Slowly, his head lowered as his other hand cupped her cheek holding her in place for their kiss. As their lips met...Sabrina’s lips felt so
soft
against his. Moving his hand a few inches, Zander brushed the tip of his thumb over the corner of her mouth then his tongue peeked out licking the seam.

Sabrina let out a low groan making his cock instantly twitch and grow another inch. God, he wanted this kiss with a growing
hunger
he never thought was possible for someone like him.  Back and forth he teased her lips with his tongue until Sabrina finally opened her mouth allowing him entrance to the wonderful treasure inside.

Sighing, Sabrina moved closer to him wrapping her arms around his shoulders pressing her soft breasts into his chest. Excited by her eagerness, Zander dragged Sabrina completely against him sucking her plump bottom lip into his waiting mouth. As the kiss grew hotter, he tore his mouth away from hers and rained nibbling kisses down the side of Sabrina’s smooth skin.

His hand cupped her ass holding Sabrina tight against his throbbing erection. Holding her like this in his arms was everything he had been waiting for, but it wasn’t complete yet. As much as he loved this, it wouldn’t be able to go on much longer without him wanting a taste of her. So, he knew what he had to do to fix the situation.

Zander unwillingly released the side of Sabrina’s neck while he still had enough strength to do so. “Damn baby, you taste so good. Do you know how much I want you, sweetheart?” he whispered against her ear. “I can stay the night if you want me to. I promise you that I will make it good for you.”

Seconds tickled by while he waited for an answer. He hoped he would get the one he wanted but he knew it was just wishful thinking on his part. Sabrina wasn’t ready to get in to him or their desire for each other just yet, but it was coming.

“No, we need to stop,” Sabrina moaned, squirming in his arms as she tried to get away from him.

Not yet! Zander wasn’t ready to stop. He needed another kiss to get him through the night.

“One more kiss, sweetheart. Just one more and I’ll leave you alone.”

Without giving Sabrina a chance to respond, he recaptured her mouth, making love to it, the way he wanted to do with her perfect body. Zander nibbled, sucked and practically
devoured
her mouth while he had the chance.

Holding her hips still, he brushed his cock against her hoping and praying that the movement might relieve some of the stiff ache, but the need to have her only grew worse the more he touched Sabrina.

As much as he hated to do it, Zander eased Sabrina away from him and then took several steps back so he would no longer be within touching space of her taste and scent. The naked desire in her eyes was calling at him to come back, but he couldn’t without taking her...turning her tonight.

Being a vampire made him very hypotonic and tempting to any woman after he started kissing her. Zander didn’t want that with Sabrina. He needed her desire to be real with him or he wouldn’t ever be able to turn her.

Yes, she might be a
Unique
woman and destined to be with him from birth. However, Sabrina still needed to come to him because of her free will along with her undying love for him or nothing else would do.

“God sweetheart, I need to get out of here fast before I act on something I shouldn’t.” Zander moved around Sabrina. He paused at the front door and glanced back over at her. He loved seeing Sabrina’s lips swollen from his kisses.

The honey taste of  her mouth was still lingering on his tongue pushing him to go back and finish what he started plus take what was rightfully his, but Zander knew he had to leave...this wasn’t the time to make his move.

“Sleep well, baby. I’ll see you soon.” He turned and opened the door and went out, closing it softly

behind him.

Chapter Five

“Hey Zander, can I talk to you about hooking up some security cameras for me at a new business I just acquired?”

Zander looked away from the email on the computer screen as Thorsten sauntered into the office with the confidence that had surrounded him since he was young. Cocky wasn’t the word he would use to describe his cousin, but it came pretty damn close.

“I won’t have time to do it this week. I’m all booked up with a couple of celebrities’ houses all this week and maybe a few the beginning of next week.”

Thorsten stopped in front of his desk and picked up a small paperweight. “Care to tell me who the celebrities are?” he asked, tossing the rose shaped trinket up and down in the palm of his large hand.

“Put that back down,” Zander snapped, instantly. “You know how much I hate it when you bother with my belongings. Anyways, I bought that for Sabrina. It’s in the shape of her birthmark. I just need to find the right time to give it to her. In addition, I can’t tell you anything about my famous clients and you know that, so why do you keep asking me?”

“Oh, I forget about Sabrina’s birthmark and the connection to this.”  Thorsten placed the paperweight back down in its original spot and then grinned at him displaying the dimple in his right cheek most human women found irresistible.

“How do you know that is really Sabrina’s birthmark anyway?” Thorsten questioned, pointing at the paperweight.  “It’s not like you’ve seen her naked or anything.

“Furthermore, you know how I am. I’ll keep asking until I weaken you down and get what I want, but I do tend to forget how obstinate your ass can be,” his cousin complained. “You are twenty times...no a hundred times worse than Jax and definitely a bigger pain in the ass.”

“If you talk about my mate being naked again, I will snap your neck. Do you understand me?” Zander growled his fangs exposed.

Thorsten held up his hand and took a step back. “Calm down. You don’t have to threaten me.  I’m not interested in Sabrina. She’s really cute, but not my type. I need a woman with a little more fight in her. I only wanted an answer to my question and that’s it. I wasn’t looking for a fight to the death or anything.”

Zander took a few minutes to get back under control before answering his cousin. “You know we were all told about our individual mate’s birthmarks and where they were located on their bodies. I don’t have a doubt Sabrina’s is a rose. Maybe if you spent more time looking for your mate instead of dating every woman that looks in your direction   you might not still be lonely and searching.”

Today wasn’t the day that Thorsten needed to be bothering him. After leaving Sabrina’s house late last night angry and hornier than he had been in centuries, Zander spent most of his night driving around in circles hoping to ease the ache, but it didn’t work.

Instead of going back to Sabrina’s to finish up what they started earlier, he decided to become friends with a bottle of brandy. Last night almost got completely out of hand with him kissing Sabrina.

He couldn’t rush Sabrina’s feelings for him. She had to tell him from her heart that she loved him and only him. The waiting was killing him, but he could wait a little while longer. Sadly, he had to do it because rushing Sabrina wasn’t going to give him her undying love.

Damn...
Zander prayed that he could wait.

“Thorsten, you’re wasting your time. I’m not about to tell you anything about my work,” he said, bringing his attention about the conversation and away from inner thoughts about Sabrina. “Some things have to stay confidential. You know that because of your work.”

His cousin eyed him closely for a few minutes making him wonder what kind of crazy thoughts were racing around in that head of his. “Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll leave it alone. You are such a tight ass about everything. I think that’s probably the reason you aren’t with the Sabrina. She might end up moving on with that Brent guy if you don’t make a move and soon.”

Zander jumped up from his seat and then sat back down before he did something he might regret and have Jax give him another unwanted lecture about his hot temper.   He wouldn’t allow Thorsten to knowingly push his buttons today.

“Stop talking about my mate,” he warned.  “You know nothing about Sabrina. How I handle my growing relationship with her isn’t any of your damn business.”

Taking a seat in front of his desk, Thorsten shook his head at him. “What it is with you and Jax?” he questioned. “Your brother was days away from falling into the sleep of the dead because he didn’t want to push Sahara too fast. Now, here you are doing the same shit. Just claim Sabrina and be done with it. You know you’ll feel so much better after you’ve turned her and gotten rid of Brent.”

Youth
, Zander thought as he stared across his mahogany desk at his conceited cousin. Thorsten had just turned two hundred years old, so he still had a lot of maturing to do. He was so busy doing his own thing in the world. Thorsten wouldn’t recognize his own mate if she came up and slapped him across the face.

“I’m not allowing Sabrina to do anything. I know she’s going to be with me in the end. I want to take things slow.” Zander knew what he’d just told Thorsten wasn’t entirely the truth, but his bothersome cousin didn’t need to know everything that was going on in his personal life.

Sabrina was his business and no one else’s.

“You sound just like Jax. I can tell the two of you are brothers by the way you allow your mates to have so much control over you. They belong to you. It’s not the other way around. I should have found my mate first, so the both of you could have gotten some pointers from me.”

He loved how much Thorsten was giving him all of this advice, but he didn’t need it. “We’ll see if you think the same way when it’s your turn,” Zander taunted, smiling. “You’ll be the one who ends up falling in love the hardest for your mate, so enjoy your freedom while you still have it. Once you see your mate nothing else will matter but making her fall in love with you.”

Thorsten leveled him with a hard stare. “I’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told Jax. I’m not going to let my mate have me running around in circles. I’ll claim her and she will have nothing to say about it.”

Getting up from this seat, Thorsten pulled down the sleeve of his suit jacket. “I can’t stay any longer for useless lectures because I need to get going. I can’t be late for this meeting. I’m still working on trying to get that hedge fund. Remember what I said to you. You need to take action. I know what I’m talking about.”

Spinning around on his heel, Thorsten walked out of the room with his usual self-assured swagger. Zander barely had time to swallow down his laughter. Thorsten was so ignorant about how to claim his mate nothing he had planned was going to happen at all. He was in for such a huge surprise.

However, he wasn’t going to waste his time and energy with Thorsten’s nonsense. All of his focus was being used for one thing ...
Sabrina
.

He hadn’t been thinking about finding his
Unique
woman. Sabrina coming into his life was a shock. For years, he was very content owning, and working at, his security firm. Sure, he dated women off and on throughout the years, but nothing was ever serious about them. He only spent the night with a few and only the ones who wouldn’t get serious.

Unlike Jax who wasn’t sure any
Unique
women were really out there; he had believed they existed, but he hadn’t spent his every waking moment out searching for his.

Honestly, Zander probably would never even have come into contact with Sabrina if he hadn’t become friends with Avery Watley at a local boxing gym. They had been sparring partners and struck up a conversation. Finding out Avery was in the same profession as him had come as a complete surprise, so he hadn’t thought twice about offering his new buddy a job.

Over the course of a year, they had become very good friends, almost like brothers. Avery had mentioned to him a couple of times that he had a little sister named Sabrina, but he hadn’t gotten the chance to meet her until Avery’s big thirtieth birthday party and that one night his life changed forever.

Chapter Six

The moment Sabrina walked into the party next to Avery wearing an eye catching one shoulder purple dress that showed off the creamy perfection of her caramel skin, everything and everyone else had instantly disappeared.. Why wouldn’t it when his mate had just made an appearance?

The only person he saw was her.

Her entire essence pulled him across the room until he was standing in front of his mate...the one special woman he wanted to spend his life protecting forever.

He only half listened as Avery made the usual introductions. All he was waiting for was the precise second he actually got to
touch
her.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Irizarry,” Sabrina’s soft, sweet voice said as she shook his hand.

“Zander,” he corrected as his large hand engulfed her smaller one.

A vaguely sensuous awareness passed between them making him even more sure Sabrina was his one and only. He didn’t know how long he could wait until he made a claim on her.

Sabrina eased her hand away from him and then moved a little closer to her brother. She gave him a questioning look, but she didn’t say a word. He knew right then Sabrina had felt the same attraction as him, but unlike her he was very
aware
of what had caused it.

“Didn’t I tell you my sister was drop-dead gorgeous?” Avery complimented, wrapping his arm around Sabrina’s shoulder.

Zander liked how Sabrina’s gorgeous face brightened up at her brother’s praise. He could tell how much they loved each other. It was a very touching moment and something he would remember for a very long time.

“I thought you told me she was a pain in your ass when the two of you were kids,” he teased, winking at Sabrina who gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, she was; however, things got better when she grew up. Thank God Sabrina got her own friends and stopped wanting to be my constant shadow.”

Zander watched as Avery moved his arm off of Sabrina’s shoulder and grinned at her. “You better be glad you didn’t grow up with a needy little sister like I did.”

“You know how much you loved having me around,” Sabrina cut in punching Avery in the shoulder.

“My buddies might have liked having you around, but not me.”

Zander heard the teasing tone of Avery’s voice. Seeing their closeness only made him feel even better that Sabrina was his mate. He wouldn’t have to do a lot to make her family accept him.

****

Little by little, Zander allowed his mind to leave the past and come back to the present. Recalling the first time he met Sabrina always made him think about what a lucky man he was. His life had only gotten better with the addition of
his
Sabrina.

The kiss they shared last night only proved he was one step closer to winning her over...which is what he desired the most. Few people, including his brother, knew the real him because there were so many levels of his personality. A lot of women found his ‘aloofness’ sexually appealing and fascinating, but he hated not being able to open easily.

Starting a private security firm allowed him to keep his solitude and not to interact with people the way Jax did on a daily basis. Sure, it took management qualities mingled with people skills. However, the biggest part of his career dealt with patience and having a willingness to deal with a very flexible schedule.

He got a great satisfaction from helping his clients by protecting them and their property. Since he didn’t want to protect the home in a one on one capacity, he went into technological security.  This gave him the ability to install, repair and monitor any kind of security device he set up on the property.

Unlike his brother Jax and his cousin Thorsten who loved being out around people, he got great pleasure from his privacy most of the time. Surprisingly, people seemed to gravitate more towards him because of his ability to be alone. More than once he had gotten compliments about his non-judgmental attitude.

He never thought of himself in that manner. He didn’t see any reason to discriminate against anyone; it was simply the way he was towards everyone. It was very hard for him to understand how anyone could be prejudiced or believe in any kind of intolerance. Fairness just came naturally to him. He thought everyone was on an equal footing until they did something to piss him off.

Deciding to combine his business with Jax’s under one roof had been a harder decision because he had loved the location of his old place, but after seeing how much Jax wanted Alpha Male Incorporated to become more than a dream, he couldn’t think about turning his brother down.

Doing everything to make it happened turned out to be a huge pain with the multiple city and state requirements.  In addition, hiring new staff was an equal thorn in his side. So he had gotten lucky enough to talk Avery into doing that part for him.

Avery finally agreeing to become his partner turned into a complete score for him. His best friend always took all of the security installing jobs he had no interest in doing at all. His partner’s brilliant mind for business pushed their company, Access Granted, to another level entirely.

There wasn’t a question about it.  Sabrina’s brother had brought a level of integrity to the business he would never find with another partner.  It still killed him every day that his buddy and best friend was dead, but he would honor his memory by taking wonderful care of Sabrina and getting Brent and Sean out of her life.

Who is Brent?
The question touched his mind out of nowhere.

Looking around his office Zander found his sister-in law, Sahara, standing in the doorway looking like a rising singer should in a short sexy silver dress wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses on her cute nose.  Jax told him last week that he was teaching Sahara how to read and transport thoughts.

“Sahara, I know you aren’t here by yourself with your stalker still on the loose,” he said, getting up from his seat.

Walking across the room, Zander stopped in front of her. He couldn’t get over how much calmer Jax was now with her in his life. The change was like day and night. There was a constant smile on his face instead of the usual frown he had gotten used to for so many years.

Taking off her sunglasses, Sahara grinned up at him before giving him a hug and moving back. “You’re right.  Jax is downstairs getting some files he left here last night. He doesn’t let me travel too far without him. He keeps telling me my strength isn’t as strong as his yet,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “I think he’s wrong. Now, are you going to tell me who Brent is and how he has unfortunately gotten on your bad side?”

Zander wasn’t in the mood to talk about his jealousy of Brent with Sahara. His attitude towards the man came across as petty since he was over three hundred years old and possessed the ability to live forever. How could it be possible that he was jealous of a mere human male? A man he could snap in half anytime he chose to do it.

“He is no one important. Just forget about it,” he answered, wanting to get off the subject as quickly as possible. “However, I want to tell you Jax isn’t lying about your strength.  You are stronger now because you aren’t human but a vampire, but my brother is old. His powers and abilities are twenty times more powerful than yours. Stay with him. Your stalker is crazy and wants to kill you.”

“Jax is still so protective of me. I’m not going to allow the stalker close contact with me,” Sahara complained. “He needs to trust my instincts more.”

“I won’t allow that bastard to get anywhere near my wife,” Jax swore as he strolled into his office interrupting their conversation. He carried several files in his hand.

“She might think she can handle him, but Sahara is wrong, so I’m going to stay at her side.” Stopping next to Sahara, his brother pulled her against his side and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Zander said. “I’m here for you too if you need me.”

“I never doubted you wouldn’t be,” Jax answered. “How did things go with Sabrina last night? Did you get a chance to work things out with her?”

“I’m still working on her.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. Jax would want more information, but he didn’t have any more to give his brother at the moment.

“I believe Brent is the reason Zander can’t get Sabrina,” Sahara chimed in, staring at him.

“Don’t tell me you still haven’t gotten rid of that jerk yet? How can you allow a human to be around your mate like that? Sabrina belongs to you. Claim her!” Jax talked like he had every right to tell him how to live his life.

“Hey!” Sahara exclaimed as she took a step away from his brother. “Sabrina isn’t a piece of luggage at the airport. Maybe she needs a little time to accept Zander’s secret. Remember, I wasn’t jumping for joy when you told me about who you really were. Didn’t I think you were crazy and wanted to get you some help? How do you think Sabrina will react especially since her brother has only been dead a few short weeks? Finding out Zander is a vampire maybe isn’t the best thing for her right now. Did you ever think about romancing her first and having her fall in love with you?”

“Jax, you sound like Thorsten,” Zander complained. Reluctantly, though, he had to agree his brother was right. “You know I can’t push Sabrina into accepting me and if I remember correctly I was the one who made you ultimately believe Sahara was a
Unique
woman. You never believed in their existence.”

“Fine, I’ll give you credit; however, when I realized who Sahara was to me I went after her. You haven’t even told Sabrina yet.”

“Zander, did you even listen to anything I just told you?” Sahara chimed in again, glaring at him. “I think my idea is better than either yours or Jax’s idea.”

“Sahara, I don’t have time to romance Sabrina with Brent hovering around her and now this Sean guy,” Zander complained. “I need to move fast or she might not ever believe we belong together.”

Jax took a quick glance over at Sahara and then back at him. “You need to listen to me. We both know more about claiming our mates than my adorable wife here does,” his brother pointed out to him.

Zander was beginning to get upset at Jax for pushing him so hard and getting into his personal business so much lately. He knew what had to be done and his brother telling him how to do it wasn’t helping him.

“Tell me, when was I supposed to enlighten Sabrina about me being a vampire and the whole
Unique
woman connection? Avery died pretty soon after we got introduced. Or should I have shown her my fangs the first night we met? Now that sounds like a plan to me. Why not have my mate screaming and running from me out of pure fear? Do you think I’ll win her over that away?”

Losing his cool wasn’t something that happened a lot to him, but he was totally fed up with Jax’s advice, or rather criticism, of the way he was dealing with Sabrina.

He was going to get Sabrina to be with him in his own time and his own way. He had to move very cautiously with her. Sabrina was already nervous of her attraction to him and he couldn’t afford to scare her away.

Why did his brother think he knew about Sabrina’s wants and needs better than him?

“I’m only trying to help you and if you weren’t so stubborn you would listen to me. I’m the oldest and know a lot more than you do.”

 “I think it’s time for you to leave,” Zander suggested so he wouldn’t lose his temper.

“No, I’m─”

“Jax, we’re leaving,” Sahara cut in touching his brother on the arm. “I’m going to be late for dance practice if we don’t leave right this minute.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not done talking to my brother yet. You are the star which means your dance coach will wait for you. Now stand there and give me a minute. It’s not like your dancing is a big part of your routine anyway. You sing more than you dance.”

Sahara’s eyes swung back and forth between him and Jax.  Zander figured out instantly from the way his sister in-law’s eyebrows narrowed over her eyes.  She wasn’t pleased with Jax’s off handed comments.

“Fine, stay here and continue to debate with Zander: but I can promise you. I won’t be interested in showing you any private dances moves tonight,” Sahara snapped then looked back in his direction. “Goodbye Zander, I wish you luck with Sabrina.”

Spinning around, Sahara stormed out of the office leaving his shocked brother staring after her retreating back. “Sahara, baby wait. You know how much I love your private dancer routine. I’m sorry for what I said.” Jax apologized, rushing after his mate totally forgetting about their conversation.

Surprised by the sudden argument between his brother and Sahara, Zander stared after them until they disappeared out of sight. He hoped that Jax would be able to fix things with her, but the way Sahara took off out of his office he wasn’t sure if his brother would be seeing any part of his wife tonight.

Sahara didn’t act like she was in a forgiving mood...not at all.

Jax’s entire relationship with Sahara had been filled with fire since their first meeting and nothing had changed. Zander only wished Sabrina would show him some kind of excitement or passion, but she was so reserved most of the time... well, until last night when he kissed her.

Sabrina’s hesitancy to be involved with him might come from the fact that she was still getting over Avery’s death.
Why didn’t she understand he was there for her
? She could come to him with any problem that was bothering her.

Becoming her mate, husband and lover was very important to him, but the most essential factor was that he wanted to be the man she turned to during the demanding and difficult times in her life.

Was it so wrong for him to want everything Jax had found with Sahara? No, he didn’t think it was at all.