Chapter 33
Xander
Ilead Camila through the dark, intimate hallways of the mansion—black walls accented with wooden panelling throughout. The whole time her wide eyes take everything in with my hand on her waist.
She looks adorable.
Get acquainted with your new home, Angel.
Now that she’s under the same roof, I don’t need to worry about when I’ll see her next or if she’s safe. I have my business and my Angel by my side. Things are about to get a whole lot easier for me.
Except for the cat.
I’m going to need to find a separate room for that little shit. Just the sight of him makes my skin tingle with… not fear. It’s not fear. I just don’t want him to scratch me.
I pause in front of the doorway to my bedroom. The feel of her under my arm gets too much, so I press her up against the door, hands caging her in. Resting my forehead in the crook of her neck, I breathe in her sweet scent, not quite believing she’s here. With me.
“I need you to know,” my voice trembles. “There really is no going back after you step in here.”
Not that there ever was, anyway.
She tangles her fingers into the top of my hair, pulling me to look at her. She blows out a shaky breath, her eyes casting down towards the floor.
When she looks up again, I almost drop to my knees at her words.
“I don’t think I want out, Xander.”
My body slumps, head dropping forward, and it feels like a weight lifts all the way off me. Every reassuring word out of her lips is like music to my ears.
I grab her face in my hands, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. A smile touches her face, but I can see the hint of hesitation.
“I promise I will never give you a reason not to trust me,” I vow.
Her mouth crashes onto mine, palms roaming over my torso, my back, anywhere that she can get her hands on me.
It seems almost possessive, which isn’t at all like her. Feverish. And if I’m not mistaken, I think Penelope has something to do with it.
I hike her legs up; she wraps them around my waist. Fumbling for the door, I open it and swing us around, shutting it and pressing her back into it.
As desperate as I am to shove my cock inside her, I don’t want anyone to catch us.
No one.
She’s for my eyes only.
My hands grip her ass that’s still clad in my joggers from this morning. My cock is already rock-hard for her—it rubs against her with every movement, and I can already feel pre-cum leaking through. Which will not be a good look for the gala.
Her hands rove down my body, and she lifts herself away from me to grab the buckle of my belt—
A scratching sound makes us pause. Camila pulls away, her lips swollen and hair slightly messy.
God, she’s beautiful.
She clambers off me, heading straight towards the noise to the right. There, by my en-suite bathroom door, is that fucking cat. Scratching at the fluffy black carpets.
“Obsidian, no!” Camila shrieks, grabbing him and carrying him towards me.
I stiffen, my erection disappearing immediately.
A choked sound escapes my lips.
“I am so sorry. He has a habit of doing that,” she laughs awkwardly. “Fuck, how expensive are these carpets?”
I’m frozen. I’ve forgotten how to use my limbs. All I can see is the cat’s golden eyes staring straight into my soul. Like he can see how bad I am for Camila.
“Xander?” She waves a hand in front of my face, but I don’t react. If I take my eyes off Obsidian, he’s sure to pounce on me and scratch me.
I don’t even have a shirt on.
Is my throat dry?
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of him,” she says, disappointment present in her voice.
Fuck, no.
“No, just… allergic,” I lie.
My eyes finally meet hers. She’s unimpressed. Her mouth is downturned, her head tilted.
“Seriously?”
“I always have been. From when I was born.”
I don’t think my lies sound very convincing right now.
She shoves him towards me, the fur scratches gently at my chest, and I jump away—the most unattractive sound pulling from my lips.
She giggles, the most angelic sound in the world—and it catches me off guard. When was the last time she laughed? Genuinely laughed?
Obsidian races past me and jumps onto my bed. My fresh sheets.
“No! Shoo!” I exclaim, making a flapping motion with my hands. Camila’s laugh grows louder in the background as the little shit flops onto his back and rubs himself into the bedsheets.
“Obsidian, stop,” Camila manages to say through fits of laughter. All the while, I’m a fumbling mess pulling out fresh bedding.
She scoops him up and lets him gracefully land back on the floor. He prances over to me and circles my legs.
I can’t help it—I jump up onto the bed with a yelp.
“Oh my god.” Camila is almost in tears from laughing. “Okay, time-out for you.”
She leads him into the en-suite bathroom and shuts the door.
I swear I let out more than a sigh of relief as I flop flat onto the bed.
Camila saunters over, cheeks pink and eyes bright.
Obsidian is all forgotten about as I take in her glow, and something punches my heart.
“Come here,” I murmur, and she does. Without hesitation, she lies next to me with her head on my chest. I guide her gaze up to me with a finger under her chin. She’s still smiling. “Never stop smiling like that.”
Her lips slacken only slightly as she clears her throat, unfolding herself from me and standing up.
“I should probably start getting ready,” she says, playing with the hem of my t-shirt.
I fold my arms behind my head. “No need. Your hair and make-up ladies should be here any second.”
Her eyes widen. “My what?”
I smirk at her surprised expression. She thought she was getting away with no princess treatment?
Suddenly, a black furball jumps on my chest, his paws pressing into it one after another, the pads hard and his claws sharp.
“Camila, get him off me, please!”
She bursts into fits of laughter again. “How did you get out, Sid?”
“Please, he’s hitting me! He’s going to scratch me!”
“He’s not! He’s just baking cookies,” she giggles.
“What the fuck?” I cry.
“He likes you,” she coos, taking him off me.
Does he fuck.
“He was punching me!”
I’m not about to fight with a cat.
“You’re so dramatic.” She rolls her eyes, Obsidian jumping out of her arms. He scratches at the door, and she opens it for him.
“He’s an outdoor cat. I’m not going to keep him inside, but I hope he can find his way back.” A worry washes her face, and she bites her lip as she watches Obsidian leave. “I think that’s enough stress for you for one night,” she comments, mouth kicking up into a smile again.
“You have no idea.”