Page 76 of Chasing Xander
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kylie sucked in a sharp breath.Holy shit. I’m touching his junk. His very large, very hard, very impressive junk.She’d fantasized about this moment for so long. Of course, she never imagined it would happen in a hotel hallway or right after he’d kissed her to prove a point. As much as she wanted to believe that kiss was something more, she knew better. She’d called him on his bullshit, and he had to prove her wrong.
She gave him a firm squeeze, then massaged him through his jeans. The deep, rumbling groan that emanated from within his chest made her smile. Lowering her head, she looked down to where she touched him, wanting to burn the image into her mind.
He subtly moved his hips forward, and then he captured her lips again, lifting her head with his kiss. Her head fell back against the door, and Xander kissed her harder, deeper. The passion behind his kiss, the determination in his touch made her head spin. She craved more.
Her body melted against his, and she arched into him, loving the feel of his body pressed to hers, of his tongue in her mouth. His kiss was a series of perfectly timed licks and nips and soft moans, leaving her breathless and unable to do anything but exactly what he wanted. Then again, everything about Xander Collins demanded obedience, and she was more than happy to comply.
“Come in and spend the night with me,” she mumbled against his lips.
He sighed, stepped back, and dragged a hand through his hair. “That’s not a good idea.” He shook his head, a frown tugging at his mouth.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because you’re not in the right frame of mind, Ky.”
“Excuse me?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.
“You just lost your grandmother. You’re emotional and vulnerable, and I just think—”
“I don’t care what youthink. You don’t know anything about my ‘frame of mind.’” She closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. Then she pushed away from the door, fury burning through her veins. What the fuck was his problem? Did he get off on kissing her like that, teasing her, and then telling her no? Was this all a game he was playing? And who did he think he was, telling her she was too emotional and vulnerable, like she didn’t have a brain in her head she could trust to make a choice on her own? She stepped up to him and poked his chest. “Then don’t you dare kiss me like that ever again.” She spun around, unlocked the door, and then slammed it in his face, taking a little bit of satisfaction in his shocked expression.Jerk.
Letting out a frustrated scream, she banged her fists on the door, pretending it was Xander’s face… His sexy face. And his dark, lustful eyes. And his sweet, luscious lips. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, which still tingled from his kiss. How could he so easily tell her no? She’d felt how hard he was, how ready. She hoped he got a wicked case of blue balls. That would serve him right.
With a deep breath, she took off her boots, throwing them across the room, and shuffled toward the bathroom. A long, hot shower would help calm her. It always did. She turned on the water to the hottest setting she could stand, stripped out of her clothes, and then stepped beneath the water. Tilting her head back, she rolled her shoulders to ease the tension in them.
She’d never fully understood sexual frustration before, not like this, anyway. And she cursed Xander for making her experience it so intensely now. At least she knew she wasn’t the only one suffering. She imagined him in his room with a swollen dick and no relief in sight. Frowning, she grabbed the tiny bar of soap. What was his problem? Was she completely stupid for thinking she could convince him there was something between them?
After washing up and shampooing her hair, she stood beneath the water until her skin was wrinkled. She stepped out of the shower and dried off. It had done nothing to ease her frustration. The more she thought about Xander and the way he was always pushing her away, the angrier she got. She balled up her towel and threw it forcefully on the floor. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her, dammit. In fact, she was better than all those other girls he’d been with, and it was about time he knew that.
Kylie pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, her movements jerky. She grabbed her key card, then headed to Xander’s room. She banged on the door, everything she wanted to say to him racing through her mind. Once and for all, he was going to know exactly how she felt and what she thought of his recent behavior. No matter how badly she wanted him, she was not going to—
The door swung open, and Xander stood before her wearing nothing but a towel. Her eyes widened, and her throat went dry. Holy mother of God. Water beaded off his chest and shoulders, dripped down his abs, and disappeared into the towel that hung loosely around his waist. The memory of her hand on his crotch hit her hard, made flames of desire erupt on her face. She cleared her throat and forced her gaze back up to his.
He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. His biceps flexed, drawing her attention away from his face again. Damn him. “Did you come over here just to stare at me?”
Her eyes darted back up to his face, and she scowled. “You’re a jerk.” She put her hand on his arm, intent on giving him a shove, and then she yanked her hand back. “You’re freezing.”
He shrugged. “I took a cold shower.”
She drew a deep breath and nodded slowly. “You’d rather take a cold shower and freeze your dumb ass off than get the relief you need from me?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth.” He narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what I said, and you know it.”
“No.” She shook her head. “All I know is that you keep pushing me away, telling me we have to take things slow, but not once have you told me why. You kiss the shit out of me in the hallway, and then you leave me high and dry. I’m not leaving here until I get an explanation.” She crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his stance.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped back and opened the door. “Come in.” He sounded defeated, like her demand for answers was the worst possible thing in the world to ever happen to him.
She entered, and he closed the door. Xander sat on the couch and hung his head, his legs parted slightly. If she bent her knees just a little, she’d be able to see right up that towel. She cleared her throat and waited for him to speak.
“You’re a virgin,” he said softly, not looking up at her.
Her body became an instant, uncontrollable inferno, and she could only imagine how red her face must be. “Yeah, so?” She cleared the lump from her throat and shook her head—or maybe it was an involuntary twitch, she wasn’t sure. “What difference does that make?”
He finally looked up at her, and his eyes were darker than normal, sad. “It matters more than you realize.”
“Wait, that’s why you won’t sleep with me? Because I’m a virgin? So all that bullshit about needing to focus on your classes and getting good grades and me being too vulnerable was nothing but a lie? A lame excuse to make me go away?” She glanced around, wondering if she’d slipped and fallen in the shower and this was some bizarre alternate reality brought on by a serious head trauma.
