Echoes Beneath (The Truth Series Book 2)

by J. A. Owenby

  “I’m not in there.”

  I jumped at the sound of Xander’s voice and spun around to see him standing at the top of the stairs.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  I stood where I was and waited for him to say something.

  “I’m sorry about last night. The party got out of hand, and I feel like shit about you walking in on that.”

  “On that?’ You guys were doing lines of coke, for shit’s sake.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

  His jaw clenched as he held eye contact. Then he dropped his shoulders and stared down at the floor for a moment. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Drinking and having a party is one thing, but I’m not okay with drugs. I don’t want to be with someone who uses coke, or anything else for that matter.”

  “I know, and I agree. It was a one-time thing, I promise. Please—don’t leave me.”

  Xander’s words stung as I stared at him. Worry danced across his handsome features as he waited for me to say something. My heart sank as I stood there trying to decide what to do.

  “One time? As in it will never, ever happen again? Because if it does, I’m done. I’m outta here before you can even blink. That is not okay with me.”

  “Okay, okay,” he said and walked toward me. He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t leave me. I couldn’t take it. I love you,” he whispered.

  I pulled away and searched his face for proof that I’d heard him right.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do. I knew it before I asked you to move in.”

  “You did?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. I bit my lip as I tried to think clearly.

  My head throbbed from the drinking and everything that had just happened with Xander. Just minutes before, I’d been ready to leave. But that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want any drugs around, but I wanted to stay.

  “I love you too,” I whispered.

  “So, you’ll give me another chance? You won’t leave?” he asked with anticipation written across his face.

  “I won’t,” I replied and linked my arms around his neck.

  I put my head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat as he held me. I swallowed my tears as I took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. I pulled away and smiled.

  “This place smells like a brewery, and so do I,” I said, scrunching up my nose.

  “That’s the nature of a party. Wait till you see downstairs. We have a big-ass mess to clean up.”

  “Yeah?” I asked as I felt the tension begin to dissolve from my neck and shoulders.

  “Yeah,” he said and squeezed my hand. I followed him as we descended the stairs.

  “Holy shit!” I said as I scanned the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Beer cans and red Solo cups littered the floor and tables, and there were people passed out everywhere. I jumped as someone started snoring.

  I turned and giggled into Xander’s shoulder. I glanced up at him as I felt a chuckle rumble through his chest.

  “Even when you’re hungover, you’re beautiful,” he said as his finger trailed down my cheek and neck. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

  “Well, let’s start in the kitchen and make some coffee,” I suggested.

  I grabbed a kitchen trash bag and began clearing the table and counters. I leaned over the sink and opened the window a few inches. The cold, fresh air was a welcome renewal of my senses. I stood on my tiptoes, leaned toward the opening, and took a deep breath.

  “Girl, are you huffing fresh air?”

  I started at the voice behind me and dropped the bag of cans. I grabbed my head as it clattered to the floor.

  “Morning, George. Did you pass out on a couch somewhere?”

  “Nope, he stayed with me,” a tall, athletic guy said as he entered the kitchen.

  I peered at him for a moment, and it dawned on me that he’d been in the den playing cards with Xander. I had no idea if he’d done any coke, but I wasn’t sure I liked him.

  I glanced at George as a smile spread across his face, and then I really understood. George had hooked up with him.

  “Why don’t you give me a minute, Andy?” George said. He nodded and pecked George on the lips before he left the kitchen.

  My eyes widened as I pieced it all together.

  “Oh my God!” I squealed in a hushed voice. I ran across the kitchen and hugged him. “Who is he? Details, details,” I said and pulled out a kitchen chair for him. I sat down and waited for him to wipe the silly grin off his face and fill me in.

  “Yeah, I had no clue he was gay, but am I glad he is,” he said, laughing.

  I motioned for him to continue.

  “I couldn’t find you anywhere,” he said. “I was about to look upstairs when Andy stepped in front of me and kissed me. He was obviously drunk, so I led him to the back of the living room so we could talk. And, well, we did, until five in the morning, and then Xander let us stay. The couch in the den folds out so we, well, you know,” he said as a shy smile spread across his face.

  “Oh my God! Is he nice? Do you think it will last, or was it a one-night thing?”

  “I don’t really think it’ll go anywhere, but it’s hard to tell. I guess if he calls me in a few days it wasn’t a one-night thing.”

  “I’m so excited for you,” I said as I clapped my hands together.

  “Don’t get too excited until I figure out what this is, if it’s anything at all.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said, laughing.

  “Hey, I couldn’t find you anywhere last night after you went and checked on Xander. What happened to you?”

  I frowned at the memory of walking in on Xander snorting coke.

  “I—I got too drunk. I went upstairs and passed out in the guest room. I woke up about an hour ago.”

  “Wow, you never drink that much.”

  “Well, I guess I do now. Do you wanna help me clean up?”

  “No, but I will,” George said as we stood up and began gathering bottles together.

  Four hours later, the house was cleaned up and the stragglers had left. I closed the door behind George and Andy and sank to the floor. I had no idea a party would drain me of every drop of energy.

  “You okay?” Xander said as he walked toward me.

  “I’m exhausted,” I said and stood up.

  “Yeah?” he asked as he picked me up. “This better?”

  “Much,” I said as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

  “Let’s go watch TV in bed for the rest of the day.”

  “Mmm, that’s perfect,” I said as he carried me upstairs.

  Chapter 19

  The next week it started snowing, but they didn’t cancel classes. I stood in the front yard and turned my face toward the gray sky. The plump snowflakes were falling fast, dusting my coat and hair.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Xander asked as he closed the front door and walked toward me.

  “Yeah, I love snow,” I said and grinned like a little kid.

  “Your nose is already pink.” He laughed and kissed my forehead. “Let’s go before we’re late. The traffic won’t be pretty,” he said and opened the truck door for me.

  An hour later, we pulled into the campus parking lot. Xander walked me to my health class and I hurried in, ready for the warmth. Class had already started, so I sat in the seat closest to the door. I waved at George, Adalyn, and Cassidy, who were on the other side of the room. I was glad they’d made it okay.

  My seat had a good view outside, and my eyes continually drifted from the professor to the snow. Even though Xander had a truck, I was getting nervous about the drive back home.

  Class ended, and we all walked outside and checked the snow level on the sidewalks and grass.

  “Hey, I heard another professor say they’re canceling classes for the rest of the day,” Cassidy squealed.

  “Party in the dorm!” Adalyn said and laughed. “George, you can stay in our room so you don’t ha
ve to trek back across campus.”

  “Won’t Ms. Walters know?” I asked.

  “You’d be surprised how much we get away with,” Adalyn said, grinning.

  “Sounds good to me,” George said. “But we should go to my place first so I can get a change of clothes and the vodka I have stashed.”

  “What about you, Lacey?” Cassidy asked.

  “I can’t. I need to head home with Xander.”

  “Speaking of Xander,” George said and pointed.

  We all turned to see what George was talking about. Xander stood laughing in the middle of a group of girls. It wasn’t so much the group of girls that bothered me as it was one girl in particular. She was hanging on his arm, giggling at every word he said.

  “What the hell?” I asked. I bit my lip and tried to calm the butterflies that were suddenly doing backflips in my stomach. I tried not to jump to conclusions, but I was not doing a very good job.

  “Who is she?” I asked, unable to hide the irritation in my voice.

  “That’s the captain of the cheerleading squad, and she is a class-A bitch,” Cassidy replied. “If she’s interested in a guy, she doesn’t care if he’s committed or not—she goes after him with everything in her power.”

  “That pretty much sums it up,” George agreed and sighed.

  “Well, Xander could tell her to get the hell off him. I mean, seriously? I live with him, and he just told me he loved me . . . dammit,” I muttered as I realized what I’d said.

  George raised his eyebrow as the girls turned toward me with their mouths hanging open.

  “Oh my God! How in the hell could you not tell us something like that, Lacey?” Adalyn asked.

  “It’s just so new. I was planning on hanging out with you all more today, but with the snow and Princess Bitch hanging all over my boyfriend . . . well, it just didn’t come up.”

  “If he told you he loves you, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Adalyn said. “I’m sure Xander will take care of Brittney.”

  “Are you kidding me? Another one?” I clenched my hand into a fist, unable to hide my anger and frustration. I’d already had one Brittany ruin my life, and come hell or high water, it wasn’t going to happen again.

  “What do you mean, another one?” Cassidy asked.

  “Nothing, it’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you sometime, but Xander’s finally unglued himself from her, so I need to go. You guys be safe walking back to the dorms. Have a drink for me!”

  They said goodbye and started making their way in the direction of George’s dorm. I watched them leave as George turned back toward me, his face filled with concern. He waved and then joined the girls again.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Xander said as he came over and kissed me.

  I glared at him, turned on my heel, and headed toward the truck without him.

  “Hey, wait up. What’s that for?” he asked as he caught up with me.

  “You tell me,” I muttered. I refused to look at him but continued my trek through the snow.

  “What?”

  “How’s your friend Brittney?”

  “Uh, she’s good actually, but why do you care?”

  I stopped and turned toward him. “Are you shitting me? If I had some guy hanging on me like that you’d be all over him, but it’s okay for the cheerleading captain to rub her boobs all over you and hang on your arm? I’m confused here, Xander. You just told me you loved me, so what the hell do you want?”

  A few students heard me and slowed down to watch the show.

  My heart stopped as anger clouded his face. I’d never seen him mad, and he went from zero to pissed within seconds. Fear ripped through me as I realized I’d crossed the line.

  “Let’s go,” he said as he grabbed my arm and led me toward the parking lot.

  “Let go, you’re hurting me,” I whispered loudly.

  He didn’t let go, and he didn’t say a word to me as he led me to the truck. He unlocked it, picked me up, put me in the seat, and shut the door.

  My hands shook as I reached for my seat belt. It took me three tries before it clicked into place.

  Xander got in and started the truck. He didn’t speak to me the entire ride home. My heart pounded so hard my head hurt by the time we got to the house. He hopped out and pulled me out of the truck, up the porch steps, and through the front door. Then he let go of me, walked straight into the kitchen, and poured a rum and Pepsi.

  “Xander?” I asked, unable to hide the tremble in my voice as I entered the kitchen behind him.

  “I love you, Lacey. I wasn’t kidding about that, but I won’t put up with you nagging me just because some girl is being friendly.”

  “Friendly? You call that friendly?” My voice shifted from scared to pissed. “Okay, so just so I’m clear on our relationship, it’s okay for some guy to hang on me and maybe grab my ass a little? You’re okay with that?”

  Xander’s glass flew across the kitchen and shattered against the cabinets. Soda slowly dripped down the doors and onto the tile floor.

  He crossed the kitchen and backed me into the wall, pressing himself against me.

  “I’ll make this clear for you. If anyone else ever touches you, I’ll fucking kill them. You’re mine, and I can’t even stand the thought of another guy with his hands on you.”

  His words pierced my heart. I’d never seen anyone other than Mama get so angry. I squeezed my eyes closed as he pressed into me. I gasped. He was excited and ready to go. I could feel his arousal through his jeans.

  “Open your eyes and look at me,” he said, his voice cold. “Girls like me, so deal with it. And take a minute to remember that I opened my home to you and saved you from your crazy, fucked-up mother. Take a moment to think about that if you wanna leave. No one has ever taken care of you like I have. No one loves you like I do,” he said and lifted my chin up toward him. “No one.”

  A tear streamed down my cheek as I looked into his eyes. The same beautiful brown eyes that I’d come to love so much had suddenly turned dark and cold. My heart sank. I didn’t know this Xander.

  He gently wiped the tear from my face and traced his thumb down my throat.

  “You’re so beautiful it makes me crazy,” he whispered as he slid his hand around the back of my neck and gently grabbed my hair. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

  I bit my lip as I watched his eyes soften. As quickly as he’d gotten pissed, he returned to the Xander I knew.

  “I love you, I do,” he said.

  “Xander?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I doubted you.” I hiccupped as another tear streamed down my cheek. “You’re right, you’ve done more for me than anyone else. You’ve kept me safe from Mama, and you were there when I needed someone the most. Please, don’t be upset with me.”

  “It’s okay, babe. It’s okay.” He leaned down and kissed me.

  I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, returning his kiss. I couldn’t bear for him to be mad at me, and he was right about Mama. Even Walker had never had the guts to stand up to her.

  I sighed as his mouth parted and our kiss deepened. He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around him as he kissed my neck.

  “I forgive you, babe. Now you can make it up to me,” he whispered in my ear.

  “I plan on it,” I said. My heart sped up again, but this time it wasn’t because I was scared.

  Chapter 20

  Xander was once again the sweet guy I fell in love with, and we didn’t have any other incidents that week. But I knew better than to accuse him of something stupid again, too. I’m not sure what I’d been thinking in the first place. He’d been nothing but good to me, and he hadn’t deserved my reaction.

  Xander walked me across campus to my building as the wind whipped against us. I shivered as I wrapped my coat tighter around me. We stopped before my building, and he kissed me goodbye and left for his class.

  “Yo,” Cassidy said and waved at me.


  I waved back and met her on the steps.

  “Hey! What’re you doing out here?”

  “I’m waiting for Adalyn,” she replied. “How are you and Xander?”

  “Good,” I smiled shyly.

  “What’s it like living with him?”

  “Awesome. It all just fell into place—even our schedules, since he brings me to school.”

  “Yeah, you’re never alone anymore. What’s up with that?”

  I bit my lip. Cassidy and Adalyn didn’t know about Mama, and I wasn’t willing to share.

  “Lacey!”

  I turned as I recognized Xander’s voice. He was running toward me.

  “Xander? What’s the matter?”

  He stopped when he reached me and grabbed my arm. My concern deepened as he frowned.

  “She’s here. We have to go. Now.”

  My stomach dropped as his words sunk in, my eyes widening as I glanced at Cassidy.

  “Let’s go, she’s right around the corner,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder.

  Fear spread through me as Xander took my hand and tugged me forward. She couldn’t be here again. What did she want? If Xander hadn’t seen her, what would have happened? I pushed back the tears as we took off running without telling Cassidy goodbye. I knew she’d have questions, and I didn’t know what I’d say to her.

  “Get in,” Xander said as he opened the truck door.

  “What happened? Where was she? Are you sure it was her?” I asked as I struggled to catch my breath and buckle my seat belt.

  “She was right around the corner. Thank God I had class in that building or she would’ve gotten to you again.”

  Chills shot down my spine as I remembered the last time she’d shown up. I turned to stare out the window as we exited the university parking lot.

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done.” I turned to look at him while he was driving. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I whispered.

  “You don’t have to worry. I told you I’d take care of you, and I meant it,” he said and took my hand.

  I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes to control the tears that were threatening to spill over.