Page 40 of Chasing Xander
He whipped his head around to look at her. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re a little testy.” She stuck out her tongue, and he laughed. A deep, rich laugh that echoed around her, sending tingles through her body.
“You haven’t seen testy yet, sweetheart.”
“Really?” she asked innocently. “I’m pretty sure I saw a bit of Finn’s testes.”
“Kylie!” He peeled out of the parking lot, clearly aggravated. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” he muttered under his breath.
She flung her head back and laughed. “For what it’s worth, it’s not my phone,” she said once she caught her breath.
“What?”
“It’s not my phone,” she repeated, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “My phone is sitting in a bowl of rice, remember? That”—she pointed to the phone he still held—“is Celeste’s.”
“Oh. Well, that makes a hell of a lot more sense.” He handed the phone back to her and exhaled, his posture and expression softening with relief. “Can’t live without your phone for a single day? You had to borrow Celeste’s?” His tone was teasing, but there was an undercurrent to his voice, an edge that made it very clear he was not pleased about what Kylie had seen.
She closed out of the message and tucked the phone in her backpack. “I’m waiting for an important call.” She sighed, wishing she didn’t have to talk about this right now—or ever—but he deserved an explanation. “I was raised by my grandmother, and right before I left for college, she was put in a nursing home. She’s really the only family I have, and the home calls on Fridays.”
“And because your phone is ruined…”
“Yeah.”
Xander took her hand, laced their fingers, and then brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“It’s okay.” Her voice wavered. Something as simple as him holding her hand sent her into a tailspin. The urge to lean across the seat and plant her lips on his tugged at her, making it impossible to sit still. She shifted and angled her body toward him. Would he ever kiss her?
“Is she sick? Your grandmother?” His tone was soft and compassionate.
She nodded. “Alzheimer’s.”
“I’m so sorry, Kylie.”
She drew in a shaky breath and swallowed back the sting of tears. “We’ve been there for each other for so long, it kills me the days she can’t even remember my name,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand. “What about your parents?”
She cringed. “My mom died when I was young. I barely remember her, and my father…well, he decided being a parent wasn’t for him.” She stopped herself from saying anything more, not wanting to ruin things with talk of her fucked-up, nonexistent family life. Her goal was to get closer to Xander, not scare him away with all her family drama.
“I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for you growing up. I mean, my parents ride my ass, but I know they’ll always be there for me. I’m not sure what I’d do without them.”
“You’re lucky.” She’d always dreamed of having a family like that, parents who were loving and supportive. Maybe someday when she was older and married and had kids of her own, she could give them the childhood she never had. She glanced out the window and saw he’d gotten on the highway. Worry wiggled its way inside her thoughts. “Uh, where are we going? We’ll be back on campus in time for class, right?” She twisted to look out the back window as if that would somehow give her the answer.
“Relax.” He chuckled. “I promise you won’t miss class.”
Chapter Fourteen
Xander exited the highway and made the turn onto Gibson Drive. He slowed to a stop near the Breakfast Burrito Bus, a roadside food stand popular with surfers. Killing the engine, he got out and hurried over to open Kylie’s door. She stepped out, and he guided her back so she was pinned between him and the car.
He took her face into his hands and stroked her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to upset you with my questions. I was just trying to learn more about you.” He moved his hands down to grasp hers.
She nodded and smiled, but it was forced, and her eyes didn’t sparkle like they normally did. “It’s okay. There was no way you could’ve known.”
“I won’t pry, but if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here, okay?”
She pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
Her breath was warm against his skin, and he buried his face in her hair, letting his hands settle against her lower back. Every soft curve melded perfectly against him, enticing him to ask for more, to lay claim to her like he’d never done with any other girl. His heart raced at that realization, and ice-cold fear filled his veins. Was he ready for this, for all these feelings and thoughts?
