Page 73 of Chasing Xander
Kylie scrambled off the bed and flung her arms around his waist before he made it to the door. The force of her embrace made him stumble back a step, but he caught himself before falling. “Whoa.” He laughed and returned her hug, burying his face against her neck.
“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. I know how much you’re risking by being here with me, but I wouldn’t have made it through last night without you.”
He closed his eyes and squeezed her to him. “Don’t worry about me. I want to be here with you.” He kissed her neck, and she tilted her head, giving him permission. Moving down, he puckered his lips to her throat, and she moaned. She might as well have poked him in the balls with a branding iron for how his body sizzled with energy.
He flattened his palms against her back and let his hands roam lower. She arched into him, her breasts pressed to his chest, and the thin cotton shirt she wore did nothing to hide her hard nipples. He could have her right now, and she’d let him. The temptation was palpable.
She gently scraped her fingernails along the nape of his neck, and he lifted his head to look at her. The desire burning in her eyes stole his breath, and he knew if he didn’t let go of her right now, things would get out of control. But before he could release her, she pulled him closer and rose up on her tiptoes to reach his mouth. He turned his head, her lips landing on his cheek.
She pulled away. “Why won’t you kiss me again?” She crossed her arms, her frustration evident in her tone and posture.
His heart thudded hard, causing him to suck in a lungful of air. How the hell was he supposed to honestly answer that without getting into a long discussion about his fears and doubts? He wasn’t ready to bare his soul like that yet. He needed a bit more time to figure out what to say to her. “Because I know once I do, I won’t want to stop.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” She looked up at him from under her thick lashes, her innocent gaze like a match to gasoline, and he was the kindling going up in flames.
He swallowed hard. “No…it’s just…” Shit. He had no idea what to say.
She pulled away. “Forget I asked.”
“Kylie.” He sighed and hung his head. “Look, my reputation on campus isn’t exactly a secret.” He risked a glance at her, hating that he had to admit this. It’s one more thing he’d fucked up and couldn’t fix. “I’ve slept around, and I’m not proud of that. But I want to do things differently with you. I want to be better,for you.”
“And that means you can’t even kiss me?” Her posture softened. “I do know how to control myself, you know. One kiss won’t end up with us naked and fucking like horny rabbits.”
He laughed. “Horny rabbits?”
“Shut up.” She stuck out her tongue.
“God, you’re adorable.” He put his hands on her waist. “Please trust me on this.”
“I trust you,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
…
“I still can’t believe Nammy Joyce is gone.” Paige shook her head. She had to shout to be heard over the live band.
Xander nodded solemnly and took a pull from his beer.
“Kylie’s lucky to have someone like you.” Paige nudged his shoulder with hers. She’d been subtly flirting with him since he’d arrived at McThirsty’s. He hadn’t given her any indication he was interested—because he wasn’t—yet she was persistent.
He smiled politely and turned to look for Kylie. And he found her, too. He nearly spit out his beer, and his eyes widened. She was on the bar with a bunch of other girls, dancing suggestively. Holy fuck! The way she was moving her body… He’d never seen anything so erotic in his life. His already aching cock throbbed even more.
The only male bartender in the place was on the bar with them, a bottle of liquor in hand, pouring it into their mouths. But when he got to Kylie, she shook her head and waved him away. Xander let out a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t trying to get drunk. She’d had two sips of his beer; that was it. The bartender stopped behind Kylie and put his hand on her waist as if he was planning to grind on her.
Oh fuck no! Xander set his beer on the nearest table and stalked toward the bar. He stopped in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. “Having fun?”
She smiled seductively and nodded. Then she shimmied her body around so her ass was in his face. He groaned. She was going to kill him with the way she taunted him, dared him to touch her, kiss her. Fuck her.
He held out his hand. “How about you come on down here and dance with me?”
She stared at him for a moment but then took his hand. He helped her off the bar and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closer than he should. God, the way she fit in his arms, the way her body melted against his so perfectly.
Kylie tilted her head. “You really want to dance? Or did you just say that to get me off the bar?”
“Every guy in this place is looking at you.” He didn’t need to glance around to know. He’d seen them staring at her, and he knew damn well what was on their minds because he was having the same exact thoughts.
“Not everyone.” Her tone was accusatory.
