Page 26 of Chasing Xander
She nodded. “I didn’t want to come here in the first place, and now I have a good excuse to leave.” She chuckled. “But you stay. Really. It’s fine.”
Kylie couldn’t contain her smile. She hugged Celeste. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”
Celeste stepped up to Xander and poked him in the chest. “You best make sure she gets home safely, and don’t you dare let anything happen to her.”
“Don’t worry, she’s safe with me.” He glanced over at Kylie. “I have no intention of letting her out of my sight.”
His words sent a thrill up her spine.
“I’ll see you later.” Celeste’s gaze bounced between them, and then she left with Finn.
“She’s kinda scary,” Xander whispered conspiratorially.
Kylie playfully elbowed him, and he chuckled. He led her up to his room. She had no idea what she expected a frat bedroom to look like, but she wasn’t expecting it to be so clean and orderly. Everything had a place, the bed was made, and even the floor was free of dirt and clutter.
“Here.” He held out a towel to her.
“Thanks.” She wiped her face and arms first.
“I’m really sorry about those guys.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Brad gave them one thing to do tonight—find wallflowers and prank them.”
“Yeah, there really should be some sort of warning on your party flyers.”
“In our defense, we’re kind of known for that prank. It’s our thing. Almost everyone who parties here knows that.”
She glared at him.
“I’m sorry.” He frowned.
She sighed. “No, it’s okay. I mean, I’m not happy I’m standing in some strange guy’s bedroom soaking wet, but I have to admit, that prank is kind of funny.”
“So, I’m just some strange guy now?” He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms with cool confidence. Sex appeal radiated off him. “And here I thought we were getting to know each other.”
“We were.” She nodded and ran the towel over her hair. “But then you ignored me all week, so we’re back to stranger status.”
“Is that so?” He smiled but didn’t offer any explanation as to why he hadn’t contacted her all week. “Want some dry clothes?”
She hesitated. “You have girls’ clothes hidden in your room? Is there something I should know about you?”
Laughing, he shook his head. “No. I have T-shirts and some sweatpants with drawstrings. Not exactly a fashion statement, but they’re dry.”
“I’ll take a dry T-shirt.” She didn’t want to walk around a party like this with his pants on. The dirty looks and rumors would be ridiculous. Granted, she wasn’t in her small Ohio hometown anymore, and no one would probably even notice her. Still, she wanted to salvage some of her dignity and look halfway presentable. “Um, is there a bathroom I can use?”
Xander pushed off the doorframe and walked in. He handed her a dry T-shirt with Greek letters. “Follow me.” He led her out of his room and down the hall. After walking through a large office-like room, he held open the door to the bathroom. “I’ll wait out here for you.”
“Thanks.” Kylie closed the door and blew out a breath. She stripped off her wet shirt and bra, then checked her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was stringy and no longer sleek and shiny. Using the towel, she dried the ends so they wouldn’t continue to drip down her back. Thankfully, she always kept a spare hair tie around her wrist. She used her fingers to comb through her hair and pull it back into a loose ponytail. Then she attempted to dry her jeans, but after patting at the denim for a few moments, she didn’t notice much of a change. They were still soaked.
Most of her makeup had washed off, so at least there wasn’t mascara streaking down her face. But she did have raccoon eyes. Shit. She wet one corner of the towel and attempted to remove what was left of her makeup. She didn’t look nearly as hot as when she’d arrived, but she wasn’t a complete train wreck.
Pulling Xander’s shirt over her head, she slid her arms through the armholes, breathing in the scent she’d quickly come to associate with him—clean and outdoorsy with a hint of fresh mint. She brought the shirt to her nose and inhaled, letting her eyes close as his unique aroma seeped into her. Thank God the shirt was two sizes too big on her. It helped to mask the fact that she no longer wore a bra.
She double-checked to make sure there wasn’t anything stuck in her teeth, then she rolled up her wet bra and shirt. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to herself and stepped out of the bathroom. Xander sat in the oversize chair with his feet propped up on the massive desk, staring down at his cell phone.
“Hey.” He looked up, then dropped his feet from the desk. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before lowering down the length of her body, stalling at her breasts. She swallowed hard. Could he tell she wasn’t wearing a bra? “All better?” he asked.
“A little.” Her stomach fluttered, and her heart raced. Why was she suddenly so nervous? Probably because she knew damn well where her thoughts were heading. And based on the way he stared at her, she guessed his thoughts were wandering down the same path. “I’m not sure what to do with these.” She held up her wet clothes.
“You can toss them in my room until you’re ready to leave.” He led her back to his room, where he took the wet clothes from her and set them on the floor right inside the door, but not before her bra fell out. He bent to pick it up. “Red lace.” He arched a brow. “My favorite.”
