by Lexi Lawton
She buckled her seat belt. “I could really go for some sausage.”
He whipped his head around to look at her. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re a little testy.” She stuck out her tongue, and he laughed. A deep, rich laugh that echoed around her, sending tingles through her body.
“You haven’t seen testy yet, sweetheart.”
“Really?” she asked innocently. “I’m pretty sure I saw a bit of Finn’s testes.”
“Kylie!” He peeled out of the parking lot, clearly aggravated. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” he muttered under his breath.
She flung her head back and laughed. “For what it’s worth, it’s not my phone,” she said once she caught her breath.
“What?”
“It’s not my phone,” she repeated, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “My phone is sitting in a bowl of rice, remember? That”—she pointed to the phone he still held—“is Celeste’s.”
“Oh. Well, that makes a hell of a lot more sense.” He handed the phone back to her and exhaled, his posture and expression softening with relief. “Can’t live without your phone for a single day? You had to borrow Celeste’s?” His tone was teasing, but there was an undercurrent to his voice, an edge that made it very clear he was not pleased about what Kylie had seen.
She closed out of the message and tucked the phone in her backpack. “I’m waiting for an important call.” She sighed, wishing she didn’t have to talk about this right now—or ever—but he deserved an explanation. “I was raised by my grandmother, and right before I left for college, she was put in a nursing home. She’s really the only family I have, and the home calls on Fridays.”
“And because your phone is ruined…”
“Yeah.”
Xander took her hand, laced their fingers, and then brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“It’s okay.” Her voice wavered. Something as simple as him holding her hand sent her into a tailspin. The urge to lean across the seat and plant her lips on his tugged at her, making it impossible to sit still. She shifted and angled her body toward him. Would he ever kiss her?
“Is she sick? Your grandmother?” His tone was soft and compassionate.
She nodded. “Alzheimer’s.”
“I’m so sorry, Kylie.”
She drew in a shaky breath and swallowed back the sting of tears. “We’ve been there for each other for so long, it kills me the days she can’t even remember my name,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand. “What about your parents?”
She cringed. “My mom died when I was young. I barely remember her, and my father…well, he decided being a parent wasn’t for him.” She stopped herself from saying anything more, not wanting to ruin things with talk of her fucked-up, nonexistent family life. Her goal was to get closer to Xander, not scare him away with all her family drama.
“I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for you growing up. I mean, my parents ride my ass, but I know they’ll always be there for me. I’m not sure what I’d do without them.”
“You’re lucky.” She’d always dreamed of having a family like that, parents who were loving and supportive. Maybe someday when she was older and married and had kids of her own, she could give them the childhood she never had. She glanced out the window and saw he’d gotten on the highway. Worry wiggled its way inside her thoughts. “Uh, where are we going? We’ll be back on campus in time for class, right?” She twisted to look out the back window as if that would somehow give her the answer.
“Relax.” He chuckled. “I promise you won’t miss class.”
Chapter Fourteen
Xander exited the highway and made the turn onto Gibson Drive. He slowed to a stop near the Breakfast Burrito Bus, a roadside food stand popular with surfers. Killing the engine, he got out and hurried over to open Kylie’s door. She stepped out, and he guided her back so she was pinned between him and the car.
He took her face into his hands and stroked her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to upset you with my questions. I was just trying to learn more about you.” He moved his hands down to grasp hers.
She nodded and smiled, but it was forced, and her eyes didn’t sparkle like they normally did. “It’s okay. There was no way you could’ve known.”
“I won’t pry, but if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here, okay?”
She pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
Her breath was warm against his skin, and he buried his face in her hair, letting his hands settle against her lower back. Every soft curve melded perfectly against him, enticing him to ask for more, to lay claim to her like he’d never done with any other girl. His heart raced at that realization, and ice-cold fear filled his veins. Was he ready for this, for all these feelings and thoughts?
Her fingers whispered across the back of his neck and into his hair. He let out a low groan before moving his hands to her waist and holding her away so he could see her face. Her eyes were hazy and seductive, begging him to do what they’d both been waiting for. He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers in a tender kiss. Sparks of desire sizzled between them, making his mouth tingle and his body ignite. She stepped closer, demanding more. And he wanted to give it to her. But the power of his feelings and the fear that caused was still present, freezing him in place.
“Xander.” She nipped erotically at his mouth, and he swore his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Hmm?” he hummed against her lips. He never knew a tongueless kiss could be so damn hot.
“It’s about damn time.”
He let out a surprised laugh. “That wasn’t even a full kiss.”
“Well, it’s all I can handle right now.” She rested her forehead on his chest.
He speared his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp and placing a kiss to the top of her head. “Yeah, me too.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, savoring the lingering taste of her. “C’mon, let’s go eat.” He led her toward the food stand.
“First the Dive, and now this?” She grinned and raised a brow. “This isn’t like buying seafood from the back of a truck, is it? Am I going to get food poisoning?”
“No.” He laughed, his chest lighter at her teasing. Stepping up to the window, he asked her, “What would you like?”
She shrugged. “What’s good?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
He ordered two loaded egg and meat burritos with salsa and two bottles of water. Moments later, food in hand, they sat at one of the tables beneath a brightly covered umbrella.
Kylie unwrapped her burrito and stared at it before shifting her gaze up to meet his. “This thing is huge! How am I supposed to get my mouth around it, let alone eat it all?”
His eyes widened. “Well, I seriously hope the next time I hear those words, we’re not in public. Or dressed.”
Her face turned bright red. “Did you take a class that taught you all these horrible pickup lines?”
He laughed. “Nope, they’re all me.”
“I’m not sure that’s something I’d brag about.” She stuck out her tongue and then opened her water, taking a long drink.
When she lowered the bottle, her lips were wet and glistening. He shifted on the bench and parted his legs to ease the ache in his balls. He’d never delayed his sexual gratification like this before, and the constant erections she caused in him weren’t helping his decision to do things differently with her. She wasn’t like all the other girls, and he didn’t want to treat her like she was. But damn, it was bordering on impossible not to really try to convince her to sleep with him.
And after that kiss? He’d have better luck giving himself a vasectomy than he would taking things slowly. But that kiss was so packed full of emotion, it was all the more reason not to rush. He was determine
d to do everything right this time.
…
Taking Kylie to the roadside food stand for breakfast burritos had been a good idea. She’d loved them, and he’d loved watching her eat. Loved watching her? Shit. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up like his brother Tanner—dopey with love. Although, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Xander pulled up in front of Pinefield Hall, killed the engine, and snatched her bag from the backseat before she could. Then he was at her door, helping her out.
“You planning to go to class for me?” she asked, her tone teasing as she nodded at her bag.
“Nope. Just didn’t want you to rush off before I had the chance to do this.” Dropping her bag to the ground, he lowered his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. The entire time they’d been eating, he’d been dying for another taste of her, and she didn’t disappoint.
Arching into him, she pushed her breasts to his chest in the most delicious way, then she wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips, her tongue darting out to touch his. He hauled her against him, and she rewarded him with a half gasp, half moan. The sound was like a siren’s call in his ears, and he groaned, deepening the kiss until they were both gasping for breath. But neither of them pulled back, and the longer he stood there kissing her, having her body flush against his, the harder his cock became, throbbing painfully and straining behind his zipper.
He left her lips and nipped a path across her jaw. “How long before your class starts?”
“Fifteen minutes or so.” She turned her head enough to capture his lips again, and he couldn’t deny her another kiss. He wanted to taste every inch of her.
He was tempted to suggest she skip and go home with him instead. That would be thinking with his dick not his head, though, and it was that kind of shit that got him into trouble. He’d vowed to be smarter and do things differently with her. But damn! With the way she kissed him, so eager and demanding, he was having a hell of a time remembering why he’d wanted to take things slow, because right now all he wanted was her naked and him buried inside of her.
“I should’ve taken you somewhere private instead of out to breakfast.” He groaned and deepened the kiss, his mouth hungry against hers.
Someone let out a piercing wolf-whistle, snapping Xander back to reality and the fact that they were in public. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, tugging at her bottom lip before forcing himself to take a step back.
“Whoa,” Kylie whispered, her hands resting on his waist.
Whoa? More like fucking incredible. He’d never gotten that turned-on by just a kiss, but the case of blue balls he’d have to suffer through was worth it. Unable to stop himself, he stepped back up to her, his body tingling with desire at her closeness. “We’re still on for tonight, right?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded.
Thank God.
“Xander?” She looked up at him, a mix of uncertainty and innocence playing behind her eyes.
“Yeah?” He rubbed his thumb across her lips, distracted by the thought of doing much more than kissing her again.
“I don’t know where things are headed between us, and I don’t want to make assumptions, but I like you, a lot.”
He grinned. “I like you a lot, too.”
A smile flitted across her face. “And based on what you said about taking me somewhere private, I can make an educated guess as to where things are going.”
He nodded. “I hope they’re headed in that direction. Eventually.” As badly as he wanted her, he still wasn’t willing to rush into anything.
“Me, too.” She took a deep breath. “But you need to know something.” She chewed on her bottom lip, and he narrowed his eyes as dread pooled in his gut. “I’m a virgin,” she blurted out, her eyes widening as if she couldn’t believe she’d just said that.
Xander’s hand fell away from her lips. Kylie was a virgin? No way. There was no way in hell a virgin could say the things she said, or exude the confident sex appeal she gave off. It simply wasn’t possible. Was it? No. He must’ve misheard her. Or she was messing with him. But the serious expression on her face told him she was being truthful.
Well, shit. Dread coiled in his chest, squeezing the breath from his body. “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s cool. Congratulations. I mean, good for you.” Christ, can I say anything dumber? I might as well give her a damn medal or something.
“I just wanted you to know. In case things…” Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away. “I need to get to class.” She scooped up her bag from the ground and slipped around him, hurrying off before he could stop her.
Stunned, all he could do was stare after her. Of all the things she could have said, that was the very last thing he’d expected to hear. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
There was only one thing he could do. Getting back in his car, he headed home.
The house was mostly empty, but as expected, Finn was sitting on the couch. He never seemed to be anywhere else. “Finn,” Xander said.
“Oh, hey, what’s up?” Finn looked up briefly, then glanced at the time on his phone. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“It was canceled.”
He gave Xander a dirty look, then stood. “You’re on a very tight leash. You’d better not be ditching.”
“I’m not.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket and held it out. “See?” There was an email from the professor announcing class was canceled and outlining the required assignment.
Finn grunted.
“Speaking of mail.” Xander put his phone back in his pocket. “Didn’t realize you liked to spam people with porn.” He fought to hide his smile. At first, he’d been pissed. But now the whole thing was funny, and when Finn realized what happened, he was going to be embarrassed as fuck.
“Uh, what?” Finn returned to his spot on the couch. “Did you smoke something? You’re acting really strange.”
“No.” He sat. “But you might want to light up.”
“Seriously, dude. What the fuck?”
“Saw your twig and giggle berries today, man. Sending junk mail like that?” He shook his head, grinning. “Have to say, not your best angle.”
Finn’s eyes widened, and his face paled. “What?”
He couldn’t stop laughing. The look on Finn’s face was priceless, and he had half a mind to pull out his phone and snap a picture. “Yeah, you know. The cock shot you sent to Celeste.”
“How do you know about that?” He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.
A better friend would’ve put him out of his misery, but Xander wanted a little retribution. Besides, harassing Finn was fun. “I told you. I saw it.”
“How? Better yet, why were you with Celeste?”
“I wasn’t. I was with Kylie. She has Celeste’s phone for the day.”
Finn’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened even more, making him look like a wild, bug-eyed animal who’d been cornered. “You mean Kylie saw…?”
He nodded. “Yeah, not really happy about that, either. Shit. I only just got a kiss from her, finally, and she’s seen your junk already.” Her unexpected confession shoved its way to the front of his mind, and his already frayed nerves shredded even more. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a loud snarl.
“Hey, you all right?” Finn’s tone was full of concern. “You know that picture wasn’t intended for her. I’m sorry she saw it. I didn’t mean—”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not the picture.” Unease furled in Xander’s gut. “Kylie’s still proudly toting around her V-card.”
“She told you that?” Finn asked slowly.
“Yeah.” Xander stood and paced, then threw his hands up in frustration. “A fucking virgin! God, why does this shit happen to me?”
“Okay, okay.” Finn held up his hands in a show of surrender. “Take a deep breath and calm down. This isn’t the end of the world.”
Giving him a dirty look, Xander flopped down onto the couch. “Calm down? That’s your adv
ice?” He snorted and shook his head.
“Look”—Finn twisted to face him—“don’t let this get to you.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He narrowed his eyes. “You do remember what happened the last time I got involved with a virgin, don’t you?”
“Oh please.” Finn waved his hand dismissively. “Kylie is not Trisha, and we both know it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugged. Fuck! Kylie being a virgin was the absolute worst thing he could’ve learned about her. He wanted to go back to ten minutes ago when he was blissfully clueless. Lacing his hands on top of his head, he blew out a heavy breath.
“You like her. Don’t blow this before it ever starts,” Finn said.
He shook his head. How on earth could he keep seeing her now? Every second he was with her, he was consumed with thoughts of kissing her, touching her, getting her into his bed. And every time he got close, he put on the brakes because he was a coward who only knew how to have a physical relationship with a woman, and he wanted much more with Kylie. Maybe it was a sign. He wasn’t one to fuck with the universe, especially when it was trying to tell him something. He’d ignored the signs last time, and they’d been staring him in the face. As a result, he’d hurt someone he cared for. A lot. And he refused to let that happen with Kylie. Now, more than ever, he needed to slow things down.
“At least she told you,” Finn said, interrupting his thoughts.
Xander turned to stare at him. “What?”
“Kylie. She told you. That’s more than Trisha ever did.”
And just like that, he had a bit of clarity again. Finn was right. Kylie had told him about being a virgin, well before they were in a position where it would matter, and that counted for a lot. But it still didn’t calm the storm of fear and doubt swirling inside him. Just because she’d confessed her virginity didn’t mean things still couldn’t turn out the same way they had with Trisha. Without another word, Xander pushed off the couch and went up to his room. He didn’t want to stop seeing her, but he also wasn’t going to get involved in another mess like he had before. And the similarities were too close for his comfort.