Page 19 of Stray Cat

“Okay, I guess itdoesn’thave anything to do with me.” Xav heard his words come out, grim and hard. “If you don’t want to deal with me anymore, Linds, then that’s fine. I’ll leave you alone.”

“I didn’t say that,” Lindsay answered swiftly.

“I can’t do this halfway.” Xav folded his arms, strengthening his resolve not to seize Lindsay and kiss her until they forgot about everything but their passion for each other. “Either let me in or shut me out. Completely.”

Lindsay’s lips parted. “Are you saying you want to break up with me?”

“How can we break up?” Xav demanded in exasperation. “We’re not together.”

A swallow moved in her throat. “No, I guess we’re not.”

Her answer hurt even more. Xav wasn’t certain what he wanted her to say, or whathewanted to say back. It was all a mess, and he couldn’t think anymore.

The snowcapped peaks in the background were beckoning. He longed to go to Mount Charleston and ski or snowboard until his thoughts untangled. He had season tickets for the lifts—he shouldn’t let them go to waste.

Xav’s first instinct was to ask Lindsay to come with him. They’d gone to the mountain together before, to relax in the lodge or throw snowballs at each other or simply look at the scenery in quiet contentment. Though Lindsay claimed she’d never been skiing before, she’d taken the runs with her natural cat grace, learning quickly.

Xav shut down the ache in his heart and gave her a terse nod. “All right then,” he made himself say. “I’ll see you, Linds.”

He turned on his heel and walked away. His footsteps crunched on gravel, loud in the sudden quiet.

Did Lindsay call after him? Beg him to stay? Yell at him for being an idiot?

Nope. He heard utter silence behind him.

When Xav reached the first houses of Shiftertown, he couldn’t resist turning back to gaze at Lindsay one last time. She really did look great in that sweater.

Only empty desert reached his eyes, along with bright blue sky, steep mountains in the distance, and wintry sunshine. Lindsay was gone, and Xav was alone.

* * *

Xav grabbedhis gear and headed for the slopes, hoping the biting cold and concentration needed to not fall on his ass would calm him down.

Mount Charleston was crowded on this sunny afternoon and the powder on the runs was good. The lines to the lifts were tedious, though once Xav was riding up through the trees, he relaxed a little.

Not enough, though. As Xav glided down the hill, his body recalling how to balance on his skis, he remembered the last time he’d brought Lindsay to the mountain, and what a great time they’d had. The best he’d ever experienced, in fact.

Lindsay could easily be mistaken for a human, if she wore a cowled sweater to hide her Collar and controlled her wilder side. That day, she’d been adorable in her pink padded jacket and matching knit hat, and smoking hot too.

After a few runs, they’d had a cozy dinner at the lodge, snuggling together in a booth, enjoying kisses with their champagne.

Xav had driven them home in the dark, Lindsay’s head on his shoulder. Their kiss goodnight outside her house had been memorable, with promises of heat to come.

Lindsay had parted from him reluctantly, giving him a wave from the porch before going in. Xav had driven away, burning up inside, because the hottest girl in Shiftertown still lived with her parents.

Xav snapped back to the present, plowing to a halt at the end of the hill before he ran into another skier who’d lingered on the trail. He shook himself and pushed away, removing his skis instead of joining the line at the lift again.

The winter sky was darkening, and he knew Diego would soon be taking Lindsay to meet with AC to begin the search for his brother.

“Shit,” Xav muttered.

He smiled tightly at a young woman whose gaze of admiration turned skeptical at his word and stomped past her toward the parking lot.

No cup of hot coffee in the warm lodge for him today. Xav stowed his gear in the SUV he’d switched to for mountain driving and headed down the road as fast as he dared, making straight for the offices of DX Security.

* * *

Diego insistedon driving Lindsay from Shiftertown to DX’s offices, and Lindsay acquiesced. In spite of her self-confidence about this mission, she didn’t trust AC at all and figured sticking close to Diego would be prudent.

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