I gasped. “Xander, over a month?”
“Yeah, it’s cool baby. I took the time because I knew I was going to say no.” His gaze clung to mine.
“You said no?”
He nodded. “I said no. I loved being an agent. I loved getting to use my skills for good. But that feels like a part of me that no longer exists. I don’t think I want that life anymore and it would mean keeping secrets from you. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you that I work there. I don’t want that.”
I cupped his chin. “What do you want Xander? Tell me. I’ll be with you a hundred percent.”
“I want you.”
I laughed. “Your sweet.”
“I’m serious. I want you. I want a life with you. That was the first thing I decided. It was true to me and when I thought of what I want with you I followed the other path.”
“What path is this?”
“The path where I’ll be working with Jack, Wes and Dorian as a consultancy.”
My gosh I remembered Jack talking about this with Frankie. In the end of the crazy saga with The Ra it was Jack who was able to summon a hundred marines who took out and shut down the secret facility. It showed the extent of his influence and power, so I knew it was no mere consultancy Xander was talking about.
“That sounds good, but is it dangerous?”
“No, just intel. That’s all. No chasing anybody. Best of all I’ll probably do a few jobs a year and we can live in Italy if that’s what you want.”
“Oh my God.” My spirits lifted. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. I mean I know you won’t just want to be there the whole time so we can travel backwards and forwards, just be there more. Live there. If that’s what you want. That’s why I bought the house.”
It wasn’t until the tear splashed on to my lap that I realized I was crying and quickly wiped the rest away.
“You are too much Mister. I want that, but only if you want it. I know you’ve been doing a lot of what I want and I love you for that. I really do. I want you to be happy too.”
“Told you what I want Jia. I mean it. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t need to be grounded anywhere to do what I want to do. I have Jack and Wes and we’ll be working together. That’s me done and I’m happy with my decision. It’s what I want and I have to say Italy rubbed off on me too.”
I laughed. “It’s so beautiful Xander. I never really thought of living there because I knew it would get on my father’s nerves but I think my heart is there. So much bad happened here.”
“I know. So how about a fresh start? You and me Bellezza.” The blue hue of his eyes sparkled with the hope I felt rippling within me.
“Yes. I absolutely love that. A new start with you.”
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine.
Epilogue
Xander
Four months later….
The beautiful Tuscan sky was almost as beautiful as Jia.
The sight of both was enough to steal my breath away.
She was walking up from the beach toward the house. The sun was low, just getting ready to set and it cast her in that brilliant glow , enhancing her ethereal beauty.
“Xander, you still there?” Wes asked.
I pressed the phone to my ear as I refocused on our conversation.
I must have paused for a good minute as I’d watched Jia walk up the path.
“Sorry yeah. I gotta go though buddy.” I chuckled.
Wes was talking work and I would be no good to him with my mind like this. I got the gist of the job. We were investigating a U.S general. He’d started talking about the job specs when I zoned out and my mind decided it would grab the details when I saw Wes and Jack next month.
It might be something I may have to bow out of though if it got as strenuous as the last job because I had something else planned that was going to take up the next few months.
Maybe three or four. It depended.
That plan was more important than the job.
“I just started talking to you,” Wes complained. I could almost imagine him rolling his eyes at me.
He shouldn’t because he was just as loved up as me when it came to his woman.
I was just more open about it. Like I was going to be now.
“My girl just came back and I need her.” I smiled.
“Oh my God Xander… you make me sick. One year and you are the same.”
Yup, one year. Last week was exactly a year since I’d known Jia. A year ago all the shit with Giovanni went down, secrets spilled out into the open and lies were uncovered.
Fuck.
One year and it had been quite the year.
But, the good part of it was just walking through the door of our home and she smiled when she looked at me.
“I’ll be the same for the next million years.” I nodded with a surety even though he couldn’t see me.
“Okay pal, call me when you can.”
“Sure.” I hung up and gave my undivided attention to my girl as she skipped into my arms, and pressed her lips to mine.
The kiss she gave me was like coming home and the type of hunger that consumed me made me want to devour her.
That was exactly what I planned to do. Devour her, here in our paradise home where she was all mine and she had all of me.
It was us.
She felt true to me. Everything that we were as a couple felt like what I’d wanted most. She felt true to me because we both looked out for each other, wanted each other’s happiness, and she healed my heart. She’d healed me and breathed new life into me. That was why I took the consultancy job with Jack and Wes.
Everything all worked out and now I was looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.
I swooped her up and headed up to our bedroom. My lips never leaving hers for a second. Not even for a breath.
I set her down in the center of the bed and we kissed the clothes off each other.
Wild and raw, but sensual. That was us.
I’d never experienced anything like it. She was like a drug to me.
I craved her more and more every time I was with her. Every second of every day. Every minute.
I didn’t know it was possible to feel this way. Different to how I’d been with anybody, not just Claire.
It was different and I knew I was one damn lucky guy to have what I had with Jia.
I might not be the most romantic person. I might not have come from the most loving background but I believed that you knew true love when you found it.
It was what I had now.
I kissed and tasted her all over, loving the sight of her writhe against the pleasure I gave her with my mouth. My lips showing her how I adored every part of her body.
Her lips on mine, my lips on her neck, her breasts, her tight taught pink nipples, the valley between her breasts and the flat plane of her stomach, right down to her pretty pussy.
Her body welcomed me as I plunged into her, searing into her with the length of my cock, making her mine all over again.
Mine.
I meant every word I’d said when I told her I wanted her. She was what I wanted. She was what I needed. Only she could do this to me. Make me get lost in passion.
It called to both of us and we answered.
The carnal rhythm that took us sent me over the edge of reason and reality.