Page 24

CHAPTER 24

KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME

BELLA

October

With a spoon in my mouth, I head to my bedroom, carrying the pint of ice cream. I stop abruptly when my eyes lock on Xander in the foyer. He’s looking absolutely delicious in a white shirt, black pants, a black buttoned jacket, and a duffel bag in his hand.

It’s not fucking fair to be that gorgeous.

I pop the spoon out of my mouth. “Leaving already?”

Goodness, Bella, as if it’s not obvious.

“Yeah, my flight is in two hours.” His gaze drops to the chocolate ice cream in my hand. “Looks like we’ll need to restock when I’m back tomorrow.”

“I’ll buy groceries while you’re away. Don’t worry about stuff like that. You have a game to win. Focus on that.”

“Will you turn on your phone?”

I frown, a droplet of water sliding down my fingers as the ice cream starts to melt. “No…why?”

“So I can call and make sure you and Milo are okay.”

Heat pools in my lower abdomen, and I squeeze my thighs together in hopes of stopping my core from throbbing. “We’ll be okay.”

Xander takes a step closer, leveling his gaze with mine. “Please. Turn on your phone for me.”

My heart is ready to jump out of my chest. His proximity is too much. Warmth creeps onto my cheeks, and I lick my lips and nod. “Okay. I’ll do it later.”

“Good girl,” he tells me with a flirtatious lilt to his voice.

If my panties weren’t damp before, they surely are now. Fuck .

“Well, off you go.” I force a smile and skirt him.

He chuckles. “Not even a ‘Good luck, Xander’?”

I glance over my shoulder. He’s already by the door, ready to walk out, but his gaze is on me. “Good luck.”

“That’s better.” He steps outside. “Don’t forget to turn on your phone.” He winks at me, and in the next moment, he’s gone.

This away game against LA came right on time. Even one day away from him will do me a lot of good. I need to collect myself—it’s been four days since our kiss, and that’s all I think about. The kiss that left me wanting more. Every day, it gets more challenging to remember why I shouldn’t have done it. Kissing someone never felt so fucking right.

“Stop it, Bella,” I scold myself for the thought as I slip into my room. Netflix and ice cream should help…at least, I hope they do.

* * *

I lean back on the couch, legs tucked under me, my phone in hand. A little break from work won’t hurt, especially since I’ve spent the past two hours searching for one tiny error. It’s only a matter of five dollars, but God, does it irk me.

Teeth sunk into my bottom lip, I can’t resist checking the highlights from the game. The final play, the last and winning throw. I watch transfixed as the camera zooms in on Xander. He takes his time, snaps his arm forward, and the football soars through the air. The next moment, the announcer shouts, “Touchdown! Another win for the Warriors!”

A smile tugs at my lips. My phone vibrates in my hand. As I close the replay video and open the text, I scowl. Another text from Jake. He’s called a dozen times since I turned on my phone yesterday, and he’s sent me fifty messages, if not more. Some have been demanding. In others, he begs me to talk to him and give him a chance to explain himself. Other times, he acts as if nothing happened.

Jake:

Miss you babe. The win doesn’t taste as sweet when you’re not with me

I snort. Yeah, right.

I lock the screen, set the device down, and focus on my laptop again. Work is my savior these days. It keeps me from stressing too much about how few apartments are available in my price range.

And it kept me from talking myself into stopping by Jake’s to pick up some of my stuff. I could use a few more outfits, and I definitely need my car. Yes, the team has been in LA since last night, so I wouldn’t see him, but if I pack up more of my things, then what? It doesn’t feel right to bring it all here. This is a temporary arrangement, and I’ll move out the moment I find a permanent place.

If I find one…

I hide my face in my palms and groan. This is why I need to stay focused on work. Otherwise, I become a hostage to my own mind. Hopelessness fills me, making it hard to breathe. I know I’m going to break up with Jake, but God, do I wish I could just disappear from his life without confrontation.

After another thirty minutes of searching for the five-dollar mistake, I give up and snap my laptop closed. It’s the weekend. I can figure this out on Monday.

I’ve been at Xander’s place for nine days already. Everything about him puts me on high alert now. His voice, his laughter, his smell, his eyes on me, his presence in the room. I swear, the man never wears a shirt at home, so I can’t do anything but ogle him. And when he catches me? The smile that blooms on his face makes my knees weak.

He’s gone quite a bit, either at practice, the gym, or his parents’ house, but when he’s home and I’m not working? We spend all our time together. Our evening walks with Milo are becoming my favorite time of the day, simply because it feels normal. I’ve even watched football with him. He’s patient with his explanations, and his commentary and jokes make the experience surprisingly enjoyable. It has never been like that before.

I miss him.

* * *

Holding a wineglass in one hand and petting Milo with the other, I force myself to focus on the final few minutes of Kiki’s Delivery Service .

It’s been a challenge, since Jake sent me two more texts an hour ago. I turned my phone off, but I’m still stewing over his shitty messages.

The front door opens and closes, and a minute later, Xander appears. “Did you turn your phone off? I tried to call.” He’s dressed in a white shirt and black pants, his black jacket casually draped over his arm.

My mouth waters…because damn, the man is hot.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I shut it off a while ago. Sorry.”

With a chuckle, he heads my way. He assesses me, smiles at Milo, then arches a brow at the bottle of wine on the coffee table. “Decided to let loose a little?”

“A little.” I hold up my wine. “This is my first glass.”

He tosses his jacket over the back of the couch. Then he plops down beside me and places his hand on Milo’s fur, trailing it up until it covers mine. A rush of hot energy spreads from my fingertips to my toes, making me clench my legs tighter.

He’s my friend.

Kind, caring, and extremely hot…but a friend nonetheless.

Do I want him to be a friend, though?

“How are you?” His hands are calloused, but his touch is surprisingly featherlight and gentle.

“Good,” I say hoarsely. “You were incredible on the field.”

“Did you watch the game?”

I shake my head. “Just highlights. I don’t think I’m ready to see…him.”

The corners of Xander’s mouth drop, and his fingers stop moving. I hold my breath, hoping he won’t retract his hand. He doesn’t, and when he threads his fingers through mine, I exhale.

“No one knows you left Miller—not even him. He said some shit to me and Garcia about you waiting for him at home.”

“That’s my fault. I told him it was a break, not an actual breakup.” I eye my phone. “He’s been calling and texting. That’s why I turned it off again.”

He arches a brow. “What does he want?”

“Depends on the day. He wants me to come home. He wants to talk, to sort out our issues. He wants me to stop acting stupid, and he wants to remind me that I’m risking losing the best thing that ever happened to me. No one will ever want a girl like me if I’m not with him.”

Xander’s eyes bulge. “He said that?”

“It’s fine.” I shrug. “I’ve heard worse.”

“That’s not right. This kind of belittling and humiliation is disgusting.”

Annoyance flashes through me. “I’m trying to figure it all out. There’s no need to lecture me.”

He slumps back and drags a hand down his face. “That’s not my intention. I just want to help you see that Jake is in the wrong, not you.”

I pull my hand away and haul myself up, intending to escape to the guest room, but I’m not fast enough. Xander catches up to me and grabs my elbow, and in one swift motion my back is flush against his chest. My skin hums, and a fire forms in my lower abdomen, like it did the other day in the bathroom.

I want him.

“I’ve only been gone for two fucking days,” he says, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, “but it feels like an eternity. Not seeing you, not talking to you, not hearing your voice? It’s torture. I’m fucking obsessed with you, Bella, and when you’re around, I lose my goddamn mind.”

“Why?” Without my mind’s permission, my body takes over, and I grind my ass over his groin, feeling his hardness through his pants. Just that hint of friction is enough to make my eyes roll back.

“Because all I want is you, and it’s driving me absolutely crazy.” He cups my breasts, making my skin buzz.

Head tipped back, I sigh. “I?—”

“But you’ve been drinking.” He pinches my pebbled nipples through the fabric of my tee. “What if you forget this tomorrow morning? Or, worse, regret it?”

“I didn’t even finish my first glass of wine. I’m not drunk.” I look over my shoulder, my gaze colliding with his. “I could never regret you.”

Covering his hand with mine, I guide it from my breast to the waistband of my shorts. I keep my focus fixed on his face as I ease his hand into my panties until his long fingers brush my slit.

“You’re so fucking wet for me.” He moves his fingers in a slow, unrelenting motion.

“Xander, please,” I whisper, breaths coming quicker as pleasure builds in my core.

He takes his hand out of my panties and turns me around. The hallway is dark, but the lights coming from the living room allow me to see the longing in his eyes.

“Tell me you want me.” He grips my hips and squeezes.

“I want you.”

“Tell me I can kiss you.”

“You can kiss me.”

His lips crash onto mine. It’s feverish, sending a delicious thrill through me and setting my skin on fire. His kiss is like oxygen. It’s vital. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

He lifts me with ease, and I instinctively wrap my legs around his hips. Then my back is pressed to the wall with enough force to drive a gasp from my lungs. For a moment, all I can do is watch him. My chest rises and falls quickly, my heart ready to jump out of my chest.

And all he did was kiss me.

A satisfied grin plays on his lips. Dear God, he’s gorgeous. Slowly, he lowers me to my feet, his hands dropping from my sides.

I swallow my disappointment and take a step back. What’s he playing at?

He grasps my arms to stop me, leaning in close to lick a trail from my collarbone up to my ear. “Remember when you walked away after our first kiss? How you left me alone in the bathroom?”

Breath shuddering, I nod frantically.

“I’m finally going to do what I wanted to do then.” He slips his hand into my panties again. “Stick my tongue in you until you come all over my lips.” Groaning, he moves his middle finger through my slick folds, teasing my opening. “So wet, and just for me.”

I bite my bottom lip, and when he presses his thumb to my clit, I can’t stop a moan from rumbling out of me. He works me over with precision, sending me hurtling toward my orgasm at breakneck speed.

Then, without warning, he stops.

I make a noise that’s half anger, half grief.

Handsome smirk in place and eyes sparkling, he slowly kneels in front of me. As he goes, he curls his fingers over the waistband of my shorts and pulls them down along with my panties. When I’m bared to him, all he does is stare.

Under such intense scrutiny, it’s hard not to squirm. I giggle, hiding my face in my palms.

“Bella, look at me,” he demands in a hoarse voice.

I obey, drinking him in. A gorgeous guy in an expensive shirt and pants is on his knees for me. The Boston City Warriors quarterback. Jake’s teammate. My friend. I should probably feel ashamed or embarrassed. Instead, I feel pretty, and that means more than I can put into words.

“That’s better. Keep your eyes on me, baby. Don’t look away.”

As soon as those words leave his mouth, his tongue brushes my aching clit.

“Oh, fuck!” I cry out. With a hand on my breast, I squeeze hard. The pain mingles with the pleasure Xander gives me as he works miracles on my clit. He sucks and licks, increasing his tempo until I’m writhing and babbling incoherently. Then he backs off, depriving me of my orgasm and driving me out of my mind.

“God, you taste so sweet,” he murmurs, never breaking eye contact with me. It’s the most intense experience I’ve ever had.

When he dives in again, he adds a finger, curling it inside me as he works me over with his tongue. I play with my nipples, twisting and pulling through my tee.

Xander adds a second finger, and the heat in my core goes molten. “Fuck, you’re dripping all over me.”

With one hand around the back of my knee, he drapes my leg over his shoulder. I’m wide open for him, and the sounds he makes while he devours me are about to push me over the edge. He keeps a steady pace, his fingers hitting the perfect spot inside me, making my knees quake. When my body starts to shudder, I lift my hips in time to his movements and grasp his hair roughly, holding him where I need him most.

“I’m so close.”

“Then come for me,” he encourages. To emphasize the point, he sucks my clit into his mouth and releases it with a pop. He does it again, over and over, while his fingers relentlessly move inside me.

My pussy tightens around his fingers, and an intense orgasm slams into me like a tsunami. Letting go, I pull on Xander’s hair, making him hiss. My body trembles, and I can’t keep my eyes open no matter how hard I try.

“That’s right, baby, give it to me,” he coos. He doesn’t stop licking and sucking, drawing my orgasm out.

When my spasms have subsided, he lays a kiss on my thigh and sets my foot on the floor. Then he helps me into my panties and shorts before he stands. He slips his palm to the back of my neck and hauls me to him for an open-mouthed kiss. When I taste myself on his tongue, a raw sensation scatters all over my body, leaving me wanting more.

Groaning, he breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to mine. “You taste even better than I imagined…and I have a pretty fucking good imagination.”

I snort, wrapping my arms around his torso. “Looks like I owe you an orgasm.”

He rears back, his brows pulled together. “Don’t say it like that. It’s not some kind of debt. I wanted to give you pleasure, and I did. If we don’t do anything more tonight, I’d be perfectly content.” Delicately, he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear and angles in closer. “Although,” he rasps, “I’ll never say no to waking up with you in my bed.” He takes a step back and extends a hand. “Sleep with me, Bella. Please.”

Without hesitating, I let him lead me to his bedroom.

By his side is the only place I want to be.