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“It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”
“It matters,” she said, stroking his stubble. “Please tell me.”
“We walked away.”
“You—”
“Don’t give me shit for it. My gut told me it wasn’t right. Not then, not in that moment. If they want it bad enough, they’ll figure out a way to bring us back to the table.”
“If you still want it, you should’ve stayed.”
He grabbed the binder and his jacket from the end of the bed. After fishing a pen from the inside pocket, he unzipped the binder and gave her the pen.
“I want this more,” he said, putting the binder on her lap on a specific page. “Will you sign this?” What was he up to? What did he want her to sign? She didn’t have to ask. “You trust me?”
“Yes.”
He smiled and nodded at the pages. “Then sign.”
Hmm, okay, it wasn’t fair that he distracted her with such an amazing kiss and then asked her to be smart and sensible. One signature wasn’t enough. He pointed to another page and then another, asking her to initial some places too.
“What is this?”
“I’ll tell you later,” he said, zipping up the binder to toss it onto the floor. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” she said as he took the pen to put it aside too. “Nobody died.”
“I know,” he said, sliding down the bed, gathering her into his arms. “That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a tough few days.”
With her face buried against his chest, his arms so tight around her, she felt safer than she ever had. She’d dreamed of having him there, having his comfort, and without asking, he delivered. If she hadn’t been sure before, though she probably had, then there was no denying her love for him in that all-encompassing embrace.
It wasn’t the money, the flash, the luxury, it was the man. Just like Roxie said. Xander was worth more to her than anything else, he was all the luxury she needed.
“Was Lance mad?”
“No,” he said, his fingers combing down the length of her hair at her back, his breath warm on her head.
“Was Ethan?”
“No one was mad.”
“They must think I’m a ridiculous, pathetic—”
“No one thinks that,” he murmured, still finger-combing. “You didn’t ask me to come back. You didn’t need me. I needed to be here. I wanted to be here… with you.”
“Roxie offered me that job. She said I could stay here too.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
What she wanted to do? In that exact second, there was only one certainty. Pressuring her folded arms against his chest, she put enough space between them to meet his eye. From a content smile, his expression became confused.
She wasn’t confused. Not even a little.
Wriggling higher, she caught his mouth with hers again. Life was too short to pass up chances like Xander Gauge. She wanted a love that was easy, one that gave her freedom to be herself, and didn’t come with drama. Whatever drama might be in her life, whatever craziness they lived with, what they had was uncomplicated.
Pushing him onto his back, she climbed up onto him, leaving just enough space between them to unfasten the buttons of his shirt.
Sweeping her hair from her cheeks with both hands, he held it at the side of her head, using the hold to break their kiss.
