Page 61 of Recon Rendezvous

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do when my girlfriend leaves without a word and I have to hunt her down across the country.”

She snorts, finally meeting my eyes. “Oh, really,boyfriend?” She goes to move away, and I stop her.

“Alright, babycakes. You ran, I followed. You’ve got me here. What are you going to do with me?”

Narrowing her eyes, she gives another onceover. “You crashed our party, so you’ll get what you get.” That fucking mouth is all sass, and my dick thickens as thoughts of all the ways to fill it, keep it busy, spring to mind.

“But you’re right.” She raises her voice. “Let’s go, guys. Let me introduce you to my city.”

Without waiting for a response, she struts through the restaurant, head held high, and my eyes aren’t the only ones that trail her hungrily.

“Xander?” A voice calls from my left and I practically have to tear my eyes from London’s swaying hips.

Glancing over I'm face to face with Zuri, London’s best friend. I've heard good things about her but from the look on her face she's heard less favorable things about me. Tall. Model thin. Her serious face is framed by bleached blonde hair trimmed into a short buzz cut, a nice contrast to her dark skin.

Flashing her my most charming smile, I say, “You must be the infamous Zuri. It's so nice to meet you finally.”

“Infamous? I like the sound of that. But you are correct, I am she and she is me. That little exchange between you two, I’m here for it. From what I've seen so far you get under her skin, shake her up a little bit, she needs that. Keep it up, but remember, I have my eyes on you.”

An ally? I’m grabbing on to this with both hands.

“Well,” I extend my elbow to her, “walk and talk with me before the future Mrs. Grant bites my head off. She said you had plans tonight?” She takes my arm, allowing me to lead her toward the door everyone else has exited through.

Joining our group in front of the restaurant, everyone is speaking excitedly to each other, but then there’s London. Standing off to the side a bit, just watching the chaos ensue, her expression blank. Her sudden change in demeanor makes me wonder why she isn’t enjoying the moment. Maybe being back here carries a heavier weight for her than I realized.

I can't help but remember the anguish in her words as she cried in my arms or even as she smashed her bat into everything within sight, impressively sending objects flying as she cursed her life with the douche that shall remain nameless. I wonder how much Zuri knows. Was she there for her to talk to, to confide in, to allow for some of that stress to be taken away from her shoulders and let her just be?

Glancing over to Zuri, she meets my gaze. “How is she?” I ask, nodding toward London as she waits at the curb.

“So far, so good,” Zuri whispers. “We haven't gotten to the real reason she's here, but I think she's struggling. With what? I’m not sure. For the next few days, tonight even, I think she just needs to let off some steam. But she'll talk when she's ready. I think she thought she needed to talk to me, but the fact that you’re here makes me think that maybe she should talk to you.”

Smiling softly, a surge of protectiveness hits me in the chest as I continue to watch her. “I'd love for her to confide in me, to see me as more than just an outrageously rich and handsome fuckboy,” I joke, knowing that’s how she’s probably described me. “We'll get there. I’m working hard to prove to her who I really am but for right now, I just want her to have fun. I want her to learn to just live in the moment.”

Zuri laughs. “Now I see what she was talking about, but I like you. We're on the same team, but…” She stops and I follow suit as she turns to face me, head on, eye to eye. “If you hurt her, I will cut off your balls, put them in a brownie, and send it to your mother.”

“Shit, thank god my mom doesn’t eat brownies,” I mutter, my hands moving down to protect said balls. “But you had nothing to worry about before that weirdly specific threat, and you damn sure have nothing to worry about now. I’d never hurt her.” I quirk a brow. “Well, not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Hey, everyone,” London calls out, as we all gather around her to figure out transportation to the next spot.

Drew saddles up to Zuri, pulling her attention away from me just as London speaks. “Okay, party crashers. We had plans to hit up a bar for a few drinks. Are you guys in?”

“Absolutely,” Ty chimes in. “We go wherever you go.”

“Obviously.” London laughs. “Well, we have this Sprinter van. We should all be able to fit in it. What do you think?”

“Actually,” I call out, “I decided to go a little bigger.”

Pulling out my phone, I shoot off a text. “With a group this size, we need additional space and a few more dark corners. We may not be here for a long time, but we’re damn sure here for a good time.”

The silver tour bus pulls up as I turn to the group. “Ms. London, your chariot awaits.” I give her a little bow.

Everyone hoots and hollers as we board, and London gives the bus driver our destination, and sends a text to the other driver to follow us.

The music fires up and the strobe lights shine as we pull away from the curb. The dancing doesn’t start immediately, surprisingly. The couples are coupling in those dark corners and Mia, Drew, and Zuri are huddled together in discussion.

Closing the space between me and London on the seat, I turn, staring at London’s profile.

“Anything you want to say to me?”

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