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“Yeah,” Xander said. “No flight for me, sorry.”
“Ethan, could you call Topher and arrange what needs to be arranged, please?”
“Babe, I’m not going,” Xander said, watching her put ingredients in the pan.
She took the spoon out and put the lid on. “Yes, you are,” she said, sidling close, raising her fingertips to his jaw. “I’ll still be here waiting for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay,” he said, sweeping her hair from her face as his other arm encircled her again. “I’ll go. On one condition.”
“What condition?” Ethan asked.
“Not from you,” Xander said, shuffling them closer to the phone. “Set it up.”
He reached over to disconnect the line.
“What condition?”
“Stay the night with me.”
That set off her alarms, and she tried to back off, but he tightened his embrace. “Xander,” she whimpered.
“No, I’m not asking you to have sex with me. We slept together when we were just friends before.”
“When I thought you were gay.”
“I’ll keep my hands to myself, promise.”
“And your mouth? And your penis?”
“Unless you ask really, really nicely, yeah.”
“I’ll stay the night,” she said, settling against him, surrendering to his hold. “So long as you promise to do your job right. Get the deal or walk away, whatever you decide, but you’re there for as long as it takes… You can’t hurry or cut things short just to get back to your friend.”
“You call the shots,” he said, licking his lips as he admired hers. “Tell me how to spoil you. I want to make you so happy.”
“Spoil me with the truth,” she said. “And if I’m staying, pour me some wine.”
“You got it, babe.”
The food had to be her focus. The man in the background dealing with drinks was her friend. Only her friend. And in the morning, he’d jet halfway across the globe. That would be the real test of their friendship, of their feelings, of what would come next.
24
“This is a bad idea,” she said.
Xander was standing at the end of the bed, stripping down to his underwear. When they’d slept together before, the underwear stayed in place.
Yet, he asked, “Should I take them off?”
“No!” she exclaimed, propping herself on her elbows in the middle of his bed. “Please don’t make this hard, Xan.”
“You always take care of that, baby,” he said, diving on top of her, catching his weight on his straight arms.
Lying down, she kept her hands on his biceps. “Don’t flirt with me when we’re in bed.”
He kissed her forehead then vaulted to his own side. “I like you talking as though this will happen a lot.”
“This will not happen a lot,” she said. Tucking her hands under the pillow, she rolled to her side to face him. “How often do you go to Australia?”
