Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
IVY
“Do you want to come over to the WAGs box to meet some of the other girls?” Brit asks as she sits next to me.
“Not this time,” I reply, shaking my head. “I’m not ready for questions.”
Britney grins and then laughs. “Honey, you and Xander have been on that screen at least twenty times tonight, and every single time y’all can’t keep your hands to yourself. There are going to be so many questions.”
“But not to my face.” I shrug and glance down to the ice, where skaters are pushing shovels to clear off the loose shavings. “I know people will say whatever they want. I don’t really care, Brit. I just want to be with him. The rest is just noise, you know?”
“I know that, and you know that. And honestly, the other girls in that box know it too. I wouldn’t introduce you to a bunch of bitches.
But I get it, tonight is for you two, and you can meet the others at the gala.
Speaking of, I’m picking you up at noon tomorrow to go shopping.
Make sure you have a big lunch beforehand because you’ll need the calories. ”
The timing is great because I can work with Xander in the morning before I go with Britney.
“I thought we were just shopping for dresses.”
Britney pats my arm. “Oh, you sweet summer child. Bless your heart. We need shoes, underwear, bags. We also need to bulk up your wardrobe, since all of yours is gone. Yes, Xander filled me in on the highlights, and he’s also given me instructions to fill the closet here in Denver for you so you don’t have to haul luggage back and forth from Montana. ”
My mouth drops and then closes again.
“But, that’s ridiculous.”
“No, it’s convenient. So we’ll be shopping all the livelong day, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Wear clothes that are easy to put on and take off because you’ll be in a lot of dressing rooms. Well, until we get your size nailed down, anyway, then I’m really good at eyeballing.”
“You’re way too excited about this.”
“If shopping were an Olympic sport, I’d be the world record holder. Besides, Xander said you like to shop.”
“Sure. I do.” I nod and sip my drink. “But this is a lot.”
“It’ll be fun. And we can grab dinner when we’re finished.”
Actually, that does sound fun. And there will be so much more to choose from in Denver than I had in Montana.
“Okay, I’m excited.”
Brit grins and then looks at the board. “Better get back to Coop’s family’s box. But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“It’s a date,” I confirm, and she leaves.
I’m facing the rink, and I’m not oblivious to the looks I’m getting. The phones and cameras pointed my way.
And with Xander gone, I’m way less comfortable.
So, I stand and move to the back of the room and snack on some chips and salsa.
When Xander walks back in, he strides straight to me, pulls me in his arms, and buries his nose in my hair.
“You smell so much better than that horrible locker room,” he growls.
He’s trying to be funny, but I can feel the tension in every line of his body.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now.” He takes one more deep breath and then stands tall and tips my chin up. “How are you doing?”
“Are you kidding?” I put up one finger. “I’m at a hockey game, which is one of my favorite things to do.” Another finger goes up. “I’m wearing my man’s jersey, and he’s with me.” Third finger. “Said man just fucked me in the private bathroom of his box in the arena. I’m really good here, Xander.”
He’s laughing as he leans in to kiss me. “Good. That’s what I want to hear. Let’s go watch the last of the game.”
I push inside the penthouse, take two steps, and then, with a relieved sigh, let the bags fall to the floor. And this is only what I carried with me. A ton was sent back here this afternoon.
Xander’s brows climb as he strides over from the kitchen, his eyes skimming over my loot, and then he simply kisses the hell out of me.
“So tired,” I murmur against his lips.
“I think you shopped until you literally dropped.”
I nod in agreement and feel like I can’t walk any further. His arms are the only things keeping me upright.
“So many stores,” I say, my voice bordering on a whine. “So much stuff.”
“Did you find a dress?” he asks.
“Two,” I confirm. “Two fancy dresses, Xander. Because they were both pretty and fit perfectly and Britney is an enabler. She thinks she’d be the queen of shopping, but really she’s the queen of enabling. I filled both this closet and the one back home, and that’s so silly.”
His smile slips. “Why is that silly?”
“Because I don’t live here, Xander. And I bought enough clothes to move in.”
And why does that bring tears to my eyes? Am I just so fucking tired from being out all day, walking endlessly and trying on outfit after outfit, and not getting enough calories?
Because I am hungry as fuck.
“Whoa, okay. Come on, wildcat. I’m putting you in a hot bath, and you’re going to get spoiled rotten.”
“I already am. Look at those bags! And I didn’t buy even one thing because you took away my credit cards this morning and left me with yours.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “That’s right. That was the deal. You paid for the stuff you bought back home, and I got to buy you things here.”
“This is way more than you should have done, and I don’t deserve it.”
“No more of this talk.” He takes my hand and leads me down the hall to the primary bedroom and through to the bathroom, where he starts the water in the huge soaking tub, and then turns to me and frowns when he sees the tears on my cheeks. “Hey hey hey. No, baby. Don’t cry.”
“I don’t know why I’m emotional. I really don’t. I’m super happy.”
“Yeah, you look happy.” Grimly, he grabs one of my hair ties from the counter and works my hair up off my neck and into a knot at the top of my head.
“You’re way too good at that. How many women have you had in here and tied their hair up for a bath?”
What is happening to me?
He frames my face and brushes his thumbs over my cheeks, over the freckles I know he likes, and then leans in to kiss my nose.
“I think you’re tired, and this is probably adding to all of the stress you’ve had over the past month, so I’m not going to take offense to that. But I will tell you, truthfully, that I haven’t brought any women here. I keep things casual, and I don’t bring hookups to my home.”
“Oh.”
“And before you say it and piss both of us off, no. You’re not a hookup, you’re not casual. So, I’m going to put you in that bath so you can relax. What do you want to eat?”
“How do you know that I’m hungry?”
He wipes a tear away and smiles softly. “Because I just do. What do you want? I’ll order in anything that you’re in the mood for.”
“I want you to just order something and not make me choose.”
“Okay. I’ll wing it.” He tugs my shirt up over my head and tosses it in the hamper. Then he works my leggings down my legs, and they follow the shirt.
After he has my bra and panties taken care of, he leads me to the tub and helps me inside, and when the hot water envelops me, I sigh.
And my eyes fill with tears again.
“Cry if you need to,” he says softly, which only makes me even more gooey. “I’m right here. I’m gonna go order some food, and I’ll be right back.”
I’m too tired to even answer him when he walks away. This tub is nice. It’s big enough for about three people.
Okay, really it’s only big enough for me and Xander because he’s a big guy.
I use the shower gel on the ledge and wash my bits, then lean back and soak. I must drift a little because I wake up to Xander grabbing a fluffy blue towel off a warming rack, and he helps me out of the water and wraps it around me, hugging me to him.
“How did that feel?”
“So nice.”
“Good.” He peppers kisses over my face and then helps me get dry.
I step into fresh underwear and sweats, but when he holds out one of my own T-shirts, I shake my head.
“Can I have one of yours?”
His face softens. “Of course.”
Xander disappears for about twenty seconds and returns with a simple black T-shirt, and when he tugs it over my head, I inhale, pulling the scent of him into my lungs, and it immediately soothes me.
He grabs my hairbrush and then leads me out of the bathroom.
I see that all my shopping bags are lined up tidily in the closet, and I bite my lip.
He guides me into the living room, where he has a bunch of fluffy blankets set out—blankets that weren’t here this morning—and gestures for me to have a seat.
“Let’s get cozy, Red.”
Before he can sit with me, the doorbell rings, and he rushes off to take care of the food. I hear him murmuring, the door closing, and then he joins me, holding a pizza box in one hand and a bag of Chinese food in the other.
“I got options,” he says. “I’ll get plates, and we can have either or both.”
I’m wrapped up in the coziest blanket I’ve ever had the pleasure of touching. In fact, this man keeps buying me blankets like that’s his whole fucking job in life.
He treats me like I’m a queen. Like I’m the most important person ever born.
When he returns, he’s armed with plates and cutlery, but I’ve already pulled out a slice of pizza and am chowing down.
He grins.
“Good?”
“Smm gmff.”
Xander laughs, and I grin at him as he loads some General Tso’s on his plate and digs in. We sit in silence as we eat, watching each other.
I love this living room. Xander must have a thing for views because the Montana house has stunning mountain scenery.
This penthouse has similar floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over Denver, and the city lights are so beautiful at night. He has this room dimmed, the gas fireplace is crackling, and my emotions are leveling out.
“Better?” he asks.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I think I was a little overwhelmed.”
I toss my crust in the box, and Xander looks scandalized.
“You don’t eat the crust?”
“Um . . . no?”
“No coffee, no crust, you’re an alien.”
I snort out a laugh, and Xander sets his empty plate aside and then scoots in behind me and picks up my hairbrush.
Methodically, he runs the bristles through my hair, and it’s so fucking good.
“You can do that every day.”
“Deal,” he says immediately. “It soothes me.”
That surprises me.
“Really?”
“Hmm. I like the movement, and the way your hair feels in my hands. But then again, just having you anywhere near me is soothing.”
“Same.”
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek before returning to the brushing.
Then he sets it aside and scoots so he’s sitting next to me, looking at his watch.
“Ten, nine, eight—”
“What are you doing?”
“—seven, six, five, four, three, two—”
He lowers his arm and leans into me.
“One.”
Xander cups my cheek and covers my lips with his, kissing me so tenderly, so softly that it makes my heart catch. His tongue brushes over my lips and then against my own tongue when I open for him, sending heat through me.
And when he finally pulls back, he drifts his knuckles down my cheek and smiles.
“We needed a New Year’s Eve redo,” he whispers. “So I can remember it.”
“So you kissed me at midnight,” I whisper.
Tell him you love him. Right now.
But instead, I lean into him, and he wraps his arms around me and kisses my head.
“Best fucking thing that ever happened to me,” I murmur, repeating the words from yesterday.
“Same page, Red.”