Perception (26 page)

The four
of them ordered and then took their seats at one of the few tables. Once they
were seated, their little baskets of food and bottles of water in front of
them, Xander decided now was as good a time as any to talk to his old man.

“How’re
you feeling?” he asked. It was the same question Stan had managed to avoid
earlier, but as far as Xander was concerned, he didn’t get a good enough
answer.

Stan
sighed. “I guess it’s safe to say I’m getting a little old to be swinging from
the rafters.”

Xander
looked up then, looking over at Mercedes. She was staring at his father with
wide eyes. When she looked over at him, he smiled at her and just shook his
head.

“Hush,”
Stella said, laughing. “We were certainly not swinging from the rafters. No
matter what Xander told you.”

“We?”
Mercedes asked, obviously realizing they were joking.

“How was
the trip?” Stella asked. Leave it to his mother to try and change the subject.

“Quick.”

“Well, I
guess that’s a luxury that’s worth the price, huh?” Stan asked.

Xander
laughed.

Although
his parents hadn’t ever hurt for money, they weren’t by any means wealthy. They
were comfortable, having always managed their money efficiently. And Xander
hadn’t grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth either. But, once he made his
first million at twenty-five, he’d vowed to ensure that they didn’t have to
worry about money. He didn’t spend extravagantly, but he did prefer to travel
and dine in style.

Glancing
over at the snack bar behind his father’s head, he grinned. Ok, so maybe not
always in style.

“It’s
worth the price, Dad.”

“Where’s
Shane?” Stella asked as she picked at her hamburger. Or what looked like a
hamburger.

“Working,
I’m sure.”

“He
should’ve come with you.”

No, he
shouldn’t have. But Xander didn’t respond. That’s the way his mother was. It
was her little way of pressing the issue. The Mercedes issue.

Knowing
they would rather talk about anything but his father’s health, Xander decided
it was now or never. “How are you really feeling?”

“Better
than I was. Nothing’s broken, thank the good Lord, but there for a couple of
days, I wasn’t so sure they hadn’t been looking at someone else’s x-rays.”

“How’d
you
really
fall?”

Stan
glanced over at Stella before meeting Xander’s gaze once more.

“I was
heading out of the RV, planning to sit outside and watch the sun set. While I
was walking, I had a sharp pain in my chest that stole my breath there for a
moment. I guess I lost my balance, and that’s when I took a tumble down the
stairs.”

Xander
swallowed hard, glancing between his mother and his father. Stella had
purposely left off the fact that his father had had chest pains. He wasn’t sure
whether he should be grateful or pissed. He’d have been on a plane in a
heartbeat if he’d known that. And maybe that’s what she’d been trying to keep
from happening.

And
Xander realized then that his father had been the other reason for his
melancholy mood that morning. He had known something had happened. Something
more than his father just falling. Knowing didn’t do anything to settle his
fears though.

“Did they
do any tests?” Xander asked, not caring which of them answered him at this
point.

“Yes,
they did tests,” Stella assured him. “Everything is fine. He didn’t have a
heart attack.”

Xander
wasn’t sure he was breathing. He was looking at his father, a picture of good
health and wondering just what the hell he would do if something ever happened
to him.

Throughout
his life, Stan Boone had been a stalwart supporter. He’d been right there
beside him, rooting him on through all of the sports he played throughout his
childhood, right up until college when he accepted a full scholarship. To play
football. Stan had even been there when Xander decided football wasn’t what he
wanted to pursue anymore.

Sure, he
was close to his mother, talking to her every single day, but Xander would be
the first to admit that Stan Boone was the role model he’d mirrored himself
after.

The idea
of not having his father in his life had the potential to bring Xander to his
knees.

Mercedes
wanted to reach over to Xander and hold his hand. It was a strange feeling, but
she couldn’t seem to shake it.

As she
listened to the conversation between him and his parents, she caught a glimpse
of a much younger Xander, the one who looked up to his father as though the man
had hung the moon. When Stan mentioned he’d had chest pains, Xander’s entire
demeanor had changed and right before her very eyes, he let down that guard he
kept in place at all times.

She’d
wanted to wrap her arms around him so that she could latch onto him until the
moment passed.

But she
didn’t.

And then,
as though nothing had happened, Xander’s walls fell back in place, and he
transformed into the professional she knew him to be. Even if this was as far
from a business setting as they could get.

“It’s
nothing to worry about,” Stan assured Xander. “I’ve gone in for a few more
tests and they haven’t found anything.”

“I don’t
want you to hide that from me again,” Xander stated bluntly, the full brunt of
his fear on his father.

Mercedes
couldn’t imagine what he was feeling.

“You’ve
got more important things to worry about than me,” his father told him.

“Bullshit,”
Xander ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing. “Nothing is more
important.”

Mercedes
knew that Xander loved his parents. He was close to them in ways Mercedes had
never known personally. She’d been introduced to Stella and Stan years ago,
spent plenty of time with them when they were in town because Xander was always
inviting her.

As she
watched them, she had a craving to feel that emotion he very rarely showed to
be turned on her. Would he look at her as though the entire world revolved
around her?

Did she
want him to?

The last
question wasn’t easy to answer mainly because she was confused. About
everything.

“How’re
things with you?” Stan asked, and Mercedes realized he was talking to her.

“Good.
Really busy right at the moment.”

“The
housing market’s making a comeback, huh?”

Mercedes
knew Stan wasn’t all that interested in talking about real estate, but she
sensed he was doing his best to change the subject, so she responded, “Looks
that way.”

“Tell us
about Ohio,” Xander interrupted, saving Mercedes at the very last moment. When
she looked up into his eyes, she saw something she’d never seen before.

And this
time, she was the one whose chest was tightening.

But this
had nothing to do with pain.

An hour
and a half later, Xander was walking Mercedes back to the limo. They’d both
walked his parents to their car, and after Xander said a few brief words to his
mother, they were on their way.

When they
reached the car, the driver opened it for her, and then Xander spoke to the man
as she climbed inside. The only words she could make out were “detour” and
“scenic route”. Although she pretended not to hear anything, Mercedes’s heart
rate sped up.

Rightfully
so as it turned out because the moment Xander climbed into the limo behind her,
she noticed the intense expression on his face.

“Come
here,” he ordered, his tone laced with nothing but pure dominance.

She
complied easily, without question. Or reservation.

There
wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver in the backseat of the limousine, but there
was enough. For what she sensed he wanted anyway.

Xander
spread his legs and guided her onto her knees on the floor between them. She
kept her eyes locked with his, waiting for his next command.

“Unfasten
my pants,” he told her.

Mercedes
did.

“Put your
hands on my cock.”

She did
that too.

All the
while, she continued to stare into his eyes. Xander might’ve been fighting the
emotion that was tearing him up inside, but she could feel it radiating from
him. He might’ve been commanding her, but there was a plea in his eyes. He
needed this.

He needed
her.

Mercedes
continued to stroke him slowly, watching him as she did. Xander shifted,
forcing his slacks down farther, freeing his cock completely.

“I want
to feel your mouth on me,” he said huskily.

Mercedes
didn’t say a word, doing as he wanted. And she didn’t do it because he ordered
her to. She did it because she wanted to. She wanted to relieve him of his
pain, whatever was eating away at him, she wanted to soothe him. And if this
were what he needed from her, she’d gladly offer it.

It was a
true testament to everything she’d been feeling for him lately.

Being a
submissive – his submissive – wasn’t at all what she’d thought it would be.
Giving up control to someone was not that easy, but when it came to Xander,
Mercedes found that she was willing to do damn near anything to please him.
Even if she still held back at times. Even if she still had a burning urge to
dominate him, to prove to them both that she wasn’t the type of woman to be
walked on.

Although,
Xander had proven in recent days that submissive didn’t mean she was being
reduced to less of a person. The opposite actually. She felt empowered when she
was with Xander, especially when he was looking at her the way he was now.

Lowering
her head, she swiped at the head of his cock gently, just a breath of air and
the very tip of her tongue. Xander’s thighs tightened, and Mercedes continued.

To her
surprise, Xander didn’t put his hands in her hair. He didn’t try to guide her
mouth to his cock, nor did he try to thrust up into her mouth. No, he let her
lead, allowed her to take control although they both knew he was still
dominating every single second they were together.

Xander’s
hands fisted at his sides, proving that he was holding back. It only made her
want to push him harder. Using every skill she possessed, Mercedes did her best
to drive him crazy. Adding her hands to the mix, she tugged at his slacks,
forcing them down to his knees, cupping his balls, kneading them gently while she
continued to lick and suck, never moving too quickly. She wanted him to let go,
to finally let go.

But he
didn’t.

Just when
she thought he was going to lose it, Xander moved, pulling her up from the
floor until she was straddling his legs. He crushed his mouth to hers, sliding
his fingers into her hair and holding her close. His other hand moved around to
her back, gliding beneath her shirt and caressing her skin gently.

“Let me
feel you,” she told him when their mouths separated. “Let me feel you inside
me.”

Since she
had on a skirt, it wasn’t difficult to adjust herself so that she could take
him. The only thing in their way was her panties but to her surprise, Xander
made quick work of that by ripping them off of her.

That made
two pair. And yes, it was just as hot the second time to have him desperate
enough to rip her clothes off.

Pleasure
ignited in her core. A burning lust that had only been smoldering for the last
few hours, never completely burning itself out. And now, it flared into a blaze
of heat so powerful, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it.

When
Xander guided himself inside of her, Mercedes let him. She let him control
everything from that point because the only thing she could focus on was how
good he felt as he thrust inside her over and over.

He pulled
her mouth back to his, kissing her until she could hardly breathe, hardly think
for wanting him.

“Mercedes,”
he growled her name as he pulled his lips from hers. But he didn’t move away,
he just held her to him as she continued to lift and lower herself onto him
while he met her thrust for thrust.

~*~*~*~

Xander
was losing control. He was a wreck, and he had a feeling that Mercedes knew it.
At the moment, the only thing that was keeping him together was her arms around
him. He was so lost in her, he feared he was going to say something that would
send her running from him, but he couldn’t seem to focus.

The way
her body clasped him, pulling him deeper, holding him tighter, Xander didn’t
ever want it to end.

Never.

He wanted
to feel her surrounding him just like this for the rest of his goddamn life.

Never had
he lost control like this. He didn’t even know he was capable of it.

It was
the emotional overload, he knew that much. Between what he was feeling for her
and what he’d learned at lunch, he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping the
emotion on lockdown.

“Look at
me.”

Mercedes’s
voice called to him, and he lifted his head, meeting her gaze. God, he loved
this woman. He’d cared about her for a long time, he’d even loved her. But not
like this. Not with all that he was and all that he ever would be.

It didn’t
have a damn thing to do with the sex, although he wasn’t quite sure two people
had ever been more perfect for one another. In all of his life, after all of
the women he’d been with, never had he felt this. This blazing inferno that
scorched him to his very soul. Mercedes was all that he wanted, all that he
needed and the world could probably come crashing down around them, and he just
wouldn’t care.

“Aww,
fuck,” he groaned when she tightened her muscles around him.

Gripping
her hips to still her, Xander sucked in a breath, trying his damnedest not to
lose complete control.

“Let go,
X. Let go for me,” Mercedes encouraged.

Looking
into the brilliant gray depths of her eyes, Xander realized she wasn’t trying
to top him. She just wanted him to let go. To give in to her.

Shifting,
he lifted her slightly and angled himself so that he could thrust up into her,
driving his cock deeper, harder. He was in control, but so was she even if she
didn’t realize it.

“M,” he
growled.

“Come for
me,” she said, her hands coming to rest on his face, holding him so that he had
no choice but to look at her. “Come with me.”

“Fuck!”
he growled, his release pulled from him by her and the sweet words that
shredded him from the inside out.

He
continued to drive up inside of her until she was groaning, her hands
tightening on his face, but she kept her eyes on him.

“Come for
me, baby,” he said softly. “Let me feel all of you.”

With
that, Mercedes came, her eyes never closing and what he saw reflecting back at
him gave him hope.