Free Branded by Cindy Stark

smiled.  To describe her as beautiful had
been an understatement.
    She stood and helped distribute plates and
utensils as he opened the containers.  “That smells wonderful,” she said, as
she moved closer and peeked over his shoulder to see what each container held.
    The smallest brush of her breast caressed his arm,
and suddenly every nerve inside him stood at attention.  He shifted, moving out
of her way, and handed a container to her.  “Here, you can put the noodles on
our plates if you’d like.”  He needed to keep his focus on her crime and what
her father had done to his.
    She took the plastic bowl and busied herself doing
as he asked with no clue as to the kind of affect she had on him.  Maybe
working with a drug dealer had been the easier job after all.
    When they both had their plates and were settled
again, he began his subtle interrogation.  “Have you always lived in the
Portland area?”
    She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.  “I moved a
lot when I was younger, but I’ve been in the area since my high school days.” 
She looked up at him and smiled.  “How about you?”
    “I’ve been in Portland since college.  Graduated
from Portland State.”
    “I went to Pacific Northwest.”
    “The art school?”
    She twisted linguini on her fork and nodded.  “I
always wanted to be a graphic designer.”
    “How did you end up working for First Freedom
then, especially in their finance area?”
    She rolled her eyes and shrugged.  “They called
me.  Or a headhunter-type person did.  Someone called, saying they’d gotten my
information from the college alumni department, and they wanted someone who
could be an administrative assistant slash graphic designer.  It paid more than
I was making at the time, so I said yes.  In the end, they really didn’t have
me do any graphic designing, just answering phones and mostly being a gopher
for everyone in the department.”  A sad expression crossed her face.  “And now
I don’t even have that.”
    If Xander didn’t know better, he’d feel sorry for
the green-eyed witch.  She certainly had the poor waif routine down well.  “This
must be impossibly tough for you.”  Especially getting busted.
    She steeled her expression and sighed.  “The tough
part is going to be when I try to make a rent payment with no job.”
    He nodded, studying her, looking for any chink in
her armor.  There had to be something.
    He kept the conversation to small talk while they
finished their meal, keeping her wineglass refilled and easing her into a nice
relaxed state, but now it was time to dig a little deeper.  “You mentioned you
don’t have family to support you.  Just an aunt.”  He piled dishes and empty
containers onto the tray.  “Where is the rest of your family?  Your parents?”
    She eyed him directly.  “They’re both dead.”
    He already knew that, but the way she spoke, like
she was warning him not to delve into that subject intrigued him.  “What
happened to them, if you don’t mind me asking?”  He was never one to heed a
warning.
    A quick flash of pain, real or fake, crossed her
face.  “It’s a long, not very happy story that I prefer not to think about.” 
She glanced at her watch.  “Besides, I’ve taken enough of your time.  I should
go.”
    He’d hit a raw nerve, no doubt.  She started to
stand, and Stormy jumped to her feet, prepared to follow her.  Xander placed a
hand over Nicole’s.  “Do you have to go now?  I’m happy to drive you whenever
you’re ready, but I’d really like it if you’d stay a while longer.  This house
can get pretty lonely at times.”
    She seemed to consider his request and then the
tension left her shoulders.  “I understand.  My place can be kind of empty
sometimes, too.  Stormy helps.”  She reached down and scratched her dog’s ear. 
“Maybe you should think about getting a dog?  They’re great company, and it’s
nice to have someone waiting for you at