44. Xayden
CHAPTER 44
Xayden
I watch Todd walk away, stifling the urge to chuck one of these plush pillows at the back of his head. The guy has the absolute worst timing—always did—but I can’t help the grin tugging at my lips.
I let out a slow breath, my fingers still resting lightly on Ash’s arm. The tension swirling around us settles again, and I shift my gaze back to her. She meets my eyes, and there’s an electricity there that makes my pulse pound harder.
Her hair’s a bit disheveled from the tumble we took into this nest area, and her cheeks are pink—probably from Todd’s interruption, or maybe from the way we were just tangled up in each other. Either way, it’s…adorable. Makes me feel like every bone in my body’s buzzing with adrenaline.
“Where were we?” I say, brushing her nose with mine.
“I think,” she says, “we were just getting started.”
I smile. “Yes we were,” I grumble, sliding my hand lower to curl around her waist again. “Next time, I’ll barricade the door.”
She laughs, the sound sweet but still carrying a hint of breathlessness from our little escapade. “I’ve survived worse than Todd’s interruptions.”
“Yeah,” I reply, letting my thumb rub soothing circles against her side. “But I was hoping we could manage five minutes without someone busting in.”
Her lips twitch into a smile, and she sets a hand against my chest. “Might be wishful thinking with this bunch.”
“Point taken,” I concede, leaning in just enough so our foreheads brush. Every inhale I take is tinted with her scent, and it goes straight to my head, making it hard to think about anything else.
For a second, neither of us speaks. The space between us is small and charged. I’m caught between wanting to pull her back into that kiss and checking if she’s okay—if she’s comfortable. But she’s looking at me, not pulling away, and my heart feels like it might beat right out of my chest.
I clear my throat, trying to sound casual. “So…where were we before Todd stomped in like a giant?” I say again.
A smile ghosts across her lips, a mix of teasing and genuine warmth. “I think you were about to distract me from your terrible jokes.”
I snort. “My jokes aren’t terrible. They’re just?—”
“Xayden,” she interrupts gently, “shut up and kiss me.”
Who am I to argue?
I slip a hand up, cupping her cheek, and close the distance. The second our lips meet, the world outside this plush nest drops away again. She leans into me with this quiet eagerness that makes my chest tighten in the best way. There’s no rush, no frantic edge—it’s unhurried, like we’re both relearning each other.
My pulse throbs in my ears, and I tilt my head, deepening the kiss just enough to feel that low, simmering ache that’s been winding around my thoughts since we reunited. She exhales against my mouth, and it’s all I can do not to push forward, to let my hands roam every inch of her. But I keep it together—barely.
She’s the one who breaks away, her breathing uneven as her gaze flicks to the doorway. “We should probably…you know,” she says, gesturing vaguely, her cheeks flushing.
I huff a soft laugh, nodding as I try to rein in the heat still coursing through my veins. “Yeah. If we stay in here any longer, we might not make it to the show tonight.”
She lets out a breathy chuckle, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. I take a second to absorb the sight of her—lips swollen, eyes bright, cheeks tinged with color. It’s a look I want to burn into my memory.
We untangle ourselves from the plush pile of cushions in the nest. My body protests the loss of contact, but I force myself to step back as we stand. She straightens her clothes, her eyes darting over me like she’s doing the same quick assessment.
“You okay?” I ask, my voice quiet in the hush of the room.
She gives me a small smile. “Yeah, more than okay.”
Relief floods me, loosening the knot in my chest. I rub a hand over the back of my neck, trying to mask how her answer makes my heart feel like it’s skipping beats.
“Good,” I murmur, my voice warmer than I intended, betraying more than I should. Because, truth is, I’m more than okay too—my pulse is still racing, skin tingling everywhere she touched.
She glances at the rumpled cushions behind us, the corner of her mouth curving in a faintly embarrassed smile. “Guess we, uh… left our mark.”
I follow her gaze and can’t help grinning at the sight of pillows toppled in every direction. “Just breaking it in,” I say, stepping closer to brush an imaginary piece of lint off her sleeve. “Why have a nest if we aren’t going to test it out?”
Her cheeks warm, and she bites her lower lip, eyes flicking from the cushions back to me. “I think it’s sufficient, what do you think?”
“We could stay here and I could show you what I think,” I say suggestively with a flirty wink.
She snorts. “Point taken, but if we did, you wouldn’t make it to the show tonight.”
“Do they need a drummer?” The smile that spreads across her face tells me everything I want to know. I gather her up in my arms again, pulling her close. Then press my lips to hers, before trailing down her neck with little feathery kisses, until she lets out a breathy laugh. I let her go and step back, taking in her happiness. This is how I like her. Smiling with that light in her eyes, just for me.
A beat passes. Her smile slips a tiny bit as she glances toward the door. “We should probably see what the others are up to.”
I raise my eyebrows, letting my hand slide away from her. “If you think we really have too.”
She laughs, the sound low and affectionate, and my stomach does that little flip again. “For now.”
“Mmmm, I like the sound of that.”
She grins, a flicker of humor lighting her eyes. “I’m sure you do.”
For a second, we just stand there, a silent acknowledgment passing between us of how things have shifted. Something deeper, something neither of us wants to back away from just yet.
Finally, she inhales, a playful glint returning to her gaze. “Let’s go, hotshot. Before I decide that Primal Pulse will be missing their drummer tonight for real.”
My grin spreads, and I gesture for her to lead the way. “Wouldn’t blame you,” I say, voice trailing off suggestively.
She shakes her head with mock exasperation, but her cheeks stay warm and pink as she heads for the door. With one last glance over the cushioned chaos behind us, I follow, heart thudding with a mixture of anticipation and excitement.
Because if this is what “more than okay” feels like, I’m all in.