Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Stop! You’ve changed three times already!
It was ridiculous. Her options were all variations of black clothes.
The first outfit had been leggings with a loose tunic top, but it had looked too shapeless and frumpy.
The second was ripped black jeans with a baby tee.
While cute, it definitely gave off trying-too-hard vibes.
The outfit she’d settled on was wide-leg pants with a simple long-sleeved, scoop-necked bodysuit.
It was classic and cute, but was it too simple?
Ugh! You look fine. Stop being so nervous.
She snorted. Yeah, right. Easier said than done.
Last night had been . . . epic. No, beyond epic.
Their date had been like something out of a romance novel.
Their conversation had been easy and flirty.
He’d kept his attention on her with zero wandering eyes.
That said a lot since a lot of women at the bar had checked him out.
But he’d kept his focus on her, and it had been wonderful.
Then his friends had joined their table, and his obvious initial discomfort had been so cute.
Well, if you could describe such a large, muscular man as cute.
How he’d talked about the two women after they’d left had nearly made her swoon. The man was so freaking sweet.
And that kiss? Her face heated.
Beyond hot.
She’d initially been surprised when he’d declined her invitation to come in, but right when all the doubts had started to bubble, his words had melted her into a puddle of goo. He wanted to take his time with her.
Holy shit. Who the hell said that?
Face flaming at the memory, she let out a breath. God knew, she was looking forward to their dinner later tonight and was definitely ready to follow Xander’s lead. So far, she was enjoying every moment of it.
The brisk knock at her door startled her. She glanced at her watch and smiled. Eight o’clock on the dot. After one last glance at her reflection, she hustled to the door, muttering, “Calm down. You look fine. Obviously, the man likes you.”
Her hand stilled on the doorknob. At least he had last night. What if he’d gone home, reevaluated the entire evening, and regretted their kiss. Found her lacking.
A new batch of nerves sprouted in her belly, and she wanted to bash herself over the head. Stop! Relax and just follow his lead.
If Xander had second thoughts about yesterday, she’d deal. It would suck, but she’d deal.
She took a breath for courage. Hoping her smile wasn’t as nervous looking as it felt, she swung the door open with a chipper, “Good morning!”
She was momentarily struck dumb. All thoughts fled.
Xander took up the doorway. He was dressed casually—a light-gray henley under a distressed dark-brown leather jacket that looked buttery soft, faded jeans, and scuffed work boots.
His hair was pulled back into a bun, and his sharp jaw was clean-shaven.
Delicious. The man looked utterly delicious.
She sent a prayer up to the universe that he wasn’t having second thoughts about going out with her again.
It took a moment for her to realize he was holding two drinks in his hands.
The smaller to-go cup was engulfed in his hand, but she could make out the familiar logo of Comfort Food, one of her favorite local cafes, on the larger plastic cup.
Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to the side.
She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but . . .
She shifted on her feet and nodded at the drink. “Is that for me?”
He held the plastic cup out to her, and a small smile played at the edges of his lips. “Iced sugar-free vanilla latte with oat milk.”
Her jaw fell open in surprise. “How did you . . .”
“You mentioned you liked them when you were cutting my hair.” He shrugged. “Hope I got it right.”
Oh my God, this sweet man.
She took the latte from him and smiled. “Thank you. That was sweet of you. And yes, that’s my favorite, even down to the oat milk.” She took a step back and held the door open. “Come on in, and I’ll grab my jacket.”
He didn’t move. Instead, he gestured to the stairs with his coffee. “Did you know the door downstairs was wide open?”
Her brows rose at the sharp edge in his voice. Nerves bloomed anew as she easily recognized the work-Xander tone. “Um, yeah. I wasn’t sure what time you were showing up, so I propped it open. Is there a problem?”
She took a sip of her latte as she watched a flurry of emotions flash over his face.
After a moment, he cleared his throat and stepped into her apartment, his shoulder holding the door open. “There’s no buzzer?” His tone lost that business-mode sharpness.
“No. Like I mentioned last night, it’s just me and a storage unit up here,” she said, grabbing her jacket and purse from the couch before making her way back to him. “A buzzer system isn’t really necessary. I just use the brick to prop the door open when I’m having company over.”
“Are they planning on installing a buzzer?” he asked, taking her purse and coffee from her.
“Thanks,” she said and donned her jacket. She ushered him into the hallway and turned to lock her door. “I don’t think so. Since it’s just one apartment up here, I don’t think it would be cost effective.” She turned to him and shrugged. “It isn’t that big of a deal.”
“Do me a favor?”
She arched her eyebrow and eyed him up and down. “Depends on the favor.”
The corners of his lips kicked up, and he shook his head.
“Don’t prop your door open. Just have your guests text you when they get here instead.
” She opened her mouth—not to argue, per se, but he continued before she could say anything.
“Please, Freya. It’s not safe.” He gestured to her apartment door.
“There’s no peephole, so you can’t even check who’s at your door without opening it. ”
She took in his serious face, his tense jaw, and her teasing reply of him being all alpha caveman died on her lips. He really was concerned about her. And damn if that just didn’t warm her insides right up. Xander Bonetti was more than just a handsome and sexy guy. He was a good man.
Taking her purse back from him, she tucked her keys inside and set it in the crook of her elbow. “Okay.”
“Okay?” He narrowed his eyes, as if he was surprised she’d acquiesced so easily.
She nodded. “What you said makes sense. I’m a single woman living alone. It would be dumb of me not to listen to you. After all, you do work in security.”
“That I do,” he said, standing straighter with a smug smile growing on his lips.
She plucked her coffee from his hands and gestured to the stairs. “After you.”
“Hang on.”
She glanced at him and couldn’t help but smile at the mischievous twinkle in his brown eyes. What was he up to?
He stepped close and gently tilted her chin up with his finger. Her breath caught, and her heart thudded in her chest as he lowered his head. His lips met hers and tingles shot down her spine.
She sighed into the kiss and reveled in the soft tease of his tongue. After a few glorious seconds, he pulled away.
“Good morning,” he whispered.
She knew the grin on her face was dopey. Did she care? Not one bit.
He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose before straightening. “You look beautiful. I should have started with that instead of going on about your door. I’m sorry about that.”
She shook her head. “Xander, you have nothing to apologize for. You were looking out for me.”
“I’m glad you think so.” He took a sip of his coffee before making his way down the stairs. “I’ve been told I can be a little overbearing at times.”
Following him, she fanned her face and took a huge gulp of her iced latte, hoping it would cool her off. “Like I said, you were looking out for my safety. Nothing wrong with that.”
When they stepped onto the sidewalk, she waited while he closed the door behind them and made sure the lock was engaged. “You know, if it would make you feel safer, I can have my company install some security cameras at the entrance.”
She shrugged. “You’d have to check with Mrs. Nagy. She owns the building. I’m just renting.”
“Yeah, but if it made you feel safer—”
“I’m fine,” she said, nudging her shoulder into him as they walked toward his Rover. “I promise.”
“Well, it’s an open invite.” They reached his vehicle, and he opened the passenger side door for her. “If you ever want extra security, just let me know, and I’ll work it out with Mrs. Nagy. It’s not a problem.”
Once she was situated, he closed the door and rounded the hood. She placed her purse on the floor and her drink into the cup holder and waited for him to get settled. Before he started the SUV—and before she could second-guess herself—she reached out and caressed the side of his face.
He stilled completely, and his gaze locked with hers.
She ran her thumb over his cheek, mesmerized with how soft his skin was over the sharp cut of his jaw. “I appreciate you looking out for me. It means a lot.”
She held her breath as Xander turned his face, and without taking his gaze from hers, pressed a kiss to her palm. Her heart pinged, and heat curled low in her belly.
“Spend the weekend with me, Frey? I know we talked about dinner tonight, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough. Spend tomorrow with me too?”
The desire in his eyes was mixed with another emotion she couldn’t define.
All she knew was she wanted this man. She wasn’t going to concern herself with overanalyzing where this was going or whether things were moving too fast. She’d been cautious her entire life and it had gotten her nothing, just dead-end relationships that were all variations of the same dysfunction.
Go with the flow. That was the mantra she was embracing. Forget the rules she’d made for herself, and all the proper steps of dating she’d set.