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“Your heart,” I spat. “Please. Spare me the platitudes. When push comes to shove, we come last after all the rest of that.”
“Careful, babe. That sounds awfully bitter.”
“Maybe that’s because I am,” I said, unable to stop the tears from choking my throat. “If there’s one thing I learned this summer, it’s that I’m not worth any of this insanity. I’m average, completely mediocre, the opposite of special. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to make such a damn fuss.”
It wasn’t until I actually said it that I realized why it all hurt so much. Deep down, I’d always thought that maybe that was the case. Maybe that was why my mother had left us, why our father had loved alcohol more than his kids. Maybe that was why Matthew had left for Boston or no one besides very few men had ever really been interested in me.
Xavier had made me believe otherwise. He’d given me hope.
Until he’d ripped it all away and proven my worst fears to be true.
I was worthless. Or, at the very least, not worth hisreallove.
“You’re wrong,” Xavier said, his voice hoarse. “You’re so, so wrong. You’re worth everything, Francesca.”
And then, before I could stop him, he crossed the room and kissed me.
Warmth. The solid, warm tower of him cornered me against the glass, hands cradling my face like I was more precious than gold while his lips found mine, caressing, nipping, sucking, licking until finally I opened to him and let him feast as fully as he liked.
Oh, it felt good.Hefelt good. Tastedso, sogood. I couldn’t deny that this was what I’d been craving for months, years, really. The way he encircled me completely, blocked out the rest of the world and made me feel like I really was the center of his universe the way he proclaimed.
But I wasn’t. He’d already shown me who he was, and I was determined to take Maya Angelou’s advice and believe him the first time.
“Stop it!” I protested against that delicious mouth, though I wasn’t sure if I was talking to him or to myself. “Stop—I can’t think when you do that.”
“When I do what?” Xavier asked with a sly grin against my cheek. “This?”
He kissed me again, and it almost worked. I sank into it a little more and moaned at the feel of his hands when they reached down to take a firm grip of my backside. But then I got a hold of myself.
“Yes!” I said as I placed two hands on his chest and shoved him away. “Xavi, I told you, we areover.”
“You keep saying that, babe, but that kiss told me otherwise.” He shook his head. “Not really sure I believe you now.”
“Well,believeit!” I yelped, scampering out from under his arms and across the room into the kitchen.
“Believe what?”
We both turned to find Kate now entering the apartment.
“Bloodygreat,” Xavier murmured, though he did nothing to hide his swollen lips or the remnants of my lip gloss on his cheek.
“Why doesn’t he just stay here?” Kate asked as she looked around the empty apartment.
Xavier smiled. I just gawked. What in the freaking hell was my sister doing?
“Katie…” I started.
She just continued inside like I hadn’t said anything. “Pete’s gone. Xavier can have his place.Ifhe’s willing to stay, like he said. If not, maybe install a bodyguard when he’s out of town again—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Xavier interrupted. “She won’t need another fucking man living with her.”
“Oh, yes, you are,” I snapped back. “Did your family drama just evaporate when I got pregnant? Are your restaurants failing? I didn’t think so.”
“It’ll hold,” Xavier said evenly. “It’ll all hold.”
“Since when?” I asked. “Since when did the great dukedom of Kendal ever just ‘hold’ for the rest of your life? I haven’t seen it happen yet.”
“Since my uncle is no longer on death’s bloody door, Francesca!” His voice cracked with strain, but once again, he closed his eyes immediately and took several deep breaths.
