Page 172 of The Keeper

“No.”

“Honest?” I blinked up at him.

Xavier’s dimple appeared. “Honest. She ended up with the striker.”

“Oh.” I chewed on my lip. “So why did he say—”

“Because he’s an entitled piece of shit who stirs up trouble.” Xavier’s voice rose in frustration. “Everything he told you is a half-truth wrapped in a lie. Yes, my so-called girlfriend at the time shagged him. No, I did not almost break his jaw. I wanted to, trust me. But I did give him a bloody nose because he was forcing himself on your sister’s friend Millie.”

Stunned silence hung in the air, thick and heavy. I started to say something and stopped. Xavier swore under his breath and clasped his hands behind his head.

“Millie,” I repeated. “You two were close?”

Xavier folded and unfolded his arms, put his hands in his pockets, took them out, and finally settled on fidgeting with the cufflinks again.

“We were good friends all through school. And we dated on and off. After what happened with Jordan, I felt an obligation to protect her. She was really shaken by it.”

I nodded and asked, “Did she ever talk about Charlotte with you?”

“She only mentioned she had an American friend who used to visit in the summer. That’s all I knew.” He reached for my hand and placed it over his heart. “Honest.”

Exhaustion draped itself over me. A heavy, three-week-pound weight hung from my shoulders. And now I don’t want to play the honesty game anymore. I don’t want to ask questions. I don’t want any more answers.

But I need answers.

“Did you even miss me?” I asked, keenly aware I was poking a hornet’s nest.

Xavier staggered backward like I’d sucker punched him. Real pain twisted through his handsome features.

“Did I miss you?” The question sounded incredulous coming out of his mouth.

“Did I miss you?” he repeated it, tasting the bitterness of the words on his tongue.

I shrank away from him slightly when he approached. Not out of fear. Hell, no. I shrank away out of embarrassment. How selfish was I to think I was the only one who suffered through this?

My lip trembled when he brushed his thumb over it. Goosebumps erupted on my skin as he trailed his finger down my neck to the ring hanging there.

“Did I miss you,” he said softly, sliding the ring onto his thumb and dragging it up my neck to my mouth. The cool metal pressed into my lips. “I thought of nothing but you. The sound of your laugh, the radiance of your smile, your boldness, your compassion, your playfulness…” He faltered. “My God, Victoria, not a day passed when I didn’t miss you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here?”

He removed the ring from his thumb so he could pull me close again. “I was sworn to secrecy.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and slid my hands under his shirt. “Bennet?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Killian.” He grinned.

“Killian?” I repeated, shocked. “When did my best friend become a double agent?”

The sound of Xavier’s deep, throaty laugh lifted the mood in an instant.

“When I texted him at halftime and told him I was flying here after the match.” He rested his forehead to mine. “He told me all about this last minute fundraiser he’d been invited to. So, we thought it would be a good idea to get you out here so I could see you. Actually, Max was in on it as well. We had a three-way text group going on.”

“A three-way. Sexy,” I teased.

He smiled, reaching for my face and slanting his head. I anticipated his kiss, anticipated the feel of his mouth and breath and tongue.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

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