by Leila James
For some reason, his usage of my actual name convinces me he’s telling the truth. I step back toward him, holding my wrist out. My heart pounds as his big hands work the clasp on my delicate bracelet. Once it’s secured, he tugs me back between his legs, resting his hands on my hips. He drops his forehead to my chest, and I don’t know what to do with my hands, but they end up resting at the back of his head, my fingers lacing through his hair. Something happens to me when he touches me. My entire body warms, wanting more.
He sighs. “I wish I knew the right thing to do.”
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing.” Turning his head to the side, he runs the tip of his nose over my breast. “I want to kiss these.”
I quake in his arms when he looks up into my eyes.
“Tell me to stop.”
“No.” My quiet murmur has the effect of a bomb.
With a deep growl, his hand slides up, finding the triangle of my bikini top and easing it ever so carefully to the side, freeing my breast. I don’t know whether it’s the cold air in the room or the anticipation of what Xander might do to me next that has my nipple puckering, but it doesn’t matter. His tongue swirls around it, wet and warm, over and over again until I’m trembling in his arms. He turns his head and pulls the other half of my top to the side with his teeth. A low groan sounds in the back of his throat as he laps at the other nipple, making me writhe with pleasure.
He cups a breast in each hand, pushing them together. “I’m going to fuck these one day. Come all over your chest.” His filthy words cause an immediate response in my core, arousing me like no one has before—no one but him. It’s probably best if he doesn’t know what he does to me. Then again, maybe I’m not so good at hiding it.
Xander cups the back of my neck, pulling my face down to his. He kisses me deeply as he continues to touch my breasts. When our lips part, he catches my chin between his fingers. His eyes flash with desire. “Someday I’ll have these sexy lips around my cock, too.” He focuses his attention on my tits again, kneading them and flicking his thumbs over the nipples. He takes the left one into his mouth and sucks hard. With every pull, I feel a deep throb. With every dirty, whispered promise, I only want more.
What is he doing to me?
When Max shouts my name from the stairwell, I’m so drugged by Xander’s mouth on me, it barely registers, and if not for him, I’d have turned around to greet Max happily with my boobs hanging out of my suit.
Xander tucks me back into my bikini top and spins me around to sit next to him on the bed just as Max comes into view.
“What the hell happened? Someone said you jumped into the hot tub fully clothed, and Xander broke Justin’s face.”
“I—”
Xander lays a hand on my leg, staring steadily at Max. “Yes to both. And in case you were concerned, Justin’s been taken care of. He’s been warned.”
Max’s hands fist in his hair as he focuses on me. “What the fuck does that mean? Tell me what happened up here.”
I glance at Xander before I return my gaze to Max’s frantic face. “I’ll explain on the way home. I promise.” I don’t want to, but I will.
From beside me, Xander clears his throat. “Her clothes are still wet. I’ll see if Beau has something she can borrow for the ride home.” He gets up, cupping my cheek in his palm and dropping a kiss to the top of my head. He walks past Max, whose eyes are about to pop out of his head.
Max waits until Xander exits before blurting out, “The fuck? What? Why? When? I don’t understand. You’re with Xander now?”
“I swear I’ll explain everything eventually, but I’m really tired and have practice in the morning. Do you think you can take me home now?”
“But—” He shakes his head back and forth. “My brain is about to explode. What the fuck, Scarlett? First something happens with Justin, and I find you up here alone with Xander?”
I put a finger to Max’s lips. “I know. It’s freaking me out, too.”
He grits through his teeth, “I knew I shouldn’t have left you.”
“Xander didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to. Justin—” I suck in a breath. I can’t make myself tell Max that Justin was trying to rape me. “It was all Justin. And that bitch, Aria. If you want to be mad at anyone else, it’s her. I’m pretty sure that not only did she steal the bracelet”—I hold it up and wiggle my wrist to make it jingle—“but I also think she’s the one who actually invited me tonight. Not Xander. I bet if I ask Xander, he’ll confirm that the unknown number that the invitation came from is hers.” It suddenly hits me. “Oh, fucking hell.”
“What?”
“My phone. It was in my back pocket when I jumped into the hot tub.” I cringe. “Fuck!”
“Well, shit.”
“Yeah.” I put my head in my hands. “What a night.”
Xander walks back into the room holding a pair of athletic pants and a T-shirt. “They’re going to be huge on you. That dude doesn’t have anything small, and he didn’t want to piss his mom off by loaning out her designer clothes.”
I hold up a hand. “It’s fine. Thank you. Where are my clothes?”
“Beau’s already got them in the washing machine. They smelled like hot tub. Uh …” He pulls my phone out of his pocket. “Maybe if you put it in rice?”
I clench my teeth. “Yeah. Well, if I don’t answer any texts, you’ll know it didn’t work.” I bite my lip. “Max? Can you wait for me downstairs? Maybe see if you can find my flats? I left them out on the patio somewhere.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” He exchanges a long look with Xander. An unspoken conversation passes between them before Max backs out of the room.
Xander watches as I pull Beau’s pants up my legs and over my bikini bottom. The drawstring gets pulled as tight as it will go. They’re still huge, so I fold the waistband over a few times, then pull the T-shirt on. I look up when I’m done.
“You look cute.”
I shrug. “Will you talk to Aria? Call her off?”
He slicks his tongue over his lower lip and gives me a short nod. “I’ll try.”
I blink a few times. “There must be some kind of story there. Why’s she like this with you?”
His gaze shifts from me for a second, like he’s not sure what to say. “I think you kind of bring out her claws because she sees my interest in you.” His dark eyes connect with mine, and he sighs. “I think somewhere in the back of her head—even though we’ve never been interested in each other—she assumes she and I will end up together someday, like our mothers always told her we would. It’s not really her fault. They’ve been feeding her that fairy-tale-ending bullshit since she was in diapers.” He clears his throat. “Not that I’ve ever been her prince.”
My brow furrows. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying it’s not happening. We aren’t dating now and won’t be in the future.” His soulful eyes look right inside me, touching all the hopeful places I’ve tried so hard to hide from him. “I’m saying maybe I want something else.” He reaches for my hand and draws me closer again, his other hand cupping my neck. His mouth brushes over mine.
I feel myself getting pulled in, sucked further into Xander’s world, and with his soft, full lips touching mine, I don’t think I want to be anywhere else. Just one touch makes me forget everything.
“I don’t know what to say to that. Except that you’re going to have to give me some time to work through some things. And maybe you should stop letting her sit on your lap.” I step toward him, rise up onto my tiptoes, and plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for coming to my rescue tonight.” I grab both of his hands and squeeze. “It means a lot to me.”
He lowers his head so he can stare directly into my eyes and lifts a hand to caress my cheek. “I will always protect you, Scarlett. Count on it.”
Chapter 31
On the way home, Max and I are oddly quiet for most of the trip. It’s not until we pull into my driveway that I finally
feel ready to tell him everything. And Max notices, because that’s the kind of friend he is.
His voice is gruff and gritty. “Explain to me what the fuck is going on, Cupcake. I’m in the dark over here and have a feeling some serious shit must have gone down in that room between you and Justin to make Xander go off like that.” His teeth clench before he says, “When you said it was all Justin, what exactly did you mean?”
I’m unable to answer right away, but after a beat, I turn to face him with my lips trembling and tears filling my eyes.
Max slams his hand on the wheel. “Dammit! Xander warned me that Justin was sniffing around you. I should have stayed with you. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” He takes a few controlled breaths before he demands, “Tell me. What did Xander walk in on?”
“He—” My breath hitches, then the words tumble out in a rush. “Justin was holding me down. Lying on top of me. Trying to pull my bikini bottoms down.”
Max’s warm hand finds mine, holding on tightly. “Fuck, Cupcake. Did he …?”
I shake my head vehemently. “No. Xander found me in time.”
His head drops back against the seat. “Why were you up there with Justin in the first place?”
I draw in a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. “I don’t know how much everyone filled you in, but you totally missed Aria all over Xander in the hot tub.” I suck my lips into my mouth. “Seeing the bracelet my mother gave me on her arm made me want to throw up. She freaking dropped it—on purpose!—into the water. That’s why I jumped in with them. Then, I was all upset, and Aria was calling me awful names. I went upstairs to be alone. Justin must have followed me.” My voice lowers. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Max squeezes my hand. “Okay. What was the deal with the bracelet? How’d Aria get her hands on it?”
“I’m not sure. I took it off in English and put it in my backpack. I noticed it was missing the next morning. Aria claims Xander gave it to her. He says she’s lying. So, who do I believe? One of them has to be telling the truth.”
“Who do you want to be telling the truth?” His brow raises at me. He already knows the answer.
“I don’t know what to do about Xander. He … he makes me feel things, and I don’t fully understand where it’s coming from. You’d think after everything it would be a big fat, hell-to-the-no, but sometimes he does things—says things—that make me think he could feel something for me.”
Max glances over at me where I’m stewing in the passenger seat. “Baby girl, maybe he’s finally surrendering to what his heart is telling him. It’s possible that Aria flipped out, and he didn’t know what to do but act like he didn’t like you in the beginning. But obviously, he does. I mean, we all know how he looks at you. There’s something there.”
I swallow. “That’s exactly how he explained it.”
“I think the real question is, despite some of the stuff he’s pulled, do you trust him? Can you?”
I blow out a breath. If only he knew just how much I already feel for Xander. So much is already there. “I think so. Maybe?”
Deep down, though, I feel like there’s something else, something hidden just beneath the surface that I’m missing, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. It makes me nervous as hell … especially with the Unknown Number messaging me about my scholarship, making me wonder just what it is I don’t know about my mom … and my father. Until now, I’ve never wanted to know about him.
But now I know I have to find out what happened all those years ago.
Chapter 32
“Scarlett? Someone’s here to see you!” My aunt’s voice travels from the bottom of the stairs.
It’s way early. I’d planned on sitting down to have breakfast with my aunt and uncle this morning since I had the time. Smoothing my skirt down and checking myself in the mirror one last time, I grab my backpack and gym bag, then dash down the stairs to see who’s here.
I stop, completely gobsmacked, when I get to the bottom. Uncle David and Aunt Liz are standing there talking to none other than Xander.
“What?” I blink. “Did I forget you were coming? I’m confused.” My throat goes dry. My brain short circuits. What are he and his dimple doing here?
Xander shoots me a charming, boyish grin. “Nope.”
“You met my aunt and uncle, I assume?” My eyes dart from them back to Xander.
“Don’t worry, Scarlett. Xander introduced himself.” Aunt Liz cocks her head to the side. Internal panic begins shooting through me like a rocket. She’s always been able to read me like a book. How did he introduce himself? What did he say?
From behind his back, Xander produces a bag. “I have a little something for you.”
Uncle David gives me an impressed look. “A friend bearing gifts at seven on a Monday morning, huh?”
I look at Uncle David and shrug, wondering if Xander introduced himself as a friend or something more. My gaze flicks to Aunt Liz, who is too busy studying me to worry about the gift. She looks as dazed as I am confused. I haven’t said a word to them about Xander, so I have no doubt she’s having a moment of panic with Rosehaven’s elite standing right here in her foyer, regardless of how he introduced himself.
Uncle David jerks his head over his shoulder and pulls his wife into his side. “We’ll just be in the dining room having breakfast.” He smiles at Xander. “You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ve actually got a football meeting before school today. That’s why I’m out and about so early.”
Aunt Liz finally snaps out of it and tentatively smiles. “No worries. You’re welcome back anytime.”
Uncle David’s eyes scan my face. “Are you feeling okay, Scarlett? You look a little flushed.”
Oh my God.
Aunt Liz lightly smacks his chest. “Hush, David.”
He looks from Xander to me, then chuckles and gives me a whoops face as they turn as a unit and head for the dining room. “Never mind.”
I wait until they are out of earshot before I open my mouth. “Sorry.” I press my hands to my overly warm cheeks and blink up at him.
“That’s okay.” He pulls me close to him. “Damn. Looking good today, Red.”
“I’m wearing the same uniform everyone wears.”
“You wear it well. But that’s not even it. It’s the girl in the uniform who’s making my heart race.” He brushes my long hair back, leans in, and kisses the side of my neck. He inhales deeply before murmuring, “You smell so fucking good.”
I whisper, “I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I don’t know if I can handle you.”
“I promise you can.” He edges back to look into my eyes, winks, and in doing so, makes my face redden further.
I put my hands to his shoulders and take a step back, hoping to slow the reaction my body is having to him standing here in my house being sweetly naughty. It’s enough to make the girly-girl hiding inside of me squeal a little. “Did you say you brought me something?”
He nods and drops the bag into my waiting hands. When I peek inside, I gasp. “What?” There is a brand-new freaking iPhone in the bag. I’ve never had one before, so I’m half afraid to pull it out. “I can’t accept this, Xander.” I push the bag against his chest.
“You absolutely will take it.”
“But—”
He grasps my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “But nothing. It’s yours.” His mouth hovers an inch from mine, and I breathe in his exhale. The pretty little hazel flecks around the pupils of his eyes mesmerize me and make me give in to his demand.
“Okay.” I rake my teeth over my lower lip, and his gaze follows, hungry.
He rasps, “I need to taste your lips again,” and then his mouth is on mine. I sag against him, mindless of the fact that my aunt and uncle are in the next room.
He overrides all my good senses. Or maybe it’s that I’m still in disbelief that he wants to be with me like this. The kiss starts soft but quickly escalates
when our tongues tangle. He grips the back of my head in his hand, threading his fingers through my hair, securing me where he wants me. My mind spins with the riot of feelings roaring through me.
He groans as he breaks the kiss. “I could do this all day, but I have to get to that meeting.” He nuzzles my nose. “Unless you tell me I can come up to your room. Then, all bets are off.”
I wet my lips and glance in the direction of the dining room where my aunt and uncle are talking in hushed voices. “Not happening right now.”
He winks. “I didn’t think so.” He leans in to kiss me again, just a touch of the lips, like he can’t help himself. “When you didn’t respond to my texts this weekend, I hoped your phone was good and dead and you weren’t just hiding from me. I even went for a run yesterday, hoping to see you.”
“Really? No, I wasn’t avoiding you. I’ve just been thinking a lot and didn’t have a working phone.” My brain scrambles to keep up with this new, sweet Xander.
“Tell me you were thinking about me.” His voice is husky, the sound of it making my heart do a tiny leap.
“Maybe a little.”
His lips curve into a broad grin. “That’s a good start.” He cups my face in his hand, skimming his thumb across my lips. “So, your old phone is definitely done.”
I shrug. “I think so. The rice didn’t seem to work. We were going to go out after I got done with cross-country practice tonight and pick something out.”
“Now you don’t have to. Let me know if you need help setting it up. And—” He pauses to swallow. “I wanted to apologize for Aria. I spoke to her like you asked me to. She thought she was doing something funny by taking the bracelet.”
I chew on the inside of my mouth. “I’m not convinced that it was done to be funny.”
“She didn’t hear the part about your mom giving it to you.”
I purse my lips, studying him. He starts to grin, and his dimple pops out, making me soften. “How about if I accept your apology and reserve my judgment of her for when she explains herself to me directly?”