Chapter 9 #2
“I said I’m not mad at you. Christ, would you just drop it, already?”
Dropping things had never been my strong suit, but I didn’t want to do anything that could make his already deteriorating mood even worse. Especially while he was in control of my ride.
As hard as it was for me to do, I clamped my mouth shut and stared out the passenger window as he drove.
But in my mind, I was replaying the events of the night over and over again.
I couldn’t stop thinking about his strange behavior—how he’d rushed to me in that hotel room, worry etched into the marble of his gorgeous face.
Or how he’d flipped when he found out the asshole had smacked me.
Even his constant touches from the time he reached my side to climbing into the car were out of the ordinary.
I might have only known Xander Caine a few weeks, and most of that time he’d spent ignoring me, but he didn’t strike me as a tactile person.
In fact, it appeared he went out of his way to avoid interacting with most people unless absolutely necessary, so that made his reaction tonight all the more confusing.
I was so lost in thought about the enigmatic man beside me that I hadn’t noticed the car had stopped until the purr of the engine died.
I looked out the windshield to see my cute little cottage, with its glowing porch lights, and turned to Xander. “How do you know where I live?”
He didn’t bother with an answer as he threw the door open and climbed out. I hurried to catch up with him as he scaled the steps of my porch and inserted my key into the lock.
“Hey,” I shouted as he stepped inside and flipped on the living room lights. “Not cool, man. You can’t just come into my house uninvited.”
He didn’t say a word, and I stood glued to the spot just inside my front door as he headed straight for the kitchen, turning on all the lights as he went. I heard the fridge open and close, and Xander reappeared a second later with a bag of frozen peas in his hand.
“Close the door, Shortcake. And lock it behind you.”
My house was a decent enough size, but with him standing in it, the place suddenly felt positively tiny.
Crossing my arms over my chest in defiance, I glared at the big man and said, “I don’t think so. I’ve got a big, pissed-off giant in my house at the moment. You’ll excuse me if I’d rather leave it open so I can make an escape if necessary.”
His expression shifted, and some of the anger faded away as he moved in close.
“You have no reason to be scared of me, Sage. Ever,” he said in a voice so soft it made my lungs deflate with a heavy exhale.
Extending his long arm, bringing him so close I could feel the heat of his body, he shoved the door closed and engaged the lock.
“Besides, no way in hell you could outrun me. I’d catch you before you could make it off the porch. ”
“You realize what you just said makes you sound like a psycho serial killer, right? If you murder me, just a heads up: I’ll totally come back and haunt your ass. Don’t think I won’t.”
He gave me my millionth shock of the evening when his lips spread into a full-blown smile that showed off perfect, straight white teeth. That smile was fucking glorious, and at the sight of it, I sucked in a gasp.
“I’m not gonna murder you,” he said with a chuckle, taking my hand and leading me to the couch.
I moved woodenly as he pulled me down to sit beside him.
The second he gently pressed the bag of peas to my face his shoulders drooped, almost as if he’d been holding himself stiff until that very moment.
“There,” he almost whispered. “That should help with the bruising.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, lifting my hand to pull the bag away so I could get an unobstructed view of his face.
His brows dipped into a little frown as he forced the bag back to my cheek. “Leave it there.”
“Then answer the question. Is this some sort of white knight/damsel in distress thing? I thought you hated me.”
His lips parted, and his chin jerked back. “I—I don’t hate you, Sage. I’ve never hated you.”
“Then why are you always so mean to me?” My voice sounded small and sad, and I hated that I was showing weakness in front of this man. I didn’t like looking weak in front of anyone, but especially not in front of Xander Caine, who I feared would use it against me.
I held the peas in place as his hand dropped, but instead of moving away as I’d expected, he reached up and touched my hair.
He sifted some of the strands through his long, thick fingers, watching like my hair was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.
“Christ,” he said quietly. “It’s even softer than I thought. ”
Oh my god. What was happening? “Xander?”
The sound of my voice pulled him out of his stupor. “I’m sorry,” he said with total sincerity. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole. I don’t . . .”
“Let people close?” I asked when it became clear he wasn’t going to finish that thought.
“Yeah. Something like that.” His mouth quirked up in a smirk. It was as though he found my insightfulness funny. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
“What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Yeah, well . . . your gift is sometimes a pain in my ass. I’m not used to someone calling me on my shit or throwing attitude. Most people are too scared.”
“Those people are idiots,” I stated vehemently. “You aren’t scary. You’re just a guy. Granted, you’re a big guy, but still just a guy.”
What I didn’t say was that he happened to be one of hottest guys in existence. And when he smiled, I couldn’t breathe.
His expression grew introspective, and when he spoke next I got the impression he was talking to himself. “I don’t know if I should like that you see me that way or be terrified.”
The darkness I’d sensed earlier came creeping back into his eyes, and I was suddenly overcome with the desire to dive into their black depths and mine for his secrets.
“You have no reason to be scared of me,” I told him, using his own words from earlier.
For some unexplainable reason, that statement gave him a shock, and before I could process what was happening, he shot to his feet and took a step back like touching me burned him.
“I should go. It’s late.”
“Oh. Uh . . . all right.” I could feel the tenuous détente we’d reached slipping away, and I wouldn’t stand for it.
Rising to my feet and following him to the door, I spoke up before he could make his escape.
“So . . . these last few minutes have been kind of nice. I don’t know about you, but the constant battling between us is exhausting me.
” He paused at the open door, his hand on the nob as he turned to look at me, so I went in for the kill.
“I’d really like to be your friend, Xander.
You might not know this about me, but I give really good friend. ”
His features took on that hardness I was all too familiar with. “You don’t want me as a friend, Shortcake. Trust me.”
Another challenge. For crying out loud, didn’t this guy know me at all? “That’s where you’re wrong, buddy. I have this uncanny ability of knowing my own mind, and it’s telling me I most certainly want you as a friend, so you might as well just deal with it.”
He let loose a gravelly chuckle that did unimaginable things to my insides. “Christ, you’re a stubborn pain in my ass.”
“Thanks.” I smiled brightly and gave him a playful punch in the arm. “See you at work tomorrow, friend.”
He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling in exasperation before looking back at me and pointing to the bag of peas I was holding down at my side. “Keep that on your face for the next fifteen minutes.”
“Sir, yes sir,” I replied, giving him a salute.
“Pain in my ass,” he mumbled as he turned and started out the door.
Then something hit me. “Hey, Xander,” I called out as he cleared the porch. “How are you getting home?”
“Walkin’,” he called back.
“But it’s pitch black out there!” I cried.
I heard that chuckle again as he continued down the driveway. “You worried about someone kidnappin’ me, Shortcake?”
I gave that some thought and conceded. “All right, I see your point, big guy. Get home safe.”
“Go inside and lock the door,” he shot back.
“I might be stubborn, but you’re bossy,” I shouted so he could hear as he got farther away.
“Inside, Sage.”
“Fine. But only because it’s chilly, and this dress doesn’t cover much.” I could have sworn I heard him growl. Instead of going inside and locking up, I called out his name again.
“For the love of Christ, what?”
“Thanks for rushing to my rescue tonight.”
That made him stop, and he turned around to face me fully. “Always, Sage. You need rescuing, I’m there.”
“See?” I called with a giddy smile. “You’re gonna make a terrific friend!”
I watched in the light of the streetlamp he was standing beneath as he threw his head back, the strong cords of his throat visible beneath his beard, and called up to God to deliver him. “In. Side.”
With a giggle and one last salute, I stepped back into my house, closed the door, and threw the deadbolt.
Xander Caine didn’t know it yet, but I was going to be the best damn friend he’d ever had.