Chapter 10

"Now remember, no kissing, no touching, or fondling one another," Xander warned Nicole sternly as he pulled her car up to the curb outside of Daniel's apartment building and put it in park. "You set those cameras up as soon as possible and if I see something I don't like, I will be texting you. I fixed it so that I will come up as Brandon on your phone and when I text you, it will appear as if I'm just trying to have a normal conversation. Just know every time you get a text it means you're doing or saying something I don't like and you better put an end to it fast. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," she replied with just barely more than a whisper as she stared wistfully up at the third floor window she knew belonged to Daniel's place.

"I'm monitoring both your phone and Daniel's so don't even think of trying to reach out to someone. That would be a very, very costly mistake. Do I need to show you the latest installment of pictures of sweet little Sydney to remind you?"

She shifted her gaze from the window to his face and shot him a look of sheer disgust. "I GOT IT, ALRIGHT," she seethed through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to slap him once more.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I have a little something for you."

She furrowed her eyebrows, studying him curiously as he reached into an inner jacket pocket and withdrew a small, blue velvet-covered jewelry box and handed it to her.

"What's this," she inquired, suddenly feeling every nerve ending in her body come alive as she pondered the possibility that it could be her 'engagement ring.'

"Well open it and see for yourself!"

He smiled watching her attempt to conceal what he would swear was disappointment upon revealing the small, diamond pendant inside.

"This is your audio, love," he explained as he helped her to remove the necklace from the box, then performed the task of fastening it around her neck. His hands lingered at her shoulders, resisting the urge to further explore the exposed area of silky, flawless skin on her back. He desperately wanted to trace every square inch with his fingertips, leaving trails behind for his kisses to follow. At least that was how he would begin. If he knew for a fact she'd have him he'd love nothing more than to explore, then ravage every part of her body right there in the car outside Daniel's place. The thought of his rival catching them in the act excited him immensely and although he was forced to suppress his urges for the time being, he vowed then and there to one day make his little fantasy a reality.

"I see you frequent the same jewelry store as EJ. If you need me to wear a bracelet with a built-in tracking device don't waste your money. I already have one you can use."

"Now see, your ex-husband sounds like a smart man. I guess it's a good thing for me he's six feet under, or I might have some real competition."

"Competition for what? The Asshole of the Century award? I'll just name you the winner right now."

"You can't fool me, Nicole Walker," he said as his face unexpectedly began inching toward hers. "Do you really expect me to believe you've fallen head over heels in love with a man like Daniel Jonas?"

Her head hit the back of the seat, abruptly putting an end to any means of putting more distance between them. She found herself unable to take her eyes off his although her brain pleaded with her to look away. He did have the most amazing, entrancing eyes she'd ever gazed into, so it was hardly her fault she couldn't avoid peering into them.

"Why do you have such a hard time believing that I love Daniel?"

"The only thing that you love about Daniel is that he is the polar opposite of the man that broke your heart. You don't ever want to be hurt the way that EJ hurt you again, so what do you do? You go out and throw yourself at someone you're completely incapable of truly loving because, that way, if it all falls apart it won't hurt as much."

He's right, Nicole. No, no he's not. Shut up you! she heard her two battling inner voices argue, As usual, she took the side of the one who'd always done nothing but try to protect her. "That's ridiculous. Did you ever consider that maybe I just finally woke up and realized I deserve better?"

"You do deserve better than EJ DiMera, there's no argument there. I've seen the woman he allowed to ruin your relationship, and it's obvious the man is a complete idiot. What I'm saying is that you're purposely avoiding the type of man that you could really find yourself falling in love with."

"And how do you know this, Xander? Is that what you do?" She watched the twinkle in his eyes disappear in a flash and to her relief, he began to finally back away. She wasn't sure she had enough strength to stop him this time if he dared to move in for a kiss.

"You better get going. The longer we sit out here the more risk there is that Daniel might see us together."

"Well now I know how to get rid of you when I'm growing tired of the conversation. Just ask Xander about his love life."

He ignored her last comment and hopped out of the car to assist her with getting to her feet and onto the crutches the hospital provided her with to assist with walking while her sprained ankle healed. His intention was to walk her as far as the door; it would be the last obstacle she would face before her journey became obstacle-free. He was prepared to turn around and leave when she began to carry on her way without any departing words, but then she suddenly turned around to leave him with a few thoughts to chew on before she could reach the elevator.

"You know, for your information, I was nearly about to give up on Daniel. I know he has feelings for me, but he just couldn't bring himself to admit that he loves me. Well, until now. I can be a very patient person, you know...but I won't wait around forever."

He shut his eyes, squeezing them tightly in order to avoid her unwelcome, intrusive glare. "Stop talking and get going," he barked at her angrily, stepping ahead of her to mash the 'up' button on the elevator to help speed up her progress.

"Ah, I see. I'm pushing your buttons so now you feel the need to push mine." She couldn't help but smile watching him grow further agitated, and she began to chuckle devilishly when he actually scooped her up off her feet to place her into the now open elevator waiting to take her upstairs.

He could hear her still laughing as the doors closed between them and began to lift her upstairs where she would go and find Daniel who was sure to be gushing all over her for the duration of the days to follow, proclaiming his undying love all the while. If Daniel Jonas had one advantage on him at all as far as Nicole was concerned, that was it. He vowed he would never say those words again, and if hearing those words was the end-all, be-all of what Nicole believed constituted a relationship, he might be able to force her to remain at his side for all eternity, but he would never have her heart and soul. It was just as well he supposed since he wasn't prepared to surrender his, even though the agonizing scream coming from within begged him to do otherwise.