Starstruck (Fusion #1) (3 page)

“Hand me your keys and I’ll drive. I want you to rest your
ankle as much as possible before tomorrow,” said Xander, speaking so
authoritatively that his suggestion almost sounded like an order.

Indi quirked a brow, feeling irritated at being bossed about
while also being turned on by the sexy look on the man’s face, as if he was
daring her to disobey. “Why, what is happening tomorrow?”

“You and I are having lunch on the beach. I've got a
proposition that I want to discuss with you in private,” Xander stated
matter-of-factly, but his expression was soft as he tucked a stray curl of
Indi’s behind her ear. “I was kind of hoping to continue what happened earlier
in the alley, if you have no objection?”

“Okay,” she managed to squeak in a high-pitched voice.
Rummaging through her bag, she handed him the key fob to her rental vehicle.

Settling into the passenger side of the car, Indi had to
subtly pinch herself that the man of many of her dreams was about to drive her
home because he was concerned for her welfare. It gave her a strange fuzzy
feeling inside.  To be cared for by someone she barely knew was alien to
her senses.  Except for her sisters and a few other relatives, most of her
family only pretended to be bothered if it involved some personal gain; her
parents being the worst culprits.  She shook her head in a bid to rid her
mind of the negativity they always brought to her mood whenever she thought of
them.

Catching Xander looking at her oddly, she heard him ask,
“Did you hear what I said?”

“Sorry, I just spaced out. Was just thinking of something I
forgot to do,” she fibbed. “What did I miss?”

He grinned. “I was just asking if you had any dislikes
food-wise as I will get my cook to rustle up some bruschetta, antipasti meats,
olives and maybe a light white wine to wash it down with.”

“No, that all sounds really great.” 

Checking
the mirrors, Xander reversed the Audi out of the parking space and headed in
the direction of the villa. 

“So, is drawing just a hobby or have you held an
exhibition?” Indi enquired as they made their way out of Siracusa and
towards Plemmirio Nature Reserve, where their villas were located.  Aware
of the prestigious career that the man’s mother had maintained as a sculptor
and painter, she thought that perhaps he might have gained some of her talent
in that department.

“Up until now it has been just a hobby, but I was offered
the chance to do an exhibition by a family friend who runs a gallery in New
York,” Xander replied. “I don’t know how well you follow Fusion, but we’ve just
completed a US and European tour, so with nine months free, it seems a perfect
time as any to dip my toe into the art world.”

“What style do you work with?”

“Graphite pencil, mostly. I like the variety of using soft
or hard pigment strengths to show true light and shadow.  I take black and
white photographs, and capture the subjects on a larger scale. Most of my
canvases are pretty vast in size; probably sixty inches across.”

Indi smiled. “You sound like one of my friends who trained
as a commercial illustrator.  She talks a lot about all the different
techniques she uses in her everyday work,” she said with a hint of teasing in
her voice.

“Ha, I just happen to take my drawing extremely
seriously.”  Xander smiled warmly as he stole a glance her way before
turning his eye back on the road ahead.  “I’m sure you take your
photography just as seriously, no?”

“I do, but it isn’t my main academic focus.”

“Oh, what is then?”

“Well, having completed most of my grades in cello and music
theory, I’m just about to start my second year of a music degree at
Goldsmiths,” Indi explained. “Once that is complete, I hope to do a Masters at
Royal College.”

“It sounds like you’ll be more qualified as a musician than
me by then.”

“You never studied music academically before turning
professional?”

Pulling the car into her driveway, Xander answered, “No, not
as a degree. My father has never approved of my music or artistic tendencies,
so I had to adhere to his rules of taking more constructive business
qualifications until I turned twenty-one and my trust fund left his
control,” he added, switching off the engine.

Furrowing her brow at the bitterness with which he spoke
about his parent, Indi remarked, “Ah, power and control – traits my own father
seems to have in common with yours.”

Their eyes locked briefly in common understanding of the
pain and disappointment that both had experienced in the past. Breaking the
moment, Xander handed her the key fob.  “Now, are you going to allow me
the pleasure of carrying you in my arms one last time this evening, so I can
sleep restfully tonight, knowing your ankle has received my best attention?” he
asked.

Blushing, Indi replied, “If you insist, but, truly, it’s
fine now.”

“I do insist,” Xander responded as he exited the vehicle,
shutting the driver’s door behind him.

Sighing in defeat, Indi released her
seatbelt and waited for him to walk around to her side of the car.
Opening
her door, Xander scooped her up in his arms effortlessly and carried her down
the small footpath to the front door of her villa.  Setting her down on
her two feet once again, he reached up to trace the outline of her jaw and
cheek with his hand. “Well, goodnight. I’ll set up lunch for twelve-thirty on
the beach.”

Grinning, she responded softly, her eyes locking with his
for a second, “Yes, that’s fine.  Goodnight.” 

Xander smiled briefly and then turned to make his way back
to his own villa, through a side gate just beyond where they had been standing.
Indi stood still and watched his retreating figure for a few more seconds
before she could bring herself to look away, shaking her head in disbelief that
she had just spent the evening with her idol.

Xander

Arriving back at his villa,
Xander found Adam and Hayden sitting in the lounge, watching an Italian film.
Getting up from the sofa, Adam walked over to greet him.  “Xander, you were
gone longer than we anticipated. Was everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes, Adam. I apologise if I
concerned you unduly.”

“I must insist that in future
you keep your phone on at all times when you’re not with us.”

Xander remembered how he had
turned off his mobile straight after sending a message to Adam that he’d left
the restaurant. Giving the two men a remorseful expression, he gave in. “Very
well, gentleman. It won’t happen again.”

Feigning fatigue, Xander
disappeared off to the privacy of his rooms. His erection from earlier was
still pressing subtly against the material of his trousers. Once alone, he
could resist the temptation to touch himself no longer as images of Indi in her
tight yellow dress flickered through his mind like the beginning of a movie reel.

Suppressing a cry at the
sensitivity of his shaft, even through the fabric, he strode towards the
adjoining shower room.  Hastily unbuckling his suit trousers, Xander
allowed them to drop to the floor before pulling down his boxers, exposing the
rock-hard erection beneath. Removing the rest of his clothing eagerly, he
stepped into the double shower cubicle and allowed the warm water to gush over
his flushed flesh for a few moments before grasping his hard-on once more.

With his left hand resting on
the tiled wall, Xander gripped his engorged shaft with the right, and began
rubbing the flesh up and down, slowly at first and then at a faster pace as his
fantasy of stripping Indi out of her yellow dress began to manifest itself into
a more detailed, believable dream.

He pictured himself pushing a naked
Indi roughly against the wall, her back towards him as his mouth explored the
curve of her neck.  His hands caressed her outer thighs and buttocks as he
ground his groin against her cheeks, wanting her to be in no doubt of how hard
he was for her. 

In his fantasy, Xander undid
the belt and zip of his trousers one-handed, allowing them to slide down around
his ankles. Desperate to bury himself inside Indi’s tight wetness, he had barely
freed his unrelenting erection from his boxers before his hands were gliding
between her exposed folds and slipping two digits into her core.

The woman’s hips pushed hard
against his rotating fingers demanding further attention. “Oh, feeling greedy,
are we?” he teased, his excited breath coming in pulses against her ear. “Do
you want more?”

“Yes, yes, more,” Indi moaned
as she arched her back and wiggled her bum against him.

“Tell me exactly what you want
me to do.”

“I want you to fuck me hard,”
she cried out, as her body started to shudder with the inducement of pleasure
as his fingers glided rhythmically inside her while his thumb rubbed her clit.

Xander’s fantasy continued in
this vein as he continued to slide his fisted hand up and down his erection,
trying to keep his groans of pleasure to a muffled volume. As he floated up to
the dizzy heights of his euphoria, the dream moved on to him plunging into
Indi’s dewy folds. His hands held on to her hips as he pounded away into her
tightness; his aching balls slapping against her repeatedly as he pulled in and
out with every powerful
thrust.

Both came with such ferocity that neither of them could
contain their roar of ecstasy. By that time the real Xander was too far gone to
care who heard him. With his lust satisfied for now, he stayed under the
cascade of water. Lathering up his body with soap, he cleaned away the remnants
of his juices from his skin and thought about the plans he wanted to put in
place tomorrow.

***

Xander slept remarkably well, considering all the nervous
excitement and anticipation fluttering up and down inside his stomach. He had
never felt so motivated over a woman in a long time, if ever, and he was
determined to make it impossible for Indi to refuse his proposition of spending
the rest of her holiday with him. 

All morning, he avoided his usual catch-up calls from David,
who headed up security for Fusion, assuming his bodyguards would have updated
him on Xander’s refusal to let them accompany him for dinner the previous
night.  The bodyguard issue had been a burden on his privacy even before
he started the band, but it was considered a necessity for his family’s safety,
going back years before he had even been born due to his father having several
unsavoury business associates.

David was one of his closest friends, as well as his cousin.
Being an ex-army officer, trained as a parachute reconnaissance officer and
weapons intelligence analyst, he was well placed to protect his
interests.  Xander expected the man to lecture him over the recent
security lapse, but he was determined to put it off until later in the day.

Xander was dressed in a pair of stone-coloured Marc Jacobs
cargo shorts and a striped, crewneck D&G T-shirt that rippled tightly over
his washboard stomach and broad shoulders.  To keep his body trim he had a
regular gym routine, which he followed each morning, but while on holiday he’d
relaxed it to just a half-hour swim in the pool or the sea.

Xander had arranged for a basket of Italian meats, antipasti,
olives and breads, and a bottle of his favourite white wine to be prepared by
his cook. He also planned to take a blanket on which he could lie upon the
rocks with Indi.  Adam and Hayden were to keep out of sight in the villa
grounds, under strict instructions not to disturb him on the beach. His aim was
to alleviate any discomfort that Indi might feel over being scrutinised by his
‘people’ over lunch. 

He began to lay out the contents of the basket on the
blanket to distract his mind from the nervous nausea that was burning the back
of his throat as the meeting time drew near. Normally, Xander only experienced
that level of nerves just before a concert, so for a woman to induce such an
effect caught him off guard. He had always kept his emotions under a tight
rein, but this woman was getting under his skin and he hardly knew what to make
of it.

Checking his watch, he noticed that it was a couple of
minutes past the arranged meeting time of 12.30pm. Heart in mouth, he began to
pace up and down outside the gate of Indi’s villa garden, which led on to her
part of the beach. He started to wonder if she had been scared off by his
forwardness. When she finally emerged a few minutes later, a sense of relief
overwhelmed him.

Xander swept his eyes over Indi’s body appreciatively. She
was wearing a sheer, grey tunic with a wide boat neckline, cap sleeves and a
drawstring drop waist. Beneath it, he noticed a black, patterned bikini. 
The outfit was understated, but effective in design, showing off the woman’s
slender limbs and figure to its full advantage while remaining conservative
enough for a lunch date.

“Hello, Xander,” she said.

Indi’s voice sounded so breathy and soft that it caused
Xander’s hands to become clammy as she moved to kiss him lightly on the cheek.
Instinct overtook propriety as his hands automatically moved to either side of
her waist in order to draw her body delicately against his. Standing a full
five inches above her, his senses were inundated with the sweet, flowery aroma
that lingered around her, and he briefly closed his eyes to allow the memory of
it to sink into his mind. Indi met his blushing expression with a demure smile.

“Hi, yourself,” Xander answered. “How’s the ankle today – need
carrying anywhere?” His silver-blue eyes sparkled as his mouth widened into a
grin.

Blushing bright red, Indi replied, “Thank you, but no, it
has recovered now.”

“I hope you’re hungry,” he said, gesturing to the blankets
and food awaiting them a few yards away on the rocks.

 “I’m ravenous.” 

Indi followed Xander to a second blanket, adjacent to where
he had laid out the food, draped over a rock large enough for them to sit side
by side.  Taking her hand in his, he decided to face the situation and
talk to her about his wishes for the rest of their time on the island. “I
thought we could talk about my proposition before we eat, if that’s okay with
you?”

 “Of course,” she answered, meeting his gaze.

“I know we’ve just met, but I think you were just as aware
of this connection between us last night as I was.” Xander’s usual abundance of
self-confidence deserted him and his voice started to waver.  “I can’t
promise you anything beyond this holiday, but I would enjoy seeing you while
we’re here.”

The woman fell silent for what seemed like forever and he experienced
a sinking feeling that perhaps he was going to find out what rejection felt like.

“I can’t deny I felt it too, but I can’t help finding this is
all fairly crazy,” Indi responded. “I mean we don’t even know each other.”

“Haven’t you ever just done something on a whim for the
sheer hell of it?” he asked.

“Yes, but that was before–”

“Before what?” Xander sensed that whatever was holding her
back was the same reason behind her initial apprehension towards him.

“I would rather not say,” said Indi, starting to look away.
“Something from my past.”

He tried to put her at ease. “I’m not planning on hurting
you, if that’s what worries you. Just for us to have some fun before we head
back to reality. Is that so wrong?”

“No, it isn’t.” She gave him a weak smile.

“Would it help if we laid down some rules, so there is no
misunderstanding later?” Xander suggested.

It was something he’d planned to ask for anyway.  He
wanted the woman’s agreement that they would enjoy what Sicily had to offer,
but apart from any general snippets already in the public domain, he didn’t
want to talk about his life.  It was not that he did not want to share it
with Indi, but he wanted to avoid any probing questions that might unearth his
intention to marry someone else as soon as he returned home.

“Perhaps,” she said, tilting her head slightly as she waited
for him to continue.

Xander suggested a few conditions, with which she finally
agreed after some back-and-forth negotiation.  

“Does that mean I get to kiss you again, finally?” he
asked, once things were settled.

He caught a glimpse of unconcealed desire on the woman’s
features, but he didn’t lean in to test the question.

“Maybe, if you allow me to eat some of the food
first,” she teased with a glint in her eye.

Xander laughed.  “I think I can manage to wait for five
more minutes to allow you something to eat, but I’m not sure I can resist you beyond
that.”  A sense of determination stirred within him as he reached up to
touch Indi’s cheek and experience the feel of her soft skin against the back of
his hand.  “I promise you that I’ll do everything to make sure you never
regret this.” Such a promise was a first for him; he had never cared about the
feelings of one of his conquests before.

“I appreciate the sentiment.  Now let’s eat.” Indi
smiled as she leaned in and kissed his lips gently, catching him by surprise
before pulling away again.

It didn’t take long before the two of them were devouring
the light lunch and enjoying the refreshing wine Xander had selected. 
Their conversation between bites flowed easily as they discussed Indi’s music
aspirations.  As they had both been eating with their hands, she took the
opportunity to clean the crumbs from her own in a nearby pool of seawater.
Gesturing towards the large, closed sketchpad resting on the blanket, she then
asked, “So, are you going to show me some of your work now?” 

He nodded. “I will if, in return, you allow me to draw you?”

“What, today?” she questioned, giving him an
uncomfortable look.

“Yes. What could be a more dramatic backdrop to a gorgeous
woman than the sandy coastline we’re sitting on?”

“I don’t know. The sun is too damn hot for posing for a long
period.” 

“Maybe we could start with your cover top on, and then take
a swim to cool down before I draw you in your bikini under the covered
terrace,” he suggested.

“Okay, let’s do it,” Indi agreed, though a somewhat dubious
tone remained in her voice.

For the next couple of hours, the couple sat chatting casually,
debating their differing viewpoints on various subjects while Xander tried to
concentrate on creating a true likeness of Indi’s face and body on the
heavyweight paper.

“I think I need to go cool off,” he announced as he put his
pencil down, finally happy with the image he had created after asking her to
change poses several times. 

Indi stretched her hands over her head before standing up
from her seated position on the rock. “What a perfect idea!”  Gripping the hem
of her top, she pulled it over her head in one fluid motion.

Xander could feel his eyes jutting out on stalks as more of
her body was revealed for the first time.  Starting at her toes, he drank
in her long, shapely bronze legs, which drifted into the side ties of her
bikini bottoms, and her narrow waist where a jewel pierced her navel, up to the
two generous mounds of soft flesh covered by the halter-neck bikini top. 

Despite Indi’s small ribcage, there were more than two
handfuls there, just begging to be caressed. Xander
could not help thinking how he would certainly
enjoy burying his face in them.

Gulping, he could feel the blood rushing to his groin. His
usual cocky attitude would be to brazenly show the woman his reaction to her
body, but all confidence deserted him as he stared at this goddess in front of
him. Self-conscious, he turned and headed for the water without waiting for
her.