“Wait. What about my stuff?”
“I’ll pack everything up downstairs and get it back to the office,” Hunter told me. “I’ll leave your duffle in your office.”
Apparently, that was that, because Xander was on the move once again. “Bye,” I called back to Hunter as Xander dragged me out of the room and down the hall. “See you tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow, sweetheart.”
That was the last I saw of Hunter as I was pulled down the hall and into the elevator.
“Where’d you park?” he asked, his voice rough and gravelly.
“Um . . . s-second level.”
Xander hit the button marked P2, and we started our ride down. I tried once to pull my hand from his, knowing I needed to break the physical connection for the sake of my own sanity, but his fingers tightened around mine, refusing to let go.
The heat of his palm warmed my entire body and made me shiver at the same time. For three weeks I’d been telling myself I hated this man, that there wasn’t one redeemable quality about him, and for three freaking weeks, my body hadn’t given one single shit. It still wanted to climb him like a mountain.
It was as if our arguments and dirty looks were some twisted kind of foreplay. As messed up as it was, I got off on going toe-to-toe with him and mashing at his buttons just to see what made him tick. As much as I despised him, almost everything about him turned me on.
So having him rush to me in the room earlier, worry for me clouding his features, made my heart stutter, and the feel of his hand holding mine firmly nearly did my head in.
The doors slid open and I started out, leading the way to where I’d parked my Mustang.
“Keys,” he clipped, coming to a stop at the driver side door.
“Um . . .” My gaze darted to my purse, still in his free hand. “In there.”
He somehow managed to dig through my bag without releasing my hand, unearthing my keys before tossing the gold clutch my way. I caught it and reached out to take the keys, only to have him pull his arm back. “What are you doing?”
“What are you doing?” I returned.
“I’m driving.”
“Pfft, like hell you are. No one drives my baby but me.”
“I’m riding in a car, I’m driving it. End of story.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “Wow, that was one hell of a story, but it doesn’t change anything. You aren’t driving my car.”
“I am if you wanna get home.”
“Okay, so maybe you aren’t hearing me. Let me spell this out for you, big boy. No one . . . but no one drives my baby but me. Ever. So give me the keys, because you’re getting behind the wheel of my ride over my cold . . . dead . . . body.” Something passed over his face just then, a look so heady it stole the air from my lungs and made my knees weak as he moved toward me, coming so close I was forced back until I ran into the side of my car. “Wh-what are you doing?” I stuttered as the woodsy, spicy scent of his cologne made my head foggy.
His voice was low and ragged, like he’d just gargled with rocks, as he said, “I had to sit in a room and watch as that piece of shit put his filthy fuckin’ hands all over you. I witnessed you lose your shit at the thought of havin’ to kiss him. Then the motherfucker hit you. You’re still ridin’ an adrenaline high, Shortcake, so your pain isn’t registering yet, but you’ve already got a goddamn bruise forming on your cheek. I’m holdin’ on by a very thin thread here, so I’m askin’, stop giving me shit about driving your car so I can get you home and get some ice on your face, or I swear to Christ, I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.”
“I—okay.”
A flash of surprise registered across his face at my quick submission before he shook it off. “Thanks.”
He took a step back, and I shuffled around the back of the car. The doors were unlocked by the time I reached the other side, so I quickly climbed in and buckled up, my mind reeling the entire time.
He climbed behind the wheel and started my baby up, and I had to admit—somewhat begrudgingly—he looked really good there. Almost as good as he looked on his bike. Of course the seat had to be adjusted way back, and he screwed with my mirrors—something that would be a pain in the ass to fix tomorrow—but still, it was hot.
The first several minutes on the ride from Richmond to Hope Valley were made in complete silence. The air in the cab of the car was so thick with tension you could have cut it with a knife.
After twenty minutes, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I hadn’t been this quiet or still in my life. Even in my sleep, I moved and talked, or at least that’s what a few of my exes told me. In fact, John hated it so much, he’d actually moved out of our bedroom not long after we’d married. Then again, that was when everything else in our relationship started to turn sour as well. As soon as we said our vows, his true colors bled to the surface.
“Are you mad at me?” I asked, breaking through the oppressive silence.
“No,” Xander grunted.
“You sure?”
He blew out a frustrated breath and clipped, “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Well, you sure as hell sound mad.”
“I said I’m not mad at you. Christ, would you just drop it, already?”
Dropping things had never been my strong suit, but I didn’t want to do anything that could make his already deteriorating mood even worse. Especially while he was in control of my ride.
As hard as it was for me to do, I clamped my mouth shut and stared out the passenger window as he drove. But in my mind, I was replaying the events of the night over and over again. I couldn’t stop thinking about his strange behavior—how he’d rushed to me in that hotel room, worry etched into the marble of his gorgeous face. Or how he’d flipped when he found out the asshole had smacked me. Even his constant touches from the time he reached my side to climbing into the car were out of the ordinary. I might have only known Xander Caine a few weeks, and most of that time he’d spent ignoring me, but he didn’t strike me as a tactile person. In fact, it appeared he went out of his way to avoid interacting with most people unless absolutely necessary, so that made his reaction tonight all the more confusing.
I was so lost in thought about the enigmatic man beside me that I hadn’t noticed the car had stopped until the purr of the engine died.
I looked out the windshield to see my cute little cottage, with its glowing porch lights, and turned to Xander. “How do you know where I live?”
He didn’t bother with an answer as he threw the door open and climbed out. I hurried to catch up with him as he scaled the steps of my porch and inserted my key into the lock.
“Hey,” I shouted as he stepped inside and flipped on the living room lights. “Not cool, man. You can’t just come into my house uninvited.”
He didn’t say a word, and I stood glued to the spot just inside my front door as he headed straight for the kitchen, turning on all the lights as he went. I heard the fridge open and close, and Xander reappeared a second later with a bag of frozen peas in his hand.
“Close the door, Shortcake. And lock it behind you.”
My house was a decent enough size, but with him standing in it, the place suddenly felt positively tiny.
Crossing my arms over my chest in defiance, I glared at the big man and said, “I don’t think so. I’ve got a big, pissed-off giant in my house at the moment. You’ll excuse me if I’d rather leave it open so I can make an escape if necessary.”
His expression shifted, and some of the anger faded away as he moved in close. “You have no reason to be scared of me, Sage. Ever,” he said in a voice so soft it made my lungs deflate with a heavy exhale. Extending his long arm, bringing him so close I could feel the heat of his body, he shoved the door closed and engaged the lock. “Besides, no way in hell you could outrun me. I’d catch you before you could make it off the porch.”
“You realize what you just said makes you sound like a psycho serial killer, right? If you murder me, just a heads up: I
’ll totally come back and haunt your ass. Don’t think I won’t.”
He gave me my millionth shock of the evening when his lips spread into a full-blown smile that showed off perfect, straight white teeth. That smile was fucking glorious, and at the sight of it, I sucked in a gasp.
“I’m not gonna murder you,” he said with a chuckle, taking my hand and leading me to the couch. I moved woodenly as he pulled me down to sit beside him. The second he gently pressed the bag of peas to my face his shoulders drooped, almost as if he’d been holding himself stiff until that very moment. “There,” he almost whispered. “That should help with the bruising.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, lifting my hand to pull the bag away so I could get an unobstructed view of his face.
His brows dipped into a little frown as he forced the bag back to my cheek. “Leave it there.”
“Then answer the question. Is this some sort of white knight/damsel in distress thing? I thought you hated me.”
His lips parted, and his chin jerked back. “I—I don’t hate you, Sage. I’ve never hated you.”
“Then why are you always so mean to me?” My voice sounded small and sad, and I hated that I was showing weakness in front of this man. I didn’t like looking weak in front of anyone, but especially not in front of Xander Caine, who I feared would use it against me.
I held the peas in place as his hand dropped, but instead of moving away as I’d expected, he reached up and touched my hair. He sifted some of the strands through his long, thick fingers, watching like my hair was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. “Christ,” he said quietly. “It’s even softer than I thought.”
Oh my god. What was happening? “Xander?”
The sound of my voice pulled him out of his stupor. “I’m sorry,” he said with total sincerity. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole. I don’t . . .”
“Let people close?” I asked when it became clear he wasn’t going to finish that thought.
“Yeah. Something like that.” His mouth quirked up in a smirk. It was as though he found my insightfulness funny. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
“What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Yeah, well . . . your gift is sometimes a pain in my ass. I’m not used to someone calling me on my shit or throwing attitude. Most people are too scared.”
“Those people are idiots,” I stated vehemently. “You aren’t scary. You’re just a guy. Granted, you’re a big guy, but still just a guy.”
What I didn’t say was that he happened to be one of hottest guys in existence. And when he smiled, I couldn’t breathe.
His expression grew introspective, and when he spoke next I got the impression he was talking to himself. “I don’t know if I should like that you see me that way or be terrified.”
The darkness I’d sensed earlier came creeping back into his eyes, and I was suddenly overcome with the desire to dive into their black depths and mine for his secrets.
“You have no reason to be scared of me,” I told him, using his own words from earlier.
For some unexplainable reason, that statement gave him a shock, and before I could process what was happening, he shot to his feet and took a step back like touching me burned him.
“I should go. It’s late.”
“Oh. Uh . . . all right.” I could feel the tenuous détente we’d reached slipping away, and I wouldn’t stand for it. Rising to my feet and following him to the door, I spoke up before he could make his escape. “So . . . these last few minutes have been kind of nice. I don’t know about you, but the constant battling between us is exhausting me.” He paused at the open door, his hand on the nob as he turned to look at me, so I went in for the kill. “I’d really like to be your friend, Xander. You might not know this about me, but I give really good friend.”
His features took on that hardness I was all too familiar with. “You don’t want me as a friend, Shortcake. Trust me.”
Another challenge. For crying out loud, didn’t this guy know me at all? “That’s where you’re wrong, buddy. I have this uncanny ability of knowing my own mind, and it’s telling me I most certainly want you as a friend, so you might as well just deal with it.”
He let loose a gravelly chuckle that did unimaginable things to my insides. “Christ, you’re a stubborn pain in my ass.”
“Thanks.” I smiled brightly and gave him a playful punch in the arm. “See you at work tomorrow, friend.”
He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling in exasperation before looking back at me and pointing to the bag of peas I was holding down at my side. “Keep that on your face for the next fifteen minutes.”
“Sir, yes sir,” I replied, giving him a salute.
“Pain in my ass,” he mumbled as he turned and started out the door.
Then something hit me. “Hey, Xander,” I called out as he cleared the porch. “How are you getting home?”
“Walkin’,” he called back.
“But it’s pitch black out there!” I cried.
I heard that chuckle again as he continued down the driveway. “You worried about someone kidnappin’ me, Shortcake?”
I gave that some thought and conceded. “All right, I see your point, big guy. Get home safe.”
“Go inside and lock the door,” he shot back.
“I might be stubborn, but you’re bossy,” I shouted so he could hear as he got farther away.
“Inside, Sage.”
“Fine. But only because it’s chilly, and this dress doesn’t cover much.” I could have sworn I heard him growl. Instead of going inside and locking up, I called out his name again.
“For the love of Christ, what?”
“Thanks for rushing to my rescue tonight.”
That made him stop, and he turned around to face me fully. “Always, Sage. You need rescuing, I’m there.”
“See?” I called with a giddy smile. “You’re gonna make a terrific friend!”
I watched in the light of the streetlamp he was standing beneath as he threw his head back, the strong cords of his throat visible beneath his beard, and called up to God to deliver him. “In. Side.”
With a giggle and one last salute, I stepped back into my house, closed the door, and threw the deadbolt.
Xander Caine didn’t know it yet, but I was going to be the best damn friend he’d ever had.
Chapter Ten
Sage
“Morning,” I called out as I practically skipped into Muffin Top, moving straight to the counter where Danika was standing.
My girl smiled back. “Hey, dollface. How’d the sting go last night?”
“It. Was. Awesome,” I exclaimed, slapping my hands on the counter and leaning in. “Oh my god, Dani, you should have seen me! I played that sucker right into my hands before busting him. I mean, I should get an award for my performance. He totally bought that I was into him. Things went a little sideways at the end, but I still got him. It was incredible!”
“How did things go sideways?”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down before answering. “Well, he kind of found the earpiece I was wearing. Which reminds me, the job came with the most awesome spy gadgets. Anyway, he found it and flipped. Before Hunter and Xander could get to me, the asshole backhanded me.” Her eyes went big, so I rushed to add, “But I got him back with a broken nose and a well-placed kick to the jewels that he’ll be feeling for weeks.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “You broke his nose?”
“Hell yeah, I did. You don’t hit me and get away with it. My dad started teaching me how to defend myself as soon as I was big enough to throw a punch. I’ve got a mean jab, babe.”
“Damn, girl. Good for you.” She lifted her hand, and I gave her a high five across the counter. “I think it’s badass you went undercover last night. Those dudes are all big and bad, but it’s awesome to see a chick taking care of business.”
“Definitely.”
We chatted for a
few more minutes before getting down to business. “You want your usual this morning?”
Three weeks, and Danika had already become a better friend than most of the women I’d hung with in Arizona. Granted, the only reason I’d associated with those two-faced leeches was because John expected it of me. According to him, people like us ran in certain circles. Truth was, I never liked those circles, and I wasn’t the least bit sad to brush them off. But Dani was good people, and I counted myself lucky she was the first person I’d run into the day I pulled my baby into Hope Valley.
“Yeah. But make it two scones and add a black coffee.”
“On it.”
Less than ten minutes later, I was walking through the door of Alpha Omega, sipping my pumpkin spice latte, feeling on top of the world.
“There she is, the badass herself.”
I stopped at Roxanne’s desk and returned the smile she gave me. “Good morning to you too.”
“Heard you did great last night, darlin’. Proud of you.”
Her praise put me firmly on cloud nine. “Thanks, Rox.”
“And heard that fucker got what he deserved after he gave you a smack.”
I set the coffee tray and pastry bag down and reached up to touch my cheek. “Oh, yeah. It was nothing, really. I iced it last night, and it only took a bit of concealer to hide what was left.”
Her grin turned slightly evil as she said, “Yeah, well, heard from Linc this mornin’ that the bastard didn’t fair nearly as well. Broken nose, which I’m sure you already knew. But turns out, that kick you gave him to the balls was hard enough that you ruptured a testicle, girl. He’s in the hospital, waiting to have surgery. I didn’t even know that was possible.”
I wanted to laugh, but I was a too worried about what this meant for Alpha Omega. “I’m not gonna say I’m sorry. A man like him shouldn’t be allowed a functioning dick. But is the firm gonna get in trouble for this?”
Out of the Darkness: a Hope Valley novel Page 8
