Chapter 4 #2
“He won’t be insulted. He would love any excuse to go out with you. Trust me. I can tell when a guy is falling for a woman.”
“Are you playing right now?” May had to laugh. Lou had been utterly clueless about how in love with her Ant had been. Right up until his lips had been pressed against hers.
“I mean now. Because of Ant, now I know.” Lou waved May off.
“Hot men are not on my radar for one very good reason.”
“Because your ex was hot?”
“Yes. Also, unreachable on the inside.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t believe that Xavier is anything like your ex.”
“I heard my name,” came a gruff voice over May’s shoulder. Gooseflesh popped up on her arms. She turned and found the bearded, ginger-haired god whose hotness no woman would dare question. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing!” May replied brightly.
“How you should—” Lou started.
“Ignore her,” May interrupted.
“I’m impossible to ignore.” Lou smiled.
He took the chair next to May, resting his elbows on his knees. He rubbed his hands together, flexing the biceps on his left arm, which was decorated with pine trees and birds, constellations and code.
May tilted her head, letting her gaze linger shamelessly. “I have to ask. Is there a hidden message in your ink to decode?”
Xavier’s mouth tugged into a slow grin. “Depends on who’s asking. You graduated summa cum laude. I assume you’re a good code-cracker.”
“Give me a hint.” God, it should have been illegal to look that good without trying. She tapped a finger on one of the trees. “The Cove?”
“Good guess,” he said with praise. “I wanted to mark moving to Evergreen Cove, and what better way to do it than with evergreens? Leaving Columbus was…meaningful. A fresh start.”
Her chest tightened with grief. Her fresh start hadn’t been her choosing. She touched the large crow looming over the pine trees. “And this guy?”
Xavier swiveled his arm to look with her. “That’s my college crow.”
“Because…you wanted a mascot?” she asked with a laugh.
“Sort of. Crows are smart as hell. They figure shit out. They’re also loyal. Once a crow trusts you, it’s for life.”
May’s throat went dry. What she wouldn’t have given for a father, or even a boyfriend, who was loyal for life. Not out of some forced sense of duty. Not because they felt sorry for her. Because they wanted to stay.
She traced down the trunk of one tree to the constellations making up the bark. “Big astrology guy?”
He leaned in close enough to brush his arm against hers. “I love the night sky. It’s a good reminder that no matter how big your problems are, they’re small in comparison to the entire universe.”
“And the binary code is because you are a computer science nerd.”
“Represent! Had to include a nod to my passion.”
She pulled her hand away and folded her fingers together. For a second, neither of them spoke. May forgot about everyone around them. Her focus was on the man next to her, his story etched in black and gray on his body.
Lou broke into their intimate chat by dragging a chair over. “Sorry. Had to let Ant know I wasn’t ready to leave yet. Did you tell Xavier what I suggested?”
“No,” May said meaningfully.
Xavier took this in stride, like he did everything else. “What’d you suggest?”
“That she hire you.” Lou shrugged.
“Lou!” May growled.
“What? I’m helping!” Lou turned to Xavier, who was chuckling, and with even more sincerity said, “If she hires you, then she won’t have to honor her no-hot-men rule because it’s a loophole if you’re being paid.”
“I’m so sorry.” May forced a laugh, hoping to convey that Lou was drunk and hadn’t meant to suggest Xavier be her date—paid or otherwise. “She’s… I don’t know what she is. Delusional?”
“Am not!” Lou argued.
“I should probably head out. Thank you for having me. I had fun.” Before Xavier could argue, and by the looks of his half-open mouth, he was about to, May stood.
Lou stood as well, wrapping her hands around May’s upper arms and giving her a gentle shake. “Don’t let this moment pass you by.”
“What moment?” Ant, the cavalry, had arrived. Thank God. May had suddenly changed her mind. She’d take that ride home after all.
“No one is having a moment!” May tried to shake out of Lou’s grip and knocked Lou off balance. Both women toppled to the side, neither able to regain their footing.
Ant caught Lou like the pro that he was, and Xavier, who apparently had the reaction time of a cat, caught May before she fell. Not by the arms the way Lou had held her, no, no. He had wrapped one arm of support around May’s waist and tugged her flush against him.
With his firm, solid body warming her ribs, breasts, and hip on one side, she had to struggle to take a full inhalation. He smelled like pine trees and IPA and smoke from the fire. Heavenly.
His pupils widened, the black eating up the amber. She parted her lips to speak but no sound came out.
His mouth spread into a slow smile, and when he licked his lips, she forgot about everything apart from leaning in to kiss him. It would cause a mess of other problems, but it would feel so good she might not care.
His gaze flicked to her mouth, and she shook out of her stupor. One hand settled on his chest, she pushed off him to right herself. He kept his arm at the ready in case she was unstable, but he was no longer holding her against him.
Damn. She officially did not know what she wanted. But she did know what she needed.
A ride home.
“Thank you, Xavier. For the lovely evening and the, ah, fast hands.” Embarrassed, she averted her eyes. That wasn’t exactly what she’d meant to say.
“Anytime.” The look he gave her was pure heat, and made her question whether she wanted to run away or climb into his lap.
“Ant, Lou, I’ll take you up on the ride home.” She faked a yawn. “I’m tired.”
Lou’s eyes were narrowed so much, they were practically closed. “I thought you said—”
“Not a problem,” Ant cut in smoothly. “We got you, May.” He shared a manly handshake with Xavier, who clapped his shoulder in return. “Great party.”
“Thanks for coming,” Xavier replied.
Ant offered his arms to Lou and May, escorting them up the hill, away from the crackling fire and everything May didn’t want to admit she wanted.
She didn’t look back. Not once.
Not even to see if Xavier was watching her walk away with the same tangled mix of relief and regret she felt with every step.