Page 118 of Five Summers

"No," I snap, my voice warning not to mess with me.

Without uttering a word, he nods and reaches for the bottle of Jack on the table before him. He takes a long swig, and I watch his throat as it moves while he swallows. His gaze remains fixed on me as he places the bottle back on the table and resumes strumming his guitar.

While we're sitting there, the door behind me swings open and the hostess shows up, looking like a mess. She looks like she’s just rolled out of bed as she hands me a cup of coffee. As I take it, her shirt catches my attention - one side of it is buttoned unevenly.

"Thank you," I say, feeling the warmth of the steaming cup of coffee in my hands.

“Can I get you anything else? Perhaps some chocolate cake?”

"No thank you," I say, before blowing gently on my hot coffee to cool it down.

"And how about you, Mr. Williams, is there anything I can get for you?" the attendant inquires, standing by the edge of the couch.

As I wait for Xander to answer, I keep my eyes fixed on my cup. When Xander doesn’t respond, I lift my eyes to see himwatching me with a smirk on his face, clearly amused. He always found it amusing when I blew on my coffee, thinking it would magically cool down.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he says grinning.

"Sir," the flight attendant says again, her voice slightly raised this time as if Xander is stopping her from her duties.

“No, now fuck off,” Xander replies. “Make the most of banging the band members, because this is your last shift on this fucking plane.”

Yep. There he is. The rude asshole who doesn't give two shits about what he says or how he says it.

The hostess's face goes red, and she quickly goes back through the door she came from.

“That was a little too harsh, don’t you think?” I comment, taking another sip of my coffee.

He puts down his guitar and grabs the bottle, then settles back on the couch. His intense gaze scans my body, and I have to stop myself from fidgeting or pulling down my shirt to hide my stomach. It’s no secret Xander’s been photographed with beautiful women. Last year, I saw the headlines of him with some model on a magazine cover. When I saw it, I went home and bawled my eyes out because, even though he dumped me, I still clung to the hope that he'd come back someday. But when I saw that picture, I realized it was a lost cause. He's a total celeb, living his dream life, while I'm just plain old me - someone he used to know. A nobody. Just a girl who lived two doors down.

“Why?” he remarks. "She's supposed to be here doing her job, not just a plaything for two band members."

“But isn’t that what you guys do? Or is it a problem because she’s not your plaything?” I interject.

With a faint smirk on his face, he watches me. “Just because you see it doesn’t make it true. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, Princess,” he adds, taking a gulp from the bottle.

There’s that name again, the one that sends goosebumps across my skin.

“Yeah, just like all those other girls you've been caught on camera with.”

He flashes me that sexy grin, and I realize my mistake. I’ve fucked up.

“Sounds like you’re jealous, Princess. Don’t stress, I’ll make sure there’s enough room for you to be my plaything.”

“Sorry, did I look interested? My bad.”

That smirk is back on his face, but this time it's even bigger. I try my best to shake off the intense rush of desire that sweeps through me.

I lean forward and put my empty coffee cup on the table. “Well, it’s been an interesting chat, I guess.” I stand up and make my way to my room, fully aware he's checking out my ass.

Chapter forty-seven

Xander

Fuck her and her smart mouth and those witty remarks. Since the moment she walked onto this plane, my dick’s been throbbing. I thought drowning myself in alcohol would numb these fucking feelings, but it hasn’t worked. I’ve already jacked off twice to get my dick to calm down, but now, as I watch her walk away, I’m getting aroused again. While many women desire me, it's amazing how just a few sassy words from her smart mouth can make my desire for her skyrocket. After all these years, how the fuck does she still hold so much power over me?

Ace walks through the door, smiles at Poppy, then comes over and flops down in the chair.

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