Chasing Xander

by Lexi Lawton

  Sitting on the hood of his car and stargazing was not in his original plan, but the night was turning out better than he expected. A hell of a lot better. He reached over and trailed the back of his hand down the side of her face, gently turning her toward him. “You’re beautiful, Kylie.” He ran his thumb across her bottom lip.

  “Yeah right.” She tried to look away, but he caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “I’m serious.” He licked his lips, his gaze dropping to her mouth. He’d had plenty of chances to kiss her, but none of them had felt like the right time. Until now.

  Inching closer, his eyes lifted to hers, seeking permission. She leaned in, and that was all he needed. Their lips had barely touched when his cell phone rang loudly with the ringtone he had set specifically for Finn. Surprised, she jerked back, and the moment was ruined.

  “Fuck.” He dug his phone from his pocket and swiped his finger across the screen. “You’d better be dead or dying.”

  Finn laughed. “What did I interrupt?”

  Xander’s gaze sliced over to Kylie, who was once again staring up at the sky. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. “What do you want?” He had no patience for his friend right now.

  “You still with Kylie?” There was a rustling noise and a muffled conversation. “Celeste has been trying to call her and keeps getting sent to voicemail. Is she with you?”

  “Yeah, she’s with me.”

  “Oh. Shit. Sorry, dude.” There was more rustling, and then Xander heard Finn say, “I told you she was with Xander.”

  “Xander? It’s Celeste. Can I please talk to Kylie?”

  He handed his phone to Kylie.

  “Hello?” she said, a confused look on her face. “Oh. Yeah, I’m totally fine. My phone got wet when we were thrown in the pool. It’s now drying out in a bowl of rice.”

  Xander took her hand into his, lacing their fingers. He was still amazed by how soft her skin was, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how soft the rest of her would be. He brought their interlocked hands to his mouth and kissed each of her fingers. She sighed and then pinned him with some serious fuck-me eyes. He was really going to let Finn have it for interrupting this. As soon as he got done kicking his own ass for not taking her back to his room when he had the chance.

  “Huh?” Kylie’s attention returned to the call. She rolled her eyes. “I did, but you were too busy doing God knows what with Finn, so I left with Xander.”

  He laughed, and she playfully elbowed him, a teasing smile on her lips. His mouth ached with the need to know what her lips felt like against his.

  “Are you serious?” She groaned. “All right…fine…okay…okay. Bye.” She ended the call and handed the phone back to him.

  “Everything all right?” He slipped the phone into his pocket.

  “Yeah, but I think it’s time to take me home.” Her voice was low and sad.

  With a reluctant sigh, he nodded. “Okay, let’s go, then.” He slid off the hood of his car and opened the door for her. He didn’t miss how drastically her mood had changed. What the hell had Celeste said to her? The drive to campus passed in silence. Kylie stared out the passenger’s window the entire time. He wanted to say something stupid to make her laugh, but he had a sinking feeling she needed the quiet.

  He pulled up in front of her residence hall and killed the engine. “Can I walk you up to your room?”

  “I’d like that.”

  He grabbed her wet clothes, handed them to her, and then took the bowl with her cell phone from the backseat. He walked with her upstairs. The pink sock was off the doorknob, and he could hear Celeste and Finn laughing on the other side of the door. Kylie lingered in the hallway as if she didn’t want to go inside.

  “I had a really great time tonight,” she said.

  He leaned against the wall, hugging the bowl to his stomach. “Can I see you again?”

  “You’ll see me Monday in class. Unless you’re planning on ditching.”

  “Oh, I’ll be in class, but I’d much rather see you before then. How about dinner tomorrow night?” Then he’d convince her to have dinner with him Saturday night and Sunday night and every other night until she decided she was sick and tired of him. But if he had his way, that would never happen.

  Her mouth twitched, but she didn’t smile. “I don’t know. If you’re going to take me to the Dive again…” She shook her head.

  “And what’s wrong with the Dive? They have awesome food.”

  She moved closer to him and walked her fingers up his chest. “I don’t know. If I let you take me out, are you going to try to get me drunk again?”

  Xander relaxed a little, falling back into the easy groove of teasing and laughing. He was quickly learning to adore this playful side of her. “Only if you want me to.” He shifted the bowl to one hand so he could use his other to pull her closer. “Any other questions before you answer me?”

  “Yes.” Kylie’s breath hitched. She dropped her wet clothes to the floor and put her hands on his biceps, her touch firm but gentle. “Are you ever going to kiss me? I mean, you had the perfect opportunity last Sunday when you came to my room, and you’ve been talking a big game all night, but now that push comes to shove…” She shrugged. “I’m starting to think you’re all talk and no action.” She smirked.

  He lifted a brow, shock twisting his expression. Damn! He hadn’t expected that. “You want some action?” He set the bowl on the floor, then turned her so her back was against the door. “I’ll give you some action.” He put his hands on her waist and stepped closer. “And you can bet your ass I’m going to kiss you.”

  “Could you not use my ass as a wager?” She eased her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers behind his head and arching against him. “I kinda like my ass and would like to keep it.”

  “I like your ass, too. A lot.” He slid his hands around to her back. He’d been waiting all fucking night for this moment. He licked his lips and leaned closer. But before he could get a taste of her mouth, the door opened, and she stumbled backward. He tightened his hold on her so she wouldn’t fall.

  “Oh shit,” Finn said.

  Xander’s gaze shot to Finn, who held up his hands in a show of surrender and stepped back. Making sure Kylie was steady on her feet, he released her. All he wanted was a goddamn fucking kiss! Apparently that was too much to ask for. The universe was seriously screwing with him tonight.

  Kylie smoothed her hands over her hair and adjusted her ponytail. “Hey.” She stepped aside so Finn could get through the door.

  “Sorry, dude.” He patted Xander’s shoulder.

  Xander clenched his jaw and glared hard at his friend. There was a lot he wanted to say to Finn, but none of it was appropriate for a woman’s ears.

  “Oh good. You’re home,” Celeste said.

  Kylie shook her head and then picked up her clothes and the bowl of rice. “Thanks for everything, Xander.”

  Fuck! He dragged a hand through his hair. “You’re welcome.”

  “Hey, you got your car? You can give me a ride back to the house, right?” Finn asked.

  “Yeah,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers. “You never did answer my question.” He didn’t want to leave until he knew for certain he’d see her again this weekend.

  She leaned against the doorframe. “Which question was that?”

  “The one about tomorrow night.”

  She held his gaze, her green eyes dancing with amusement. His stomach fluttered with anticipation—for both her answer and for whatever else might come out of her mouth. She smiled. “You bet your ass you can.”

  He laughed. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Kylie nodded. “And Xander?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t be late.” She took a step back and closed the door.

  He shook his head, the smile never once fading from his face.

  “Good night, I take it?” Finn asked.

  For a moment, he almost fo
rgot Finn was standing there. His smile faltered. “Not as good as yours.”

  Finn flung his head back and laughed. He slapped Xander on the back. “Well, at least you have another shot at it tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, and so help me God, if you call and you’re not dead, I’ll kill you.” Xander pulled his keys from his pocket. “Not so much as a damn kiss tonight,” he mumbled under his breath and shook his head.

  “Ouch!”

  Yeah, ouch was right. Even though he was disappointed he hadn’t kissed Kylie, he wasn’t counting the night as a total bust. He’d had fun with her. A lot of fun. And he was really looking forward to hanging out with her again tomorrow night.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Where the hell is my other shoe?” Kylie flung dirty clothes and towels around the room, frantically searching for her sneaker. “It was here last night.” She shoved a plastic tote full of notebooks and paper across the room.

  “I saw them over by your desk,” Celeste said around a yawn.

  “I already looked there,” she snapped and flopped down on her bed. She hung her head in her hands.

  “So wear a different pair of shoes.” Celeste sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “What’s the problem this morning? After last night, I’d think you’d be in a great mood.”

  “Yeah, well, not all of us had as much fun as you did.” She stood, kicked off her one sneaker, and then pulled her favorite sandals from under her bed. She snatched her bag from the floor and flung it over her shoulder.

  “Hey, whoa. Tone down the attitude.”

  Kylie sighed. “I’m sorry.” She was frustrated as hell that Xander hadn’t kissed her. Of course, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, but he’d had plenty of other opportunities, and he hadn’t taken them. “It’s Friday.” She glanced at the bowl of rice. “The nursing home calls on Friday, and my phone isn’t working.”

  Before she’d left for college, she’d spent the day at the nursing home with her grandmother. During a tearful good-bye, Kylie had promised to call every day, but the head nurse, Diana, had told her not to do that because the calls disrupted the nurses’ ability to do their jobs. She’d gone from seeing and talking to Nammy Joyce every single day to being forced to speak with her only a few minutes once a week. But now, because of a stupid frat prank, she was going to miss the weekly call.

  “Okay, calm down.” Celeste stood and unplugged her cell phone from its charger. “Here. Take mine.”

  “How is yours still working? It got wet, too, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, but you know how neurotic my mom is. She made sure I had a waterproof phone and case.” She patted Kylie’s shoulder. “Relax, okay? You have my number listed as a backup with the home, so when they call you and don’t get an answer, they’ll call me.”

  Tears burned her throat as she took the phone from Celeste. “Thank you.”

  “Meet me here before my class at two so I can get it back.” Celeste hugged her. “Now stop worrying, okay?”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Thanks again. We’ll catch up later.”

  Kylie tucked the phone into her pocket and left the room. She hurried across campus toward the library. Her first class didn’t start for another couple of hours, but she needed to check out a few books for the paper she had due next week. She pulled open the door and went inside, the cold air-conditioning hitting her in the face.

  This time of the morning, the place was deathly quiet. She made her way toward the reference section in the back of the library, pulling the folded sheet of paper from her front pocket. She glanced at the list of titles she needed and grabbed the first book from the shelf.

  After gathering the others, she returned to the table and sat. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus. What if the home didn’t call Celeste’s phone this time?

  Kylie tapped her pen against her notebook, debating whether she should call the home now and explain the situation. She blew out a breath, pushed the worry away, and refocused her attention.

  Moments later, two large hands covered her eyes, and a wisp of warm breath tickled her ear. “Guess who?”

  Her heart thundered in her chest, and she couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at her lips. She’d know that voice anywhere. “Xander.”

  He moved his hands from her eyes and took a seat across from her, a sexy grin playing across his mouth. Although it had only been a few hours since she’d last seen him, she was struck by how clean-cut and handsome he was. Had he looked that damn good last night, too?

  “I’m surprised to see you here.” She propped her elbow on the table and dropped her hand into her chin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were following me.” Or maybe she was hoping.

  He laughed, his dark eyes sparkling like they had the first time she’d seen him. “Maybe I am. Or maybe I’m like you. A smart, studious college kid who’s trying to get good grades.”

  She grinned and shook her head. “I choose to believe you’re following me.”

  “Oh yeah?” He raised a brow, folded his arms on the table, and leaned forward. “You into that sort of thing?”

  “No!” Her eyes widened, and she let out a surprised laugh before turning serious. “But I am a narcissist, so naturally everything is always about me.”

  He stared at her, and she fought to keep a straight face but failed. The corner of her mouth twitched. Xander pointed at her and grinned. “You had me going there for a minute.” He leaned back in his chair. “You have a class this morning?”

  “At ten.”

  He pulled out his cell phone and swiped his finger across the screen. “Perfect.” He grinned. “It’s only eight, which means we have plenty of time.”

  Her stomach fluttered. “Plenty of time for what?”

  “Breakfast.” He said it like she should’ve known.

  “Uh, we already had breakfast, remember?”

  “So?” He shrugged. “That was hours ago. I’m hungry again.”

  “You planning to take me back to the Dump?”

  “It’s called the Dive. And no.” He stood and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ve got something else in mind.”

  She wanted nothing more than to get up and follow him, to go wherever he wanted, to do whatever he wanted, to be anything he wanted, but that was stupid and impulsive. She had a paper due and hadn’t even started it. She needed to keep her butt planted firmly in the chair and do the research she’d come there to do.

  Instead, she stood and gathered the books. “Let me take care of these, then we can go.”

  When she returned to the table, Xander had his head down, cell phone in his hand, and a scowl on his face. Her stomach knotted. She hoped everything was okay, but she had a bad feeling he was going to blow her off.

  “Ready?” He forced a tight smile and shoved his phone into his back pocket, but not before she caught a glimpse of Lora’s name on his screen.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Everything okay?”

  He nodded. They walked silently out of the library, and he led her toward his car. She couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on between him and Lora. Sure, she’d gotten a version of the truth from him last night, but she had a gut feeling it wasn’t the whole story. If the two of them weren’t together and were nothing more than a casual hookup, then why was she still calling him? And why was he answering her?

  The continued silence grated on her nerves. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  Xander stopped at his car and opened the passenger door. A gorgeous smile lit up his face. “Nope. It’s a surprise.”

  “That’s not fair.” She pouted.

  He put his hand on the roof and towered over her, his eyes darkening. “No, that damn look isn’t fair.” He nearly growled the words as he reached up and tugged her lip from between her teeth.

  Kylie’s breath hitched, and she pressed back against the car, her gaze never wavering from his. She licked her lips, prepared to say something, when Cele
ste’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. “Shit,” she muttered and pulled the phone from her pocket. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.”

  She stepped away from him and swiped her finger across the screen, disappointed to see a text message and not the nursing home’s phone number. Without thinking, she opened the message. She squinted at the image. “What the…?” Kylie tilted her head to one side as recognition hit her. “Oh my God!”

  “What’s wrong?” He peered over her shoulder. “What the fuck?” He snatched the phone from her hand. “Are you seriously standing here looking at a cock shot?”

  Kylie spun around to face him. “A what?” She laughed. She knew it was a picture of a guy’s dick, but she’d never heard anyone call it a cock shot before.

  “A dick pic.” He waved the phone to emphasize his point. “You told me you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

  “I don’t!”

  “Well, this sure seems like you do.” He looked at the message, and his brows furrowed. “Whoa. Wait. Why the fuck is Finn sending you pictures of his dick?”

  “That’s Finn’s dick?” She reached for the phone, but he pulled it back out of her reach, giving her an incredulous look. “How do you know that? Seriously, Xander. How do you know that’s Finn just by looking at the picture?” Kylie cupped her hand over her mouth and laughed so hard, tears pooled in her eyes.

  “I recognized his phone number.” For some reason, that only made her laugh harder, and his mouth quirked up into a smile. He shook his head, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t angry. If anything, he looked upset, concerned even.

  “Now that’s what I call junk mail.” She could barely get the words out without laughing again.

  “Get your smart ass in the car.”

  “Right. Breakfast. At a surprise place.” She walked back to the car. “Now that I think about it, I am rather hungry.”

  “Good.” Xander nodded for her to get in the car, then closed her door. He went around to the driver’s side and got in. She noticed he still had the phone clutched in his hand. Was he planning to give it back?