Page 3

CHAPTER 3

XANDER

BELLA

July

I sit up in bed, eyes bleary, and scan the room. My heart beats insanely fast, making me clutch my hand to my chest.

On my nightstand, my phone buzzes, my best friend’s face displayed on the screen. As I answer the call, I drop back onto the mattress. “Hey, Meg.”

“Hey. Did I wake you up?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I pull the phone away from my ear with a yawn and check the time. Nine a.m. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Thought I’d call to see how you are. I see your precious boyfriend had a real night out.” She clears her throat. “If you went to the team party together, how come he ended up at the club?”

“It was just the guys, and I didn’t want to go anyway.” I glance at Jake’s side of the bed and find it empty. My stomach twists.

Where did he spend the night?

Meg grunts, bringing me back to the conversation. “Why are you with him?”

That’s a question I find myself asking more and more often. With every passing day, it becomes clearer that Jake and I are too different.

“I don’t know,” I breathe out. “I really don’t.”

Her sigh makes the phone line crackle. “If you’re looking for a reason to break up with him, you should start reading the blogs.”

That twisting in my stomach turns into a ball of dread. “Did he make headlines again?”

“Not really, just seen with the Warriors’ new quarterback and a few other guys.” She lowers her voice, her tone sympathetic. “You’ve been together for six months, living together for three, and as soon as he has a spare minute, he goes out. And he’s always photographed with girls. He’s clubbing like he’s still single.”

Bile rises in my throat at the mental image. “You think he’s cheating on me?”

“I don’t know,” she says, sounding defeated. “I haven’t seen actual proof, but I don’t have a good feeling about it.”

I toss the blanket aside and get out of bed. “Maybe it’s not like that.”

“It definitely looks like that.” Her tone softens further. “Is everything okay? You can tell me.”

If only that were true. For years, I kept so many secrets, and after a while it became a habit. It’s easier this way—at least people don’t pity me. They can’t resent me for my past or blame me for my mistakes if they don’t know about them.

“Everything’s fine. He and I were happy before. I want to see if we can be like that again.”

Meg is quiet for a long time. Finally, she says, “Just remember, you don’t have to be with him if you’re not sure he’s the one. I know finding an apartment you can afford on your own will be tricky, but I can help you look. Your happiness is important.”

She hit the nail on the head. Since I started having doubts about my future with Jake, I’ve looked for apartments when I can, but I can’t afford a single one on my own.

Ugh, if only I hadn’t been blinded by his affection and given up my apartment so quickly.

“Thank you,” I murmur as I step into the closet. “Can I call you later? I want to change my clothes and wash my face.”

After we hang up, I put my phone on the shelf and pull on a pair of shorts and a loose tee. Then I head to the bathroom to start my morning routine, hoping it will help me clear all the thoughts about Jake racing inside my skull.

* * *

As I pad down the stairs, I check my email on my phone. Since I finished college, I’ve been working for my cousin as an event organizer while also helping him with paperwork and bookkeeping. We have three birthday parties scheduled this week, and from the look of the request lists, I’ll be busy. Honestly, it’s exactly what I need to distract myself from?—

A shrill sound pierces the air, and the thought dies abruptly. Frozen at the bottom of the stairs, I strain to listen. So far, the house has been quiet. Deserted, even. I assumed I was the only one here. Now, a moan floats through the air, then comes the clatter of something heavy hitting the wall.

What the actual fuck?

My face and neck flush impossibly hot, and fleeing to the bedroom crosses my mind. I cringe at the thought, push myself from the railing, and slowly head toward the guest room. A foot from the door, I stop, realizing it’s not pulled all the way closed. If I want to, I can peek inside. Do I want to, though?

Screw it. If my boyfriend is cheating on me, I should know.

With a palm pressed to the door, I silently push it open. As soon as the people on the bed register, relief hits me like a tidal wave. It isn’t Jake. It’s Xander and a blonde I don’t recognize.

Mesmerized, I watch as Xander moves his hips faster and faster. His neck, back, and arms are covered in the most incredible tattoos, so many drawings and whimsical lines blended together. A drop of sweat runs down his back, straight to his butt…and damn, his ass is perfect.

My heartbeat quickens; my nipples harden. Heat crawls up my neck to my cheeks, and my knees wobble.

Why the hell am I so turned on? I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t watch them…and yet I can’t make myself take a step back.

Xander wraps his arms around the girl’s waist and flips them around so she’s on top.

I nibble on my bottom lip, shifting a little, my panties dampening. Dang, I would’ve?—

A breath gets stuck in my throat. Xander is staring at me with a sly grin on his face. Fuck .

Pursing my lips, I take a step back and quietly close the door. Shit . How am I going to explain what I was doing? I can always say I came to check on the noise but didn’t see anything. Yup, that’s what I’ll say.

I definitely didn’t see his dick.

My cheeks flare hot again.

Really, Bella?

As I force myself down the hall, a thought strikes me. Where is Jake? He wouldn’t have just given Xander his key so he could fuck in his guest room. My boyfriend must be somewhere in the house. I take a deep breath and head to the living room. Immediately, I’m met with loud snoring, and a mix of relief and annoyance swirls in my stomach.

Jake is lying on the couch, still dressed in his shirt and black pants from yesterday.

I cross my arms over my chest and take him in, wondering yet again what I’m doing. We dated in high school, and after he went to college, I rarely saw him. I was perfectly fine without him in my life. In this moment, I can’t remember why I took him back. It certainly wasn’t so he could dismiss me when I spoke or ignore me when it suits him and then expect me to play along and pretend to be a happy couple.

The past should stay in the past. Isn’t that the rule I’ve always lived by?

Foot tapping, I bite the inside of my cheek. Should I help him get to our room? Should I wait for him to wake up? Maybe I should leave him like this and go to lunch with Meg, just to unwind. He’ll be mad if he wakes up and I’m not here, though, so in the end, it’s better if I stay.

With irritation running hot in my veins, I slowly shift closer to the couch and remove his sneakers. He mumbles, turns onto his back, and continues sleeping as if nothing happened.

“What a great way to spend my morning.” I pull a blanket from the back of the couch and cover him with it.

Straightening again, I scan the room. I love this place. I love the decor. Jake had no interest in decorating, so I chose the dark blue throw pillows, the gray curtains, and the black coffee table.

I clasp my hands and rock back and forth on my heels. If I’m being honest, I agreed to move in with him in the hopes I wouldn’t feel so lonely. It was too quiet in my apartment, my mind too loud. Since I was a little girl, all I’ve really wanted was for someone to care about me. It’s a craving deep in my soul.

A sudden snore tears me out of my thoughts. With a sigh, I saunter to the kitchen, resigned to waiting for Jake to wake up. I might as well make breakfast. But first, I need coffee.

* * *

The rich aroma of freshly made coffee fills the kitchen. Closing my eyes, I take a sip and savor the bitterness with a dash of almond milk. Perfect.

“So, you like coffee, and you like watching people fuck.”

Eyes flying open, I gasp when I come face-to-face with Xander.

He stands in front of me with a cocky smile on his full lips. “Which do you prefer? Porn or?—”

“I prefer not to find random people having sex in Jake’s guest room, especially when I had no idea someone was here at all.” I glare at him.

Brow arched, he says, “Did you think it was Jake?” The asshole is shirtless, his tattoos fully on display, black pants hanging low on his hips.

“That’s none of your business.” With a slow exhale, I bring my mug to my lips again. Patience, Bella. Patience.

“If you thought it was your boyfriend, your reaction was pretty indifferent. I would’ve expected you to storm in and?—”

“He wouldn’t do that to me.” My conversation with Meg comes to mind, and I swallow hard.

“Wouldn’t he?” Chuckling, he stalks closer. He props a hip on the kitchen counter beside me, standing so close, his body heat soaks into me as my cheeks redden. “Is there any chance you can make me a coffee too?”

“A coffee?” I repeat dumbly, suddenly transfixed by his features.

The lights last night were gaudy and harsh. Here, in broad daylight, I finally get a good look at him. His tousled, deep brown hair is a bit longer on top and shaved at the sides. His dark blue eyes are flecked with green and dancing with mirth. Rather than a full beard, like Jake, his chiseled jaw is covered in a light stubble.

“Yes.” He breaks into a smile, his pouty bottom lip a bit fuller than the upper one.

Staring at him for this long is a problem. The more I look, the harder it is to take my eyes off him. He’s astoundingly handsome.

“You’re eye-fucking me again.”

My stomach twists. What the hell is wrong with me?

He’s not wrong. I can’t help but gawk . He’s standing incredibly close to me, and he’s half-naked. He smells like sex, and he looks like it too.

“So, about that coffee?” Xander breaks the silence again, mischief dancing in his eyes.

“Make it yourself,” I grumble, moving away from him. His charm is playing on my nerves, crawling under my skin with an ease that scares me.

“You’re feisty, just like I thought you would be.” He takes a step closer.

His hot breath ghosts across my skin, spreading tingles through my body. Chin lifted, I glare at him, trying my hardest not to get lost in his eyes. They look like the sky just before a storm breaks, deep and captivating.

“Like you thought I would be?” I put up a front to keep him from seeing just how much he affects me.

This encounter is so bizarre. Jake is asleep in the next room, and I’m ogling a half-naked guy I don’t even know, one whose very existence sends arousal flooding through me. I want to know more about him. Pressing my palm to my chest, I absentmindedly trail my fingers over my collarbone, the fluttery sensation in my stomach growing more intense. It’s absolutely uncontrollable, like an itch I can’t ignore.

I need to get rid of it.