Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2)

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “Okay.” She snickers and instructs Tyler to watch me and try to sober me up.

  A coffee is placed in front of me, and I glance up at Tyler, wearing a frown. “I don’t really like black coffee. Do you have iced coffee?”

  He shakes his head and then lays a spoon and four creamers next to my cup. “That’s about the closest you’ll get to sweetened coffee around here.”

  I open the creamers and dump them in my cup. “You’re so nice, Tyler.”

  A bashful smile spreads across his face as red creeps into his cheeks. “So are you.” He’s quiet for a few moments and then asks, “Are you still seeing Phenomenal X?”

  I raise my brow. “You know who he is?”

  “Of course I do. I love wrestling. X is a badass in the ring.”

  “That he is.” I sigh. “He scares the shit out of most men.”

  “That’s why I never dragged up the courage to ask you out once I found out you were seeing him. I knew I would never have a shot.”

  I stir my coffee as my mind drifts to when I saw Xavier earlier. “We’re kind of in a fight right now.”

  I admitted that a little too easily, and then it hits me that Quinn is probably right about me being drunk. Typically, I wouldn’t have divulged that information.

  Tyler braces his hands on the bar across from me. “What about?”

  I shrug. “He allowed another woman to kiss him.”

  Tyler raises his eyebrows and then shakes his head. “Man, if he’s messing around on you, he’s an idiot.”

  The corner of my mouth lifts into a small smile. “Thank you. That’s sweet.”

  “It’s true. Any man who has you would be an idiot to mess things up. Not only are you really nice, but you’re also the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.” He sighs and then lays my bill down. “I hate to give you this, but you know Andy would shit a brick if I didn’t make you pay.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind paying.” I reach for the small white paper lying on the bar, but someone reaches over my shoulder and takes it before I can get my fingers on it.

  Standing next to me is a broad-shouldered man with brown hair who is covered in tattoos from the neck down. He’s wearing a smile that causes his dark eyes to twinkle. “I got this one.”

  “Oh, um...” I hesitate, knowing that situations like this make X to freak out. “Thank you, but I really should pay for that on my own.”

  The man slides onto the stool next to me, still holding my bill. “Consider this a welcome-to-the-neighborhood present.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “What makes you think I’m new?”

  His eyes search my face, like he’s trying to think of an answer to my question. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

  My lips twist. “That’s funny because I used to work here. Surely, you would’ve seen me then if you were a regular.”

  He nods and then runs his hand through his mussed hair. The blue shirt he’s wearing catches my eye. On the sleeve of his shirt, there’s some sort of weird symbol that has a scythe, a dollar symbol, and a square on it. The interesting pattern is definitely custom because I can’t imagine anything like that being sold in a store.

  “You caught me,” the man admits. “I was looking for an excuse to talk to a pretty lady.”

  Heat floods my face, surely making me blush, and I can’t tell if all the liquor or his simple compliment caused it. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t accept you paying for my stuff. I have a boyfriend.”

  “A really big, scary one,” Tyler chimes in from across the bar. “And he’s right behind you.”

  My head whips around, and I spot Xavier standing just inside the door. His long hair is damp from a shower, and he’s changed into a fitted T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. He’s no doubt here to find me since I haven’t been back to his house since we fought.

  Suddenly, I fear for the man sitting next to me because Xavier gets crazy jealous when it comes to other men speaking to me. I don’t want him to go nutso on this guy who is trying to be nice.

  The man, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be the least bit worried. Matter of fact, he doesn’t even make an attempt to turn around and check out the man whom Tyler has warned him about. Instead, he fishes out his wallet from his back pocket and lays down a one hundred dollar bill.

  My pulse pounds beneath my skin as Xavier’s eyes meet mine, and then his gaze flits over to the man next to me. Even from across the room, it’s easy to tell that his body has instantly stiffened. Then, he squares his shoulders and marches in my direction.

  “Oh, shit,” Tyler says from behind me. “Mister, you should leave.”

  The man shrugs. “I’ll leave when I’m ready, and no one will make me do so otherwise.”

  “Your funeral,” Tyler mumbles as he walks to the opposite end of the bar.

  Xavier stands in front of me, but his eyes are fixated on the guy while he flexes his fingers in and out. “Let’s go, Anna.”

  It’s not a request but a command. After how he treated me today, I’m not ready to let his bossiness slide.

  I fold my arms across my chest. “No. Maybe I’m not ready to leave. I told you before, I can handle myself.”

  “Yeah, X. She said she’s got it under control,” the man taunts.

  I know this isn’t going to go over well.

  Xavier’s eyes narrow and his jaw muscle works beneath the skin. “Shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you.”

  “Xavier!” I scold him, trying to grab his attention before he does something crazy and ends up in trouble yet again.

  “Anna...” he growls my name in a sexy way.

  At the moment, I refuse to admit how my body to reacts to him because I’m still mad at him.

  “Let’s go. Now,” he adds.

  The man turns around on the stool, wearing a shit-eating grin, and I want to order him to turn back around if he doesn’t have a death wish, but the man seems to be amused by Xavier’s obvious anger.

  “What the fuck are you smiling at?” Xavier barks to the man.

  I’m instantly on my wobbly feet to try to stop this argument from getting out of control.

  “I will fucking end you right here, right now for fucking with what’s mine.”

  I place my hand on Xavier’s chest. “Don’t. Nothing is going on. Let it go.”

  “The hell it’s not. I see exactly what’s happening here.”

  “Stop,” I plead.

  His gaze fixes on me.

  “Let. It. Go,” I say my words slowly so that, even in my drunken state, they come out with enough clarity, so he knows that I’m not joking around.

  “Anna, this guy...” He trails off, like he’s stopping himself from saying something that he really wants to say. “This fucker needs to be taught a fucking lesson.”

  I shake my head. “He doesn’t. You need to control your temper.”

  He narrows his eyes, and I can see the tension is not going to go away until I remove him from the situation. That means I need to give in and leave with him.

  “Just stop, and I’ll go wherever you want.”

  His eyes leave me for a brief moment. He stares down at the man behind me, like he’s debating on whether or not to walk away from the fight that’s brewing. When his gaze meets mine again, he wraps his fingers around my elbow. “Let’s go.”

  I stumble a bit, my feet a little numb from all the liquor I just drank, as he begins to lead me outside.

  Supporting all my weight with ease, he releases a small growl as we pass through the front door. “You shouldn’t drink without me. If I’m not there, what’s going to stop some motherfucker from drugging you?”

  We make it into the cool night air, and I swat his hand off me. “I had everything under control in there. No one in this place is going to hurt me, not with Quinn and Tyler on the lookout. You have to stop trying to save me all the time. This whole possessive thing is becoming a problem. Allow me to live, Xavier!”

  His blue eyes na
rrow. “Live? If you call putting yourself in danger living, then excuse me for giving a fuck and for ruining your fun.”

  “Nothing was going on in there. If I were in danger, I would have known it,” I fire back, completely angry that he sees me as a silly twit who cannot take care of herself.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, beautiful. This cruel world is far worse than you can imagine, and you wouldn’t know real danger if it bit you in the ass.”

  His words have a ring of bitterness, and while I might not have experienced the same levels of hell he did, living with my father was no picnic either. I feel like I’ve grown up so much since I left Portland, and I’ve gotten better at detecting danger.

  I rake my fingers through my hair and attempt to take a deep breath, but suddenly, I find it difficult to breathe, like I’m being smothered. “Maybe a few days apart will do us some good.” The words leave my mouth before I even realize I’ve said them out loud.

  Xavier’s eyes widen, and I’m pretty sure I’ve shocked the hell out of him.

  “Anna—”

  “No, Xavier. I mean it. All we’ve been doing is fighting. You bite my head off when any man shows me the slightest bit of attention, yet you keep secrets from me all the time and basically tell me that another woman kissing you is none of my business.”

  I can’t imagine living without this man, but I won’t be the next woman he grows tired of and tosses to the side. He once told me to demand respect, so that’s what I’m doing.

  “It’s not like that, Anna. I told you, she meant nothing to me.”

  He’s trying to talk his way out of the situation yet again, but he still hasn’t given me a real answer.

  If he really loves me like he says, then he needs to come clean to me about what he was doing with Angie. We need to work this out before I leave for Tension. If I don’t know the truth, my mind will run wild about what he’s doing.

  I fold my arms across my chest. “Then, tell me what she is to you.”

  “I explained that to you.”

  “No, you didn’t. You’ve refused to tell me why you were with her,” I snap.

  He blows a rush of air out of his nose. “She gave me a ride back to my bike. That’s it. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to her.”

  “How can I not worry? I’m about to leave town, and you’re surrounded by women who want to sleep with you.”

  His eyes jerk down at me with a stare so intense that it causes a shudder to ripple down my spine. “And you don’t think I worry about that same fucking thing every minute of the goddamn day? Whenever we go out, all the male eyes around you can’t seem to peel themselves away from you. What if, one day, you figure out what a son of a bitch I am and leave me for someone better? God knows I’m not worthy of you, so I’m waiting on the day when you realize that too.”

  His words sober me up, and I recall the conversation I had with Nettie.

  I reach up and cup his face, so I can stare into his nearly see-through blue eyes. “I’ll never leave you.”

  He closes his eyes as he leans into my touch. “You don’t know how hard I pray for that. Losing you is my biggest fear, so that’s why I fight like hell to keep you.”

  “You have to stop being afraid of that. Not everyone in this world is going to leave you,” I whisper. “You have to allow yourself to have some good in your life. You need to let me in and trust me.”

  He gazes into my eyes as he cradles my face in his hands. “That works two ways, beautiful. Some things I keep from you would cause you more harm than good if I told you about them. I don’t want you to worry, which is why I won’t tell you about the details of today. Just know that I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, and I’d never do anything to hurt you. I promise you that. I’ve not thought about touching another woman since I’ve been with you. Trust me when I say, everything I do is to keep you safe. I love you, Anna—only you—and I meant it when I said I want to keep you forever. I wouldn’t do anything that might fuck this up between us.”

  The pleading I see in his eyes tells me that he’s being sincere, that he didn’t mean to hurt me. As angry as I was with him earlier today, I can no longer bring myself to be mad.

  How can I ask Xavier to trust me if I don’t give him the same courtesy?

  He leans in and presses his forehead to mine, and then he closes his eyes. “Please, Anna. Don’t frown. I can’t stand to see you so upset.”

  “I’m not mad at you, but we need to be completely honest with each other if things are going to work out between us.”

  He sighs, and warm breath wafts against my lips. “I’ve never lied to you about anything, and I’ll be up-front about everything with you—except for this. This, you don’t need to know.”

  “By saying that, I’ll only worry more.”

  “Don’t.” His finger slides under my chin, and he tilts my head up. “Things will be all right. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “If you would just tell me what’s going on, whatever problem you’re trying to hide from me, maybe I can help.”

  He shakes his head, causing a lock of his dark hair to fall across his forehead. “Sorry, beautiful. No one can handle this but me.”

  I stare into his eyes, and I know Xavier well enough to know that when he decides something, there’s no changing his mind. I have a sneaking suspicion that something from Xavier’s past has come back to haunt us both.

  I sigh. “Then, I’m afraid, until you trust me enough to let me in, I’m going to need some time to think about things, to think about us.”

  The worry in his eyes is clear as he processes what I said. “Anna...”

  I swallow hard, and it takes every bit of my willpower to muster up the courage to take a step back, leaving the comforting warmth of his embrace. “I need time. You can take me to the airport tomorrow, but I’ll be staying at Aunt Dee’s tonight.”

  The sad expression on his face nearly causes me to crumble and give in to him, allowing him to keep me out of the loop, as long as I get to be with him. But if I continue to live in the darkness of his secrets, I will never forgive myself for not standing up to him and demanding the truth.

  Tears begin to burn my eyes, so I turn and run back into the restaurant because the last thing I want is for Xavier to see me cry.

  Chapter 16

  Xavier

  One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is allow Anna to walk away from me without too much of a fight. She wants the truth. I completely understand that, but it doesn’t mean I can give it to her.

  I lace my fingers together and stare up at the star-filled sky, wishing there were some way to make everything better. It kills me to be at the center of what’s causing her pain, and I seem to have been doing that a lot lately. If I were a better man, I would encourage her to leave me for a guy who wouldn’t hurt her all the fucking time.

  I just can’t get this relationship thing right.

  The door of the restaurant slamming shut catches my attention.

  The shit-stain who was sitting next to Anna at the bar comes strolling out with a cocky grin on his face. “Bishop sends his regards.”

  Adrenaline is still flowing through my veins, and I dare this shit stain to step to me.

  I know exactly why he was sniffing around her. The symbols on his shirt are ones Bishop brands on his crew. It’s one of the marks on my forearm that I’ve tried damn hard to cover up with other tattoos.

  Now that Anna’s out of earshot, there’s no need for all these fucking games.

  “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

  He rolls his shoulders back, like my threat doesn’t affect him, but I know better. If he’s a part of the Block crew, then he’s heard of me, so he must be well aware of the damage I could inflict on him in a matter of seconds. Being so damn brutal is what made me Bishop’s right hand. He knows, when I unleash on someone, it won’t be pretty.

  “Bishop’s giving you one month to get shit together and make things happen, like he�
��s asked you to do, or next time, we get even closer to your girl.”

  Heat washes through me. “You. Will. Not. Fucking. Touch. Her.”

  He smirks. “You can’t be with her all the time, X. It was all too easy to track her down and get right up next to her. Don’t think we can’t do it again.”

  “I’ll kill every fucking one of you. I swear to God.”

  He laughs, and my chest puffs up as I curl my fingers into fists at my sides. I lunge forward, and the smirk falls off his face as he lifts his shirt in one quick motion.

  A gleam from the bar’s sign shines off the solid steel tucked into the waistband of his jeans. “Don’t fucking try it.”

  My eyes zero in on the gun, and then I glare at him. “If you think that will stop me from ending you, then that proves you don’t know my reputation very well.”

  “You’re not quicker than a bullet, X.”

  I fix my stare on him. “You don’t want to test that theory. I can fucking assure you of that. If you know what’s good for you, you’d walk away right now.”

  He takes a step back. “Last warning, X. Do what Bishop says, or we’ll be back.”

  My top lip curls of its own accord. “If you come around again, it’ll be your fucking funeral. No one will touch her. No. One. You run and tell Bishop that.”

  The tension hangs in the air until the man backs away and hops into a black car. He squeals the tires as he pulls out of the parking lot.

  The moment he’s gone, my hands begin to tremble as I come down from my adrenaline high.

  It seems as though I need to make good on my promise to be Anna’s personal bodyguard and keep eyes on her twenty-four/seven anytime she’s in Detroit. Whether she knows it or not, she truly is incapable of handling every problem in this city on her own, and she will need me to watch over her.

  After waiting in the parking lot for Quinn’s shift to end, I take care to follow Anna and Quinn home while keeping out of sight. It comforts me to know who’s around Anna, and if she refuses to come back to the house on Sycamore with me, then I’ll be forced to make sure she’s safe in other ways. And that starts with finding a place to park my bike where the girls won’t see it in her aunt’s backyard because I plan on spending the night out here, so I can keep watch over the house.