Page 4

CHAPTER 4

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

BELLA

July

“What does that mean?” I force the words out as I blink. Pulling myself out of the daze he put me in, I take my hand off my chest.

Xander is staring at me, lips tipped up like he’s amused. “Miller used to talk about you, and you’re exactly how I expected you to be.”

He talked about me? I want to ask him to explain. Instead, I say, “How close were you two in college?”

“We were best friends.” He props his hip against the kitchen counter again. The move draws my focus to his tattooed chest.

With a thick swallow, I drag my attention to my feet. I don’t want him to think I give a damn about the ink rolling across his skin.

“You’re doing it again, Isabella.”

He says my name like he’s tasting me. He has to stop, or my panties will be soaked. Again.

“Doing what?” Only now do I realize that, although my gaze is zeroed in on my feet, to him, it probably looks like I’m staring at his groin.

“Looking at me like you wish you were the one in that guest room with me.”

Arrogant asshole.

I bring my gaze back to his face, giving him my best withering look. “You wish.”

Dammit. Why did I look at him again? Instantly, his eyes captivate me. I slug down the last of my coffee then turn to the coffee maker. I need a distraction, even if it means doing something totally contradictory.

“Do you still want that coffee?”

“Oh, now you’re offering?” He shifts beside me, the noise subtle. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

“Cool. Go sit at the table.” Anything to put some distance between us so I can stop embarrassing myself.

Brushing past me, he rounds the kitchen counter, all swagger. Then he plops himself down on the high stool. His gaze bores into me, but I refuse to let it bother me. It doesn’t. It shouldn’t… damn him .

“Why are you here?” I ask, remaining focused on the coffee maker.

“In Boston? Did you forget I’m the new quarterback for the Warriors?”

I roll my eyes. “Ass. No, why are you here , at Jake’s place?”

“Miller was pretty drunk by the time we called it quits, so I made sure he got home. It was late, so rather than having the driver take me home, he told me I could crash here.” Xander props his head on his knuckles, the cords of his arm muscles flexing.

“ Crash here?” I peer over my shoulder, one eyebrow cocked.

He grins at me, his blue-green eyes sparkling with a devilish glint. “And smash some pussy in the process.”

Jealousy I have no business feeling wiggles in the back of my mind. With a huff, I turn to look at him. “Do you know the girl’s name?”

There isn’t a hint of embarrassment on his face as he shakes his head.

I scowl in disgust and disappointment. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m exceptional.”

“At what? Being obnoxious?” I fill a clean mug with coffee from the carafe.

Smirking, he leans back on the stool. “You don’t know me. I wouldn’t be so quick to make assumptions.”

“I’m not assuming anything; I’m speaking from experience.” Straightening, I lift my chin. “I’ve known Jake since I was fourteen. Now, almost a decade later, I’ve had plenty of time to get to know guys like you.”

“That’s funny,” he says, forearms on the counter, “you may think you know a little about me, but I know a lot about you, remember?”

I add a splash of almond milk to the coffee and set the mug in front of Xander. Since he keeps bringing it up, I might as well ask. “And what exactly do you think you know about me? This is the second time you’ve said it, but you’ve yet to elaborate.”

He shrugs. “You’re the one that got away.”

Confusion worms its way through me. The one that got away? What is he talking about?

“That’s what Jake said back then. He said you broke up with him, and he was obsessed with you. I’ve always been curious about the girl who had Miller at her mercy.”

Though his tone is serious, I can’t help but burst into laughter.

“He was never obsessed with me. He was fine after our breakup. He was a total manwhore in college.”

One side of his mouth tips up into a smirk. “Sounds like you were spying on him.”

“Nah, some of my friends went to school with him. When they came home from winter break, they told me all about what he’d been up to.”

I never needed to ask. My friends always made it a point to tell me all about my ex and his endless conquests.

I put my own mug in the kitchen sink and peer at Xander. “How’s the coffee? Up to your standards?”

He takes a sip, and as he pulls the mug away, he swipes his tongue over his bottom lip. A radiant smile blooms on his face. “It’s perfect.”

“Glad to hear it.” My tone is far too shaky for a casual interaction. I clear my throat. “Um, how long are you planning to stay?”

“Miller said I could stay as long as I’d like.” He takes another sip, hiding his grin behind the mug.

“Are you going to take him up on that offer?” I already know the answer. The guy is here to torture me, plain and simple.

Head dropped back, he barks out a laugh. “Of course! Why would I leave?”

“Wait…where is your girl?” Only now does it hit me that the blonde hasn’t joined him.

God, I’m ridiculous. How is it possible that I’m so caught up in him already?

“She’s not my girl, as you already know, and she left.” He takes a gulp of his coffee and stands up. “I thought she might make you uncomfortable, since you saw her naked and all.”

“Asshole,” I grit out under my breath as he saunters closer.

“You better get used to me.” He sets his mug in the sink, hovering close, his proximity sending tingles all over my skin. “I’m going to be around…a lot.”

I swallow my nerves. “Games are the only team events I participate in. Last night was an exception. I don’t know most of his teammates, and that will now include you.”

“You’re forgetting something. I’m not just his teammate—I’m his friend.”

“And? That means nothing.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” With that, he spins on his heel and heads to the doorway. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better, Isabella,” he says, his tone low and husky. “In every way possible.”

Unbidden, heat swirls in my lower abdomen. I’m a fucking mess. This guy seriously has the audacity to hit on his friend’s girlfriend? Jake let him stay the night, and this jerk repays him by flirting with me?

With friends like Alexander Walker, who needs enemies?

“Stop it, Alexander. Stop being so inappropriate.”

“It’s just the way I am.” He pauses at the threshold to the kitchen, turning back to wink at me. “And my friends call me Xander.”

“I’m not your friend.”

“You will be.”

Then he’s gone, leaving me in peace. As I wash both mugs, my mind drifts back to the guest room, visions of the way he slammed into the blonde plaguing me. How he wrapped his thick arms around her waist and turned them both around. How his deep blue eyes peered at me, devouring me…

My whole body is flushed by the time I tamp down the thoughts.

After turning off the faucet, I dry my hands and take a few deep breaths. Then, cursing myself inwardly, I head upstairs. I need a shower. This wet puddle in my panties is aggravating me, and considering how much Xander riled me up, I’m more than frustrated.

As the bathroom fills with steam, I gradually relax. Without a tight rein on myself, though, my mind once again returns to my run-in with Xander. Why the hell is my body reacting to him like this? What’s with the weakness in my knees? The heat spreading over my skin? The rapid beating of my heart? My body is betraying my mind again, and I don’t like it.

Plus, I have a boyfriend. I have an active sex life, and all my needs are satisfied.

Pressing my back to the glass shower wall, I breathe in and out. I have to banish these thoughts. Permanently . I’m not entirely sure about my future with Jake, but I’m not the type of girl who cheats.

“Get yourself together,” I whisper, my emotions in total disarray.

I thought the water would release the tension in my muscles, but I was wrong. After I dry off and dress for the day, I feel more on edge than I did before.

Since I haven’t seen any sign that Jake is up, I take my Kindle from the nightstand, settle on the bed, and dive into the book I started yesterday, about a girl and a famous Formula 1 driver. It’s wild, really, the parallels between the story and my own life. It’s easy to relate to the way the heroine struggles with being in the spotlight.

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a challenge if Jake’s groupies hadn’t dragged my name through the mud. They hate that I’m his high school sweetheart, and they want me to die a slow and painful death—their words, not mine. All I see on social media is how I’m not good enough for him, how I’m just a basic bitch. I can’t win, and I’m beginning to think I don’t have the strength to handle the criticism much longer.

Despite how hard I fight to stay immersed in the story, my thoughts keep wandering back to Jake, to Xander, though thankfully not in the way they were before. No matter how good-looking Xander is, he’s off-limits.