Chapter 3 #3
“No!” Freya shook her head. “You have great hair. It’s thick and has a natural wave. Women pay a crap ton of money to get highlights like yours. You can’t just buzz it off.”
“True,” Maya said, refilling their waters. “If you have good hair, you gotta keep it. My boyfriend’s going bald, so he says he has no choice but to keep it shaved.”
“Yeah, but he can pull it off,” Hazel said. “Micha’s the definition of hot, tatted bald guy.”
“Micha Crawford’s your boyfriend?” Carmichael asked.
Maya nodded. “You know him?”
“He recommended the burger,” Carmichael said around a mouthful of food.
“We work out at the gym together,” Xander clarified. “Good dude.”
“That he is.” Maya grinned. “And seeing as my sweet, hot man Bics his head, he’d tell you to keep it while you’ve still got it.”
“I’ll happily trim your hair,” Freya said. “Maybe you can even change it up a little and do a disconnected undercut while still keeping it long on top?”
“Ooh, a Viking look,” Hazel said with a grin that made him uncomfortable. “That would be hot.”
“Besides,” Freya continued, “it’s the least I can do after your perfectly timed rescue.”
Even though he knew it was probably a horrible idea, he nodded and picked up his burger. “I’m not quite sure what disconnected under whatever means, but I’ll take you up on a haircut. I’m due for one, and I’m sure you’ll do a better job than me.”
Her smile was electric, and he took a bite of his burger before more words he was sure to regret flew from his mouth. For better or worse, the woman fascinated him. She seemed sweet—probably too sweet for him—but it didn’t stop him from wanting to get to know her a little better.
“Great,” she said, cutting another piece of her steak. “Once they get the salon back in order, we’ll figure out a time that works for you.”
The conversation remained light over the next handful of minutes while they all finished their dinners.
“Thanks for everything, Maya,” Freya said to the bartender as she cleared their plates. “I think I’m going to head home.” She turned to Hazel. “Do you want to walk out together?”
“No, I’m good,” Hazel said. “I’m going to hang around a little longer.”
Xander didn’t miss how the other woman’s suggestive gaze shot to Carmichael.
Nor did he miss Carmichael’s cringe. It was subtle and only lasted a split second, but he’d worked with the man for a number of years and could read him.
Maybe the end of his friend’s man-whore days was closer than he’d thought.
That was surprising considering how pretty the other woman was.
Granted, he thought Freya was hands down more attractive, but Hazel was exactly Carmichael’s type.
But who his friend did and didn’t take to bed wasn’t his concern.
“Sounds good,” Freya said, sliding out of her seat. “I’ll see you in a few days. Drive home safe, okay?”
Xander stood, retrieved Freya’s purse from the hook under the bar, and handed it to her. “Can I walk you to your car? It’s pretty late.”
Her eyes widened, and she simply looked at him for a few seconds before she schooled her features. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”
After saying goodbye to the others, he followed her through the resort’s back hallways.
“The employee parking is separate from the main parking lot,” she said as they exited the building into a dimly lit lot.
Xander frowned.
Roughly three dozen cars were scattered around the parking area.
The cars along the back perimeter abutted a thick line of trees and were shrouded in near darkness.
And of course, that’s the direction Freya was walking.
He’d definitely suggest adding more lighting back here in his report to Gabriel, because having employees walk to their cars in the dark—especially the women—was unacceptable.
As they approached her car, a dark-colored Kia sedan, he noticed her stifle a yawn.
“You okay to drive home?”
She nodded, a sheepish smile tilting her lips. “Sorry about that. I’ll be fine. I’m right downtown, so it’s not too far. It’s just been a long day.”
“Speaking of, if you ever want to talk about what happened, I’m more than happy to listen. Sometimes it helps to talk it out with a stranger.” He knew firsthand that it was often easier to talk through things with people who didn’t know you well.
A smirk lifted her lips. “But we’re not strangers. You’re my boyfriend,” she teased.
He couldn’t help but smile. She really was a pretty little thing. “Either way, I’ve been informed I’m a really good listener.”
“Well, I might take you up on that. Oh, and let me give you my number.” Her eyes widened, and a deep flush tore over her cheeks. One he could see even with the dim lighting. “I mean, uh, so you can get in touch with me for that haircut. Not like . . .”
“I’d love your number,” he said, grinning. God, she was cute. “For that haircut and maybe dinner sometime?”
He didn’t think it was possible, but the flush over her cheeks deepened as she pulled out her phone.
She cleared her throat and asked, “What’s your number?”
He rattled off his phone number, and a couple seconds later, his phone dinged.
“You have my number now.” She turned to reach for her door and then abruptly straightened and turned back to him. “Oh! Do you need me to drive you to the front parking lot? I mean, I assume that’s where your car is.”
“It is, but that’s okay. I think I’m going to look around, check out the security.” He quickly scanned the area and shook his head. “It’s pretty dark out here.”
“Yeah,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
He opened her door for her.
“Thanks again for stepping in tonight, Xander. You didn’t have to, and I appreciate that you did.”
“You’re welcome.” He waited as she settled herself into her seat and buckled up. “I’m sorry the circumstances were what they were, but regardless, it was really nice meeting you tonight.”
“It was nice meeting you too.”
“Text me when you get home so I know you made it back safely.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he cringed. “Shit, sorry. That sounded super controlling and creepy, didn’t it?”
She laughed. “You’re fine. Besides, we know each other well enough. Not only am I your future hairstylist, but we’ve had dinner together, and you’ve already kissed me.”
“That I have.” He held her gaze for a moment, appreciating the blush staining her cheeks. “Drive safely, and I’ll talk with you soon.”
As she pulled away, he gave her a wave and couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face.
Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. What the hell did he just get himself into?