His big, strong hand comes down hard on my shoulder. “You heard me right, Xavier. Even after everything that’s happened in your life, you deserve fun, adventure, love. You deserve it all.”
The hand that holds the coffee cup is shaking now. I set the drink down on the table so I don’t spill it. I’ve got goosebumps all over.
Carl smiles again. “Enjoy this girl. Don’t let the artificial mental blocks stop you. Of course—always be mindful and if things start to feel shaky, then know when to hit ‘stop’. But as long as you respect each other’s boundaries and needs, there’s no reason to deprive yourself.”
His words resonate with me so deeply. I want him to be right because I want to get closer to Sadie. I want to give myself permission to get to know her, to touch her, to be with her. Even if it’s just for a little while.
As I ponder his words, an elderly woman with a walking stick and a shaky gait ambles through the door. “Baby!” Carl howls excitedly as he rushes over to greet his lady friend.
The two immediately start making out. I mean, really, truly making out. It’s almost as if their faces are in a wrestling match. It’s a bit much to watch. I clear my throat.
The lovers separate, giving me matching sheepish grins. Carl beams as he introduces me to his frisky girlfriend Delores. Y’see—that’s fucking beauty. It’s love. “Good night, folks,” I say, as they turn for the door.
“Good night, Xavier.” And then, they disappear down the hall, hand in hand, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Everything Carl said replays in my head. Especially the bits that go against the core beliefs I’ve adopted in recent years.
I deserve fun, adventure…love.
Love?
Maybe not love. But the rest—the fun and the adventure—I’m damn sure I can find that in Sadie Nichols.
16
xavier
When I leave the AA meeting, I head straight for our apartment building. After a quick stop at my place, I descend the stairs down to Sadie’s.
I knock on the door. There’s no answer. The lights inside are off. Anxiety grips my gut. What if I’m too late? What if some other chap had the good sense to get here ahead of me, before I could get my head out of my arse? Maybe that tosser ex-boyfriend of hers.
I drop to the top step of the creaky staircase and bow my head into my hands. Jealousy and worry kick up a violent flurry inside of me.
But before long, I hear the door open behind me, creaking on its hinges. My heart soars. The girl steps out, wearing a tunic covered in watermelons—smiling watermelons—and matching pants. Where the hell do they even sell shit like that? There’s a basket of dirty laundry topped with textbooks propped against her hip. Of course. Laundry day again.
That makes me smile.
Her expression does not reflect my amusement. She gives me a ‘what are you doing here again?’ look. I stand.
"I was printing a ticket for the movies tomorrow night and I accidentally printed two.”
An ironic sound sputters past her lips. “You could have asked for a refund.” A wet tendril of dark hair falls across her cheek, framing her perfect face. She must have been in the shower when I first knocked. With an angry movement, she pushes it back into place.
“I’ve decided to invite you to come along with me instead.” I throw her a lopsided smile. “Come along with me...Look at it as repayment for the sugar."
The corners of her lips draw tight. Her eyes narrow with determination. She tries to brush by me. The soft flesh of her arm grazes mine and it just about drives me mad. “I’m done playing these games with you, Xavier,” she grinds out.
Hurt feelings and unfulfilled expectations throb in the space between us.
“Sadie—”
“No!” she holds up a hand. “Look, Xavier—I like you. I’ve done a really bad job of being subtle about it. And if you don’t like me too, that’s okay. But what’s not okay is you stringing me along and—”
Before she can get another word out, my hands are cupping her cheeks and my mouth is puckered hard against hers.
She’s startled.
Her lips part to gasp and I steal the opportunity to slide my tongue against hers. I kiss her deeper, licking into that smart mouth, tasting her the way I’ve been dreaming of since the day I met her.
My hands slide down over her breasts and I feel those nipples tight and erect for me. I get an image of us in bed, with me on top of her bared body, tasting those perky nipples. I groan deep in my throat and suck her plump bottom lip between my teeth as my arms circle her waist.
Her knees weaken and the basket of laundry tumbles from her hand, bumping its way down the stairs, scattering clothes and books every step of the way.
“Shit…” The word comes from her mouth, soft and airy.
My finger on her chin brings her attention back to me. "I'm taking you to the movies tomorrow night, darling.”
I'm being forward. I know it. I don't really care.
After all that, she tries to act like she’s still in control. She fists a hand on her waist and shifts her weight to one leg. “So you aren’t even gonna ask?"
I psht. "And give you the chance to say ‘no’?”
She looks weary all of a sudden, tired of being jerked around by life. “You want me to go to the movies with you? Tell me why, Xavier.”
Making a joke would be the easy way out. Downplaying how much I’m into her would be much less scary. But the look in her eyes tells me that she needs to hear it, tells me that she hasn’t heard it often enough from the men she’s known. I take both her hands and I thread my fingers through hers. “I want you to go to the movies with me because I want to spend more time with you, Sadie. Because I like you. The problem is, I have my doubts about whether I deserve for you to like me.”
“Xavier…”
“There’s a lot we don’t know about each other, darling girl. But maybe for now, we could just work with what we’ve got.”
Her head bobs lightly. She pushes a hard breath past her lips and she shivers. Her shoulders relax.
One carefree grin from her and giddiness takes hold of me. And I realize that’s what I’ve been waiting for all day. Her smile.
"Fine. I'll go." The pretty pink flush on her cheeks is endearing.
My fingers dance across her cheekbone, loving the way she’s blushing for me. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say, sweetie.”
I feel myself getting sucked into her stare again and I turn away because if I don’t pace myself, I’ll end up shoving her back against the cool, red bricks and fucking her right here against this wall. I jog down the stairs and pick up her dirty laundry, shoving it all back into the basket.
“You want me to come sit with you?” I ask softly.
Sadie shakes her head, suddenly so shy and sweet. “No, that’s all right.” She nods at the books in the basket. “I have these bad boys to keep me company.”
She wants some space. I can respect that. This was all a bit much to spring on her out of the blue. “Let me walk you downstairs, at least.”
She nods and I walk her down to the laundromat, carrying her basket with both arms to keep from reaching out to touch her. When we get there, she takes the basket from me at the door.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow night?” Excited as I am, I need confirmation that she’s not planning on standing me up.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I smile.
She smiles.
Now, that I’ve tasted her, I can’t walk away without another kiss. This one is softer. We press our lips together. I lick at the seam of her mouth. She shivers as I cup her chin in my hand.
“Excuse me.”
We both jump at the sound. I glance over my shoulder. It’s that damn guy again. Goddamn—does this poor todger live at the laundromat?
“Sorry, man.” I stumble out of the way for him to step inside.
Sadie waves at me through the wide glass of the front window. I’m doin
g everything in my power to not break out into a Sound of Music hop-skip as I go back up to my apartment.
17
Sadie
I spin in a half-circle—this way, then that way—and the skirt of my short floral dress twirls with me.
“I don’t think I’ll survive these shoes.” Heaven knows I’m not a four-inch stiletto kind of gal.
Nat rolls her eyes as she stands back and appraises my look in the floor-length mirror. “How about some lip liner?”
My eyes bug out in surprise before I break into giggles. “Lip liner. Eww!” I may be a ball of vibrating nerves right now but I still have enough wits about me to know that nobody’s gotten away with lip liner since JLo left In Living Color. There’s a thin line between looking nice and looking ‘too much’. I’m really not trying to cross it.
She comes and stands behind me, palms bracing my shoulders like a mother about to send her preteen off to the first school dance. “Sadie, you are absolutely gorgeous. Ravishing, actually. But you need a little, tiny bit more oomph! Tonight is the night you graduate from kissing frogs to seducing a prince…No pressure.”
I guffaw. “Yeah, no pressure.”
Narrowed eyes settle on mine. “I’m serious. This date is huge. This date could change everything.”
I return her glare. “Jeez—are you my best friend right now? Or are you a john trying to pimp me out to pay the rent?”
Her eyeballs go a-spinnin’ in her head before they settle on the meager contents of my makeup bag sitting on the dresser in front of me. “Sit.”
And only because there’s a swarm of butterflies dancing in my belly and my pulse has more base than a set of speakers at an Ibiza nightclub, I do as I’m told. Grinning manically, my friend grabs the mascara wand from the dresser and goes to work.
I have my reservations because the last time I let her do my makeup, I ended up looking like a YouTube makeup tutorial happened all over my face. But maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing this time.
Tonight is sort of special. I’m not typically caught up in fashion ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s. I don’t let those things dictate what I wear and how I feel about myself. But tonight is different. I sort of hate myself for it but I want to look good for Xavier. It’s actually important to me although I probably wouldn’t actually admit it out loud. I’ve wanted this for so long.
After yesterday’s kiss, I’m thinking he might kiss me again. And this time, I’m going to die…I’d like to look nice when I die.
When she’s done working her magic, her eyes glint with approval. “Stand and give me a twirl.”
Again, I give her the satisfaction of following her orders without complaint and she beams as she takes me in. “Look at you with your perfect smoky eye and your sophisticated take on the messy bun. Plus, your tits are top-notch in that sweetheart neckline. Girl, you are slaying tonight.” With the level of motherly pride on her face, you’d think I just got done curing some pandemic threatening to wipe out all of humanity.
I lean into the mirror and pull in deep breaths, trying to get these damn nerves under control.
“So, are you saying I look okay?”
Nat hocks in her throat. “Okay? You look like a knockout, Sadie…When Xavier sees you, he’s gonna get a boner so big he’ll trip over it on his way down the stairs.”
I throw my head back and howl with laughter. “Oh my god. We’ve been hanging out together way too often these days. You’re starting to sound like me.”
With a nonchalant shoulder shrug, Natalie saunters over to the mattress and plops down on the edge. She picks up a magazine and starts flipping through the pages. “You owe me, y’know,” she tells me, totally ignoring my comment.
"I owe you for what exactly?" I wait with a cocked brow and my hands on my hips.
She doesn’t look up from the magazine’s glossy pages. “For saving you from that face tattoo, if nothing else."
Did she seriously bring up the face tattoo? That’s low. “Oh come on. That was six years ago. Am I ever gonna live that one down?"
She slaps the magazine down onto her knee. “Uh, no. Do you think that you'd be going on a date with an actual, real-life prince right now if I'd let you go through with that colossal failure in judgment?"
I toss a beauty sponge at her.
She grins. “In all seriousness, I’m so excited for you, Sadie. You deserve this. A nice guy taking you on a nice date. You deserve someone who’ll be good to you.”
Propping my butt on the edge of the dresser, I look at her with the corner of my lip trapped between my teeth. “And how are you so sure this guy will be good to me? Up until yesterday, all he’s done is jerk me around.” I don’t think I can take any more of the back and forth with him. I want him. Even if I know there’s a timer counting down to his departure, there’s an expiration date on anything that happens between us.
Nat’s beaming face doesn’t reflect any of my worry. “He’s your hot accent guy, silly. The one who’ll give you pretty babies.” She winks. “It’s fate.”
And of course I laugh. “That’s just ridiculous on so many levels.”
Then, her face goes somber. “Seriously though, let yourself have fun tonight. Promise?”
I nod. “Promise.”
Moments later, there’s a knock at the door and before I can get my vertigo under control, Nat has rushed off to answer it.
Peeking out from behind the doorframe, I watch the side of her face as she swings the door open and her jaw literally drops to the floor. “H-hi.” She hugs the side of the door as if to keep her balance.
I hear his husky voice before I see him. “It’s lovely to see you again, Natalie.”
I arch my neck, eager for a glimpse of him. My heart falters in its tracks. I immediately understand what has Nat acting all weird.
A black button-down shirt spreads across his broad chest and dark denim hugs his legs. His hair is brushed back off of his forehead and a big silver watch is clasped around his wrist. He looks mouth-watering.
His gaze flits my way and he catches me peeking like a weirdo. He brushes through the door, his confident, purposeful stride bringing him to me. “Sadie…”
He loses his words as his gaze skims down my figure, taking in every detail. The tendrils of hair tumbling in waves from my messy top knot. The mini-dress clinging to my body. The stilettos emphasizing my toned calves. The glint in his dark eyes tells me he likes the package very much.
“Hi...” I say, hating that I sound coy and breathless. But with the way his gaze feels on my body, I don’t know if my knees will have the strength to carry me out of this room.
He comes closer and his hand finds the small of my back as he presses a slow, soft kiss to my left cheek, then my right. His lips brush the lobe of my ear and he keeps his voice low. “You look bloody sexy, darling.”
Someone sound the alarms. Swooning confirmed! Swooning confirmed! I’m going to need to be airlifted out of here.
“Thank you,” I say. My tongue dashes across my lips as I watch him again, head to foot. “You look pretty sexy yourself.”
I smile.
He smiles.
And we get lost in this place where the world is in soft-focus and this moment between us is all that exists. The thundering of my heart. The rise and fall of his chest. The sparkle in his—
Natalie clears her throat loudly, reminding us that she’s standing right here. Poor girl. She must be choking on all the pheromones firing through the room.
Xavier grins like a man who knows that the next few hours at the movies is nothing but foreplay. “We should get going, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Turning toward the front door, he twines his fingers with mine and leads the way.
Nat is one step behind me, whispering in a low voice. “Remember—I’ll be over here all night, dying for details so hourly updates from the ladies’ room, okay?”
I toss her a glance over my shoulder. “No way,” I mutter out the side of my mouth.
She begs with her eyes and an exaggerated pout. “I have no love life. You realize that I’m living vicariously through you. Don’t be cruel.”
I laugh and my nerves ease just a bit. “That’s a choice. The minute you let go of your prejudice against Bitcoin, you’ll be getting all the Alvin-lovin’ you can handle.”
She rolls her eyes at the mention of her ex.
We say a quick goodbye and Nat closes the door behind us. And now Xavier and I are alone.
The movie theatre is literally a block away so the plan is to walk over there. He won’t take his eyes off of me as he ushers me down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk. “I hope you don’t mind, I made us dinner reservations. We can catch the later showing of the movie if you’re up to it.”
I don’t think I’ve eaten all day. I was so damn twisted up over this date. At the mere suggestion of food, my stomach rumbles low. “I’d like that.”
We share a grin and I realize that this guy is just as nervous as I am. He’s a prince—an actual prince—and he’s just as nervous as I am. I think that tiny realization helps me relax just a tiny bit as we head off in the direction of Gallo’s Italian Restaurant.
Throughout the walk, he continually sneaks little peeks at me. When the heat of his gaze becomes too much to bear, I look over at him and question him cautiously. “What?”
His lips rub together and his eyes settle on my boobs. His cheeks swell when he smiles. “You have really nice tits.”
I snort out a surprised laugh. “You did not just say that.”
“I wanted to be honest.” He glances at my round, perky girls again. “I mean really nice tits. I would steal sweeties from young, helpless children and deliver them to your doorstep for a look at those tits."
All the tension from earlier is gone. I laugh freely and hysterically. “Your compliments make no sense."
He insists. “I would do it, Sadie. With absolutely zero remorse. In cold blood.”
I laugh harder and slap him playfully on the arm. “Well, thank you for lightening the mood at least.” My voice sobers and I make a confession. “I was really nervous about seeing you tonight.”
Rich Boy: A Royal Landlord Romance (Blue Collar Bachelors Book 5) Page 14