Page 77 of The Grump

“I’ve met the parents a few times but never had the pleasure of meeting the sister. The good thing is that they won’t be harming anyone again anytime soon.”

“No, they won’t. No one’s heard from them in months,” Thomas said. Then he looked at me apologetically. “Sorry for interrupting your evening with unpleasant talk. Enjoy the party. I’ll see you around.”

After he left, I looked at Xander inquisitively. “What was that exactly?”

He schooled his features. “Georgie actually dated Kyle way before Julian, and he was being very uncivil toward her. He was even badmouthing her to clients. I helped my brother remove him from her life. Then again, Kyle and Beau made it easy for us. They stole money from a lot of businesspeople in the city. Long story, but it’s over now.”

“So, you stepped in to save your family, huh?” I teased.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation.

Oh, this man.“I like that you can be ruthless for a good cause.”

Xander jerked his head back. “I don’t believe anyone has ever said that before.”

“It’s true. If you think something will benefit your family, you don’t have any qualms, do you?”

“That’s right. Family first, always.”

And I melted. That kind of loyalty was hard to find nowadays.

“See, ruthless for a good cause. And sometimes just ruthless.”

He frowned. “Hey, what do you mean? What do you base that on?”

“The fact that one, you’re very Grinch-y when it comes to Christmas.” I started counting on my fingers. “Two, you don’t like sweets. There is something seriously wrong with that. My mom has a saying that you can eat dessert even when you don’t have any more space left because dessert goes directly into the heart.” I put a hand on his chest.

“And third?”

“Hmm. I forgot.”

Xander tilted closer, and I heard a low growl reverberate in his chest. I felt it under my palm too. “Keep talking like that and I’ll throw you over my shoulder, take you out of here, and then we can go through all of those points again. Alone.”

“What difference would that make?” I asked, then realized what he meant a second later. “Oh, you think you can convince me otherwise with sexy times? Hmmm... that’s not really how it works. I mean, you do get major kudos for your prowess in bed. But it doesn’t negate my points.”

I felt another growl beneath my palm. Damn, I was enjoying this. I couldn’t believe I was riling him up so easily. It was fun, and I wondered how far I could push it.

But I didn’t get a chance to find out because we were interrupted by yet another person who was amazed that Xander was here and needed to talk to him.

The same episode repeated a few more times, which made me realize that word was traveling around.

I would’ve expected my Grinch-y guy to make excuses, but I was surprised by his social skills. Although he disliked such events, he made small talk with everyone before proceeding to more detailed business questions. I couldn’t get over how proudly he presented me as his date every time.

As the evening went by, I started to sit down more. I chose the couch closest to the Christmas tree so I could admire all the ornaments.

“Are you feeling okay?” Xander asked, and I startled because I hadn’t realized he’d taken a seat next to me. He’d been across the room when I checked a few minutes ago.

“Just a bit tired.”

“Want us to call it a night?”

“Did you finish your conversation with that finance guy?”

“Bailey, I came here for you. If you’re ready to go, then we’ll leave.”

How could he say things like that? “Well, I’ve had my fill of cake.”

“How many slices did you end up having?” he asked with a grin.

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