The West Wind (15 page)

The resulting rush of warmth surprised her. She had not thought it
was possible to get more turned on than she already was. Who was this man? How
did he see horizons in her she’d never imagined and push her body past limits
she didn’t even know she had?

Xander traced kisses down the center of her chest, passing between the rise of
her breasts and lingering along her ribs. When a kiss made her gasp and her
back arch, he dwelt there for a while, testing her reactions. His lips created
a trail of sensation to the base of her ribs, then followed the line of them up
to her sternum and back down the other side. For Hero the experience began to
transcend the physical as her lover made an altar of her self and worshipped
there. Every kiss on her still tingling skin rippled through her entire body,
sustaining the effects of the supernova rain he had set off inside her. Yet it was
his care and devotion that truly enhanced and intensified his touch. Not for
the first time she felt like the only woman in the world in his arms. She was
the complete focus and intention in a way that made her feel more than real.
Pressure began to rebuild against the already weakened dam that held back the
cascade of ecstasy that had already flooded through her once.

By the time his tongue found the hollow of her hip bone, the
pressure had become an ocean that lapped against the top of the dam. Xander
could feeling it in the tension of her muscles and intentionally skirted along
the inside of thigh, though her breath came quick and hard all the same. Her
hips lifted toward him in anticipation. His trailing stopped, and he paused,
planting kisses at what seemed like random, maddening intervals to Hero. With
each pause, the floodwaters receded from the edge of the dam. With each kiss,
they rushed back to the top faster and faster.

When his kisses finally found their way, he was rewarded by a deep
moan and an arched back that pressed her hips hard against his open mouth. A
flick of his tongue deepened that arch. He traced small circles that dashed
heavy, stormswept waves of pleasure against the barrier that kept them from
spilling through her veins. As he continued, the waves crashed harder and
faster until finally her back rose and her shoulders and feet became a bridge
over the sheets. He supported her with his hands on the small of her back. Her
cries of pleasure broke the night so loudly that Xander was glad they were high
in the tower, away from the rest of the house. With a final, deep caress, she
lifted away from his hands.

“Oh my god, oh, god, Xander. . .” Hero called out, slapping one
hand over her mouth to muffle the sound before collapsing back onto the bed.
She grabbed his shoulders as he started to taste her again and pulled him up to
kiss her, ignoring the tang on his tongue.

“Stop. I need a break,” she said to him. “It’s too much.”

She felt him grin proudly as he kissed her again. “You’re incredible,”
she told him.

“I’m a little rusty, actually. Sorry,” he joked. At least, Hero
thought he was joking. The way she felt at the moment, she couldn’t really
imagine what it would be like if he wasn’t.

Hero lay against him with her head on his chest and a leg wrapped
through his. A thought occurred to her.

“I have a question,” she told him, her tone serious.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Why are you still wearing pants?” she asked, making it sound like
the most offensive thing in the world.

He laughed. “I was a little distracted,” he answered.

“Take them off. Now,” she demanded, untangling herself.

He obeyed. Shoes, socks, and pants followed one after the other to
the floor. In the moonlight he appeared to be carved of marble.
Adonis
indeed
, she thought. She found herself wondering if Michaelangelo had ever
carved an Adonis, or if he’d only stuck with Davids.

When Xander lay back down with her she took him in hand and was
not disappointed by the way he filled her grip. As hard as he was, she was
impressed with his self-control. Even Brian, when he and Hero had discovered
together that he really was gay, was more eager to skip straight to having sex
than Xander seemed to be.

“I want you,” he whispered in her ear as he kissed her neck
lightly.

“What, only now?” she teased, flexing her hand as she did.

He laughed that quiet laugh of his, though his pelvis responded.
“Since we first danced,” he breathed. Hero smiled as he lay her back and took
her with careful, easy strokes. With an explosive exhalation as he filled her,
she discovered she had been holding her breath in anticipation.

“You’re perfect,” he murmured as she held him tight inside her.

“We are,” she responded.

Xander lay awake in the sweaty aftermath of their lovemaking, the
sheets and covers of his bed spilling over their feet and pouring off the bed
to the floor in a waterfall of cloth. Hero cuddled up against him, asleep on
his shoulder. He reveled in the warmth of her bare skin and the feeling of her
legs laced through his. She wasn’t his first, but he had never experienced what
it meant to make love before. It wasn’t so much that the actions were
different, but the emotions he and Hero shared left him satisfied in a way he’d
never felt. His past experiences seemed empty in comparison.

“I love you,” he said to her softly, lifting his head to kiss the
top of hers. She stirred in her sleep and cuddled closer, but did not wake. He
smiled and lay back, at ease. Thoughts and fantasies of the future, intimate
and otherwise, ran through his head. He wasn’t particularly tired, in spite of
the late hour. As long as he made it through the first five to ten minutes
after, he usually found he had more energy than before. Normally it made him
rather playful, but with Hero asleep and snuggled up against him, he was
content to let his mind play while his body rested.

Eventually false dawn begin to break through the night and
Xander’s eyelids grew heavy. He forced himself out of the warmth and comfort of
lying with Hero and gently roused her.

“What?” she asked, not really awake.

“Morning is coming, you should go to the guest room.”

“Something, something nightingale,” she grumbled, trying to pull
him back down to become her pillow once more.

“I thought it was my job to quote Shakespeare,” he laughed.

“Stupid lark,” she replied, pushing herself up with a feline
languidness that sent a thrill through Xander. He ignored it and helped her
collect her clothes. She slipped into her dress and clutched the rest in one
hand.

“Isn’t Romeo supposed to be the one slipping out of Juliet’s room?
Wherefore am I Romeo?” she muttered, still grouchy.

Xander’s eyebrows raised, impressed. Most people thought Juliet
was actually wondering about Romeo’s whereabouts and were not aware the word
meant “why”.

“Because I don’t think we want the same ending they had,” he
replied.

Hero stood up on her toes and kissed him. She kept her lips
closed. Love him or not, she was not going to share her dragonbreath with him.

“Good point. I love you, Xander.”

“I love you too, Hero. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“Oh, god. I forgot about that.”

“Yeah, we have to meet your parents at 9:30, remember?”

“That’s a terrible idea. Whose idea was that?”

“Yours, actually.”

She muttered something Xander couldn’t make out. She kissed him
again and said goodnight, then snuck downstairs. He went back to bed and fell
asleep quickly.

Jaimie and Leana were asleep in the queen bed in the guest room
when Hero quietly slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. The
click of the latch sounded like a gunshot to her, and she winced, but neither
of her friends moved. Hero crawled into the bed next to Jaimie and Jaimie
scooted over to make room.

“Well, how was it?” Jaimie asked, determined to make Hero pay for
waking her up.

“Mrrm,” Hero answered.

“Hero?” Jaimie demanded.

“Mmm,” Hero said and pretended to fall asleep, not reacting when
Jaimie jostled her shoulder in an attempt to get an answer. It did not take
long before pretense became reality.

It was one of those rare perfect days that gave the Pacific Ocean
its name. The sun shone down fiercely on the placid water as it rippled gently
to the shore. The waves, if one wanted to call them that, barely broke an inch
above the surface as they splashed gently against the pylons of the Brighton
House dock. It was Thursday, and Xander had taken the day off between projects
to have an early dinner with Hero and her friends at La Hacienda Noble.
Afterward The Coven would go dancing at Hellespont as was their habit on
Thursday nights. Hep Catz Alive was playing for the second time this summer and
Xander was looking forward to seeing his friends again.

Life was just about perfect. Or at least it seemed that way to
Xander as he rowed across the bay. Sweat poured off his brow and the muscles of
his chest as the oars dipped and dived. The trip had been smooth, only jarred
by the occasional ripple of a passing motorboat. His shirt lay folded on the
empty seat in front of him.

About three quarters of the way to Hero’s dock, Xander’s attention
was drawn to three jet skis as they roared straight in his direction. He had a
pretty good idea who was piloting the machines, and stopped rowing to tuck his
shirt up underneath the seat in case Jeremy decided to be clever. Sure enough,
while two of the watercraft slowed down as they approached, the third sped up.
Xander sighed a little, then laughed. It was hot enough that he would probably
be dry again by the time he got to Hero’s and after the workout of rowing, he
had planned to swim before going inside anyway.

As Jeremy sped toward him, Xander started to wonder if the kid was
going to be able to stop in time. The jet ski was barreling forward at
breakneck speed. Just in case, he braced himself to jump. At the last possible
moment, Jeremy turned the machine and braked, much as he had with Hero at the
beginning of summer. The resulting wake crashed against Xander’s tiny rowboat,
rocking it dangerously. An idea quickly formed in Xander’s mind and as it
rocked he grabbed the edge as if to stabilize himself and pulled it over.

The little boat floated upside down on the once again calm water,
no sign of Xander anywhere. He popped up into the air pocket after falling into
the bay and pulled his body up so his legs wouldn’t be visible in the water. He
could hear as the other two jet skis pulled up and Jaimie and Leana started to
yell at Jeremy.

“Umm, guys, where’s Xander?” he heard Brian’s voice ask.

“Oh shit,” Jeremy’s voice said.

The girls began to call his name and Xander imagined them scanning
the water for him. He smirked to himself and waited. He felt a little bad about
making the rest worry, but Jeremy deserved a lesson.

He held on in the semi-dark of the upturned boat and waited. Not
long after the others arrived he heard the splash he was waiting for. He craned
his neck around to get a look in the water. A man’s form dove underneath him
and as it passed, he let go and dropped into the water on top of it. A flurry
of bubbles shot to the surface as a panicked Jeremy struggled and cried out.
Xander popped up to the surface and with one hand on the boat and the other
around Jeremy’s arm, pulled him up.

Jeremy sputtered and coughed and held on to the rowboat as
fiercely as he would have if they’d been shipwrecked in a storm. Xander swam
over to Jeremy’s jet ski and climbed on. Evan and Brian laughed.

“Oh man, that was pretty good,” Evan said to Xander.

“Thanks,” Xander said with a smile.

“I was worried about you!” Leana protested from where she sat
behind Jaimie on one of the jet skis.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just figured one dick move deserved
another.” He paused. “Jeremy, are you alright?” he asked the still sputtering
teen.

“Jesus Christ, dude. I thought you were a fucking shark!”  

“Jeremy!” Leana protested, for a very different reason this time.

“Uh, sorry, babe,” he said bashfully.

Xander looked at Jaimie.

“Men,” Jaimie said, rolling her eyes and gunning her jet ski. She
and Leana sped off toward La Hacienda.

“I think she was waiting for her cue,” Xander said to no one in
particular.

“That’s my girl,” Evan replied with a peculiar smile.

Brian nodded once in response to both comments.

“Can I have my jet ski back?” Jeremy asked from where he was
treading water while holding on to the rowboat.

“Sure, as soon as we find my oars. In the meantime, why don’t you
flip the boat back over so I can use it for something other than a life
preserver.”

The boys all walked up the stairs to the patio of La Hacienda
together, talking and laughing. The girls were putting the food on a glass
table already set with summer plates and glasses. Hero paused and gave Xander a
quick kiss as he walked up to greet her.

“Can you and Brian get the lemonade and tea from the kitchen?” she
asked. “Brian knows the way.”

“Sure,” Xander accepted with a shrug. He gestured for Brian to
lead the way.

“That was pretty smooth,” Brian said as they stepped inside.

“What’s that?” Xander asked.

“Oh, the whole thing with Jeremy. That boat of yours is so tiny, I
thought he’d really knocked you over.”

“Oh, yeah. I think it’s a little sturdier than that. I just wanted
him to think that maybe the stupid shit he does might have consequences.”

“He’s a good guy, just doesn’t think things through all the time.”

“I can see that. Thanks, by the way.”

“For what?” Brian’s brow furrowed curiously.

“Just for being there for Hero. You’re very important to her. She
talks about you a lot.”

“She’s very important to me. Always been there for me. I’m glad
she’s found someone who makes her happy.”

“How about you?” Xander asked, changing the subject easily. “Are
you happy?”

“Me?” Brian seemed surprised that Xander had asked. “I’m good, I
think.”

“Can’t always be easy, with everyone else around you being
together.”

“Oh, it’s not too bad. I’ve got good friends and it’s good to see
them happy. I’ll find the man of my dreams someday. Actually, you and Hero are
pretty inspiring.”

“Really?” Xander asked. He’d never really thought about how things
might appear from outside their relationship.

“Totally, dude. The way you just walked into the room and locked
on to each other. It was awesome.” Brian grabbed two pitchers of pink lemonade
from the refrigerator and handed them to Xander. He took the ice tea up and
said with an amused tone of voice, “There is one thing I think I’ll do
differently, though.”

The tone made Xander laugh. “What’s that?” he asked.

“I don’t think I’ll drop mine.”