Page 8

CHAPTER 8

BOUNDARIES

BELLA

July

When I step inside Xander’s bedroom, I can’t hide my smile. My expectations weren’t wrong. His bedroom is an authentic example of Scandinavian style, and it’s gorgeous.

The wall behind his bed is exposed white brick, the rest are painted a light gray. The ceiling is white as well, enhancing the natural light streaming in from the windows. The floors are made of light wood, but a large area rug adds some warmth and softness.

The king-size bed is made up with a solid gray comforter, two big pillows, and three decorative throw ones. The beautiful simplicity warms my insides. Jake desperately wanted a four-poster bed and sulked like a child when I didn’t agree. Xander’s bed, on the other hand, is something I’d choose for myself.

His room smells like him, sandalwood and cinnamon and just a hint of tobacco. Maybe there’s even a little vanilla, complementing the velvety, woody blend perfectly.

The bed is flanked by nightstands, and on the opposite wall stands a built-in bookcase. My smile grows bigger as I scan the book titles and peruse the photos scattered across the shelves. There’s a picture of Xander as a child. Even then he was handsome, though when he was a little boy, his hair was blond.

Is that why he prefers blondes now?

Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I step away. I assess the walk-in closet next, then the office, the guest room, the living room, and the second bathroom. Finally, I head to the kitchen, where I find Xander sitting on a stool with his phone in his hand, Milo lying on the tile.

“I was right,” I say. “The whole place is Scandinavian. All clean lines, simple forms, and neutral colors. I like the dark green and black accents that make certain elements stand out.”

“Yeah, my designer was good at her job…just not very good at keeping her hands off my money,” he says, setting his phone on the countertop. “What’s next?”

“I’ll need some time to find pieces that will work for the space. I’m no professional, so I’ll need to do some research before I create a design plan. Once I have that done, I’ll show it to you, and if it looks good, I can get the bathroom finished.”

Head tilted to one side, he says, “When do you think you’ll have something for me?”

“On Friday. Oh, that reminds me. You’re coming for dinner on Saturday, right?”

“Planning on it.” A sly grin lifts his lips.

“Great.” I fidget with the hem of my dress. Why does he always have to look at me like that? “I think Jake invited Marco Garcia and a couple other people.”

“The more the merrier.” His gaze darkens. “I’m a lucky guy.”

“Why?” I pinch my brows together.

“I’ll have a date with you on Saturday, and maybe even Sunday.” He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He’s goading me, thinking he’ll get a reaction, but I’ve had enough of his flirting. It’s too much.

“Okay, this has to stop.” I round the counter and tower over him, my hands on my hips.

“What has to stop?” His eyes bore into mine, and there isn’t a single sign of regret in them. He’s enjoying this, and that only pisses me off more.

“Stop flirting with me. Stop making all those suggestive comments.” My heart hammers against my rib cage, and a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelms me. Nine times out of ten, I’ll do anything to avoid conflict. It’s what I’m best at: keeping quiet and letting things roll off my back. Now, though, I’m done tolerating his behavior. “If you can’t, you’ll need to find someone else to design your bathroom.”

He gives me a once-over, his eyes ablaze.

My cheeks flame, and my chest tightens as anger gets the best of me. He brings out a tough side of me, one I didn’t know still existed. My mother did all she could to kill that particular trait in me, but apparently it just went into hiding.

“I like this fierce side of you,” he finally says, his tone soothing. “It’s sexy.”

“God, Xander.” I shake my head and take a step back. “I’m your friend’s girlfriend. Your teammate’s girlfriend. Don’t you see your flirting makes me uncomfortable? It’s disrespectful to me . You’re confusing and annoying.”

A beat of silence passes between us before his deep blue eyes narrow on me, their hint of green nowhere in sight. “Okay,” he says with a lift of his shoulder. “If it bothers you, I’ll stop.”

“Yes, it bothers me.” I tuck my hair behind my ears and sigh. “So please, keep your words to yourself.”

He stands, forcing me to take another step back, and extends his hand. “I’m sorry for my behavior. I was wrong. Let’s start over, okay? I’m Xander. It’s very nice to meet you.”

I shake my head. This is ridiculous, but I find myself slipping my hand into his anyway. “You too.”

A violent zing of energy rushes from the tips of my fingers to my veins, my heart, almost making me jolt.

I swallow and slowly retract my hand.

“Just to be clear. We set boundaries?”

“We did,” I confirm.

“Okay.” He shrugs again. “Just so you know, if someone’s gonna cross them, it won’t be me. From now on, I’m your friend, Isabella.” His voice drops an octave lower, sending shivers down my spine. “ A friend .”

“And here I was hoping you could be serious for more than one minute.”

A smile blooms on his lips. “For you, I will.” He searches my face and arches an eyebrow. “Do you want a ride home?”

“No, thanks. I’ll call an Uber.”

He dips his chin. “If that’s what you want.”

“I’ll have ideas ready to show you on Friday.”

“I can’t wait.” The smile he gives me is far too adorable for such a big man, particularly one who’s as big of an asshole as he has been.

I wet my lips. “Um, I better go. You don’t need to walk me out.”

“Okay.” He slides back onto his stool and picks up his phone. “See you, Isabella.”

“Bye,” I tell him, finally forcing my feet to move. Though I was frozen in his proximity, once I’m halfway across the room, I’m hit with an intense desire to run. But if I do, he’ll know his closeness affects me, and I won’t give him the satisfaction.

The moment someone knows they can snare another with their words or actions, they have all the power. There’s no way I’ll show him my weaknesses, my vulnerabilities. I made that mistake when I was young, and I paid the price. Never again.

Once I’m outside, I breathe in and out to calm myself down. My reactions to Xander have drained me of my energy, and I don’t have the first clue why. He isn’t the first guy to irritate and annoy me. He isn’t the first person who has made me feel uncomfortable, not the first man I’ve found myself attracted to. But with him, it’s different. I’m resisting not only his flirting, but also his attempts to get to know me, and I’m not sure what scares me more.

I pull my phone out, but before I can navigate to the Uber app, I decide a walk will help me clear my head. It’s a thirty-minute walk to Jake’s, and by then I’ll have surely calmed down.

As I head down the street, I call Meg.

“Hi,” she says by way of greeting, her tone subdued.

My hackles raise instantly. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Liz has been an ass all day. It’s been exhausting dealing with her.”

“Did you talk to her about it? All this stress can’t be good for you or your business.”

“I tried, and nothing changed. She got dumped again, and somehow it’s my fault. Again. God, I hate it.” Meg groans. “Please tell me something good.”

“Are you free on Saturday?”

“I think so. Pretty sure Netflix will understand if I reschedule our date so I can hang out with you.”

With a shake of my head, I laugh. “Will you come to dinner at Jake’s place? A few of his teammates will be there, nothing big.”

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Thank God. I don’t know if I could survive it without you.”

“Why is that?” she asks.

“Xander will be there too.” I sigh. “Alexander Walker.”

“And? That new quarterback is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. What’s so bad about him?”

“I’ve known the guy for two days, and he’s already the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

She laughs. “Really? I didn’t have him pegged as an asshole. Guess I won’t flirt with him then.”

My heart sinks. He’s not an asshole. That’s half the problem, but I don’t say anything about it to Meg.

“I’ll text you the details.”

Once I’ve tucked my phone back into my purse, a strange feeling wiggles its way to the pit of my stomach. I’m weirdly possessive over a man who has the innate ability to make my skin crawl and dampen my panties simultaneously. The idea of something happening between Meg and Xander brings me a bucketful of unease. It’s probably because I want to keep her safe. The last thing I want is for her to get her heart broken.

Yeah, it’s definitely just that. At least, that’s what I tell myself.