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He took a step toward her, and her eyes shot up at him. They were red-rimmed, and pure anguish filled her face. She was seconds away from exploding.
Choose your words wisely. She will erupt if you don’t.
He could hear another set of footsteps behind him and knew it was Harper. She more than likely had heard Lexi scream just as he had. She would at least help get Lexi calm.
She stopped a few feet from him. Lexi’s eyes flickered toward her and then back to him. He walked toward her.
“Do not touch me,” she snapped, tightening her hold on the dress. “And do not tell me to calm down either. I will not calm down.”
He waved a hand toward the dress, holding a calm expression. “I won’t do either. But hand the dress over.”
“You cannot fix this,” she growled a bit behind her words. “It is ruined. There is no salvation to this. Someone took my dress and ripped it to shreds.”
“Lexi ...” He hated to see the look on her face. He could tell it hurt her deeply.
“Do notLexime!” she yelled. More tears burst free. “This is a direct attack against me.”
She inhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring.
“Why would anyone come into our bedroom anyway? Do you not have enough security to watch after the things that I hold important?”
It was a bite at him, and he flinched. He knew she didn’t mean it, and she said it in anger. But it still hurt.
“Lexi, he’s not the one who ruined your dress,” Harper whispered to her. “Don’t take it out on him. He’s trying to help.”
Lexi’s gaze softened, and she looked back at the dress. He watched as she ran her finger down the bodice, and more tears broke free.
He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. It was hard. He hated to see her so torn up. The dress meant a lot to her.
“Lexi.” He reached out, gently taking the dress. “Darling, it’s ruined. As you said, it’s no longer your dress. Please let go.”
She struggled for a moment, but her fingers released it. He slipped the dress free, turned toward Harper, and handed it to her.
“Harper, can you please call the dressmaker for me and let her know what happened? She will know what to do.”
Harper nodded, turning with the dress. He watched fabric fall as she walked, gems scattering on the floor in her wake. The door shut behind her.
He turned back to Lexi, who was rolling a few stones in her hand. She sniffled as she sat on the floor and pulled her knees close to her body. It twisted his gut to see her like that.
“Darling …” he spoke softly, wanting to wrap her in his arms.
She looked up at him, shaking her head. “You can’t make this better, Xander. I don’t have a dress now.”
He walked back to her and pulled her off the floor and into his arms. He cradled her as he seated himself on the bed and kissed the top of her head.
“Darling, it’s going to be okay. I was prepared for this. I had the dressmaker make two of your dresses.”
Lexi leaned back, looking at him with pure shock. “You what?”
He gave her a smile. “I had two of the same dress made.”
She shook her head, pushing herself free. She stood and glared at him. “Why would you do that?”
He waved his hand at the mess. “For this reason.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You knew this would happen? If you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you prevent it?”
Knewwas a strong word. He hoped this wouldn’t happen, but he knew there was a possibility. He also knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.
