Page 149 of The Keeper

“Not really.”

“What does not really mean?”

Dredging up my past sexual encounters was definitely not on my to-do list. His whole body tensed like a panther ready to pounce on its prey.

I folded my arms. “What did you mean by not always when I asked you about being alone at Bennet’s parties?”

Realization dawned on him pretty quick. “Fair enough.”

“Truce?”

“Sure.”

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.” I knew I was playing with fire at this point. He was heated and my continuous needling at his discomfort probably wouldn’t end well.

The tip of his tongue slid along his lower lip. He dragged his eyes over me in a long, searing movement. All the telltale signs of his imminent switch to the untamed, dark lover I craved were falling into place.

“We’ll see how cute I am when we’re finished here.”

“Promise?”

We spent the next half hour going through boxes and bins in silence. A heady mix of anticipation, desire, and intrigue filled the space. I kept stealing glances in his direction. He caught me looking and smirked when he reached inside a bin. A cream-colored diary was in his hand when it reemerged.

“Is this it?”

I crawled over to him and took it. Flipping through the pages I noticed it wasn’t filled to the end. All the other journals I’d found so far were. My heart leapt in my throat.

“I think so,” I murmured. Nervous energy spread through my veins, shocking and burning all my nerve endings.

“Okay then,” Xavier said with an air finality. “Let’s clean this place up and go.”

Victoria

“Hot and fresh and ready to eat,” Xavier looked pointedly at me while carrying a pizza box to the kitchen. “And we have a snack.”

“Are you hungry?”

The slow, measured way he devoured every inch of me with his eyes made me tremble. “Not for pizza.”

We’d returned to my place an hour ago and ordered some food. Spending the entire day at the storage facility wasn’t exactly the plan, but at least I found what I was looking for.

“You clearly haven’t had good New York pizza. This is the best delivery in the city.”

Next thing I knew, I was in his arms, subjected to a classic Xavier molten stare.

“We have some unfinished business to attend to first,” he murmured.

Our mouths brushed together once, twice, and then joined in a hot, intense kiss. The kind of kiss that leads to hours of dirty, rough sex.

Good thing pizza tastes just as fantastic cold as it does hot.

“What business is that?” I asked in between kisses.

“Don’t be cute.”

“Right.” I giggled. “That’s your department.”

He swatted my behind in one swift, sharp slap. I shook it from side to side.

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