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“Hey, what’s up Xavier?”
“Stella!” His deep voice is rich with excitement. “I’ve been calling you for ages! Lily Rose is here.”
“No freaking way! I squeal. “Are you serious?” I can’t believe my friend has just had her baby.
“Would I joke about this? I mean it, get your ass over here!”
“Oh my God! How? When? Congratulations! Shit, Xavier, you’re a dad!”
“I know, right? It’s the best fucking feeling in the world. Lily Rose is beyond beautiful, Stella. I cannot believe how fucking perfect she is. It blows my mind. And Brooke… Brooke is so amazing.”
A smile splits my face. Yeah, Xavier gets so sappy when he’s overwhelmed with love. I’ve seen it so many times with my friend, and now I know it’ll be worse with his baby girl. “I can’t wait to meet her. Is Brooke doing okay?” I ask.
“She’s a little exhausted but couldn’t be happier. I’m so fucking proud of how strong she is. Come over, she’ll want to see you. Some of our folks are already here.”
“We’ll—I’ll be there soon.” I quickly amend, not wanting Xavier to know his best friend is with me.
Most likely it was Xavier’s call that interrupted us. Talk about being saved by the bell. I might have had my face stuffed with Ryan right now.
I change into jeans and a T-shirt and give a quick fluff to my now almost dry hair. I put on a fresh coat of lip gloss, dabbing an extra coat on the raw area where I must have bit myself not too long ago.
I hesitate as my hand rests on the doorknob and I listen. Ryan is talking and laughing. Judging by the excitement in his tone, I know he’s likely getting the same news from Xavier.
I pull open the door just as Ryan is getting off the phone and I brace myself for awkwardness as he turns to me. My eyes focus on a spot just above his shoulder, but I can still see his blinding smile. This time it’s a real one.
He’s back to playful bubbly Ryan. I wonder where he stashed the cold dominant lover I caught a glimpse of just now.
“Did you hear about Lily Rose?” He approaches me, and I tense.
“Yes, Xavier just called me. You need to leave. Go see your friend and the baby.”
“Of course, we’re both going there. Are you all set to leave then?” He eyes my outfit and then puts a hand on my elbow to urge me toward the door, but I snatch my arm from him.
“We can’t go together. I don’t want anyone getting ideas of something happening between us.”
“Giving you a lift is hardly a relationship, darling. And everyone will be so taken with Lily Rose that they’ll have no time to wonder why we showed up together.”
He has a point. I let him lead me to a sleek white Bugatti, which looks so out of place in my neighborhood that it might have been painted in gold.
“Wow. Are you trying to get me burgled? Don’t you have a regular car you could have brought here?”
“This is my regular car, darling. I’ll bring the motorbike instead next time. Or we could bump up your security. Actually, we should sort out your security anyway.”
“Um, let me stop you there, Ryan. First, don’t call me darling. Just because that happened doesn’t mean you get to call me pet names...”
“I call you darling all the time.”
“Well, now’s a good time to stop. And there’s no ‘we,’ okay? And you shouldn’t come around here again.”
“Okay.” Ryan nods, a serious expression that I’m not sure I can trust on his face. He opens the passenger door and cocks his head, motioning for me to get in.
The moment he shuts my door I smell him. Leather, pine and musk. The interior is finished with luxurious hand-stitched black leather and black chrome accents. They contrast with the almost snowy white exterior.
Hell. This car packs its own share of sex appeal even without its owner inside.
“Don’t be an idiot, Stella,” I mutter. But it’s unbelievable. How in twenty-six years, this is the first time I’m getting into a man’s car?
Sure, I’ve been friends with and dated men who owned cars. I just never got in their cars or let them take me anywhere.
