by Lexi Lawton
“Eating here is a good idea. I don’t want to be distracted while I’m driving.”
He smirked. “Maybe I changed my mind about letting you drive.”
She stopped and stared at him. He couldn’t be serious. “Oh, so you’re that guy, too? The one who makes offensive jokes about women drivers and won’t let someone else drive his car?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Seriously. You’re tired. And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here right now, so you are going to let me drive. Hear me?”
His smirk turned into a full-blown smile, his eyes twinkling as he shook his head with amusement. “I was kidding.”
“Oh.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to erase the goose bumps. “Well, good.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re cute when you’re agitated?”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a jerk?”
“All the time.” He turned and headed toward the restrooms.
Kylie followed. She’d wanted to spend the car ride talking with him, but she had to go and fall asleep. And when they got back in the car, he was going to nap. This trip wasn’t turning into what she’d hoped.
A few minutes later, she met Xander in the food court. He stood with his arms crossed, staring up at a large menu board. She approached, fully appreciating the view of his T-shirt stretched taut across his biceps.
“May I help you?” asked the guy behind the counter.
“Go ahead.” Xander nodded for her to go first.
She stepped up, still unsure of what she wanted to eat. “Um…” Her gaze searched the menu quickly. “I’ll have the chicken BLT with fries and a soda, please.”
“What size would you like?”
“Oh, uh, large. No, wait. Medium.” She smiled sheepishly.
The guy, whose name tag read Greg, returned her smile. “You sure?” He chuckled. “A large is only thirty cents more.”
She contemplated his offer. The last thing she’d eaten was a couple slices of cold pizza, and that was last night. But she didn’t want to be a pig in front of Xander. Finally, she shook her head. “No, medium is fine.”
“I’ll tell you what.” Greg lowered his voice and glanced around as if checking to make sure no one was listening. “I’ll give you a large. On me.” He winked.
She was taken aback. “Wow. Thanks.” He wasn’t flirting with her, was he? Why would he do that when she was clearly with another guy? As if on cue, Xander stepped up beside her and put his hand on her lower back. The touch warmed her, and she instinctively leaned closer to him.
“I’ll have a double bacon cheeseburger with a double order of fries and a soda.” Xander’s voice was tight, and his expression was hard.
Greg punched in the order, then mumbled, “That’ll be sixteen dollars and twenty-seven cents.”
Xander pulled out his credit card and handed it to Greg, who swiped it before handing it back. Greg turned around to get their food.
“There you go,” he said and placed their food on a tray. “Is there anything else I can get you? Ketchup, maybe?”
Xander grabbed the tray and walked off to an empty table. She smiled. “Thanks. I think we’re all set.” Then she joined Xander at the table.
“He was flirting with you,” he said.
“So?” She shrugged.
He coughed as if choking on his food. He took a long drink and cleared his throat. “So? He’s got some nerve. You’re here with another guy. How the hell does he know we’re not together?”
“He doesn’t.” She put a fry in her mouth and chewed slowly. The only other time she’d seen him like this was when she’d gotten the picture of Finn’s dick. “But it doesn’t matter, anyway, because we’re not together. Are we?” She raised a brow, challenging him.
“I don’t know. Are we?”
“I asked you first.” She smiled sweetly.
He took a large bite of his burger. “Do you want to be? Together, I mean.”
Her heart slammed hard in her chest, and she sat back in the chair, eyes wide. Did he just ask her to be his girlfriend? Doubt clouded her thoughts. What if that’s not what he was asking and she answered in a way that would make a fool of herself? Licking her lips, she answered the only way she could think of. “Do you?”
He laughed. “You know, we could spend all night going back and forth like this. One of us is going to have to answer eventually.” He took a drink of his soda. “Ladies first.”
“Can I have a few days to think about it?” She shoved another fry into her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh at his shocked expression.
His jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I mean, I did just lose my grandmother. I’m not in any position to be making life-changing decisions.” She nibbled on a fry.
“Tell me about her,” he said.
Kylie smiled wistfully. “She was great. Everyone loved her. In fact, her house was the house in high school. The one place where everyone wanted to hang out. I would bring my friends home on Friday, and she’d always have a plate of freshly baked cookies waiting for us. Double chocolate chunk with marshmallows. They were wonderful.”
“They sound delicious.”
“God, she had a mouth on her, though.” She laughed. “She never shied away from letting people know exactly what she thought.”
“Now I know where you get it.” He winked.
Every time he winked at her, his eyes twinkled, and every time, without fail, her breath would hitch. “She always told me not to be afraid to stick up for myself, and she definitely taught me how.”
“I had brothers to do that for me.” He chuckled.
“What was it like growing up with them? I’m an only child, so it was always just me and Nammy Joyce.” She unwrapped her chicken sandwich and bit into it. “I mean, I had Celeste and other friends, but it wasn’t the same as having a brother or sister.”
“It was…interesting. We harassed the shit out of each other whenever we could. Still do.” He paused to take a drink. “But we always have each other’s backs, too. It’s like living with your best friend.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“We have our arguments and disagreements, too, but we usually resolve them with a prank. That’s our way of saying sorry.”
“A prank?”
He nodded. “This one time, Ryder and I got into it pretty bad. I was thirteen, I think. I can’t even remember what started it. I’m sure it was stupid. But we didn’t talk for like a week, and neither of us were budging. Poor Tanner, always the peacekeeper, was stuck in the middle.” He shook his head. “He tried to make amends between us, but we didn’t make it easy on him. And I would never admit it then, but I was really starting to miss my big brother. So, I apologized by taking all the shoelaces out of his shoes, mixing them up, and then tying all of his shoes together.”
Kylie laughed. “That’s horrible.”
“Yeah, Ryder didn’t think it was funny, either. He got even with me by hanging all my underwear from the tree in the front yard. To make it worse, there was this group of girls who walked by our house every day, so they saw all of it.”
“Oh my God.” She cupped her hand over her mouth and laughed until her eyes were wet with tears. She swiped her fingers under her eyes and took a deep breath. “So, now you know how I felt when you were crawling around on the ground playing with my panties.”
He wagged his finger at her, smiling and shaking his head. “Yes, but your panties are a hell of a lot sexier than mine. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She raised a brow. “Well, I haven’t seen your manties, so I wouldn’t know.”
“My what?”
“Your manties. You know. Man panties?”
He laughed loudly. “That’s one I’ve never heard before.”
Joy spread to her limbs, causing them tingle. She loved making him laugh like that. “Your brothers sound like they’re a lot of fun.”
“They are.”
&nb
sp; They ate the remainder of their meal in silence. The heavy weight on Kylie’s chest was gone, replaced with a light happiness that she prayed would last for a while. After disposing of their trash, they headed back out to the car.
“Here.” He handed her the car keys and opened her door.
He ran his fingers along her jaw, his gaze heated with the same intense look he’d given her seconds before he’d kissed her the other night. She licked her lips, her gaze dropping to his mouth.
“We’d better get back on the road. We’ve still got a ways to go.” He dropped his hand and walked around to the passenger’s side.
Groaning with frustration, she got in the driver’s seat. But once she was seated behind the wheel, her hands shook in excitement as she put the key in the ignition. She loved to drive but without a car didn’t get to do it much. Let alone drive such a beautiful car.
“I can’t believe I’m letting you drive.” He hooked his seat belt and then tightened it. The teasing lilt had returned to his voice.
She couldn’t believe it, either. Kylie pulled out onto the interstate and took a few miles slow to get used to how the car handled. It was so smooth and sleek. Pressing on the gas pedal, she downshifted and switched into the fast lane, passing by a handful of cars. From the corner of her eye, she saw Xander grinning.
“Nice, isn’t it?”
“Nice? Are you kidding?” She pushed the gas harder. “This is better than sex!”
“Then you clearly haven’t been having sex with the right people.” His face fell. “Oh. Shit. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, Xander. I know I’m a virgin.” She sliced a look in his direction, giving him a sly grin. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“Right. Of course.” Xander didn’t say anything more about it, and neither did she. He reclined his seat and closed his eyes. They fell silent for a long while, and she figured he’d fallen asleep. That didn’t stop her from stealing glances at him, though. He had one hand resting on his stomach, the other tucked behind his head. His body was lean and relaxed and so damn sexy. She let her gaze quickly rake over him and linger a moment too long on the bulge in his crotch.
“Eyes on the road, Ky,” he said without ever opening his.
She jerked her gaze back to the road. “They are.”
“Mm-hmm.” He peeked at her through heavy lids.
She glanced at him again and shook her head. “What can I say? You’re distracting as hell.”
He brought his seat back to an upright position. “If you want to keep staring, I can drive. Make it easier for you.”
Calling his bluff, she put on her signal light and slowed down to switch lanes.
“You are not seriously pulling over, are you?”
“Nope. Just wanted to see how you’d react.” She laughed, then sped up.
“You’re something else.”
“That I am. Seriously. Get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
He yawned and reclined his seat again.
Chapter Nineteen
The sound of Kylie singing along to the radio pulled him from his deep sleep. He kept his eyes closed and didn’t move so he could listen to her. She sang softly, probably so she wouldn’t wake him, and lightly drummed her hands on the steering wheel as she bopped her head to the music. Her voice was sultry, whispering over him like a warm breeze on chilled flesh. She appeared to be oblivious to him, lost in her own world, happy and carefree. Her features were highlighted by the dashboard lights, giving her an ethereal look. Damn, she was a vision. Regardless of what happened to him or his trust fund or his position in RAT, it would all be worth it for this moment right now.
Xander rubbed his sore neck. It was still dark outside, and the clock on the dash read 4:39 a.m. He’d slept a little over five hours. He sat up and rolled his shoulders to ease some of the stiffness from them. “Are you seriously listening to country music?”
“What’s wrong with country music?”
He shook his head.
“It’s Jake Owen’s ‘Alone With You.’” She reached over and turned up the volume. “This is a really good song.” She sang along a little louder this time.
He listened to the lyrics for a moment, mildly shocked by the content, but also able to relate. He could feel the guy’s pain, wanting a woman but knowing he didn’t have the strength to be alone with her. The song ended and another came on. “Oh, I love this song!” She turned up the volume a little more.
He yawned and rubbed his hand across his stomach. “We’ve got to be close, right?” He turned down the volume so he could hear her response.
“Yeah, about another hour and a half or so, if we stop again. If not, we’ll get there sooner. Do you want me to stop?”
He shrugged. “If you want.” He didn’t need to, but he wouldn’t mind taking over behind the wheel. Not that she was a bad driver or anything, but he hated riding. He needed to be doing something.
“Okay, I’ll pull over at the next rest stop. Feel better now that you slept?”
“A little. Although every muscle in my body is sore.”
“I was thinking. You don’t have to get a hotel. The house has three bedrooms. You can stay in one. I mean, there’s no need to spend money on a hotel when there’s plenty of room at the house. If you want to, that is.”
“I’m not worried about the money.” Did she forget he was loaded? Or did she really not care? A hotel meant separate rooms and distance. Staying at her house meant too much proximity. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. But if he said no, he’d upset her. She’d said more than once that she wanted to pay him back for this trip. Maybe this was her way of doing that. Or maybe she didn’t want to be alone.
“I didn’t figure you were, but as someone who’s going into business and finance, it seems like you’d be the first person to be money conscious.” She glanced at him and grinned.
“I’ll stay with you at your place,” he said.
Her face brightened. “Thank you.”
“So, the plan is to go to the funeral today and leave early tomorrow morning?” That would put them back on campus sometime late Thursday night. He still hadn’t made up his mind if he should, or would, ask her to go to his parents’ house with him. The idea of dropping her at campus and then taking off for the weekend twisted his insides. Granted, she wouldn’t be alone—she’d have Celeste—but it seemed like a dick thing to do.
“Yeah. There are a few things at the house I want to bring back with me, but I’ll gather those today.”
“Okay.” He stretched again and then settled back in the seat.
…
Almost two hours later, Xander pulled up in front of a faded yellow, two-story house. There was a one-car garage attached. The door was wide open and a beat-up Chevy pickup truck was parked inside. She’d mentioned that the house was hers and was currently empty. But by the looks of it, someone was living there.
“Is this the right place?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “Wait here a minute.” Kylie was out of the car and halfway to the front porch before he got the keys out of the ignition.
He climbed out of the car but didn’t go toward the house. Instead, he rested his arms on the roof and watched as she barged inside. He’d never seen her move like that. She was downright pissed. He waited almost five minutes before following her. When he reached the front door, he heard the shouts. His steps faltered for a moment, and he listened.
“I won’t tell you again,” Kylie yelled. “Get out. Now. Or else I’m calling Sheriff Rick.”
“You’d really call that fucking asshole pig on your old man?” The man’s words were slurred.
Xander’s stomach clenched. That must be her father, and he sounded drunk.
“I’ve got him on speed dial.”
“You rotten, no good, ungrateful brat. I have nowhere else to go. I fuckin’ told you that!”
“That’s not my problem. I don’t even know how the hell you got in here. Nammy J
oyce would be pissed if she found out.”
“That old broad can kiss my—”
Xander entered the house, and Kylie’s father’s words stopped abruptly. She spun around and glared at him. His gaze darted between her and her father, who was wearing a dirty T-shirt and a pair of grease-stained jeans. He reeked of cheap liquor and even cheaper cigars.
“Who the fuck are you, pretty boy?”
“Dad!” Kylie snapped. Her face was beet red, but he didn’t know if it was out of anger or something else.
“Xander Collins.” He held out his hand to her father, who looked at it with disgust. “I’m a friend of your daughter.” He pulled his hand back and crossed his arms over his chest. This guy’s a piece of work.
Her father grunted, then shoved past Xander. A second later, the front door slammed, and Kylie jumped, letting out a small gasp of surprise. She sighed and put her cell phone in her pocket. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.” She covered her face with her hands before looking up at him. To his surprise, her eyes were dry. “That was my alcoholic sperm-donor.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. You all right?” He put a hand on her arm and gave a reassuring squeeze.
She nodded. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s always doing shit like this. Stealing from his own mother, taking whatever he can whenever he can. It was a shock to find him here. He knows this house isn’t his.” She balled her hands into fists at her sides. “And the sheriff was supposed to be keeping an eye on this place to make sure my father didn’t break in.”
“Hey, relax. He’s gone now. Probably wouldn’t hurt to have the locks changed, though.”
“Yeah.” She flexed her fingers. “I had hoped you’d never have to meet him.” She groaned, and her face reddened even more. “I am so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. He’s a grown man, and his actions are his own. You can’t control him.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” She sighed. “I really hope he doesn’t show up at the funeral drunk.”
“If he does, we’ll deal with it.”
Frowning, she nodded.
“I’m going to go get our bags.” He went out to his car in time to see Kylie’s father back out of the garage, flip his middle finger in the air, and then squeal his tires, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and the stench of burning rubber. Shaking his head, Xander wondered how someone like that managed to produce a daughter as wonderful as Kylie.
