Page 6 of Xander (Soulless Outlaws Motorcycle Club #2)

Nola

It was a few days later, and I was at the clubhouse.

We were having a crawfish boil.

You name it, they had it in the pot cooking.

The smells that were wafting from the big as fuck bowl thingy were amazing.

I also learned that it was called a Cajun Cooker about two-point-five seconds ago from a chuckling Khal.

Good to know.

I looked around and found him.

Then I smiled.

Then I froze.

Some woman I didn’t know was on a path that led directly to him.

I felt my Aunt Tempie come up to my side, but I kept my gaze directed at the woman, then at Xander, then back again.

And when she reached him, I watched her.

I was too far away to hear what she was saying.

And when she placed her hand on the back of the chair to move it closer to him, I watched as his lips moved.

And then I watched as his face took on that blank stare.

Then... I watched that muscle in his jaw start to tick.

“No...” My Aunt started to say my name, but I had already walked away from her.

I headed in their direction, and when the woman said something and Xander’s eyes narrowed, I walked even faster.

The moment I reached the table, I smiled, “Thanks for saving me a seat. Traffic was a bitch. Kind of like the bitch to my left who can’t take a fucking hint. People. I swear.”

I bumped her out of the way with one hip, then placed my hand on the chair and moved it closer to Xander’s side so her availability to touch him and be near him was taken away, then sat down, and looked at Xander, then I finished, “You would think that when a man starts to narrow his eyes at her, she would walk the hell away.”

Xander’s eyes were on me, and they were shining.

Thankfully, I didn’t miss the way his bottom lip twitched.

Twitched.

Did I just make Xander, whatever his last name was, think something was funny?

I wanted to do a little dance in my chair.

But I refrained.

Barely.

However, I didn’t refrain from giggling when the woman huffed, then walked away.

I shrugged my shoulders.

And that was when we were told that the food was ready.

I stayed in my seat even though, in the SOMC clubhouse, the women and kids went first.

I felt a pair of striking caramel eyes on me, then I looked at him, and lifted a brow.

He tilted his head to the line and lifted his own brow.

I shrugged, “I plan to eat right here. It's weird to start eating when you can’t make your plate yet.”

And then I watched as his face got soft.

So soft as a matter of fact that I wished I had permission to whip my phone out and take a picture right then and there.

One day.

That was my thought as ten minutes later, Grimm, Kettle, and Xander stood to go make their plates.

They did this mainly because they were the biggest in the club.

They also did this because they didn’t really like to have anyone in their space.

That was when I felt the corner of my mouth start to smile when Xander looked down at me and jerked his chin to the table where the food was.

I nodded, then stood and made my way to the bar top, where the food was all laid out.

I kept a considerable distance from Kettle, who was doing the same thing for Grimm.

But as for Xander... I may have felt the front of his thigh brush against the side of mine... once or twice... lawd have mercy on me.

After I made my plate, I headed to the cooler to the right of the bar, grabbed a cold beer for Xander, then a bottle of Coke for me. Locking them against my body in the crook of my arm.

“You look weird,” I said as I sat down across from Xander with a plate of food and handed him his beer.

His fork froze halfway to his mouth as he lifted his brow, “Come again?”

“Your hat is forward. It looks weird,” I told him.

Then I shit you not... the big man took off his hat and spun it around and fitted it just right.

I had to press my thighs together.

I swear I heard panties dropping all over the place by that one move.

He lifted a brow, then he asked, “Better?”

I nodded, “Much.”

Then I handed him his beer.

And I may or may not have watched beneath my lashes as he took a long pull, those throat muscles of his working... honey hush.

We both started eating.

***

Me – What do you think came first? The chicken or the egg?

Xander – The chicken had to hatch the egg, and the egg had to come from the chicken.

Xander – The fuck you asking me that for?

Me – Just curious.

***

Xander – What do you think came first? The cake or the brownie?

Me – Are you hungry?

Xander – Very.

Me – Where are you?

He told me where he was.

I had just gotten off work, so that would be perfect.

I drove over to Wilson’s, the diner in town, and ordered two of the daily specials.

Cajun pastalaya.

Dang, but that looked good, and it sounded good.

Once I had the food, I drove over to the place he told me he was and eyed the construction crew that was working.

One of the men saw me and walked over.

I watched as he took in my upper body, and then a slow smile spread across his face. I groaned.

When he reached my open window, he said, “Well, hey there, sweetheart. How can I help you?”

I held back another groan.

Instead, I said, “Hi, I’m here for Xander.”

At my words, his face went white.

I didn’t bother holding in my snicker then.

Nope. Not at fucking all.

He raced away from me.

And then moments later, Xander came out of the house they were building and made his way directly to my car.

I tagged the plate of food and the cold glass of sweet, iced tea, something I noticed he liked, and then handed them to him.

He eyed it then lifted a brow, “Really?”

I shrugged, “No one should ever be hungry.”

He nodded, “What did you get me?”

“Wilson’s had the daily special of the Cajun Pastalaya. I wanted to try it. It looked good.”

He moaned, “It is. Still want to know how they make it.”

I nodded, “If it’s as good as I think it is, I’ll try to make it.”

He winked, then he said, “What do you want for payback?”

I looked at him, took in what I knew about him, and started to say, a hug.

I got them all the time from my parents.

I get them sometimes from Aunt Tempie and Uncle Merlin, but I needed more.

Instead, I went with an easier answer.

“I want you to lie on the blanket with me tonight,” I told him.

He nodded, “Do that. But that’s not what you were going to say.”

I shook my head, “It’s stupid.”

He lifted a brow, “Got a feeling you're anything but. What was it?”

“Xander,” I tried.

He shook his head, “Nah. What?”

I sighed as I took in his caramel-colored eyes and the tightness of his jaw.

Knowing that he wasn’t going to let this go.

Therefore, I said, “I could really use a good hug.”

He stood there for a beat, then two, then three, then he inhaled a breath, nodded, set his container of food and his glass of tea on the top of my car, then stepped back and held out his arms.

Now it was my turn to lift a brow, “Really?”

“I’m standing here waiting.” He said.

I took him in, then unbuckled, opened my door, stood, and then moved into his arms.

And the moment, and I mean the very moment, his arms wrapped around me, I felt safe.

Safe in a way I haven’t felt since before my parents passed away.

I breathed him in, sandalwood, mint, rustic vibes, and something spicy, completely suitable for the man I was learning that made up Xander.

And what a man he was.

Belatedly, I realized he was doing the same thing to me.

I smiled at that.

Then I nuzzled my face into his chest once, and then I released my hold on him.

His arms fell away moments later when he asked, “Did I do it right?”

My head tilted to the side as I asked, “Did you do what right?”

He swallowed once, then he locked his eyes with mine, “The hug? Never hugged anyone or been hugged. Did I do it right?”

Something in my chest cracked wide the fuck open as he slid right on inside.

Then I nodded and whispered, “You did it perfectly.”

I felt a tear trail down my cheek.

Oh... this man.

And then he moved his hand up and wiped my tear away with his thumb.

Then I smiled up at him, “Future reference, I really like hugs.”

He nodded, “Got it.”

I looked at the house, then back at him, “I’ll let you get back to work. Okay?”

He nodded, “Be careful.”

I winked, “Always.

After he got his food and his tea, I climbed in and then drove home to my apartment.

Letting his words replay over and over in my head.

What I missed?

He had stayed standing in the same spot, watching me drive away.

Feeling as though his heart... something he thought was dead... traveling with me.

***

And yes, he actually laid down on my blanket with me and gazed up at the stars that night.

“How many stars do you think there are?” he asked.

“According to Google, we can only see around one thousand,” I told him.

He chuckled, “Fuck.”

I grinned. “Fuck indeed.”

That night, I checked my email and saw my acceptance letter to the community college.

I squealed as I tagged my phone and texted Xander.

Me – I got in.

Xander – Into what?

Me – The community college. I only had one semester to go.

Xander – Fuck yeah. That’s great.

***

I got ready for my first day back to classes.

And when I opened my door, sitting there was a vase that held star gazer lilies, my favorite.

I scooped them up, then headed back inside.

Then I tagged the little white card and read the masculine script.

Have a good first day. The lady told me the name of these. Thought it was fittin’. X

And for the second time in a matter of days, I felt a tear trail down my cheek.

Me – They’re beautiful. Thank you, Xander.

Me – They’re my favorite flower.

Xander – So I did good then?

I smiled.

Me – You did perfectly.

***

I had just finished my test to see what we knew and what we didn’t know when I stepped out of the classroom.

I tagged my phone from my bag, taking it off silent, and saw a ton of missed calls.

Freaking out because no one blew up my phone like this, I hit my Aunt's number as I walked to my car.

The moment she answered, I asked, “What is it, Aunt Tempie?”

“There’s been a shooting at the clubhouse,” I heard through the phone, and then immediately ran to my car, jumped in, and started it up.

I didn’t even remember hanging up the phone, nor did I remember squealing out of the parking lot at the school.

The only thing I could think of was getting to the clubhouse to check on Xander.

The first thing I noticed was that the gate was open, and bikes, cars, and bullet casings littered the ground.

Stopping my car by slamming on the brakes, I put it in park and didn’t even turn the key to shut my car off.

I was out of my door and running through the parking lot, my eyes searching for Xander.

Not seeing him, I ran inside the clubhouse, seeing everyone but the one person I was looking for.

My Aunt Tempie and Uncle Merlin stood to the right near the bar; seeing them whole, I smiled weakly, then scanned again for Xander.

And when I saw that all too familiar bent head, I ran over to him, “Xander?”

His head snapped up, his eyes locking with mine.

And then he did something that I never imagined he would do, he stood up, then opened his arms.

Not needing to say a word, I vaulted my body into his, unaware of how many eyes had landed on us, and as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight into his body, I breathed in his scent.

The one scent that had wafted over to me many times before when I lay on the blanket in the grass.

Sandalwood, mint, rustic vibes, and that something spicy.

Burying my face in his neck, I inhaled the unique scent that was all Xander, “Are you okay?”

I expected a nod or for him to tighten his arms around me, but what I didn’t expect was for him to open his mouth and rasp out, “Yeah.”

I tightened my arms around his neck and breathed him in, then muttered, “Good.”

We stayed like that for long moments, and then he loosened his hold on me, which caused me to loosen my hold on him.

And when I moved to step away, he placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side.

I wrapped my arm around his waist.

And that was when I noticed that his hard body, one that I didn’t fully take in at the moment, had gone from hard and stiff into something soft and warm.

But that was when I noticed something else, something that was wet against my shirt.

Looking down, that was when I noticed.

Spinning around, I didn’t say a word as I lifted his shirt, without asking permission, but it was when I looked into his eyes after seeing a deep gash in his abdomen that every single breath in my body stalled.

His eyes were locked on mine, unmoving.

I swallowed, “You could have stopped me from lifting your shirt.”

He chuckled, “I know.” Then so low, I wondered if I had really heard what he said next, “Nothing I could ever deny you.”

Swallowing down, I tried to smile a happy smile, but when I looked down and saw that he was hurt, that smile turned into a frown. “Will you let Doc see to it?”

Xander shook his head, “No, he can tell you what you need to do, but that’s it.”

I asked, “You want me to take care of it?”

To that, he simply nodded.

“Okay.”

Turning my head, I looked for Doc, and when I saw him, I called out, “Doc? I need your help.”

“One second, Nola. I've gotta give Luna these painkillers.” Nodding at the older man, I smiled.

Then I took Xander’s hand and said, “Come to the kitchen, please?”

Walking through the throng of people who did nothing but stop and stare at us, and that, well, that got my blood boiling.

Snapping, I said, “He’s not a freak show. So quit fucking staring at him.”

And that was when I heard a dark rasp behind me, laced with humor, “They’re not staring at me, sugar. They're staring at your hand in mine,” And when he said that you could’ve heard a pin drop.

“Well, people need to learn some manners,” I huffed out as I continued pulling him into the kitchen.

Laughter from the brothers sounded behind us.

Then I looked at my Uncle Merlin, and said, “I may have forgotten to turn off my car.”

He chuckled, then he winked, nodded, and headed outside.