Page 48 of Tempting All The Way

“Uh, Xavier?” Shardonnay calls for my attention.

“Yeah?” I lower myself back down on the edge of her bed.

“Did I hit my head when I fainted?”

My eyes widen.Shit, does her head hurt?“I don’t know. Why? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t remember getting married.” She frowns.

“Oh, that… I may have told a little white lie to get them to let me in here,” I tell her. “You need to start adding my name as your next of kin, Shardonnay. You left it blank.

“I used to… I used to write my mum’s name there. But when they asked, I didn’t… I don’t have any family, Xavier,” she says so quietly.

“Yes, you do. You have me. You have Lucy, my parents. Who are all waiting out there to see you.”

She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes like her genuine smiles usually do. I don’t know how to make her see that she has me. That I want her to lean on me.

An hour later, I’m walking out of the ER with an arm wrapped around Shardonnay. My parents are in the waiting room still. “Oh, my dear, how are you feeling, Shar?” My mum rushes up to us.

“Ah, I’m okay. Thank you, Shirley,” Shardonnay answers.

“I’m glad. Do you need anything? You should come home with us. Let me take care of you until you get back on your feet,” Mum says.

“She’s fine, Mum. I’m taking her home.” My voice is harsher than I intended it to be. But fuck if I’m letting Shardonnay go home with my parents and not me.

“Shar, I’m glad you’re feeling better. If you need anything, you can always call us,” my dad says, pulling Mum back a step into his arms.

“Thank you, but really, I’m okay. They just overreacted at the office,” Shardonnay says.

“Right, because fainting is a perfectly normal thing people do every day,” I say, sarcasm dripping from each word.

“They do when they have to work for the devil,” Shardonnay fires back.

I smirk down at her, relieved she still has that fire that makes my cock so fucking hard. Clearing my throat, and my head of thoughts of my cock, I tug her closer to my side. “I should get her home. Thanks for coming down but you really didn’t have to.”

“Well, it’s not every day you get told you have a daughter-in-law in the ER. Especially when you didn’t even know you had a daughter-in-law in the first place,” my father says.

“Ah, yeah, they weren’t going to let me in, so I lied. Relax, we’re not actually married.” I roll my eyes.

“Oh, well, that’s a shame.” My mum sounds disappointed.

“Mum, we’ll see you for Sunday dinner.” I lean in and kiss her cheek before walking Shardonnay out. Nathan is waiting at the front of the building with my car. “Thank you,” I say, taking the keys off him.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I’m going to go mad. I’ve been holed up in Xavier’s penthouse all week. He’s been working from home, out of his home office. Not that I imagine he’s getting a lot done with the number of times he comes to check on me.

Today he had a court hearing he couldn’t reschedule. Which I’m thankful for. Because, frankly, I could use the peace. It’s odd being here without him though. I should just go back tomy apartment. I feel so out of place. I’m sitting in bed, flicking through Netflix, trying to find something to watch. I’m bored. I need to go back to work.

I hear the ping of the elevator doors opening. And frown. I could have sworn Xavier said he’d be a few hours. He’s only been out for thirty minutes. The housekeepers have been and gone this morning, which cleared up the mystery of how his place always magically cleaned itself every day.

Getting up out of bed, I pad down the hallway and am greeted by the smile of my best friend. “Lucy? What are you doing here?” I ask, wrapping my arms around her.

“I came to hang out. Figured it was about time we caught up on some girl talk. My brother’s been hogging you all bloody week.” She pouts.

“I’m sorry,” I apologise. I’ve been slacking in the friend department. Lucy and I usually catch up at least twice during the week and then again on weekends. I’ve been so lost in everything that is Xavier lately that I haven’t been putting in the effort I should.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s fine,” she says, walking in the opposite direction.

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