Page 10

CHAPTER 10

PERFECT MATCH

BELLA

August

It was barely eight a.m. when I headed out for a run. With so much disappointment built up inside me, it was the best way to let off some steam.

I should’ve stood up to Jake. I’m still frustrated with myself for letting him treat me that way. That dinner was his idea, and yet he did nothing to help me. I should’ve left the moment he came home from the gym.

When I returned to the living room, dressed in sweatpants and a loose tee, he turned on his supportive-partner persona, promising to buy me a new dress to replace the ruined one. He fell all over himself gushing about the cheesecake I’d made, but the act fell flat. He only behaved that way because his teammates were there. His reputation matters more to him than anything—that hasn’t changed since high school.

The moment they left, though? He warned me I should’ve been more careful and chastised me for not cleaning up before I left to change my clothes. None of it hurt me. I let it roll off my back, head low, nodding as if I agreed.

I’ve survived way worse.

It’s impossible to hurt me anymore, after all the pain I endured as a child, but he succeeded in making me angry. The idea of not causing trouble was drilled into my skull until it was all I knew. It taught me to bottle up my emotions, to retreat inside myself and only show the world what they wanted to see. Last night, the urge to stand up for myself tore me apart, but my brain kept insisting I should be silent.

It came as no surprise that my brain won the battle. Again.

I slept in the guest room on the first floor, though I lay in bed for hours, mentally slapping myself for staying at his place at all. I should’ve gone home with Meg. When I remembered Xander and his blonde fucking in the bed I was tossing and turning in all night, my emotions only battled more violently.

All my muscles are sore and achy when I come back from my run, but my mood has improved a ton. After a quick shower, I dry off, collect my hair into a high ponytail, and put on a floral dress.

I sneak out of the bathroom quietly, hoping to leave without having to speak to Jake.

“Babe?”

Fuck . Heart plummeting, I turn.

Jake sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes. “Where are you going?”

“To meet with Xander. He picked out a design, so now we need to discuss next steps.” I step in front of the mirror and quickly apply some mascara before I turn back around. “What are your plans today?”

“Dunno,” he groans, falling back onto the mattress. “I figured I’d hang out with you.”

“I won’t be gone long,” I tell him. “Two hours, max.”

“Okay.” He yawns. “I’ll be waiting for you. Do we have anything to eat?”

“There are leftovers.” I shuffle close and give him a quick peck. Before I can back away, he catches my wrist and pulls me on top of him. Brows pinched, I press my hands to the mattress and push myself up. “What are you doing?”

“How about a quickie?” His hands slide down to my hips, keeping me firmly in place.

A quickie? This motherfucker. First, I’m still angry with him. Second, I don’t have time for that.

“Sorry. I need to get going.” I try to wiggle out of his grip, but he only holds me tighter. “Jake, this isn’t funny.”

With a roll of his eyes, he releases me. “You don’t have five minutes for me?”

“Five minutes?” I snort and sit up. “We’re never that quick.”

He breaks into a smug smile. “You’re not wrong there.”

I stand and head for the door. I’ve just stepped over the threshold when he calls my name. Turning, I lift a brow in question.

“Are you sure Walker is planning to meet up with you? He left with Meghan last night.”

Though my stomach rolls painfully, I keep my expression neutral. “He picked the time. If something changed, I’m sure he would’ve texted.” Besides, Meg spent all night throwing glances at Marco—not that Jake noticed.

“Unless he’s too busy fucking your best friend.”

With a shake of my head, I go down the stairs and proceed to the front door. I’ve wasted too much time with him.

* * *

Just as I park in Xander’s driveway, my phone rings, my best friend’s name flashing on the display on the dash. “Hey, Meg.”

“Hey, babe. Doing okay?”

“I’m good. Heading into Xander’s place to discuss the design ideas I sent him.”

“I didn’t expect him to be such a nice guy after what you told me.” She giggles. “He gave me a ride home after dinner, wished me good night, and made sure I was inside before he drove off.”

“Weren’t you drooling over him a week ago?” I tease, climbing out of my car.

“The guy is hot, yeah, but I figured he’d be a dick. Either way, I’m not interested in him.”

“Is that so?” I arch an eyebrow. “What about Marco?”

“Fuck off, Izzy. I don’t get involved with taken men.”

“Kennedy isn’t really his girlfriend. At least, not exclusively.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” she says, her tone going soft. “About last night? Please say yes. Then I can ask about what happened between you and Xander in the guest bathroom.” Now she’s teasing me.

I freeze, the air around me evaporating. “Meg, I’m?—”

“Relax. I’m not judging you.”

“He’s Jake’s friend, and I’m helping him with his second bathroom. That’s all.”

“Okay,” she says flippantly, clearly not believing me. Before I can double down, though, she changes the subject. “Do you have plans on Tuesday evening?”

“I don’t think so,” I say, somewhat absently. I’m too caught up in studying the peaceful, quiet home in front of me.

“How about we go shopping then? And dinner.”

We make plans, and once I’ve ended the call, I head to the front door. I knock, then take a step back and smooth out the invisible wrinkles on my skirt.

I’m met with persistent barking, and I smile—Milo. When the door slowly opens, Xander appears, wearing nothing but briefs, his hair a mess and his face creased with sleep lines.

Warmth pools in my belly.

“Good morning,” I mumble, keeping my attention fixed on his face.

“Morning. Come on in.” He steps aside to let me in. “I’m sorry…I overslept.”

“It’s okay.” I bend down to pet Milo’s soft fur, and I swear the dog smiles as he leans into my palm. With my focus fixed on Milo, it’s easier to avoid gawking at all the bare skin Xander has on display.

“You can wait for me in the living room or in the kitchen. I need a minute to wash my face,” he says softly.

“Sure.” I straighten and quickly snap my gaze up until I’m looking him in the eye. “Don’t forget to put on clothes.”

“Wh—Oh, boundaries . I forgot about those.” He nods, sporting a faux serious expression.

“Stop being sarcastic.”

“Whatever you say, Bella.” Chuckling, he turns around and heads to his bedroom.

And dammit, I can’t resist. Breath held, I take in his broad shoulders, his fine ass, his muscular thighs—which are covered in tattoos. He’s too gorgeous for his own good, too good for my own misery.

With a sigh, I head to the living room and settle on the couch, taking my phone out of my pocket and skimming through my emails. From the looks of it, my Monday will be incredibly busy.

“Have you had breakfast?” Xander joins me, and though he’s wearing pants, his chest is still bare, his ink and muscles on display. Probably to taunt me.

“Nope, but I’m not hungry.” I hop off the couch and put away my phone. “You promised me coffee.”

As I follow him to the kitchen, I give in to temptation again and assess his form. He’s a total mystery to me. One moment, I think he’s a jerk. The next, he’s a kind and loyal guy who has strong connections to his family.

Who’s the real Alexander Walker?

“What have you been up to this morning?” Xander heads straight for the coffeepot.

I climb onto a stool at the bar-height table. “I got up early, went for a run.”

With his back to me, he fiddles with the coffee maker. “What did Jake do?”

“He woke up as I was heading out.”

He laughs, but it doesn’t reach his eyes when he looks at me over his shoulder. “Did he talk you into a quickie?”

Stomach sinking, I take an exasperated breath. “I thought we agreed on boundaries. And regardless, whether or not Jake and I had sex is none of your business.”

“You’re boring.” With a smirk, he shakes his head.

“I prefer to be boring.”

“Really? Because if I had to guess, I’d peg you as a wild little thing.”

Fighting the urge to slap some sense into him, I pull my shoulders back. “One more word about my sex life, and I’ll leave. For good.”

With a lift of his shoulder, he turns his back to me and mumbles, “Sorry.”

The kitchen falls into comfortable silence, the only sound coming from Milo, who’s snoring in his dog bed. Xander moves around the kitchen with ease, setting two mugs on the table, as well as a plate of cookies.

“You sure you don’t want something to eat?” He returns with a bowl of oatmeal and a single slice of whole-grain toast for himself.

I suppress a smile. Instead of a cocky asshole, he’s acting like a guy who cares about his guests.

The coffee in front of me is rich, its scent a bit earthy. Eager for the hit of caffeine, I pick it up and take a sip.

“So,” he says. “How do you like my coffee?”

Silently, I hold his gaze, giving myself a moment to enjoy the delicious bitterness on my tongue. “It’s amazing,” I say eventually. “And you weren’t wrong. Our tastes are similar.”

“Soon, you’ll realize I’m always right.” The deep timbre of his voice sends shivers down my spine.

To keep things on track, I ask, “Can you show me what you liked?”

“A little patience.” He tosses me a wink and takes his phone out of his pocket.

I hide my smile behind my mug. The eagerness clawing at me is enough to make me want to jump out of my seat and yank the device from him so we can get to the fun part.

“This.” He puts his phone on the table and pushes it toward me. “I want this.”

“Oh.” I blink at the photo, a bit disoriented. I sent him five design ideas, and he chose the one I like the most.

“ Oh? Do you not like it? I figured you would, since you included it in the options.” Xander leans away, his brows pulled together.

There’s no stopping the smile that splits my face. “No, I do—it’s my favorite, actually.”

Just like with coffee, our tastes are aligned. It’s strange. When I decorated Jake’s house, every choice was a battle, and it took a ton of compromise to finally get it done.

“We like the same coffee; we like the same bathroom design,” Xander muses. “You’re my perfect match, Bella.”

My traitorous heart stumbles over itself, but I ignore the sensation. “Those are just coincidences.”

His lips tip up in a confident smirk. “No. The more you get to know me, the more you’ll see I’m right.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, banishing the strange tingling in my extremities. “Matches burn, Xander. Keep that in mind.”

For a long moment, all he does is watch me. My heartbeat quickens under his penetrative gaze, and my cheeks start to burn.

Finally, he puts me out of my misery. Leaning forward, he props his cheek on his knuckles. “Don’t worry about money. There are no limits. The most important thing is quality.”

“Great.” I swallow around the lump in my throat. “I’ll find items that fit this design and let you choose from the options before I order. If everything goes well, I expect your bathroom to be ready by the end of next month.”

“Two months for one bathroom?” He cocks an eyebrow at me, though the expression is all tease.

“You’ll be busy with football, and I have a job. I’ll be working on this during my personal time. Plus, it takes time to find the right pieces.”

“Got it. You’re the boss.” He takes a sip of his coffee, holding my gaze.

“Glad you’ve finally accepted that.”

“I think I might surprise you once you get to know me better.”

“You already have.” The words are out before I can stop them. Throat tightening, I avert my attention, choosing to watch Milo instead. “Well,” I say eventually, knowing there’s no reason for me to linger, “Jake is waiting for me.”

He nods, standing. “I’ll walk you out.”

As I follow him to the door, I can’t help but wonder what his plans are for today, though I keep my questions to myself.

He’s not my friend. He’s my client.

On the front porch, I turn and give him a small wave. “Have a nice day.”

“You too.” He smiles at me, but I’ve only taken a few steps when he calls my name. “Bella?”

Pausing, I peer over my shoulder. “Yeah?”

“I’m hosting a party to celebrate the start of preseason.”

“Okay.” I shrug. Jake doesn’t need my permission to go anywhere. “Jake will be?—”

“I want you to be there too,” he says before I can finish the sentence.

Nerves skitter through me. He’s specifically requesting I attend? “I don’t?—”

“Please,” he insists quietly. “You can bring Meghan. Whatever you need. I just want you to come.”

It’s so unlike me…but I want to go. I don’t want to dig into why, at least not now, so I dip my chin. “Fine.”

His face lights up with a smile.

“But…” I hold up a finger. “Jake won’t like it that you invited me.”

“He’ll live,” he says, his tone easy as he gives me a wink.

“You’re unbelievable.” With a snort, I turn and stride to my car.

In the driver’s seat, I take a minute to assess his house again. Naturally, he’s still where I left him, his shoulder propped against the doorframe, staring at me with an intensity that makes my stomach flip. Since the moment I met Xander, my life has been turned upside down. It’s changing in ways I never thought possible, and yet I’ve done nothing to stop it.

It’s almost as if I’m enjoying it.