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He tried his best to look innocent. “Give what again?”
“My panties,” she hissed, even though most of the people around them were a few streets over and didn’t speak English often enough to possibly understand what she was saying. “I think I’m going to need them, don’t you?”
Xavier smirked, those damn delicious dimples of his catching the moonlight and leaving her weak in the knees. “Well, I think it’s best if I hold on to such a delicate treasure till we get back to the hotel, don’t you?”
“You wouldn’t!” she squealed, shoving her jacket back on.
“Oh, trust me. I would.”
Chapter Six
His cell phone trilled at six a.m. sharp. Xavier rolled his eyes and slid out of bed. Before he escaped to the living room of his presidential suite, he glanced down at his angel. Once they’d gotten home and the adrenaline had worn off, she’d crashed in his bed. After that, he’d held her close to him, and was hardly able to nod off at all. He’d almost lost her tonight.
Yes, he’d had tons of self-defense and other training, things he’d taken an interest in at college and as a health nut, but the situation could have gone very wrong. Could have ended with her stabbed and bleeding out or something worse.
Breathing in deeply, he forced those bad memories away and slid out to the living area, making sure the door was shut tightly behind him.
Things didn’t go badly. They went amazing, and you have Jules with you. Don’t think about what could have happened, just focus on what did.
He tried to force himself to focus. If he was scattered at all or acted off, Javier would know, and then he’d get a lecture about being a bit too sloppy with the help. Dear God, his brother meant well, but sometimes it would be nice if Javier remembered who the older brother was. Well-meaning was one thing, but officious and cloying were quite another.
She’s safe, and you know it.
“Yeah,” he answered himself out loud. “But the next guy who tries to harm her will be eating through a straw for the rest of his life.” Taking one last, calming breath, he answered his cell. “Javi, what’s going on back in the States? Did you know it was early here? Do you ever stop to relax? It’s Friday.” He blinked, trying to clear the bleariness from his eyes. “Actually, it’s Saturday, even more reason to rest and enjoy life.”
“I got some of the preliminary figures to crunch from the union’s offers. I’ve been creating the counter-proposal all day for you to go in with on Monday, and I’ll be through with it tonight. I just wanted to keep you abreast.”
He grinned, even though his brother couldn’t see it. Javier could be relentless, but he was excellent at his job, and no one on Earth loved the company more than Javi, not even their father had. Maybe I could just retire. And what? Follow his dreams to be a horse trainer? Dreams were for children, and those particular ones would get him laughed out of the family, at least if Javi heard them. Still, it was nice to know his brother and the CFO of Catalan Food Industries had his back.
“Thank you. I do appreciate it.”
“There weren’t negotiations yesterday. I know that some of the union leaders had to regroup too. What did you do?”
He narrowed his eyes at the phone. If Javier thought he was being discreet or had avoided a leading question, then his brother was dead wrong. King of espionage, Javi was not. “I went to some services at the Sagrada Família and enjoyed the Park Güell for old times’ sake.”
“Was that all?” his brother asked, his tone too eager.
“Do you have spies on me, brother?”
“No, but I know you and I know your weakness for curvy redheads. Swear it to me right now, Xav. Just say that you haven’t been with Miss Gaines yet, and I’ll believe you.”
“I haven’t slept with Jul…oh damn it, you know I suck at lying to you.”
“Your voice always goes down an octave when you lie, as if having some deep Superman baritone voice is going to fool me.” Javi sighed on the other end. “Do you think it’s wise to have a fling with your valet?”
“It’s not a fling.” Xavier blinked, surprising himself with these words. Yes, he had wanted to see where things went both in Spain and beyond, but it was the first time he’d admitted how deeply his desires went, even to himself. “I…what I meant to say was, well, there’s something between us, Javi. Something that I haven’t felt since Tina.”
“You know how that ended, brother.”
“With a big PR nightmare, a broken heart, and her trying to blackmail me.”
“And that’s why I’m worried,” Javi replied. “You’ve had a raw deal before, had things go apocalyptically wrong for you. I don’t want that to happen again. It was scary seeing my brother like that, like all the life and vitality was just drained from you for over a year. Just…how well do you even know Juliet Gaines?”
“I know her,” he snapped.
“I don’t mean in the biblical sense.”
Xavier groaned. “I didn’t either. I trust her, Javi, and I know you’re just trying to look out for me, but it’s my job to look after you. So, please, brother, I’m not the man I was five years ago. I trust Jules, and if I can do that, then you can trust me not to be making a huge mistake.”
