With the cup on the table, Xander pulled her closer, but he didn’t try to get her to his lap. Instead, the man shocked the hell out of her when he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her belly.

Mercedes did the only thing she knew to do. She held him back. Sliding her arms around his head, she teased the hair at his nape gently. She didn’t even know what to say.

For the first time in all of her life, the man seemed… vulnerable.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to come up with something to say because a minute later, he pulled back and looked up at her. “The jet will be ready in an hour. I didn’t know if you had anything you needed to do this morning.”

“I’ve got a call to take, but I can do that from anywhere,” she told him, reaching for her coffee cup again as she took a step back. “Do I need to pack anything?”

“No. We’ll be coming back tonight. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning that I can’t miss.”

Well, then. “Ok.”

An hour later, almost exactly, Carson was dropping them at a private airport where Xander’s personal jet awaited them. She’d only been aboard this plane once previously, and that had been when Xander took an interest in a property, in New York of all places. He’d taken her along so they could check it out, although her real estate license wasn’t instated there, he’d insisted that she go with him.

But this wasn’t a business trip. It was personal. Extremely personal because his parents were involved. Which meant that Mercedes would be spending time with his mother and father, probably in close quarters.

Until a few days ago that prospect wouldn’t have bothered her. Now, it did. Mainly because she had no idea what she was going to say to them. Would they realize she had fallen in love with their son? Would they pick up on the tension that radiated from Xander? She certainly had and she knew it hadn’t been there the night before so she was all the more confused.

Rather than bother him, she pretended to work and for whatever reason, he left her alone.

For the entire flight.

By the time they stepped foot out of the plane onto Ohio soil, she was more or less to the breaking point. Xander had been on the phone for much of the trip. And when he wasn’t, he appeared contemplative as he spent his time staring out of the small window. He hadn’t asked how she was doing, and she hadn’t interrupted him once.

Now, as they climbed into the limo that was waiting for them, Mercedes knew she had to say something. Anything.

But she couldn’t find her voice.

“We’re going on a field trip today,” Xander informed her shortly after the door to the limo closed behind them.

“Field trip?”

“Yeah, my dad wants us to check out the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Hmm. That sounded… interactive.

And maybe that was a good thing. That meant less time for Mercedes to stumble over her words. Maybe.

“And then we’ll have lunch.”

Lunch. Ok. Lunch was good.

She didn’t respond, just thumbed through her phone, glancing at her email although she didn’t see any of the words on her screen.

What had happened between last night and today? Why was Xander acting so strangely? Or was he?

Maybe it was her. Maybe she was the one acting strangely, and he was just adjusting to her mood.

Crap.

Once the limo was in motion, Mercedes took a moment to glance out the window. That was when Xander reached for her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. She had to fight the urge to look at him, but the relief she felt in her chest was palpable.

When he didn’t speak, she knew she had to, and the words finally tumbled right out of her mouth. “Are you all right?”

“I will be,” he answered, glancing down at their linked fingers.

“Is your dad ok?” Mercedes knew he’d been worried about his father ever since he had learned of the fall.

“My mother is insisting that’s the case,” he told her as he looked sideways at her. “She’s hiding something from me.”

Oh. Well, that definitely explained his mood. “Did you talk to her today?”

“Yes. I called her this morning to let her know we were flying in to see them. You would’ve thought I was threatening to take them back home to Texas or something with the way she clammed up all of a sudden.”

Mercedes knew how close Xander was with his parents. He was always sharing stories about his parents, his childhood. She knew he did it because he loved them, but also because he had always hoped to get her to open up about her family.

Yeah, well, Xander had soon learned that she hadn’t lived the Brady Bunch life and had no desire to share the horror stories of growing up with her father.

“You nervous?”

Mercedes glanced down at his mouth, then up to meet his eyes once more. “Why would I be nervous?”

“You’re meeting my parents,” he told her with a smirk.

“I’ve already met your parents,” she retorted with a smile. “Many, many times.”

“But this is different.”

“How so?”

“This time you’re meeting them as my sub.”

That statement got the tension ratcheting up another notch, her chest suddenly feeling tight once more. “Since they don’t know you’re a Dom, I seriously doubt you’ll tell them I’m your temporary sub.” She hoped he wouldn’t.

There was a light that seemed to turn off in his eyes, but Xander tried to pretend he wasn’t affected by whatever she’d said. “Maybe I’ll tell them all about it.”

Crap. Temporary. That’s what she’d said that had bothered him. And she suddenly wished she could take it back because she wanted to put a smile on his face. Instead, she gave him a weak grin and said, “Maybe you won’t.”

What had started as a who could top who double dare just a few days ago had quickly morphed into something entirely unexpected, and Mercedes had to wonder whether he felt what was transpiring between them the same way she did.

It was more than just sex. A lot more.

At least for her it was.

Before Mercedes could question him, which she wasn’t even sure she wanted to do, the limo came to a stop and Xander reached for the door. Once outside, he held out his hand to her and she reached for it, taking comfort in the strength of his hand against hers. Even when she was out of the car, he didn’t let go of her hand and that simple gesture had more relief flooding her.

Yeah, it was plain as day… she’d fallen for this man.

Head first.

~*~*~*~

Xander figured it would take something epic to shake him up. Today, it had been a combination of things.

Ever since he woke up at three o’clock that morning with a warm, soft woman curled up to his side, he’d known. His life had been altered. Irrevocably.

Never did he imagine one beautiful woman would be the reason he felt off center. Nor did he ever expect that one single woman would could keep him together at a time he thought he might just fall apart.

Ok, so maybe he had anticipated that Mercedes Bryant held the power to make him feel things he wasn’t used to. Thinking that and knowing that were two very different things though. And the way she made him feel… well, it scared the shit out of him.

No, he wasn’t thinking about running and hiding in a closet and hoping she’d high tail it out the same way she came in.

Actually, he was feeling the exact opposite.

Xander was ready to lay at her feet and reveal every single emotion she made him feel. Starting with love.

Yes, that’s correct. Love. The big “L” word that terrified most people.

It didn’t terrify him, but he knew Mercedes would likely run for the hills if he did confess as much to her. He had an overwhelming urge to tie this amazing, beautiful woman to his bed and never let her go.

Only he knew he had to keep his distance. They were only a few days into this, and he knew without a doubt that Mercedes wasn’t as comfortable with her feelings as he was with his. And wasn’t that a fucking shame because Xander had never in his life felt what she made him feel when she was near.

“Have you ever been here before?” Mercedes asked as they made their way up the steps toward the building whose sign boasted the name and the glass windows gave them a glimpse inside.

“Once,” he told her. “With my father.”

“And he wants to go again?” she asked with a grin.

“My father would probably go every single day if we lived here.” It was true. Stan Boone was a football fan. He was also Xander’s biggest fan. And it wasn’t just because he’d played football in high school and then in college. His father loved football, but Xander knew he loved him more.

“Has your mother been here before?”

“Not that I know of. You’ll both be Hall of Fame virgins.”

Mercedes laughed, and Xander realized what he’d said. He couldn’t help it, he laughed as well and tightened his grip on Mercedes’s fingers. He loved having her there with him. Especially like this.

Once they stepped through the main doors, Xander’s eyes attempted to focus on the lighting change but before he could make out more than mere shadows of the people standing inside, he heard her voice.

“Xander!”

It was his mother.

Xander released Mercedes’s hand as Stella approached, her smile making her entire face light up. Unable to do anything more, he stood there with his arms open wide. Stella walked right into them, and he hugged his mother, kissing her on the cheek before taking a step back.

His father did the same, and they shared a quick hug and a pounding slap on the back – it was a guy thing.

“It is so good to see you,” Stella said to Mercedes as she hugged her tightly before taking her hand and leading her toward the exhibit on the other side of the room.