Page 30 of Lassoed Love

As we reach my front door, I turn to him.This is so awkward. Fuck, fuck.

Xavier’s facial expression softens slightly, and he breaks the awkward silence. “I’m sorry about what happened back at the pub. Those men are just a bunch of fuckwits who clearly can’t handletheir liquor. You shouldn’t have to deal with that bullshit.”

I shift awkwardly on the spot. “Thanks, but an apology is not necessary. It won’t fix what’s been said now, will it?”

“No, it won’t. But it shouldn’t happen again. I made sure of it.”

“Well, thanks, I guess… and for walking me up,” I say, looking straight into his eyes as he looks down at me. “I’m sorry for my outburst earlier. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Apology not necessary,” he mimics my earlier statement. I roll my eyes, shaking my head as I put the key into the lock, opening my door.

Xavier reaches out, gently touching my arm. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. We all have our moments. You stood up for yourself, and that’s important.” His kindness catches me off guard, and I can’t help but wish he was still the grumpy guy I first met. At least then I’d have a reason not to like him.

His brow furrows slightly, and he opens his mouth as if to speak, but then he hesitates, his expression shifting to one of uncertainty. After a moment, he clears his throat and takes a half step back, as if reconsidering.

“Right, well, goodnight,” he drawls, nodding and walking backward towards the stairs. He lingers for a moment, as if unsure, before turning to leave. Now standing inside my doorway, I’m left pondering his actions. Why did he hesitate? Why did he linger? Why do I feel the need to turn back around and look at him one more time? I don’t know, but I do.

I turn back around, just in time to catch Xavier going througha similar internal struggle. Our eyes meet again, and there’s a moment of silent communication between us. The intensity in his gaze builds, until finally, he mutters, “Fuck it.”

In one… two… three long strides, he storms over to me. Before I have a moment to realise what’s happening, he is towering over me, gripping my face with both hands, slamming his mouth to mine.

Fuck. Fuck me.

The kiss is explosive, a sudden surge of heat coursing through my body.

It’s as if a dormant spark has ignited into a fiery inferno, leaving me breathless and wanting more. A whimper echoes in the air, filling the silence. I realise, with dread, that it’smine.

His hands drop from my face, sliding down over my sides, around to grip my backside. Two strong hands grip onto my ass, lifting me, pushing me up against his solid chest. He deepens the kiss, and I part my lips hesitantly, allowing his wet tongue to clash against mine, a deep, low growl escaping his throat, causing me to shudder.

He tastes of mint, beer, and pure temptation. My hands slide up his large arms, wide shoulders, hooking them both behind his neck. In doing so, I can’t help myself but pull at the curly strands of hair that rest at his nape.

Our bodies still pressed tightly against each other, the world outside this moment fading away. His hard grip on my ass cheeks keeps me in place as he continues to stroke my tongue with his. Savage and unrelenting. That’s the only way to describe it.

He bites down on my bottom lip, and I gasp. Swirling his tongueover the now sensitive spot, my tongue curls around his. I am desperately trying to convince myself that this is wrong. But this feels far from being wrong—I’ve never found myself trapped in such a daze of sudden pleasure.I don’t think I have ever been this aroused. I don’t want this to stop.How far am I willing to let this go?

Xavier lingers for a moment before he slides his tongue out of my mouth, gently biting my bottom lip again, this time with a softer pressure—teasing almost—that sends flutters straight down to my pussy, making me clench.

His hands, strong and demanding, squeeze my ass once more, as he lifts and pushes me up against his bulking frame, his now rock hard and very prominent bulge, rubbing against me. Well fuck.

Hands still gripping me, he breaks the kiss abruptly, and I feel his hot breath on my face. In a deep yet soft tone, he says, “Goodnight, Isla.” With that, he turns, sauntering down the stairs toward the entrance door and back out into the night, to his ute.

Dumbfounded, shocked, breathless—W-what the fuck just happened?

With shaky hands, I grab onto the door handle and close it as I step back inside my apartment, using the door to support my now-wobbly legs. I lean against it, replaying the kiss in my mind—Xavier’s face, theintensityin his eyes, thewarmthof his touch—leaving me with a curious mix of exhilaration and confusion.

I can still taste him on my lips, minty and something else that is just… entirely him.

A sense of disbelief washes over me. I can’t believe Xavier Mitchell,the same guy who lingered in my mind all those years ago during high school, the one guy I’d never expected to get to know, just kissed me—swappedsalivawith me.

Fuck me, the man can kiss.

What does this mean? Did that kiss mean anything to him, or was it just a momentary lapse? My mind races with questions, and as I stand there, still feeling the warmth of his touch, I can’t deny the tingling, unsettling excitement that’s settled in my stomach.

I am well and truly fucked.

As I walk away to my car, leaving Isla behind, a whirlwind of thoughts consumes me. What the fuck just happened back there? If I hadn’t stopped that kiss, I would have fucked her right then and there, on her doorstep. Fuck, I don’t even want to consider what could have happened. I just knew I had to stop it before things escalated. Would she have let me? Fuck. I think about Isla, how she had willingly kissed me back, eagerly even, as if she was as desperate for it as I was. How did things take a turn so quickly? Jesus.Fuck.

I can’t shake the image of her standing there, looking at me withthose eyes, those lips. It’s like something inside me just snapped, and all I could think about was kissing her. But now, as I walk away, the reality of what almost happened hits me like a ton of bricks.

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